Edward McGuire: Prelude 21 - Ninian's Chant [download]

Commissioned by: The Friends of the Whithorn Trust First Performed: Hector Scott The Church, Isle of Whithorn at the St. Ninian Festival 8 September 2002.

“Very few hints exist of the music of Ninian's time - my piece is an imaginary exploration of what his meditative themes may have been. That is the starting point, from which the soloist soars and embellishes, often with flavours of Scottish traditional style. The twists and turns in the melody, return us to a much earlier period when the culture of the Roman Empire, and the Coptic Church (with its links to the ancient world) had a distant influence. Reading of Roman inscriptions and recent excavation in the Whithorn area itself has been an important inspiration for the piece.” - Edward McGuire