w4998
| Title | Ben, The : Version for Voices, Organ & Percussion |
| Contributors |
John Hearne (composer) William Imray (author) |
| Composition date | 2001 2001 |
| Duration (mins) | 0 |
| Category | accompanied choral |
| Instrumentation | S Bar SSA (children) SATB / Vn Org Pf Perc |
| Commissioned by | Gordon Forum for the ARTS 2001 |
| Key signature | |
| First line | |
| First performed | 02 06 2001 Wilma MacDougall; Alan Watt; Mariko North; Westhill Music Studio Singers Inverurie Choral Society / John Hearne. Chapel of Garioch, Inverurie |
| Notes | Doric Scots. |
| Programme Note | When "Gordon Forum for the Arts" commissioned John Hearne to write this work, the expressed intention was to bring together as many local artists and performers as possible on the one project. William Imray from Aboyne was asked to provide a text, ad he chose a theme celebrating Bennachie. The text is in the Doric. Bennachie itself is personified as a powerful influence on the behaviour of the people living around it, and is protrayed by the youth singers. The people - the 'fowk' - are represented by the Chorus; and the soloists protray three individual characters from different historical times. The cantata is in 5 sections. The first begins with the fowk inquiring into the origins of the mountain, and being told of its violent birth from the molten womb of the earth. The second movement describes the mysterious stone circles fashioned by tribes 3000 years ago, and the disturbing story of human sacrifice that was the liturgy of those times. A day-dreaming monk comes to life in the third movement, distracted by his view of the mountain while he is supposed to be singing the plainsong of Prime in the early morning in Monymusk. Our own time is represented by a lady from Buchan who describes a romance that was shattered in the shadow of Bennachie. and finally the mountain gives us a dire warning of the possible consequences of thoughtless and greedy exploitation of our environment. The text has a time span of millions of years, so the music does not seek to reflect any historical style. |
This work is associated with the following collection items:
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