by R. Rojas
Richard Rodney Bennett (1936-2012) has written his share of Christmas music. He was the fourth composer to be commissioned for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols and possibly the first to be commission a 2nd time.(1)
For a biography of Bennett, see the composer's Wikipedia page. He was a prolific composer of orchestral pieces, TV, film, piano, jazz and much more.
Bennett was born in Kent in the United Kingdom and later trained with Gustav Holst, even singing in the premier of "The Planets." He studied at the Royal Academy of Music. Another composers there at the time was Lennox Berkeley. Bennett later studied in Paris with Pierre Boulez, and wrote over 200 works and about 50 scores for film. Bennett died in 2012 after living in the United States the last 32 years of his life.
In 1962, he wrote "Nowell, nowell, tidings true" for chorus a capella and instrument. It was commissioned by Novello for its carol collection 'Sing Nowell' edited by Louise Halsey and Basil Ramsey. The text is from an anonymous 15th century text.
In 1967, he published a song cycle called Five Carols: There is No Rose, Out of Your Sleep, That Younge Child, Sweet was the Song, Susanni which he wrote for St. Matthew's Church Northhampton:
Five Carols: Out of Your Sleep
Five Carols: That Younge Child
Five Carols: Sweet was the Song
Five Carols: Susanni
In 1980, he wrote Puer Nobis (1980) for chorus and instrument based on the text by Alice Meynell. It was written at the request of the Marchioness of Aberdeen:
In 1984, he composed a version of "Lullay Mine Liking" (SATB) at the request of the Rt Hon Edward Heath on the occasion of his choir's 40th Carol Concert:
I'm assuming this Heath is him who was prime minister of the United Kingdom (1970-74).
Bennett's first commission for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was in 1986 and it was "Nowel, Nowel, Holly Dark" based on the text by poet Walter de la Mare. It is sometimes listed as "Nowel." We scoured the Internet for an audio or video of this carol, but to no avail. I did find the text to a poem by de la Mare called "The Holly." Also, in its compendium album (On Christmas Day: New Carols from King's, 2005) of commissions for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, the Choir of King's College, Cambridge did not include the carol.(2) It did name the album after Bennet's 1999 carol.
The 1990s would only produce two Christmas pieces, one a carol. In 1990, he composed a piece called Partridge Pie based on the carol "The 12 Days of Christmas." This piece was for piano although Wise Music lists that a version for a capella choir and piano exists. We are unsure if this is an error.
"Twelve Lords a Leaping"
His second commission for the 1999 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was "On Christmas Day to my Heart" based on words by Clement Pamen:
In 2000, he composed "Carol" (SATB) based on the text by W.D. Rogers:
The first decade of the 21st Century, Bennett produce a good chunk of carols. It would also be Bennett's last full decade, but it proved a very active carol-writing period.
The Anonymous 4 commissioned Bennett to write a carol and they released his version of "Balulalow" (a cappella) in 2005 on their recording Wolcum Yule: Celtic and British Songs and Carols (Harmonia Mundi USA):
"Balulalow"
Another recording I found attributed to Bennett was "Quilter: The Cradle in Bethlehem" on a 2006 recording by Anne Sofie von Otter. However, another source attributes it to Harry Rodney Bennett. I am suspecting this is an attribution error. The recording that says if from "Richard,' says the text is from Roger Quilter (1877-1953). Other sources say Quilter is the composer and various music publishers put Quilter as the composer. It does not sound like Bennett's style. Is it maybe an arraignment? Nevertheless, a beautiful song. I'll leave this in the unsure category:
"Quilter: The Cradle in Bethlehem"
In 2006, he wrote a version of "I saw three ships" (SATB).
Bennett has an arrangement of "I Wonder as a Wander" (2008) for chorus and instrument. It was composed for Jonathan Manners and DeChorum, on the occasion of the Cancer Research UK Carol Service at All Saints Church, Weston-super-Mare:
Also in 2008, he published "My Dancing Day" for chorus a capella and instrument. It was commissioned by Jerry Johnson and VocalEssence in memory of JoAnn Catherine Johnson.
In 2009, he published "New Year Carol" (SATB) for chorus and instrument but for some odd reason it is "unavailable for performance." It appears to be the same text Benjamin Britten used in his "New Year Carol" which is "Levy-Dew", also known as "A New Year Carol" and "Residue" a Welsh folk song:
Two carols were commissioned by Friends of All Saints’ Music, Northampton. Published in 2010, they "The Shepherds Carol" and "The Holy and the Ivy" They were commissioned for Lee Dunleavy and the Choirs of All Saints' Church, Northampton, in memory of Miss Valerie Travis (1918-2008). It is also for chorus a capella and instrument. For audio of the Choir of St. Catharine's College Cambridge performing the latter, click here: "The Holly and the Ivy." Unfortunately, I have not found a recording or video of "The Shepherds Carol."
Also in 2010, he published "Torches" also for chorus and instrument, of which I could not find a recording. He published a song cycle called Four American Carols for unison high voices and also an arrangement for orchestra and chorus. This cycle included the carols "A Child of God, " "I wonder as I wander, "Away in a manger, and "Rise up, shepherd, and follow."
He also published "New Years Carol" in 2010. We are unsure if this is the same as the 2009 piece or a different one or an arrangement thereof. Also that year was "In the Bleak Mid-Winter" based on Christina Rossetti's poem. The musical piece was for chorus a capella and instrument.
Bennett's "Gloria, Gloria" (2010) set the words of his poet sister M.R. Peacocke to music creating a lovely piece. Although the music publisher does not call it a Christmas piece, reviewer Martin Clarke of Organist Review called it a "new carol." 1 August 2012 and it does make Christmas nativity references:
Bennett even wrote a version of the "Coventry Carol" which was commissioned and first performed by Yiru Hall and the Portsmouth Grammar School Chamber Choir at Portsmouth Cathedral on 14th December 2011. A recording by the commissioning choir is below:
Other sacred work includes Missa Brevis (1990) which was commissioned for Canterbury Cathedral Choir. One can hear the entire mass on the Cambridge Singers recording Sea Change: Choral Music my Richard Rodney Bennett (Collegium, 2011).
There is also Verses on Saint Cecilia's Day (2006) which was commissioned by the Musician's Benevolent Fund in the name of Sir Thomas Armstrong.
Bennett also has a lullaby called "Lullaby Baby" (SATB) that used the text by John Phillip (1565). What year this musical piece came out, the publisher does not tell:
The liner notes of the recording state:
This early work of Richard Rodney Bennett takes its name from a lute book by William Ballet dating from the early 17th century. Ballet himself set the words to music in the style of his own period, an echo of which lingers in Bennett's music. The carol was written for the pupils of Betteshanger School.
The above was commissioned Commissioned by the Cheltenham International Festival of Music with funds from the Arts Council of Great Britain and the Royal Northern College of Music School of Wind and Percussion. For more into: See Four Seasons.
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