Who Are These Angels?

Anon, attributed to St Augustine (L); Anon (E)

Choral level of difficulty: 3-4 (5 greatest)

This is a beautiful work for tenors and basses with string quartet (an alternative for mixed voices is available) written in 2009 in response to a commission from Neil Wallace and Aberdeen University for the De Doelen concert hall in Rotterdam. It is a macaronic setting with a Latin text attributed to St. Augustine balancing an anonymous English text (‘Who are these angels?’) which, according to MacMillan, was Neil Wallace’s idea. This is another ‘angels’ piece, and the effect of the beautifully layered counterpoint in the unaccompanied sections in Latin balances the quartet accompanied two-voice (tenor and baritone) singing the ‘Who are these angels?’ refrain perfectly. MacMillan directs that the groups should be placed antiphonally and that one choir could be out of sight.

The Latin sections were actually written when MacMillan was still at school aged seventeen, tried out with two friends and then put away until its proper function was eventually realised in this work. The ending is another of MacMillan’s magical ‘sighing’ string endings. Here he asks that the sounds should be reminiscent of doves cooing or of whale song which he felt to be an expression of God’s unknowability.

This is a wonderfully moving and effective work lasting some six minutes. The choral parts are straightforward. What may test some is the section from bar 27 which takes the tenor up to a piano top C, and bar later two Bs. That tenor part sits fairly high in other places too. Pragmatism might suggest that those choirs not blessed with such riches amongst their tenors might use a male alto or two to support or take over where necessary, or there is the mixed voices version mentioned above. This piece is far too good to let such obstacles stand in the way!

Repertoire Note by Paul Spicer