I have long been an admirer of the glorious, rich sound of the choir of St John’s College in Cambridge. My two children were fortunate enough to be choristers in the choir, under Andrew Nethsingha, and my uncle, Rupert Oliver Forbes, was a choral scholar there in the 1960s during George Guest’s tenure. It is to Rupert that this setting is dedicated, marking the end of his thirty years as Director of Music at his local church of St Peter’s, Lutton Place, Edinburgh. By happy coincidence, the first performance of my St John’s Service was given at St John’s College on 6 June 2026, the day before my uncle’s farewell concert. 

The melodic material is entirely derived from the Ut queant laxis plainchant, associated not with St John the Evangelist, after whom the college is named, but with St John the Baptist. I like the structure of the chant, with each line starting on the next degree of the hexachord; its original Latin text, which is all about lavishing praise with loosened tongues, seemed to me to be wholly appropriate for a piece for my uncle’s retirement from a long and illustrious career as an operatic tenor, singing teacher and church music director. 

I am grateful to the choir of St Peter’s, Lutton Place, and their organist Sheila Chisholm for commissioning this unaccompanied setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Rupert for the encouragement he has given me throughout my career.