To What God Shall We Chant Our Songs of Battle? Cover Image

To What God Shall We Chant Our Songs of Battle?: SATB & Soprano & Tenor Solos Choral Octavo

$3.99 USD
$3.99 USD
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To What God Shall We Chant Our Songs of Battle? Cover Image
To What God Shall We Chant Our Songs of Battle?: SATB & Soprano & Tenor Solos Choral Octavo

To What God Shall We Chant Our Songs of Battle?: SATB & Soprano & Tenor Solos Choral Octavo

By David Matthews

Item: 12-0571571573
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Description
To What God Shall We Chant Our Songs of Battle? was commissioned by James O'Donnell and Westminster Abbey for a service of solemn commemoration on 4 August 2014 marking the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

Stark and gritty yet always rooted in tonality, Matthews's expressive harmonies bring a potent immediacy to the bitter, disillusioned words of war poet Harold Monro and the two lyrical solos for soprano and tenor which set passages from the Book of Lamentations and St. Luke's Gospel. Beginning with a violent and impassioned energy, this anthem ultimately offers little consolation. In the words of James O'Donnell it leaves you standing on the edge of an abyss--its impetus petering out in a series of hushed, troubled questions.

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Additional Details
Series: Faber Edition: Choral Signature Series
Publisher: Faber Music
ISBN10: 0-571-57157-3
ISBN13: 978-0-571-57157-4
UPC: 9780571571574
SKU: 12-0571571573

More about this title

About the Composer: David Matthews

David Matthews is a British composer whose output spans orchestral, chamber, and vocal music since the 1960s. His harmonic language combines modernist rigor with tonal anchoring, allowing him to address profound subjects without sacrificing emotional directness or accessibility to performers.

Why we love this

Matthews refuses easy answers here. The piece honors real suffering through uncompromising musical language: restless, unsettled, refusing the comfort of resolution. For choirs ready to grapple with difficult subject matter and complex harmonies, this is repertoire that deepens both musicianship and understanding.

What to expect

Harsh and unforgiving at first, with jagged harmonic turns that mirror the poem's disillusionment. The solos offer glimpses of yearning and lament, but the overall arc resists consolation, instead pulling you toward questions that linger after the final note.

Who it's for

Choirs with secure musicianship in contemporary harmonic language and singers mature enough to inhabit the weight of the text. This requires thoughtful soloists for the soprano and tenor parts and a director willing to sit with discomfort rather than resolve it.

How to get the most out of it

  • Balance the soprano and tenor solos within the full SATB texture so they emerge as questioning voices rather than answers. They should pierce through, not float above.
  • Shape the opening violent energy by sustaining ensemble cohesion through shifting harmonies; Matthews writes unease into the harmony itself, so resist the urge to clarify or smooth it.
  • The final section's 'hushed, troubled questions' demands absolute control of dynamics and diction. Singers must stay engaged even when singing quietly; this is restraint, not withdrawal.

How to use it

Program this in a concert context dedicated to remembrance or reflection on war and suffering, where its unsettled ending feels appropriate and necessary. It pairs well with other twentieth-century sacred music that engages difficult subjects honestly, creating a program that challenges rather than comforts.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading chromatic and non-functional harmonic progressions
  • Balancing solo voices against choral texture in SATB settings
  • Sustaining ensemble blend through rapid harmonic movement
  • Interpreting text-driven emotional content in contemporary sacred music
  • Coordinating soprano and tenor solo entries with full choir support

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