From the Organist & Choirmaster
At our celebration of Candlemas, the Feast of the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple, the parish choir will sing Lift up your heads, O ye gates by the Welsh composer William Mathias. Drawn from Psalm 24, this anthem is a radiant musical proclamation of Christ’s kingship and glory, perfectly suited to a feast that stands at the meeting point of Epiphany and the coming season of Lent.
Candlemas commemorates the moment when the infant Christ is brought into the Temple and recognized Siemon as “a light to lighten the Gentiles.” The imagery of gates being lifted and doors flung open resonates deeply with this feast: the long-awaited King enters his holy dwelling, not in earthly power, but in humility. Mathias’ setting captures this paradox with exhilarating energy and blazing confidence, allowing the ancient psalm text to speak with fresh immediacy.
William Mathias (1934-1992) was one of the most distinctive voices in twentieth-century British sacred music. A proud Welshman, he served for many years as Professor of Music at the University of Wales and was deeply shaped by the choral and liturgical traditions of the Anglican Church. His music is known for its rhythmic vitality, bright harmonic language, and an unmistakable sense of joy, all qualities that are on full display in Lift up your heads, O ye gates. The anthem opens with bold, fanfare-like gestures that immediately demand attention, as though the gates themselves are being summoned to attention. Rhythmic drive and crisp choral writing propel the text forward, culminating in a triumphant declaration of “the King of Glory.” Yet Mathias balances this exuberance with clarity and precision, ensuring the words remain central. The result is music that feels both ceremonial and alive, ancient scripture clothed in modern brilliance.
As we celebrate Candlemas and bless candles that symbolize Christ as the Light of the world, this anthem invites us to lift our own hears and lives in welcome. It is a musical reminder that the glory of God enters not only through the great gates of the Temple, but through the doors of our own should, calling us to recognition, praise, and joyful proclamation.