Page 3 - Lucy Walker Compline

INTRODUCTION
This resource for Compline (Night Prayer) is a co-production between St Martin-in-the-Fields, where Lucy Walker is Composer-in-Residence, and the Royal School of Church Music.
Church of England liturgy has always been at the core of RSCM’s publishing, and we are delighted to be working with Andrew Earis, Director of Music
at St Martin’s and Lucy to publish this beautiful setting of the music for Compline. As well as Lucy’s ethereal settings, we have provided the timeless original plainchant settings of the responses, to give an alternative to the new pieces in case choirs choose not to use entirely new Compline material. The new music is designed to be interchangeable with the original, allowing choirs to select parts from the new composition, or indeed sing the whole new setting.
Compline is suitable for more reflective times of the church year, in particular, Advent and Lent, and especially during Passiontide and Holy Week.
It is worth noting the difference in keys between the opening section of
the service, that includes The Word of God, and the ending prayer section. The opening section is in brighter, sharp keys, whilst the following prayer section, as we head towards our bed and sleep, is in darker, flat keys. We suggest adding a few spoken prayers after the Nunc dimittis before the sung prayer responses.