New Good Friday Passion to premiere on Dartmoor

A new choral setting of the Easter Passion story by a Devon composer will receive its first public performance this Good Friday at St Petroc’s Church near Ivybridge.

The Baroque-style work, written for choir, soloists and organ by local musician Nicholas Courtman, will form part of a service of reflection at the rural church in Harford. The piece also incorporates narrated sections, to be delivered by a local actor.

Courtman, who serves as the church’s organist, said the idea for the composition was sparked by a visit to a Bach festival in Leipzig, the city closely associated with the composer Johann Sebastian Bach.

“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.”

The new work, titled the Harford Passion, also draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape, including the nearby River Erme. Courtman said elements of the music were influenced by the river and its setting.

In addition, the composition incorporates poetry by local writer Barbara McAndrew. Courtman has adapted 12 stanzas from her 1920s poem The Man at the Gate into three hymns within the piece.

“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’ final words 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.”

Courtman, who grew up in the Methodist tradition, said he was later drawn to the musical heritage 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.”

He added that he hopes to share a recording of the work on YouTube and publish the score for others to perform in the future.

The Harford Passion will be performed at St Petroc’s Church in Harford at 6pm on Friday, 3 April, as part of a Good Friday service of reflection.