John McCabe

Psalm-Cantata

John McCabe's Psalm-Cantata (Orchestral Version). Vocal score for Soprano, Baritone and SATB choir. This work was commissioned by the English Baroque Choir and their music director Jeremy Jackman, who gave the first performance on 16th March 2013 at St. John's, SmithSquare, London. ' I've wanted to write a choral/instrumental piece based on texts from the Psalms for a very long time, so this commission from the English Baroque Choir and their music director Jeremy Jackman (to whom the work is dedicated) was a wonderful opportunity to put this idea into practice. I decided to write a kind of latter-day equivalent to the Bach cantatas, with two soloists (soprano and baritone). The texts are derived from a variety of Psalm sources: some in Latin, some in English, a meditation by Savonarola, and a Henry Vaughan poem. ' - John McCabe