Te Deum - ‘We praise thee O God’ (‘Collegium Regale’) - Herbert Howells

One of the finest settings of this canticle for the (now rarely heard) service of Matins, Howells wrote this glorious Te Deum in 1944 as a response to a bet for one guinea that he couldn’t compose a canticle for the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge!
Howells certainly succeeded in winning the bet and went on to compose a whole series of stunningly brilliant and groundbreaking canticles for King’s College.
The final section of this Te Deum, with choir and organ in fullest flow, is considered by many to be one of the greatest endings to a piece in the Anglican tradition of choral music; in addition to the huge crescendo in the voice parts, listen out for the organ pedal reed pipes which add even greater weight to the fabulous final few bars.
This was recorded during our recent concert at Llandaff Cathedral. We’re pleased to announce the total raised for our chosen charities and good causes on this occasion was an astonishing £1,700. A huge thank you to our audience members for their support.