Sung live by The Thursday Choir, directed by Sue Wight, with Danielle Perrett, harp, the solo part sung by Fiona Wight.
Genre: Choral
Mood: Tragic
Forces: Female voice, SSA, Harp
Length: 5 Minutes
Love, 1916 (2006) – Setting of May W Cannan. SSA & harp, soprano solo, 4’.
May W Cannan’s poem is used by kind permission of her granddaughter, Clara Abrahams.
Love, 1916
One said to me, ‘Seek Love, for he is Joy
Called by another name’.
A Second said, ‘Seek Love, for he is Power
Which is called Fame’.
Last said a Third, ‘Seek Love, his name is Peace’.
I called him thrice,
And answer came, ‘Love now
Is christened Sacrifice’.
- May Wedderburn Cannan, 1896-1973, volunteer nurse in WWI
From An die Soldaten des Grosses Krieges:
Genug der blutbadenden Feindschaft und Mordehre
(Enough of this hateful bloodbath and sanctified murder.)
- Gerrit Engelke, born Hanover 1890, died from wounds 12 October 1918
From Heureux Ceux:
Heureux les épis mûrs et les blés moissonés
(Blessed are the ripe wheat and the harvested corn)
- Charles Péguy, born Orléans 1873, died in action 5 September 1914
From Radosti Života:
Života čiši jsem naklonil ke rtu
Piju z ní smutek a bolest a zmar.
(The goblet of life I tilt to my lips
And I drink from it sadness, pain and failure.
- František Gellner, born Prague 1881, declared missing 13 September 1914
Translations by the composer. Thanks to Mischa Kelly for help with translation and advice on Czech pronunciation.
First performance:
31 March 2007, The Thursday Choir dir Sue Wight, Danielle Perrett (harp), Fiona Wight (soprano), Tudeley, Kent.