O Sing unto the Lord
SSA + organ, 3'00" (2018)
Written to be sung at the Consecration and Enthronement of Canon Anne Dyer as Bishop of the United Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney, March 1st 2018.
This piece was written for the enthronement of Canon Anne Dyer, first female Bishop in the Scottish Episcopal Church, as Bishop of the United Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney. It takes inspiration from the music of Orkney, particularly from fiddle traditions, which comprise a large part of the rich musical heritage of Orkney and the Northeast of Scotland. The music of Orkney and nearby Shetland is heavily Nordic influenced, and one of the most distinct features of Nordic-based fiddle traditions is their frequent use of different string tunings for different musical situations. The chord progressions in this psalm setting are based on various tunings in Orcadian, Shetlandic and Nordic fiddle music. The vocal lines leap about a great deal in imitation of jumping from string to string, as well as producing a chant-like quality appropriate to a joyful psalm setting.
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