Sincere thanks to Ulric Andersson and the Uppsala Cathedral Singers for this superb world premiere recording, in the magnificent Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden, on Dec 16, 2023. For song description and sheet music, see below.

Description: Here is my totally new version of “Good King Wenceslas.” Using the 19th century poem by John Mason Neale, I wanted to create a different “feel” to the Wenceslas story, to take it back to its origins in the Middle Ages – hence the medieval feel to much of the piece. I felt that a setting in 6/8 time would create a better sense of journey, the motive energy behind the story. And the 6/8 time also helped resolve the “Good King Wences last looked out” problem found in the original 4/4 version. As did the insertion of an extra word, “he”, as in “Good King Wenceslas, he looked out.” Dedicated to my uncle Duncan Shaw, whose “retirement project” – developing his own theory of gravity – has been a huge inspiration in my own “late in life” compositional journey: duncanshaw.ca/.

Sheet music (SATB div.):  https://cypresschoral.com/composers/david-rain/good-king-wenceslas/.