Radio listeners may well have heard Fifth Former Harry L’Estrange’s composition O Virgo Virginum played and discussed by composer John Rutter on BBC Radio 3, who named it his favourite new carol of the year.
Harry’s piece was recorded by the Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge, with Andrew Nethsingha conducting, and released on their recent album, Advent Live – Volume 3, alongside pieces by some of the most prestigious choral composers.
You can listen to Harry’s piece below.
Harry told us, “When I was 12, I was head chorister in the choir of St John’s College in Cambridge, where I’d been singing every day since I was seven-and-a-half. Our choir director, Andrew Nethsingha (who now directs the Westminster Abbey choir – he conducted for King Charles III’s coronation!), suggested that I might like to write a piece for the Advent service. Advent is the most important service of the year, so it was an honour to be asked.
I’d only composed one piece for the choir before but it had won a national competition, so I guess he thought I’d be up to the task. Mr Nethsingha supplied the words, a Latin text about the Virgin Mary, which I then set to music for the choir to sing at the service. They recorded the service, and that recording was released on a CD for Christmas 2023.”
O Virgo Virginum is about the divine mystery of Mary, a virgin, being told she’s going to have a baby, the words of which are often sung in church during Advent. Harry’s inspiration for the music came from his time as a chorister when he enjoyed singing small-scale pieces by composers such as Stanford and Bruckner. He was also influenced by composers such as Finzi and Howells – the contrasting middle section, in particular.
Harry went on to say, “I used an AABA form where the B section, rather like in jazz standards, is in contrast to the A section. I decided to modulate up a minor third for the B section (which is quite typical of some jazz standards), to completely change the tonality and to add an element of magic to the piece, reflecting the themes of the text. However, I also wanted to keep the piece quite simple to reflect the purity and innocence of Mary.”
Talking on it being named as John Rutter’s favourite carol of the year, Harry said, “John Rutter has composed some of the most famous and loved carols, so that felt really special.”
Harry plays piano, violin and sings to Grade 8 level. He also plays the organ.