Choral Evensong - 2 December 2016

The final evensong of the Michaelmas term features as this week's Webcast, with music by Giles Swayne and Benjamin Britten.

Giles Swayne (b. 1946) studied at Ampleforth College, Cambridge, and the Royal Academy of Music under the tuition of Harrison Birtwistle, Alan Bush and Nicholas Maw. His setting of the Magnificat was commissioned by Francis Grier for the Choir of Christ Church, Oxford, with the work being completed in 1982. The melodic content of the piece is heavily influenced by zulu warrior chant, something which Swayne observed during his visit to Senegal in 1981 to record the music of the Jola community.