Communion music
This week we shall be listening to “The Call” by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958), performed by the Boy Choristers of Wells Cathedral.
Vaughan Williams composed his “Five Mystical Songs”, of which this is no. 4, between 1906 and 1911. Written for baritone soloist, they nevertheless lend themselves to performance by trebles. They set poems by the Anglican priest George Herbert (1593–1633), a notably godly figure who is commemorated in the Church of England’s Calendar of Saints. Several of Herbert’s poems remain well-loved hymns today, e.g. “King of glory, King of peace” and “Let all the world in every corner sing”.