Westminster Abbey has always been a place of inspiration and prayer. The impressive design, with its marble and mosaics, adjacent to the dark crypt, creates a special atmosphere, further enhanced by flickering candles and silent prayers. The men's and boys' choir, founded in 1901 at the behest of Cardinal Vaughan, sings here regularly. Under Terry's direction, the choir achieved a high level of quality, performing a diverse repertoire by both well-known and lesser-known composers, including works by Wood, Howells, Holst, and others.
Ralph Vaughan Williams composed "O vos omnes" for Westminster Abbey in 1922. Terry's liturgical performance in 1923 cemented the work's reputation. The composition is based on the Lamentations of Jeremiah, employs divided upper voices, and concludes with a striking finale. Although Vaughan Williams was raised an atheist, he felt a deep connection to the Anglican Church and its cultural heritage, and consequently created numerous religious compositions.
Unlike Parry, Stanford, and Elgar, who were strongly influenced by the German school, Vaughan Williams developed a distinct English musical language. His Mass in G minor from 1922 was the first significant a cappella mass since William Byrd in the 16th century and combined modern and traditional liturgical elements.
Judith Bingham's musical mass, inspired by the Emmaus narrative, presents a contemporary Eucharistic journey. Composed specifically for the Westminster Abbey Choir, it tells a modern liturgical story through carefully structured music. Her work has been awarded the British Composer Award for Liturgical Music and deserves regular performance in liturgical contexts.