Richard Blackford: Echo for Baritone, SATB Chorus & Cello [Printed Music]

For Baritone, SATB Chorus and Cello

12-page A4 saddle-stitched Score with 4-page folded part 

Duration: c.6½ mins

ISMN No: 979-0-708129-38-7

When I was asked to write a short piece in memory of Sandrey Date I thought of Christina Rossetti’s haunting poem Echo, about remembrance of a beloved person who will not return. The strong alliteration of the three verses, the preponderance of long vowel sounds, make it ideal for musical setting. I chose a cello obligato since it was an instrument Sandrey loved and played well. The three verses are preceded by short cello interludes that highlight the rising major second motif on the word “come”. Each verse is musically related but different, with climaxes occurring on the words “sunshine on a stream” in verse one and “pulse for pulse” in the final verse. Each verse travels far harmonically from its opening tonality but concludes each time in the key of E-flat major. The baritone solo leads the chorus throughout, summoning dreams and memories of the beloved, and leads it to the work’s soft conclusion. Richard Blackford

Richard Blackford is one of the foremost choral composers in Europe and his much-acclaimed Pietà, a rework of the Stabat Mater, won the Ivor Novello Composer Award in 2020 for the Choral Category. Tenor Jonas Kaufmann writes of Pietà: "Richard Blackford has created an outstanding choral work: a passionate and personal tribute in memory of all who suffer from violence, suppression and political persecution, which has deeply impressed me. Finally a modern composer who is not afraid of writing beautiful and touching music!"