The Choral Pilgrimage 2022: Exeter

Songs of Farewell: IV. There is an Old Belief

Overview

Ticket Prices: Free

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Access Information

Exeter Cathedral is fully accessible, accommodating six wheelchairs and up to 12 companions.

Wheelchair accessible toilets are available in the Cathedral Visitor Centre. There is no public parking at the Cathedral. It is recommended that you use a Park & Ride location on the approach to the city.

Covid Information

Government guidance suggests you continue to wear a face mask in enclosed and crowded spaces. Please see our Coronavirus page for the latest updates.

A powerful programme of English choral music centred around Parry's emotional Songs of Farewell.

Hubert Parry’s Songs of Farewell must surely rank among some of the finest choral works ever written. Deeply affected by the First World War, Parry sought poetry that would reflect not only peace and unity and the search for a better world, but also an escape from the horrors of war.

The poems Parry chose to set are sublime, be they metaphysical poetry by John Donne and Henry Vaughan or the aching beauty of Thomas Campion’s verse. Perfectly complementing the rich sonority of Parry’s Songs are three short pieces by Campion, a selection of medieval carols and a new work by Cecilia McDowall.