John 14:15-17 (King James Version)
Choral level of difficulty: 2 (5 greatest)
This short motet was commissioned by The Elders to mark the retirement of Desmond Tutu. The Elders is a group of international senior statesmen and women founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007 whose mission is to work together for peace and human rights. Commissioning a composer like MacMillan was a perfect ‘fit’ given his public record of support for these issues and his outspokenness on issues such as political repression, so vividly captured in a much earlier work, Cantos Sagrados (1990).
The text of this motet (well-known from Tallis’s beautiful setting) is from St John which highlights the overriding need to abide by Jesus’s commandments to receive the comfort and support of God. Perhaps the key phrase is ‘Even the spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not’. This is at the heart of the work of the Elders and, of course, of Archbishop Tutu himself.
The music is a beautifully straightforward setting in four parts which in its directness makes its message more powerful. It is almost hymn-like in its simplicity though is not as apparently simple as MacMillan’s much-performed O Radiant Dawn. Whilst there is lovely movement of parts there is no imitative counterpoint. Perhaps the most telling moment is the fortissimo statement of ‘keep my commandments’ just before the end. It is as if MacMillan wants to take the sentiment out of ‘love me’ and remind us that Jesus really means ‘if you believe in me you will keep my commandments’. He wants to make it an imperative.
A motet well within the reach of most choirs of modest attainment upwards.
Repertoire Note by Paul Spicer
