What is it?

Described by others as "absolutely beautiful" and "truly inspired", O Love is a setting of George Matheson’s well-known hymn 'O Love that wilt not let me go'. The following arrangements of it are available here:

• A simplified arrangement for unison singers and piano
• 4-part mixed choir (SATB) and piano
• 4-part male choir (TTBB) and piano
• Solo voice and small chamber orchestra (soprano, in G major; mezzo-soprano or baritone, in F major)
• 4-part mixed choir (SATB), piano, Uilleann pipes, solo cello and orchestra (the Festival Edition)
• A Romanian language edition, which I made during a sojourn in Suceava at the end of 2019

In February 2014 I was asked to play for the funeral of a young woman named Amy. Neither she nor her family were known to me. During the funeral the words of Matheson’s hymn 'O Love that wilt not let me go' were read. Within five minutes of leaving the church I knew that I had to compose new music for these words. I composed the melody and the basic harmonies in about thirty minutes, in an arrangement for solo voice and chamber orchestra. I sent the music to a friend whose response was, “This is absolutely beautiful, it is truly inspired.”

The friend in question, being Welsh, suggested that it would work well for choir. I started with the male choir arrangement, in which form it was introduced to the Marazion Apollo Choir. I then did the mixed choir arrangement (with piano). It was at that point that we decided to use it in my local church. I worked the mixed choir arrangement into what would become the Festival Edition; it was in that form that my church first heard it on 9th March 2014.

I played it as people were entering the church - and people stopped in their tracks to listen. The Vicar made reference to it in his sermon, saying this:

The congregation then sang the piece, with the Festival Edition orchestral backing track prepared by me. As we sang I saw one man with tears streaming down his face. Afterwards he shook my hand, still in tears, and said simply, "Thank you".

I feel humbled by this music. I know that while I might have been the hand that put the notes on paper, it was, as my friend Jane Butler said, truly inspired. I never knew Amy Ratnett but in my mind this will forever be her song.