Littlemore Tractus

Composed in 2000 for choir and organ, Littlemore Tractus was commissioned by Bernhard Schünemann, the vicar of Littlemore, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the English cardinal John Henry Newman (1801–1890). Cardinal Newman was a minister, theologian, poet and thinker who wished to bring Catholic liturgical traditions to the Anglican Church. In 1845, he converted to Catholicism, causing serious polemic in church circles. In 2010, Newman was declared ‘Blessed’ by Pope Benedict XVI.

Littlemore Tractus is based on the final lines of one of Newman’s most famous sermons, Wisdom and Innocence, given on 19 February 1843 in Littlemore where he was an Anglican minister. This short poetical text has found its way into people’s prayers; it is …

Composed in 2000 for choir and organ, Littlemore Tractus was commissioned by Bernhard Schünemann, the vicar of Littlemore, to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the English cardinal John Henry Newman (1801–1890). Cardinal Newman was a minister, theologian, poet and thinker who wished to bring Catholic liturgical traditions to the Anglican Church. In 1845, he converted to Catholicism, causing serious polemic in church circles. In 2010, Newman was declared ‘Blessed’ by Pope Benedict XVI.

Littlemore Tractus is based on the final lines of one of Newman’s most famous sermons, Wisdom and Innocence, given on 19 February 1843 in Littlemore where he was an Anglican minister. This short poetical text has found its way into people’s prayers; it is also used in Anglican funeral liturgy and has been translated into many languages. This prayer for eternal peace has found a hymnal-choral expression in Pärt’s music.

The composition premiered on 21 February 2001 at the St. Mary the Virgin and St. Nicholas Church in Littlemore, performed by the St. Martin-in-the-Fields Choir, organist Nicholas Danks, and conducted by Paul Stubbings. The church, although under a different name, was established in 1835 by John Henry Newman.

The music of this piece also became the basis for the orchestral piece Swansong completed in 2013.