A new musical setting of the Easter Passion story written by a young composer from Devon will be sung in public for the first time on Good Friday at St Petroc’s church in Harford, near Ivybridge.
The Baroque-style work for choir, soloists and organ has been written by Nicholas Courtman, the church organist.
It also features sections of narrative, which will be performed on Friday by a local actor.
He said the inspiration to write a new version of the Passion came from visiting the Bach festival in Leipzig.
The new choral work will be sung in Harford church on Good Friday
“It was lovely to see how Bach used music to build his communities in and around Leipzig and I wanted to do something similar for South Dartmoor.”
He said some of the music had been inspired by the River Erme, which is near where he lives.
He also said he drew on the poem The Man at the Gate, by local Harford poet Barbara McAndrew, who wrote it in the 1920s.
Nicholas used 12 stanzas from it as the basis for three hymns.
“Setting some of her deeply religious poetry to music has been quite an honour and a challenge, but really fun.” he said.
The passion will culminate in Jesus’ dying question on the cross: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” set to a fugue.
“I’m hoping people will leave in silence at the end,” Nicholas said.
“I am not looking for perfection in this, it is not a performance, it is an act of worship.”
Nicholas grew up in the Methodist church but was attracted by the musical traditions of the Anglican church.
“Music takes me to a plain where I can feel much more expressively about my faith.
“As an organist I strive to create that environment where I can help enable people to enter a spiritual state. Music has the power to enable that expression.”
Nicholas said he soon hoped to be able to share a YouTube recording of the Passion and publish the score for others to use.
You can hear the new Harford Passion as part of a Good Friday service of reflection at St Petroc’s in Harford at 6pm on Friday 3 April.
