The Nantwich Singers

From the Treasure Chest of music for “inner peace” we have drawn religious and secular sources from the 16th to the 21st century, wandering through themes of meditation, supplication, praise, sleep, death and the affirmation of life in extremis.

The earliest work, O sacrum convivium by Thomas Tallis, is full of joyful hope, revelling in the “pledge of the glory to come”. The most recent, Hear my cry, O God, is the première of a work by Alison Hendricken, in mood as far as it could be from the Tallis, excepting the shared foundation of faith. Not all are explicitly Christian; Vaughan Williams’s Rest sets a wonderful poem by Christina Rosetti which focuses on sleep - or is it death? - as a healing restorative.

In terms of musical style, the Treasure Chest selection embraces elaborate polyphony, 21st-century minimalism, and 19th-century romantic operatic. We finish with Dan Forrest’s poignant Good Night Dear Heart, which is especially dedicated to Tony Metcalfe.

Most of these pieces are anthems or motets (a piece of music in several parts with words) and it is impossible not to enjoy the late 13th century theorist Johannes de Grocheo's pronouncement that the motet was "not to be celebrated in the presence of common people, because they do not notice its subtlety, nor are they delighted in hearing it, but in the presence of the educated and of those who are seeking out subtleties in the arts” (Margaret Bent). We have no fear that our audience will fail to notice and delight in the music.