One of Tavener's most popular and frequently performed works is his short unaccompanied four-part choral setting of William Blake's The Lamb, written for his nephew, Simon, on his third birthday one afternoon in 1982. This simple, homophonic piece is usually performed as a Christmas carol. More important, however, were his explorations of Russian and Greek culture, as shown in "Akhmatova Requiem" and "Sixteen Haiku of Seferis". Later prominent works include The Akathist of Thanksgiving (1987, written in celebration of the millennium of the Russian Orthodox Church); The Protecting Veil (first performed by cellist Steven Isserlis and the London Symphony Orchestra at the 1989 Proms); and Song for Athene (1993, memorably performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997). Following Diana's death he also composed and dedicated to her memory the piece Eternity's Sunrise, based on poetry by William Blake.
It has been reported, particularly in the British press, that Tavener left Orthodox Christianity to explore a number of other different religious traditions, including Hinduism and Islam, and became a follower of the mystic philosopher Frithjof Schuon. While he in recent years incorporated elements of non-Western music into his compositions, Tavener remained an Orthodox Christian though his brother, Roger, tended towards Sufi. In 2003 he composed the exceptionally large work The Veil of the Temple, based on texts from a number of religions. It is set for four choirs, several orchestras and soloists and lasts at least seven hours. The 2004 premier of his piece 'Prayer of the Heart' written for and performed by Björk, was featured on CD and incorporated as the soundtrack to Jake Lever's powerful installation 'Centre + Circumference' (2008, Wallspace, All Hallows on the Wall, City of London).
While Tavener's early music was influenced by Igor Stravinsky, often invoking the sound world of the Requiem Canticles and A Sermon, a Narrative and a Prayer, his recent music is more sparse, uses wide registral space and is usually diatonically tonal. Some commentators see a similarity with the works of Arvo Pärt, from their common religious tradition to the technical details of phrase lengths, diatonicism and colouristic percussion effects, though the similarities between their outputs are quite superficial. Olivier Messiaen has also been suggested as a strong influence on his earlier work.
Tavener suffered from the hereditary Marfan Syndrome for much of his adult life, and died peacefully at his home in Dorset on 12 November 2013.
Hymn to the Mother of God
John Tavener Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
before this icon of your radiant brightness
Not praying to be saved from a battlefield
Not giving thanks nor seeking forgiveness
For the sins of my soul
But for her alone
Whom I wholly give you
The Lament of the Mother of God is a hauntingly beautiful song that speaks of the sorrow and despair of a mother grieving for her child. The lyrics begin with the singer seeking comfort from the Mother of God, represented by an icon of her radiant brightness. The singer is not seeking salvation from a physical battlefield or asking for forgiveness for their sins; instead, they are praying solely for the one person who they have given wholly to the Mother of God - their child.
These lyrics are incredibly powerful as they speak to the universal feeling of a mother's love for her child. The loss of a child is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a mother, and the grief that comes with it is overwhelming. The Lament of the Mother of God captures this grief perfectly, with its mournful melody and poignant lyrics.
Overall, The Lament of the Mother of God is a deeply moving song that speaks to the core of human emotion. It is a poignant tribute to the universal grief felt by mothers who have lost their children, and its haunting melody and beautiful lyrics make it a timeless masterpiece.
Line by Line Meaning
Mother of God, here I stand, now praying
I stand before you, Mother of God, with my heart heavy, and I offer my prayer
before this icon of your radiant brightness
I kneel before your icon, shining bright, as a symbol of your divine power and grace
Not praying to be saved from a battlefield
I am not here to ask for safety in a physical battle or war
Not giving thanks nor seeking forgiveness
I am not here to express gratitude, nor to ask for forgiveness
For the sins of my soul
I am not here for forgiveness of my sins, but rather for a different purpose
nor for all the souls, numb, joyless and desolate on earth
I am not praying for the salvation of all the suffering souls on earth
But for her alone
I am praying for one specific person
Whom I wholly give you
I am surrendering this person to you, Mother of God, with complete faith and trust in your divine will
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
Written by: John Tavener
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lvgatormax
I am a singer. The breath control for this piece makes me gasp for breath. GORGEOUS…
@ian9764
Thank you for the vlog, i really enjoyed it.
@coskuarsiray
those silent moments; which make this work while the reverbation does its trick in its environment. awesome work.
@TheMummatron
Beautiful.
@chi2mike
Travenor will be so very much missed for his perceptive potentiality in adoration through his profound modern Byzantine harmonious choral music composition - he transports listener and singer to glimpse the Divine. Amen
@TheKonga88
Tavener 🤭🤭🤭🤡🤡🎁🥳🤗🔥🔥☄🌬🌬🌨🌨☃️☃️☃️🚀🛸👽🛸👽🍪🍪😷😷🤭🤭
@chi2mike
@@TheKonga88 you are.a kindred mystical s[irit to me ❤️
@David_Thompson
A beautiful performance in a most beautiful location!
@danielburges8176
That stained glass is almost more impressive than the singing - nice work! Looks like it was hot back then too. Wonderful piece, have sung it many times.
@alexjoneschannel
I wanna hear them do Salve Regina