The Happy Grass

Description

This piece celebrates the 120th anniversary of the foundation of the Culwick Choral Society. This remarkable continuity is captured in the poem ‘The Happy Grass’ by the renowned Irish poet Brendan Kennelly, which honours the eternal nature of song in society. A calm, reflective opening, which commemorates past singers, is contrasted with a danse macabre in which the text becomes muddled to reflect the ‘delusions of communication’ of speech, that the poet contrasts with the true communication of song. Finally, opening musical material returns, reflecting the cyclical nature of life, and assuring us that though life may pass away, the tradition of song is everlasting. This setting, therefore, will honour all singers—past, present, and future—of the Culwick Choral Society.