Surveying choral compositions throughout the history of the world, I have never encountered music that starts with Genesis and ends with Revelation. This is 2025 AD, and over the next ten weeks I will be posting on Splashes of Ink the ten movements that are:
The Choral Ne Plus Ultras, Opus 10
Be prepared for
No. 1: ALMIGHTY GOD SAID…The creation of Heaven and Earth
No. 2: He is the Image of the Invisible GodAn exposition on the second person of the Trinity
No. 3: The Separating Veil is Torn! One aspect of Good Friday
No. 4: Christ the Rising Star a.k.a. Blink to the Moon!The brightness, and freshness, of Easter Sunday
No. 5: The Shulammite WomanThe centre pages of the Bible finds ‘Songs of Solomon,’ and the halfway point of this composition is his favourite wife ‘The Shulammite Woman’
No. 6: My Eternal PeaceAfter a night with one’s bride, there is peace in the morning
No. 7: The Alternative Three Magi!Would one expect smiles, laughter and joy on the morning of one’s honeymoon – even the jocular? You will not be disappointed, here!
No. 8: Jauchzet Frohlocket – After J. S. BachIf one’s plans for married bliss were thwarted, declare a holy war
No. 9: The Seven Spirits of Christ* Eschatological – Part 1: Cosmological disruption
No. 10: Christ Jesus the Beau Eschatological – Part 2: (a) The end of time, and (b) a life affirming ‘Heaven’s Anthem’ symbolising a new Heaven and Earth
Asterisk (*) denotes video special.
Intrigued?
To whet your appetite further, below is a medley of the music:
A representation of love: Stendhal‘s book titled Love
?What do you think about Alberich.
The following scenes in Chapter 1
Alberich’s repentance from sin. [Could Wagner be a Christian!?]
Wagner’s libretto — Stabreim
Groves Music Dictionary
Stabreim is a form of poetic verse
Iambic: Stress every second syllable
Shakespeare
Hamlet — “To be, or not to be: that is the question:”
Macbeth — “Double, double toil and trouble
Iambic Pentameter — 5 stress’ with a sentence of 10 syllables
e.g. Sonnet 18
Shakespeare & Goethe known to Wagner
Henry Cuyler Bunner, American novelist and journalist, on Goethe:
Shake, Mulleary and Go-ethe, poem
My poetry books:
Soaring Higher
The Tara Brooch
Wagner’s Ring*
Blazon
*Wagner’s Ring started. Not completed at the time due to Shakespearean Tudor anachronisms. However, someone said I “can still do it.” Decided on couplet paraphrase, instead — AA, BB, CC etc. Next, Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate, publishes his couplet version of the Owl and the Nightingale. Took my copy to the stage production at the Southbank Centre.
Read my incomplete paraphrase of Wagner’s Ring, Chapter 1: Rhinegold, Ii
Open mic:
Nick
Angela
Closing small talk.
Played during the opening of my reading ⬇️. Ten-stringed lyre.
"From left to right by nature’s design Flows continuously the ready river Rhine Lighter turquoise evenly spread Becoming darker towards the bed Near the floor the water dissipates Leaving an increasingly breathable state This vaporous man-sized space Moves continuously and at a pace Across the floor of the riverbed Where no man can naturally tread Are rough rocks and undercurrent tides And vertical caverns unimaginably wild."
A classical music album composed for violin, soprano, tenor and piano.
At the start of this project, I decided to give my utmost for His Highest. Even from the inception my subconscious had a concept of perfection: Christianity. This meant it would be artistic and intelligent, drawing on my unique imagination, and, if you like, the mind of Christ – which I have as a Christian. Hence, The Ne Plus Ultras.
This vocal chamber music collection was composed over six months:
December 2023 to May 2024. All the Christian words for these songs are my arrangements from my poems of the same name.
I envisage performances of my music in concert halls and venues nationally and internationally. In the near future, hopefully, I will be very pleased to find a record company who will record this truly other album and share with special people the excellent musical art and poetry. If you are such a company, please respond.
Breadth of content
The album’s narrative begins with the beginning of the beginnings, visiting Jesus as the person God, the terror Old Testament priests faced when they were making atonement in the temple, the post crucifixion ascension, passionate romantic love, Jesus’ peace, comedy in Bethlehem, God’s death angel, elements of God’s wrath when Jesus returns, a quirky – but interestingly blasé – song about Jesus destroying death and ushering in eternity with an uplifting anthem.
