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A piece which celebrates an anniversary provides a composer with particular challenges in the choice of a text. It should not be so tied to the group or the event that no-one else will want to use the music, yet it needs to acknowledge and celebrate the group’s achievement.

“All This Singing, One Song” was written for GALS (Gay and Lesbian Singers of Auckland) for the choir’s 20th anniversary in 2012. The text comes from the 13th century Persian poet and philosopher Rumi, and consists of several short pieces of his writing on the subject of singing. Most of these encourage the listener to join in with the singing. The music is mostly rhythmic and energetic, with a strong climax at the end where the choir sings the words “Sing loud!”.

Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi or Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273) was a 13th-century Persian philosopher, theologian, poet, teacher, and Sufi mystic. Also known as Mevlana (Our Guide), Jalaluddin Rumi, but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi.

“All This Singing, One Song” was commissioned by GALS (music director: Stephen Bowness), and first performed by the choir on 27 October 2012.

• David Hamilton: All this singing, one song - hardcopy score 

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St Michael’s Church in Remuera (Auckland ) is one of the finest acoustics in the city for choral music. When I heard Viva Voce was presenting a concert of “heavenly music” there as the choir’s final concert for 2011, I offered to write a new piece. My earliest regularly performed work,“Lux Aeterna was already scheduled for the programme, so I felt this would make a nice comparison of works written 32 years apart. Conductor John Rosser readily agreed to the idea.

Angele Dei is a text traditionally attributed to St Anselm (c.1033-1109) although it is now believed to have been added to his works after his death probably in the 11th or 12th centuries. It is a brief prayer to a guardian angel – one who is charged with protecting against the assaults of demons, that might lead one into sin.

The piece is full of warm rich choral textures, beginning with the women’s voices descending in a scale-like passage which repeats several times against simple tonal chords in the men’s voices. The build to the climax uses textures reminiscent of Renaissance composers, featuring a string of suspensions in the harmony. The work ends quietly with an Amen section and final statement of the title.

David Hamilton

• Hamilton: Angele Dei; computer set  Year: 2011 

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In 2006 I wrote A Christmas Fanfare for a concert involving both Auckland Boys’ Choir and Auckland Girls’ Choir. This work for multiple choirs and orchestra was used successfully several times in annual Christmas concerts. In 2010 these two choirs decided to present their own Christmas concert. Rejecting the initial idea of re-scoring A Christmas Fanfare, I offered to write a new piece tailored to the needs of the two choirs, with organ accompaniment. Faithful Choir, Rejoicing Sing is the result.

The text, here in a modern English translation, dates from the twelfth century and is attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153). I was drawn to the idea of an ancient text being delivered by fresh young voices. The text is a hymn of praise celebrating the birth of Christ.
Each of the voice parts first presents their own verse of the complete text. This is then followed by the four verses being sung simultaneously during a procession, in a kind of canonic texture. Following the procession the same music is heard once more with the parts coming in successively, and the whole piece ends with a final triumphant ‘Alleluia’.

David Hamilton

• Hamilton: Faithful Choir, Rejoicing Sing; computer-set  Year: 2010 

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