I will take you from the nations

Choral level of difficulty: 2-3 (5 greatest)

Merton College, Oxford commissioned a series of contemporary composers to write a Merton Choirbook in the shadow of the 15th century Eton Choirbook to celebrate the College’s 750th anniversary in 2014. MacMillan’s contribution was this motet for unaccompanied SATB with divisions to SSAATTBB. The text is from Ezekiel and is perhaps appropriate in the sense of students coming to study at the college from all over the world and having their minds honed so that ‘I will…gather you from all the countries. A new heart I will give you and put a new spirit within you’.

The principal characteristic of this setting is short phrases of staccato chords separated by a bar’s rest. In the third repetition of the opening words a moment of glue gives respite from these chordal progressions and thereafter there is a mix of staccato and legato in each phrase until we reach the climax of the piece at ‘and put a new spirit within you’. The wonderful contrast of a section of flowing counterpoint leading away from a rising fourth in all voice parts shows the heart of flesh to be so much more beautiful a thing than the heavily discordant heart of stone preceding this it. The ending has a magical cadence.

This is not a difficult piece to master and its rehearsal issues will focus on ensemble in the staccato chords, tuning in some key passages and careful adherence to MacMillan’s dynamic scheme.

Repertoire Note by Paul Spicer