"Like as the hart" is a composition for unaccompanied choir by the British composer Judith Weir, setting the first seven verses of Psalm 42 from the ''

Book of Common Prayer The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...

''. It was commissioned for the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, at which it was first performed by choirs conducted by James O'Donnell at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

on 19 September 2022.

History

Weir, who was appointed the first female Master of the Queen's Music in 2014, recalled that her compositions for royal occasions, such as the service of thanksgiving for the

Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 marking the Platinum jubilee, 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952, the first British monarch to ever celebrate one. In the Un ...

in June 2022 at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, were "always graciously, and often personally, acknowledged by The Queen". As Master of the King's Music, Weir was commissioned to compose "Like as the hart" for Elizabeth's state funeral, which took place on 19 September 2022 at

. It is a three-minute

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

setting of the first seven verses of Psalm 42 as used in the ''

''. The work was published by

Chester Music Wise Music Group is a global music publisher, with headquarters in Berners Street, London. In February 2020, Wise Music Group changed its name from The Music Sales Group. In 2014 Wise Music Group (as The Music Sales Group) acquired French cla ...

. "Like as the hart" was first performed during the funeral by the combined choirs of Westminster Abbey and the

Chapel Royal The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also applie ...

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...

, conducted by James O'Donnell, the Abbey's organist and master of the choristers.

Text and theme

The first seven verses of Psalm 42 read in the BCP: # Like as the hart desireth the water-brooks: so longeth my soul after thee, O God. # My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the living God : when shall I come to appear before the presence of God? # My tears have been my meat day and night: while they daily say unto me, Where is now thy God? # Now when I think thereupon, I pour out my heart by myself: for I went with the multitude, and brought them forth into the house of God; # In the voice of praise and thanksgiving: among such as keep holy-day. # Why art thou so full of heaviness, O my soul : and why art thou so disquieted within me? # Put thy trust in God: for I will yet give him thanks for the help of his countenance. Weir commented about the text and her composition: "The words and music speak at first of the soul's great sadness and thirst for God's reassurance; but as the psalm progresses, the mood becomes calmer and more resolved, culminating in consolation, with the words 'Put thy trust in God. She said that she was inspired by the Queen's strong faith in Anglican worship, and her support for it.

Reception

Tim Ashley from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' wrote: "Weir's psalm is astonishingly beautiful, as slowly shifting chords and harmonies suggest the soul's longing for God in the contemplation of eternity."

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Compositions by Judith Weir 2022 compositions Psalm settings Choral compositions Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II