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Highland composer writes Christmas carol to commemorate Queen

A choir will sing Ms Wallen's composition at a service this Thursday in Salisbury. Image: Donna Murray.
A choir will sing Ms Wallen's composition at a service this Thursday in Salisbury. Image: Donna Murray.

Salisbury Cathedral is to premiere a Christmas carol written in honour of the late Queen.

Queens Depart and Kings Are Crowned, by Thurso-based Errollyn Wallen, was written after the Queen’s death in September, and makes reference to that, giving thanks her for her life of service.

Belize-born British composer, Ms Wallen was awarded an MBE in 2007 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours and a CBE in 2020 in the New Year Honours, for services to music.

The song will be sung by choristers during a Christmas carol service.

The piece ends with a Latin flourish: “Love will remain, Remain in light. Gratias tibi, Regina.”

‘Sense of joy, reflection, gratitude and hope’

Ms Wallen, 64, has had work featured at the Proms and composed pieces for the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilees.

She told The Times newspaper that the Queen’s death “affected me deeply” and wanted her carol to “convey the sense of joy, reflection, gratitude and hope”.

She lives in a lighthouse near Thurso, and said: “I couldn’t be in London to file past the Queen’s coffin as it lay in state at Westminster Hall, so I decided to spent my time in Scotland working on the carol as a way of paying my own personal homage.

Light trails inside Salisbury Cathedral. Image: PA.

“I wanted to express the sense of private and public loss in music and words.

“A carol seemed the perfect form: Christmas time and the ending of a year is when, amidst all the festivities, we remember the people who we have lost, those who are not here to celebrate with us.”

The carol was commissioned by Salisbury Cathedral six months ago and will be premiered at its Carols by Candlelight service on Thursday, which will be broadcast live online and recorded.

The piece has been praised by the assistant director of music at Salisbury Cathedral, John Challenger, said: “It’s bright and energetic but it has moments of stillness as well.

“Errollyn’s piece is a really wonderful addition to that. It’s a positive work and ends with a wonderful and exciting ending.”

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Errollyn Wallen CBE received the Independent Society of Musicians Distinguished Musician Award in June 2021, one of the highest awards within the music industry.

At the time of winning the prestigious award, she said: “It means so much to get this award. It has been an incredible struggle for musicians [over the Covid period]. ”

 

 

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