The Music of the Play

In this picture: the Music Director (Stella Hull) leads the music for Act 4 on Easter Sunday

The action of the Play takes place in first century Palestine during a major Jewish festival in Jerusalem. Jewish celebration music is lively and foot-tapping, but this heritage also includes contemplative music from the time of the exile, and penitential themes. So a significant feature of the Play was Jewish music, often in the form of rounds. We used rounds from later Christian times too, and other music from the church down the ages.

Hebrew rounds

Hava Nagila

How good and pleasant it is

Shalom, my friends

Rounds from the English church

By the waters of Babylon

a round by Henry Purcell

He is risen from the dead! (Jubilate)

Longer pieces

This is my body (Iona)

Is it nothing to you (F A G Ousely)

See what a morning (Stuart Townend)

Hear Stuart Townend singing See what a morning here on YouTube.