What is it?

If not unique, Holy - An Invocation comes close to it and has been described as "Utterly beautiful, stunning", which says it all. It's for a large church or cathedral that has the acoustic to make it sound really special. It's based on my own 'Reflection'.

From a technical point of view it's not particularly complicated, though you'd need a contralto soloist able to sing the G below middle C with a fair amount of power, also with a very good sense of pitch and timing. You'd also need a flautist with an alto flute in G, a pianist and a small string orchestra. If you'd rather work with a backing track, let me know.

My Reflection had been around for a while. Then in January 2026 I decided to see how it might sound if I replaced some of the alto flute passages with a kind of spiritual meditation to be sung by a contralto soloist. To my amazement, the result attracted the following comment from one of my friends:

"There is a phrase in music: Resolution. It is where we traverse from dissonance to consonance. So too in spirituality. It is the ultimate goal where all becomes 'as one' and the result is contentment and acceptance no matter the discord that surrounds us ... We have this here. I am assured (as Julian of Norwich writes in "Revelations of Divine Love"), "All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well". Rarely has any music given me such a sense of reassurance. This is sublime. My heartfelt gratitude. You have achieved and triumphed."

In a way I feel humbled that my music can mean so much to somebody. I have to conclude that God is a lot more real than my weak faith can even begin to appreciate.