The Great Silence

A new choral anthem commemorating choristers and organists who fell in the First World War.
Help us raise funds for charities supporting choral music, choristers and young musicians.

click here to view or purchase a musical score

click here to listen to the great silence

patrons

General The Lord Dannatt GCB, CBE, MC, DL
Alderman Sir Andrew Parmley MusM Hon, FGS
The Venerable (Air Vice Marshal) Jonathan Chaffey CB, RAF
The Right Reverend David Conner KCVO
Dame Judi Dench CH, DBE, FRSA
Juliet Nicolson

The anthem
Composed by Samuel bordoli

Bewilderment and grief swept over the nation in the years immediately following the end of the First World War as it attempted to come to terms with the scale of what had happened. The conflict had torn apart the fabric of society and the task of rebuilding fell upon the shoulders of those whose loved ones would not return. The idea of a two minutes commemorative pause was established by King George V in 1919 on Armistice Day; this first great silence was observed across the whole land. The process of regeneration and remembrance had begun in the spirit of optimism that this had been the ‘war to end all wars’.

Silence in music is a powerful metaphor. After the sound stops, all that remains is an echo. This anthem has been composed to commemorate choristers who fell during the First World War. The text, ‘Song and Pain’, was written by Ivor Gurney, a chorister at Gloucester Cathedral from 1900 – 1906. He conceived it during the Battle of the Somme in 1916 at Crucifix Corner whilst serving with The Gloucestershire Regiment. The spirit of the words reflects the mood at the end of the war; it captures the idea of resurrection, that from the ashes, the soldier poet will endure his pain and enter the House of Joy.

After an introduction played by the organist, the work moves between two thematic sections, both of which return throughout. The first, a verse for unaccompanied choir in D minor, sets captures the sense of sadness and loss. The second, a chorus in D major, is optimistic and bright. The three melody notes in the main theme (C#, D and A) also unify the harmonic structure of the work, which is based on these three keys. At this point, churches have the opportunity to have the names of their fallen choristers sung as a roll call, each name dropping away until there is silence. An ecstatic build-up provides a climax to the work, where each voice enters in layers, before the music comes to a peaceful end.

It is rare, if not unprecedented, for a musical work to be composed specifically to commemorate choristers who have lost their lives in war. Their echo and the regenerative spirit of The Great Silence bring a legacy into the lives of former and serving choristers of today. The anthem is also suitable for general commemorative use, with or without a sung list of names.

The Great Silence project is proud to be supporting and raising funds for the Royal College of Organists and Friends of Cathedral Music. Donations have also been made to London Music Masters.

Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

HRH The Earl of Wessex with the composer, Samuel Bordoli, and the Director of Windsor Festival, Martin Denny, after the premiere of The Great Silence in St George's Chapel Windsor. Copyright © Gill Aspel Photography 2016

meet the team

General the Lord Dannatt GCB, CBE, MC, DL
Patron

Having served for forty years in the British Army he finished his career as the Chief of the General Staff. After standing down from active duty in 2009 he became Constable of HM Tower of London and in 2011 became an independent member of the House of Lords. His home is in Norfolk where he runs the family arable farm.

Alderman Sir Andrew Parmley MusM Hon, FGS
Patron

Elected to the Common Council in 1992 and an Alderman since 2001 he was The Lord Mayor of the City of London in 2016/17. Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and Trinity College, London, Honorary Fellow of The Guildhall School of Music, he is Principal of The Harrodian School besides holding leadership roles in several companies and charitable enterprises. He was appointed Director of the Royal College of Organists in 2018.

The Venerable (Air Vice Marshal) Jonathan Chaffey CB, RAF
Patron

A Royal Air Force Chaplain since 1990 and following several operational tours he became an innovator in the field of Armed Forces training. Notably he introduced workshops in listening skills, transition training for those in military leadership and ethics workshops into Initial Officer Training. He became Chaplain-in-Chief of The Royal Air Force in 2014 and retired in 2018.

The Right Reverend David Conner KCVO
Patron

Ordained in 1971, he spent some years as a school chaplain. In 1986, he became Vicar of the University Church in Cambridge. In 1994, he moved to Norfolk as Bishop of Lynn. Since 1998, he has been Dean of Windsor and Register of the Order of the Garter. During this time (2001 – 2009) he was also Bishop to Her Majesty’s Forces.

Dame Judi Dench CH, DBE, FRSA
Patron

Dame Judi Dench is an Oscar-winning actress probably best known for her role in the long-running television series As Time Goes By and for her portrayal of James Bond’s boss “M”. The theatre remains her first love and her work has included seasons at the Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, as well as the West End and Broadway.

Juliet Nicolson
Patron

After reading English at Oxford, Juliet spent twenty years in publishing on both sides of the Atlantic. She is the author or four books, a memoir A House Full of Daughters, a novel Abdication and two works of social history The Perfect Summer, Dancing into Shadow in 1911 and the companion volume The Great Silence 1919-1920, Living in the Shadow of the Great War. She is a contributor to The Daily Telegraph, The London Evening Standard, The Spectator, Harpers Bazaar and other publications. She grew up at Sissinghurst in Kent, is a mother and a grandmother and lives with her husband in East Sussex.

Samuel Bordoli ARAM
Composer

Samuel Bordoli is establishing a reputation as one of the foremost composers of his generation. His varied output continues to explore relationships between music, architecture, literature and theatre. He was appointed Composer-in-Residence at Scottish Opera in 2017. He has written chamber operas, instrumental and choral music as well as site-specific works for some the the UK's most iconic landmarks including Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral and City Hall, where he collaborated with Foster + Partners. He studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music,
where he held the Mendelssohn Scholarship, and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Paul Cordle
Project Coordinator

After twenty years in the British Army (Grenadier Guards), during which he travelled extensively and saw active service, Paul Cordle went into the financial and legal services sectors working in a senior role with companies with national distribution. Now semi-retired, he continues to offer temporary support to small businesses in a consultancy, business development and project management role.