Track list as follows:
GOD CREATES
He Is The Image
TORN
The Star in the East!
Shulamite
You Are My Peace
The Alternative Three Wise Men!
The Slayer
The Return of Christ
The Destruction of Death
GOD CREATES
Power, power, power, power (x2)
The 1st Day
God said
“Let there be light
Call the light day
Call the darkness night
See that the light is good”
The 2nd Day
God said
“Let there be sky
Let there be water
Let there be dry ground
See that it is good”
The 3rd Day
God said
“Let there be days and years
And seasons
Let there also be stars
See that it is good”
The 4th Day
God said
“Let there be creatures in the sea
And let birds fly across the sky
See that it is good”
The 5th Day
God said
“Let there be creatures on the ground
Let there be animals
See that it is good”
The 6th Day
Then God said (x 3)
“Let us create man
in our image
See that this is all very good”
Torn! Torn! Torn! Torn!
Torn! Torn! Torn! Torn!
Torn, torn, torn, torn
Torn, torn, torn, torn
In times B. C.
We could not see, see, see
The glory and the wonder of the LORD
The glory and the wonder of the LORD
A curtain in place
We could not see His face, face, face
Only priests dare went to the LORD
Only priests dare went to the LORD
In fear we stayed
Our seeing kept; veiled
Could not go direct to the Father
But now the veil is gone
Torn from top to bottom
Torn from top to bottom
Torn from top to bottom
Torn! Torn! Torn!
And Jesus bids us, us, us, us
But now the veil is gone
Torn from top to bottom
Torn from top to bottom
Torn from top to bottom
Torn! Torn! Torn!
And Jesus bids us
Enter(!)
(x2)
Jesus the Saviour Is famous for ever For ever and ever For every believer Resplendent and bright The dazzling light For ever and ever For every believer Encourage your cheer His rising is here For ever and ever For every believer!
Oh, the shells of my heart
Longs for the songs to waft
And see her from the start
Stark songs so sweet and soft
Sing sweetly my Shulamite
Sing melodies with your King
My treasured one sing tonight
Your King, too, a melody will bring
A first kiss
Kisses one of three
To me
Her touch so soft
Her kiss is so soft
So soft
Number two
Of kisses so true
So true
The softest kiss
With all the sweetness
Sweetness
Number three
Of kisses so free
So free
The tenderness
And all the sweetness
Sweetness
Here comes the chariot
From circling Sun and Moon
The Lion of Judah
Yearns the Shulamite tune
The King, too, sings melodies
The Shulamite so desires
None shall sing until ready
Duets burn like pure fire
Sing sweetly my Shulamite
Your King yearns your offering
My treasured one let us sing tonight
Let us never stop our dancing
Sing sweetly my Shulamite
Sing sweetly my Shulamite
Sing sweetly my Shulamite
Before my eyes o-pen in the morning At the instance of emerging from sleep Even before I am aware of anything external I experience something so powerful and so deep
It is the start of a brand-new day I rise and prepare for its future Knowing this peace will not be fazed Because it is an inexhaustible treasure
Sometimes you can see it in my eyes Or hear it behind my voice It has some-thing of eternal life in it And inwardly I choose to rejoice
When the day turns into history And I retire in the evening in peace I rest sweetly on my cosy pillow And before long I am fast asleep
This peace is from God and it guards me Jesus left it here two thousand years ago The first to have it were the Disciples A special gift you can know
Strings Strings and trumpets And trumpets And trumpets Strings Strings and trumpets And trumpets And trumpets Strings And trumpets And trumpets And trum!
Soprano:
Sing, you choir, loud and clear! Let your voice be heard Let it pierce the air Pierce it once, pierce it twice Angelic hosts Angelic hosts Angelic hosts Pierce it thrice!
Soprano, Tenor:
Move decisively Move decisively Move decisively Left and right Dance the dance Day and night
Tenor:
From the slayer Lightning flashes! From his eye From the slayer Flash!
Soprano, Tenor:
Move decisively Move decisively Move decisively Left and right Dance the dance Day and night
Tenor:
From his eye Lightning flashes! A time of war A time of clashes!
The command has come Slay! Slay! Slay! You cannot escape On that dreaded Day
Soprano:
This high music is for you! Cue higher music, cue Let it ring Clear and clarion! It is for you and you It is for you It is your companion
Tenor:
Move, death angel To and fro Let all the people know Yesterday, tomorrow, today That you, Lord God Have come to Slay! Slay! Slay!
