h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: l'homme armee - A88025826
Author: paulh, vaccinated against the Omigod Variant - U176638

"The Armed Man: a mass for Peace," 2000, by Karl Jenkins




"The armed Man: a Mass for peace" by Karl Jenkins (1) was commissioned for the year 2000 by the U.K. Royal Armouries. It had its premier in London in April 2000, using texts from a wide variety of sources. It starts with the 14th Century French song "L'Homme Arme" which tells the listener "L'homme arme doit on douter" (2), then proceeds to texts from the Bible, the Islamic call to prayer, a poem about the devastation in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the Mahabharata, and texts by poets such as Dryden and Kipling, glorifying the heroism of soldiers or the glory of war. Interspersed with these are texts from the Latin Roman Catholic Mass. "Better is peace" is the finale. Jenkins sought inspiration for the piece by considering the bloodshed in Kosovo. He hoped to bring closure to the 20th Century's pattern of conflict.

The lyrics to the different sections can be found here:
http://tiboresque.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/the-armed-man-text.pdf

It can be performed as an extended choral work that runs to more than an hour. A CD is available. The piece can also be performed in synchronization with streaming footage of armies marching in wars of the 20th century. These visuals can be projected on a screen visible to the audience while the chorus sings. Viewers interested in this multimedia approach can buy any of three videos that have been made by different ensembles at different times. "The Armed man" has become the U.K.'s most popular piece of contemporary music(3), and has been performed more than 3,000 times worldwide.

A CD was issued in Sept. 2001. As of 2005, it had sold more than 100,000 copies.


Jenkins has become "the UK's biggest-selling living classical composer." Moreover, "The Amed man" was "voted by the listeners of Classic FM as the eighth-best piece of classical music ever." Jenkins was the only living composer whose work was represented on the list.
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/karl-jenkins-fanfare-common-man-563719.html

During the pandemic of 2020, Jenkins conducted a virtual version "recorded during lockdown by 5,000 singers from across the world." They sang from their homes via videoconferencing equipment -- he called it the "Stay at Home choir."
http://www.classicfm.com/composers/jenkins/virtual-choir-orchestra-perform-the-armed-man/

This virtual version does not include the entire piece, but can be a good introduction for people interested in hearing or seeing the full production. It is available on youtube, with prefatory material by Jenkins himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jXUXE9K_OQ

Full performances can also be seen on Youtube. At this writing, there are at least three versions to choose from.


(1) Karl Jenkins was raised in Penclawdd in Wales. He studied at Gowerton Grammar School, Cardiff University (B.Mus) and the Royal Academy of Music, London (LRAM).
"The Armed Man" is his best-known piece.
(2) Contemporary classical music is music within the Western art music tradition that was written close to the present day.
(3) Contemporary classical music is music within the Western art music tradition that was written close to the present day.




http://www.karljenkins.com/biog
http://www.musicnsw.com/contemporary-music/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Armed_Man
http://www.sfchoral.org/site/karl-jenkins/
http://www.classicfm.com/composers/jenkins/music/karl-jenkins-armed-man-mass-peace/