Written as an elegy in memory of his son Patrick and the poet Charles Hamilton Sorley - both killed in World War I - this choral anthem is regarded as the high-water mark of Irish composer Charles Wood’s romantic Anglican church music. This arrangement by Jonathan Corry transcribes the work for full brass band, translating Wood's vocal counterpoint and warm harmonic colors into the brass medium.
Wood set his piece to the final two stanzas of Sorley’s (1895–1915) poem:
This sanctuary of my soul
Unwitting I keep white and whole,
Unlatched and lit, if Thou should’st care
To enter or to tarry there.
With parted lips and outstretched hands
And listening ears Thy servant stands,
Call Thou early, call Thou late,
To Thy great service dedicate.
The Latin title translates to 'I have been waiting and waiting.' The text contrasts the busyness of external life with a hidden, illuminated sanctuary kept ready within the soul.
As a teacher of counterpoint and fugue at Cambridge, Wood taught notable pupils including Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arthur Bliss, Nicholas Gatty, Cecil Armstrong Gibbs, and W. Denis Browne - several of whom went on to compose prominent original repertoire for the brass band movement.
To view a video of 1st Old Boys Brass Band performing the work please visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx7nNGh7Djc
Duration: approx. 3.30 minutes
Difficulty Level: 4th Section +
This PDF download includes the full score and parts.
Sheet music available at www.brassband.co.uk (UK) or https://satradecentral.org (USA)
Instrumentation:
Soprano Cornet Eb
Solo Cornet Bb
1st Cornet Bb
2nd Cornet Bb
Flugel Horn Bb
Solo Horn Eb
1st Horn Eb
2nd Horn Eb
1st Baritone Bb
2nd Baritone Bb
1st Trombone Bb
2nd Trombone Bb
Bass Trombone
Euphonium Bb
Bass Eb
Bass Bb
(Percussion tacet)