Cadman Requiem

The piece was written in the spring of 1989 for the four voices of the Hilliard Ensemble (counter tenor, 2 tenors, baritone) accompanied, in the original version, by 2 violas and cello, with optional double bass.  Another version was made in the autumn of 1997 for the Hilliard Ensemble to perform with the 6 viol consort Fretwork.

This version was originally made for the Estonian National Male Choir and, like the version for mixed choir and organ, makes a number of modifications to the original work both in the vocal parts and in the instrumental accompaniment. Some of these are to make the work suitable for choral forces other than those employed by the Hilliard Ensemble. Other changes reflect the piece’s origin in “Invention of Tradition”, which I wrote for the opening of the Liverpool Tate Gallery in May 1988, and where Bill Cadman was my sound designer. Among the musical forces that I employed were the organs of both the Anglican and Catholic Cathedrals in Liverpool, whose highly individual characteristics were a feature in that work. While the organ registrations here have been made more generic, there remain certain elements which allude to this - not least the presence of the optional 64’ pedal towards the end of the piece.

Gavin Bryars