Programme Notes

In late 2022, I became one of the New Music Series artists with the Choir and Organ Magazine, who had partnered with PRS for Music and the choir of King's College London. This gave me the chance to set The Doubter's Prayer to music, which I had long desired to do. I was attracted to the text because, while not specifically about agnosticism, it deals with doubt, and I sympathised with what Brontë was going through when she wrote this poem. She struggled with ill health and had gastric fever, a form of tuberculosis, from which she died at the age of 29. Although she was deeply religious, doubt followed Brontë wherever she went. While I am agnostic and my journey with faith didn’t resolve itself in the same way that Brontë’s did, doubt is something I am familiar with, as is the experience of dealing with very serious illness.

The piece was very difficult for me to write: I think I went through five different drafts before I found an idea which I was satisfied with. The organ writing has a lot to thank Francesca Massey and Joe Fort for - the flute solo at the end of the music was inspired by the latter.