"Thou Knowest, Lord" by Chris Hutchings

It's been a week of research, writing, and getting ready for the BBC Proms season (and the rehearsals that come along with it)! In my musical explorations this week, this piece by Chris Hutchings caught my ear, with the ethereal vocal harmonies, tight and excellently executed.

What's the history of this piece - is it a stand alone composition or part of a larger work?

"Thou Knowest, Lord" is a movement from a Requiem which I wrote in 2012;
it's been recorded by the University of Glasgow Chapel Choir for a CD
release on the Amemptos Music label, which will hopefully happen later
this year. More information on the Requiem, including a link to the full
libretto, can be found here; The score can be found here. 

The harmonies in this piece are stunning - how did you go about writing them?

Each movement of the Requiem is based on a particular chord shift - the
first movement is based on chords a perfect fifth apart (so a typical
sequence might be C, G, Dm, Am, Em...) and the second on chords a major
second apart (so you might see C, D, Em, D, Em...). By the time we reach
"Thou Knowest, Lord" the chord shift is a tritone! So the piece is based
on harmony that mostly shifts between the chords of A major and E flat
major (though the chords are often disguised by added notes, and in many
cases there are intervening chords - some moments of direct juxtaposition are at "last hour" and the final "from thee"). There's also a shift from E minor to Bb major on "merciful saviour". "For any pains of death" is a very slow build-up from an A minor chord at the bottom to an Eb chord at the top, and then back again for "to fall from thee". 

 ***If you'd like to order a copy, please contact Chris -
chris@hutchingsmusic.co.uk , or Twitter @hutchings_music .

As always, if you know of some notable new music, hit me up on Twitter @AngelinaPanozzo. Tell your friends!