Light for the World
Arrangements, programming and keyboards compositions by James Morgan and Juliette Pochin; track 6 composed by Sister Elizabeth Ballatti
Poor Clares of Arundel/Juliette Pochin
No recordings details
DECCA 4819694 [43:56]
I love the cover: a modern, young(ish) nun wearing a set of yellow headphones. It sums things up rather well. You would be mostly wrong to think this is rather musty and holy plainchant, recorded in some remote and echoey abbey. Plainchants are accompanied here by computerised and keyboard backing, with just an occasional, subtle rhythmic pulse. It is predominantly quite tasteful. The comment on the reverse of the cardboard casing exhorts us to ‘Gaze, Consider, Contemplate’, the words of St. Clare to Agnes, Queen of Bohemia. This is a feasible sentiment, and it successfully holds the concept of the album together.
But who are the Poor Clares? St. Clare was a friend and fellow citizen of St. Francis of Assisi; his words, and hers, are also set to music here. She was born in 1193 or 1194. She entered a religious order at eighteen, when St. Francis started preaching and his fame spread. His philosophy was to utterly deny oneself and be totally obedient to Christ. It was a challenge to the ecclesiastical authorities. Clare heard him preach in the Cathedral in the spring of 1212. She could not join St. Francis’s movement directly but was eventually allowed to gather her own followers and set up a convent in the church of St. Damiano a mile or so outside Assisi. Because of the nuns’ simple lifestyle, they became know as the Poor Clares. (My wife and I visited the church in the summer of 2019. Its wonderful atmosphere is enhanced by the thirteenth century wall paintings.) There are at least eight convents in the UK to this day, and Poor Clares can be found in seventy-five countries.
The booklet notes tell us that the twenty-three nuns (pictured within) spent some time in deciding if they should go ahead with making this recording that Decca had been so keen to pursue. They apparently had to work hard to develop and improve their singing. And you will see from the titles that we not only have familiar plainchants but also melodies, freely composed in a chant style, and others especially arranged for the nuns.
The booklet, very colourful, has each of the texts, some of which have been translated from Latin. This is helpful because not all words can be clearly heard. Each text is attributed to its author; a date and a spiritual meaning is often given as a further enlightenment.
The texts are varied. Some are ancient, traditional hymns such as Veni Creator Spiritus (Pentecost) or Creator Alme Siderum (Advent). There are psalm extracts, for example Oh Lord, Hear my Voice (Psalm 27), and texts by St. Clare (Love him) and by St. Francis (You are love). James Morgan and Juliette Pochinhave composed nine of the melodies. The very beautiful Love him includes a contribution from the Danish National Chamber Orchestra. They have also added the background embellishments to six tracks, including the traditional chant for the Pange Lingua. Sister Elizabeth Ballatti, a member of the community, composed Earthly Kingdom.
The overriding effect is one of simplicity of musical lines, a similarity of accompaniments with slow tempi, a dynamic which never rises above moderately loud. There also is the perhaps curious effect of making the listener feel as if they are sitting at the west end of the nave in a pool of instrumental light, with the chanting nuns slightly fuzzily singing the office in some distant chapel, surrounded by a halo of incense. This may not, understandably, appeal to everyone’s taste. Even so, listening at home, maybe under dimmed lights, has quite a spellbinding and emotional effect now when life is all up in the air and it may be difficult to attend an act of worship, especially one in which beautiful music is heard.
On the back of the booklet we read: “Let the love that dwells in your hearts shine forth in your deeds.” This is what St. Clare is said to have last spoken to her sisters. The words are worthy of our contemplation.
Gary Higginson
Contents
Veni Creator Spiritus [2:17]
All who labour [3:48]
You are love [2:39]
Let the love that dwells in your heart [2:07]
Gaze, Consider, Contemplate [3:13]
Earthly Kingdom [2:16]
Ave Maria [4:28]
Pange Lingua [3:00]
Ubi Caritas [2:02]
In Paradisum [1:40]
Love him [2:39]
Agnus dei [2:29]
May your love [2:22]
Creator Alme Siderum [2:49]
Attended, Domine [3:23]
Oh Lord, hear my voice [2:40]