Chorus Soprano:
See you later
See you later
Later you see
See you later
Verse 1
Soprano:
So He cocked His weapon, did the Beau
And aimed it straight at the foe
Given it both barrels
Obliterating death in one go
Chorus
Soprano:
See you later
See you later
Later you see
See you later
Verse 1 - variation
Soprano:
So He cocked His weapon did the Beau
Tenor:
You have had your all
Soprano:
And aimed it straight at the foe
Tenor:
And breathed your last breath
Soprano:
Giving it both barrels
Tenor:
Terminate you
Soprano:
Obliterating death in one go
Chorus
Soprano:
See you later
See you later
Later you see
See you later
Verse 2
Soprano:
No longer can it terrorise
Tenor:
Go and take a hike
Soprano:
Making people run in fear
Tenor:
Don’t ever come back
Soprano:
Playing the fear game
Tenor:
Terminate you
Soprano:
Finality and end now the same
Chorus
Soprano:
See you later
See you later
Later you see
See you later
Verse 3
Soprano:
Yanked and thrown off the train of life
Tenor:
Don’t ever call us
Soprano:
Mustering no resistance
Tenor:
And we won’t call you
Soprano:
Destroyed forever
Tenor:
Terminate you
Soprano:
No longer having an existence
Verse 4 — Anthem
Soprano and Tenor
Now life and love and laughter
Embraces fullness and freedom and fraternity
And creativity and comfort and compassion
Lives in excitement and existence for eternity
Dissertation submitted for the Degree of Photomedia BA (Hons)
Chapter 1 (extract)
Christianity started in the Roman province of Palestine (present-day Israel, Palestine and Jordan) and is based on the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Although Jesus only taught for three years and died an apparently humiliating and painful death on a cross outside Jerusalem, his birth is now celebrated around the world and is the point from which time is measured.
Keene writes that:
“Christianity grew initially as a radical movement within the much older tradition of Judaism. Jesus was a Jew and remained faithful throughout his life to the Jewish faith, but, after his death, the new religion spread more widely among the Gentiles than the Jews. Christianity soon developed a life of its own, apart from its mother faith, although the link between the two remained complex and problematic for a long time.
“As Christianity spread beyond the Roman Empire, the life and teachings of Jesus remained at the heart of the faith.”
(Keene, 2002:6)
Christians believe that Jesus is God, or the ‘Son of God’, who became incarnate to restore the relationship between God and mankind that had been broken by human sin. They believe that when Jesus was crucified and rose again, he broke the hold of sin and death, and that today he reigns as Lord of all creation. Christians can: have a personal relationship with God through Christ, live in the power of the Holy Spirit, be grafted into a community of believers, and respond to the radical teachings of Jesus.
On Church membership Keene observes:
“Today Christianity is the world’s largest religion… with some 1,500 million followers throughout the world.”
(Keene, 2002:7)
Christ Central Church – Abstraction
From:
TO WHAT EXTENT CAN PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHURCH ART AND DESIGN COMMUNICATE CHRISTIANITY?
Dissertation submitted for the Degree of Photomedia BA (Hons)
Chapter 1 (extract)
Human communication is something that everyone recognises:
“[it] is talking to one another, it is television, it is spreading information, it is our hair style, it is literary criticism: the list is endless.”
(Fiske, 2001:1)
All communication involves signs and codes (more on this later). In this dissertation communication is seen as the production and exchange of meanings. Messages, or texts, interact with people in order to produce meanings, i.e.:
“it is concerned with the role of texts in our culture.”
(Fiske, 2001:2)
Therefore, the message or text is an element in a structural relationship whose other elements include external reality and the producer/reader.
“Producing and reading the text are seen as parallel, if not identical, processes in that they occupy the same place in this structured relationship.”
(Fiske, 2001:3)
In history, Church art and design was the pinnacle of human creativity and the inherent message of Christianity was communicated to people who were illiterate or poorly educated. The arts, including photography, is not restricted by the barriers of communication, and can reach deep into people’s hearts and minds causing an experience of Christianity…
Saint Mark’s Church Bell Tower – Abstraction
From:
TO WHAT EXTENT CAN PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHURCH ART AND DESIGN COMMUNICATE CHRISTIANITY?
Splashes of Ink 