Julian of Norwich (1342–c.1416)
Revelations of Divine Love: old words in new settings
Godolphin Vocal Ensemble with their director, Olivia Sparkhall, harpist Katie Flanghan and other leaders of the inaugural International Women's Day service in Salisbury, UK, 8th March 2017
Beginning in 2016 a rolling collaboration between Multitude of Voyces (MoV) Godolphin School Vocal Ensemble (Salisbury), historian Dr Alison Daniell, composer and educator Olivia Sparkhall, and harpist Katie Flanghan, funded through private donation, led to an innovative series of commissions raising up the life and words of the female medieval mystic Julian of Norwich (1342-c.1416). At the time there were very few anthems which set texts by historical or living female writers: our project helped address this underrepresentation in a bold and innovative way.
Three emerging composers – Carol J Jones; Hilary Campbell; Gemma McGregor – were recommended by then Master of the Queen’s Music, Dame Judith Weir, with Weir herself composing the final work in the sequence (composed in memory of Dee Stewart, the original commissioner of the sequence).
The first work was composed by Carol J Jones. (The work was later recorded by Aurora Nova, directed by Patrick Craig)
The texts of the first three commissions were translated into modern English by Dr Daniell, drawing Julian’s visions into the vocabulary of the girls and young women they were commissioned for.
The second commission was composed by Hilary Campbell. (The work was later recorded by Aurora Nova, directed by Patrick Craig)
The third commission was composed by Gemma McGregor.
(The work was later recorded by Aurora Nova, directed by Patrick Craig)
The final work, We sekyn here rest, remained in its original Middle English text, and is intended to be sung in the dialect of Julian’s day, bringing the singer and the listener back into the world of Julian and her generation. (The première was recorded under Covid rules with no audience present)
In 2022 the opportunity arose to disseminate this project to a wider audience as part of the inaugural Julian of Norwich conference Somerville College, Oxford, in an illustrated lecture entitled Julian as a voice for the voiceless. The anthems were performed by Somerville College Choir, directed by Will Dawes, with Aoife Miralles on harp.
The sequence of anthems was interspersed with narrative placing the commissions in both the context of Julian’s life and of Multitude of Voyces’ project. The full narrative can be read in the Issuu publication.
Julian of Norwich (1342–c.1416)
Revelations of Divine Love: old words in new settings
The sequence of commissions was conceived for upper voices and harp, to contribute new works to the established canon which includes such brilliant works as Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. Where the Ceremony of Carols set texts by multiple authors, with music by one composer, our sequence was to set texts by one author, with music by multiple composers.
