Warwick: The Great O

Saturday 2 November 2024
home >

PayPal logo Buy now using PayPal
Free download (for a limited time)

About this piece: Warwick: The Great O

Thumbnail of The Great OThis chant setting of the single syllable "O" was written at Dunblane Cathedral on the First Sunday of Advent 2006.

The inspiration for this setting comes from the writing of a German Catholic priest, Max Josef Metzger, who, before his execution by the Nazis in 1945, wrote:

He knows not Advent’s meaning who has never sat
By twilight in a dreary cell...

The sense of longing in the original Advent 'O' Antiphons is expressed by a four-note melisma E-A-A-G on the syllable "O". In this setting these four notes can be found at the beginning of the third section of the chant. There is also a "Blues" reference in the falling thirds in the final section, helping to reinforce the sense of desolation.

The music is presented in modern notation. The use of stem-less notes on a five-line stave shows the pitch and relative rhythmic values without imposing a rigid rhythm. The chant may be sung at any convenient pitch.

The text

The antiphon consists of the syllable "O". Also included is the melody and five verses of the hymn 'O come, O come, Emmanuel', which follow immediately.

Difficulty level: **

This moderately-easy piece is available for purchase as a choral octavo or for a limited time as a free download. Royalties from this publication will go to the Dunblane-Likhubula Partnership in order to help development of the Likhubula village community, high in the Mulanje mountain massif in the tea-growing area of Malawi.

Printed choral leaflets

Buy your copies of The Great O here.
Your music will usually be despatched within 24 hours.

1–9 copies: £1.60 each
plus £1.50 p&p on total order

To order, click on the Buy Now button above,
then choose how many copies you want.


FREE SHIPPING when you buy sets of 10 copies:

Sets of 10 copies: £14.40

To order, click on the Buy Now button above,
then choose how many sets of 10 copies you want.
So if you want to buy 30 copies, type "3" (no quotes) into the Quantity box on the next page, and then click "Update Totals".

We accept credit and debit cards for payment.
Your order will be placed in pounds sterling (GBP); however, your credit card company will bill you in your own currency.


Download this piece
Conditions of the licence

You may make copies of the work for your local use; however, copyright remains with the publisher. Copies may not be made for commercial use, for resale, hire or distribution under any cover other than the original.

You are invited to make a donation using the PayPal secure payments system.

Donations will be forwarded to the Dunblane-Likhubula partnership (see above)

Scroll To Top