Humphrey Clucas was born in 1941 and read English at King’s College, Cambridge, where he was also a Choral Scholar. Having taught English for twenty- seven years he subsequently became a Lay Vicar at Westminster Abbey but is now retired.
As a composer he is self-taught, and although he is well-known for a set of Anglican Responses written as an undergraduate, almost all his serious music has been written over the last twenty-five years. He has a growing reputation as a choral composer and has produced an impressive and steady stream of choral works, both sacred and secular, alongside much instrumental music.
He has written works for Cathedrals in Chichester, Guildford, Salisbury and Winchester, as well as for King’s College, Cambridge, Southwell Minster and Westminster Abbey.
Te Deum is a unique work of lyrical beauty for SATB choir and Double Bass, Quartet,
also playable with bass octet. The style is …accessible and melodic, offering few
challenges for any performer, but producing a work described as ‘spellbinding’ at its
premiere. The rhythmic and driving bass lines contrast the more chordal and lyrical
choral writing.
“My Te Deum was composed in a response to a suggestion by David Heyes that I
write something a little larger than the Suite which was my only previous work for
double bass. Given the accompaniment, a grand and triumphant treatment of the
text did not seem feasible, and the mood of much of the piece is quite sombre.
Perhaps it takes its cue from the final section of the Te Deum: ‘O Lord, save thy
people…O Lord, have mercy upon us…’ The voice parts are quite straightforward,
and should not tax the average choir. For larger choirs, eight double basses might
create a better balance than four.” [Humphrey Clucas]
Te Deum was premiered on 7 November 1998 at the Garrison Church (Aldershot,
Hampshire) by Voci Cantanti, conducted by Andrew Phillips, with double bassists
David Heyes, Lucy Heath, Anri Adachi and James Clark.
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