BEHOLD ADAM
WINNER, CARITAS COMPOSITION CONTEST
B E H O L D A D A M
WORLD PREMIERE JUL. 8, 2017 - CANTERBURY
"Behold Adam" was recently selected as a finalist in Caritas Chamber Choir's Composition Contest. The competition called for settings of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales; this piece sets a portion of the Monk's Tale, rendered in the composer's own prose. The Monk's Tale tells a series of short stories of historical figures undone by their own greed, and Adam's section focuses on his fall from power and honor by his own vice.
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Along with the five other finalists, "Behold Adam" will be performed in Canterbury on July 8th, 2017, by Caritas, at the University of Kent. Details can be found here.
Colyer-Fergusson Building, University of Kent
T H E T E X T
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Behold Adam, made by God’s own hand, And not of mankind unclean.
Given reign over Eden’s verdant land,
Now called Damascus, once a garden green. Over all Paradise, but one tree to rule,
Over all the Earth, no one stood higher.
This was Adam’s, but his by sin to lose, Condemned to pain and toil forever.
Benedict Preece:
Music Director of Caritas Chamber Choir, East Bridge Chorale and Sandwich Concert Band.
C A R I T A S C H A M B E R C H O I R
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The choir was founded in 2011 by Music Director, Benedict Preece. The name of the choir was inspired by the Latin word for charity, ‘Caritas’, and the group has maintained a charitable ethos since its formation, raising thousands of pounds for various charities, good causes and churches.
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Members are drawn from around East Kent and feature both professional singers and advanced non-professional singers. The ensemble has become an important part of the cultural landscape of Canterbury. In 2016 the choir gave 13 concerts and sang 25 cathedral services.
P R O G R A M N O T E:
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In The Canterbury Tales, the Monk is called upon to share a happy story. Instead, he offers a series of short tales that illustrate the destructive power of greed and dependence on fortune. Adam’s tale stood out to me for the incredible contrasts of his fate: we hear of the unsurpassed beauty of his domain, the incomparable height of his honor and power, and then quickly of the depths to which he falls. There is a true sense of loss in this text – Adam literally “had it all,” only to lose everything he had been given on account of his sin.
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I’ve tried to reflect this by using a musical language that slowly and subtly illustrates the dichotomies in the text and the tragedy of Adam’s undoing. Firmly rooted in F minor, in moments the music travels to Ab major to outline the grandeur and beauty of the garden. To depict the archaic character of this tale, given its root in biblical pre-history, I’ve used roughly modal shapes and melodies throughout, a style I often depend on in my writing. While the piece has a clear sense of motion and fluidity from the beginning, it gathers pace towards the end as Adam’s sin condemns him to be banished from the paradise over which he once ruled, concluding in a frenetic and declamatory judgment.