Benedicamus Domino by Andrew Carter

Premièred by The Chapter House Choir in York Minster 18 December 2015

Andrew Carter writes:

Thank you, Stephen and the choir, for asking me to write a carol for the Chapter House Choir’s fiftieth Carols by Candlelight. Feeling particularly grateful that both the choir and its erstwhile conductor have weathered the passage of time, I wanted to write a Thanks be to God! offering in my favourite form, while exploring some of the rich sonorities which the present choir excel in.

The Benedicamus refrain came to me at once, last January, and was then put aside in the hope that a text would evolve. Within the traditional framework of stanza and refrain I decided on the simplicity of a single rhyme to overarch the whole.  Again, in common with very many Christmas texts, I wanted at a time of celebration to reflect on the less fortunate in our world.