Anthem (or "Lenten Carol") for AATTBB Choir and 2 x SSA Soloists (or Choirs) – with optional Organ and Instrumental accompaniment (reinforcing and/or vocal part replacement):

AATTBB Choir [Choir 1] (minimum 2 voices per line) (stage middle front) +

SSA Soloists [or Choir 2, if doubling parts]* (stage left back, or left gallery) +

SSA Soloists [or Choir 3, if doubling parts]* (stage left right, or right gallery)

= 1. AAAATTTTBBBB + 2. SSA + 3. SSA; or minimum of 18 singers: 4 sopranos; 6 altos; 4 tenors, 4 basses

(* If treating 2 & 3 as Choirs rather than Soloists, min.6 per choir = 2. SSSSAA + 3. SSSSAA: thus 24 overall – being effectively a 12-part ‘Triple Choir’)

(From excerpts of text attributed to John Skelton)

ABOUT THE MUSIC

The score is marked, “Slow and Spacious”, and “Maestoso (In Wonder)” – with the refrain becoming ever-more decorated on each return. Despite the subject matter, the mood of the refrain is more one of glory and awe, rather than mere dolefuleness. The intimate verses, by contrast, are marked, “Teneramente” (“Tenderly”). Abridged versions of Woefully Arrayed can be performed by commencing the work from either the Second or Third Refrains. This allows for performances of approximately 26 minutes (in full), 19 minutes (from the Second Refrain), or 12 minutes 30 seconds (from the Third Refrain).

REVIEWS

‘sublimely beautiful’ – Dr. Andrew Shenton, BMus(Lond), MM(Yale), AM and PhD(Harvard), FRCO (ChM), LRAM, ARCM, DipRCM, Associate Professor of Music & James R. Houghton Scholar of Sacred Music, Boston University; Conductor and Director of the Boston Choral Ensemble (21st November, 2016) (USA)

‘Woefully Arrayed has a mesmeric element to it … [and] is a masterpiece of time-stretching. As lines float and interact throughout the soundspace, there is a distinct impression of atemporality, of altering the way the listener experiences time.’ – Colin Clarke, “Little, Woefully Arrayed …”, in Fanfare, Vol.41, No.2 (Nov./Dec. 2017) (USA)

‘Each of these moments sort of bursts forth from the slowly-built verses in rather beautiful colors.  … the stunning quality of the work … has this sense of coming into one central space only to go the far reaches of the space. Carefully-managed dissonance also adds to the emotional depth of the piece ... The overall production is rather stellar ...’ – Steven A. Kennedy, “Polychoral Music by Jonathan David Little”, in Cinemusical, August 28th, 2017 (USA)

‘... arrestingly beautiful, and manages to strike a delicate balance between tradition and innovation.’ – Arnaud G. Veydarier, “Jonathan David Little, Woefully Arrayed …”, in La Scena Musicale (Feb./Mar. 2018), p.32 (CANADA)

ALBUM AWARDS:

- WINNER (UK): "ENCORE CHORAL" AWARD: BBC Radio 3 / Royal Philharmonic Society

- RUNNER-UP (AUSTRALIA): "CHASS AUSTRALIA PRIZE for DISTINCTIVE WORK" 2018: Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (29th October 2018, Storey Hall, Melbourne)

- NOMINATION (USA): "BEST CLASSICAL MUSIC RECORDING":  RoundGlass Global Music Awards 2018 (26th January 2018, Edison Ballroom, New York)

FIRST REFRAIN

Wofully araide,
     My blode, man,
     For thee ran,
It may not be naide;
     My body blo and wanne,
Wofully araide.

VERSE ONE

Beholde me, I pray thee, with all thine whole reson,
And be not hard-herted for this encheson,
That I for thy saule sake was slaine in good seson,
Begylde and betraide by Judas fals treson;
     Unkyndly entretid,
     With sharpe corde sore fretid,
     The Jewis me thretid,
          They mowid, they grynned, they scornyd me,
          Condempnyd to deth, as thou maist se,
               Wofully araide.
 

SECOND REFRAIN

Wofully araide,
     My blode, man,
     For thee ran,
It may not be naide;
     My body blo and wanne,
Wofully araide.

VERSE TWO

Thus nakyd am I nailid, O man, for thy sake!
I love thee, then love me; why slepist thou? awake!
Remembir my tendir hart rote for thee brake,
With panys my vaynys constreyned to crake;
     Thus toggid to and fro,
     Thus wrappid all in woo,
     Whereas neuer man was so,
          Entretid thus in most cruell wyse,
          Was like a lombe in sacrifice,
               Wofully araide.
 

THIRD REFRAIN

Wofully araide,
     My blode, man,
     For thee ran,
It may not be naide;
     My body blo and wanne,
Wofully araide.

VERSE THREE

Of sharpe thorne I haue worne a crowne on my hede,
So paynyd, so straynyd, so rufull, so red;
Thus bobbid, thus robbid, thus for thy loue ded,
Onfaynyd, not deynyd my blod for to shed;
     My fete and handes sore
     The sturdy nailis bore;
     What might I suffir more
          Than I haue don, O man, for thee?
          Cum when thou list, wellcum to me,
               Wofully araide.

FINAL (expanded) REFRAIN

Wofully araide,
     My blode, man,
     For thee ran,
It may not be naide;
     My body blo and wanne,
Wofully araide.

Attributed to John Skelton (ca.1463-1529)