Song Rushes In

A Cantata in Thankful Celebration of Choral Singing

Libretto by Euan Tait

Music by Roy Rashbrook

Scored for Tenor Soloist, Flute, Oboe (doubling Cor Anglais), Clarinet,  String quintet or small orchestra & Piano.

Click on the image to listen to the first performance.

“Beautifully crafted . . . A kaleidoscope of fluent musical invention.” - Malcolm Hicks, review of 1st performance.

Commissioned as part of Fleet based chamber choir Hart Voices’ 50^th anniversary celebrations, “Song Rushes In” is a cantata on the subject of the joy of singing together; the feeling of interconnection it gives us as human beings and how much we missed it during the prolonged silence of the lockdowns of 2020 and 21.

Although it was composed during and after the lockdowns of the Covid pandemic of 2020/1, librettist Euan Tait chooses to keep the text as non-specific as possible. An unspecified crisis has made social interaction and all kinds of communal music making impossible. This affects young and old alike, and Euan draws particular attention to the fact that many young people have missed out on a crucial, formative time in their development as people. He also alludes to the many great choral works which went unperformed, deftly slipping in occasional turns of phrase that are instantly recognisable as being from famous choral works by Purcell, Bairstow, Ireland and Harris.

Roy worked at the score on and off for about a year, creating a four movement structure reminiscent of a Symphony. The opening Prelude is representative of the business of the musical scene pre-crisis, taking its musical themes from later in work, where Euan’s libretto equates song with both a dance and a “kiss on wounded skin”. This lively music is interrupted by a cascade of musical fragments, ending with a heart beat, leading into . . .

The 1^st choral movement - “Return of the Song” - introduced by the tenor soloist, who recalls the deep, desolate silence of a time of crisis. The chorus announce the return of music and, as if in a dream, imagine themselves as children, picking up long abandoned instruments - a joyful discovery of our musical self. The movement finishes with combined voices of soloist and chorus acknowledging music as having the power to bring our younger selves forward:

“...calling to the deep of who we are…”

“To Be a Friend” is sung by the voices of those young people, represented here by the (optional) youth choir. They sing of learning to build friendships and also call the adults to remembrance of what is unfinished or forgotten in their lives. Scored for S. A. plus Bar., this piece is specifically written for a choir of young voices, but it works equally well if performed by the main chorus, who might have a slightly better memory of some of the gentle ballads from the 1970s and 80s whose harmony is hinted at here.

“Music Laughs and Dances” has, as its unifying theme, a sprightly 7/8 figure in the violins, conjuring up images of Scottish folk bands. After all, a single fiddle can, in the right hands, bring a whole pubful of people to their toe-tapping feet. In this movement (essentially a scherzo, with two fast choral dances separated by a slower and more reflective central section) the chorus sings of music as a force for joy and spiritual transformation.

“Music Reaches Out”. We reach the finale, but before we get to the rousing climax of the piece, we need to go on a long journey through times of hardship and crises. Echoes of great music and anthems perhaps unsung for years but deep in the emotional and musical memory lead the troubled pilgrims of the chorus, together with the tenor soloist and youth choir, to a place of spiritual growth which, although at first enigmatic, is gradually and thrillingly revealed, ending in a spirit of optimistic and joyful freedom.

Praise for “Song Rushes In” from musicians, audience and choir members.

"Working through Song Rushes In was an incredible experience for Hart Voices - it tested the choir members to their limits in some respects but the response was hugely positive and people probably worked harder at learning and understanding the piece than they usually would. Since Roy knows the choir so well, he understood completely the capabilities of each section and raised the bar for everyone, making better singers out of us all. Discovering the libretto was also a delightful experience thanks to Euan’s mastery of language. The first performance gave us amateur singers such a rush - personally I was quite overcome with emotion in a way I haven’t been for many years and our audience spontaneously gave the performance an enthusiastic standing ovation, demonstrating the sheer power of the music to engage with people’s hearts and minds. It was, frankly, one of the best experiences of the choir’s history. We sincerely hope to see and hear the piece performed by many other choirs because it engages and improves singers of all abilities, reminding every single one of us of the real joy of choral singing after so many months in the zoom wilderness." - Clare Thomas, joint chair of Hart Voices.

Comments received after the 1st performance:

“… so emotional and awed by your composition ... in tears because it was so amazingly beautiful.”

“It was a great experience to hear your magnificent new work last night, so substantial in concept and with many moving passages.”

“(We) were really struck by Roy’s new composition. We were talking about it all the way home, and we feel it should feature in other choirs’ repertoire. Bravo!”

“… a very satisfying piece to play. Some lovely flute writing and I think the audience reaction says everything.”

“…a choral experience like no other!”

For more information, email royrashbrook@gmail.com or phone 07970 627412.