related works
Eén liedje door de Hanzetijd : Four songs for two choirs and small ensemble / William Knight
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir and instruments
Scoring:
GK rec-s lute tambourine viola-da-gamba org
Lecture : for 16 singers, 2 clarinets, horn and 2 double-basses, 1985 / Ivo van Emmerik
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir and instruments
Scoring:
4sopr 4alt 4ten 4bas 2cl h 2cb
Buch der Stimmen : for choir and ensemble, 1995 / text: Rainer Maria Rilke, Ton Lambij
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir and instruments
Scoring:
GK4 3cl 2h tb perc 2vc cb
Genre:
Vocal music
Subgenre:
Mixed choir and instruments
Scoring:
bar GK4 2h 2trp 2trb pf
composition
The Two Princes in the Tower : for large choir and ensemble / William Knight; texts by William Shakespeare; Anonymous; William Knight
Other authors:
Shakespeare, William
(Text writer/Librettist)
Knight, William
(Composer)
Description:
'Guardian' has a double meaning. It directly refers to Richard III as Lord Protector of the two princes Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. However, it also refers to God, specifically for Edward who is praying to God to absolve his sins as he waits for death. The Dies Irae chant is Edward's prayer to God to absolve his own sins as well as condemning Richard III for his.
'Lully lu lily lily lily' is a play on words of the beginning of the Coventry Carol. This idea comes from an Old Wives Tail where a Lily and a Rose is offered to a woman who is expecting a child. The one she chooses will determine the sex (Male for Lily, Female for
Rose). The Lily is a prominent symbol for masculinity and also for Christ (as is the Rose - with its 5 petals representing the 5 wounds of Christ). This is why the Lily suffers for us and for our sins. Also, the Rose represents the House of York (Richard III), and the lilies the Two Princes.
The Coventry Carol is a mirror image to the Two Princes in the Tower story, which is why it is presented as a Chorale at the end of the piece.