Bath Abbey Chamber Choir sang at the wedding of one of its members, with two anthems: Parry’s I was glad and during the signing of the register, Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, in which I did the treble solo. While preparing this section, I noticed something I have not seen anyone ever comment on: it’s in the Lydian mode, using a scale of A with a D sharp throughout.
The modes never fully went away, and the Lydian mode appears in a number of pieces which are familiar to me, such as Bruckner’s motet Os Justi and the central movement of Beethoven’s A minor quartet Op. 132, and several other pieces by Britten. The opening of Bach’s much-quoted chorale melody Es ist genug also nods to it. It has an other-worldly feel; maybe that raised fourth looking heavenwards, and making you think that you’re modulating to the dominant but then you don’t. What a number of the works I mentioned have in common is the theme of contemplating God – just right for Christopher Smart’s thoughts about his cat.