Flame (Mixed Voices)

Original version for 12 unaccompanied voices. Flame’s central theme is one of light and happiness being passed from one person to another. Bardsley’s lyrics are inspired by a quotation from Siddharta Gautama Buddha, suggesting the notion that a candle’s light shared is thereby strengthened rather than diminished. The poem’s spiritual quality is captured perfectly in Parry’s music, which starts with a single flickering melody, passed from upper to lower voices before exploding into 12-part harmony as the flame is multiplied, culminating in the affirming final line 'so to light the world'.