A century after the horrific sounds of war rang out on the Gallipoli peninsula, Australia has produced its first musical work for church services marking Anzac Day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A taste of composer Father Christopher Willcock's work, Mass for the Fallen, was performed at Poppy's Cafe at the Australian War Memorial on Friday.
Father Willcock, 68, said it had been a "centring" experience preparing the music, made up of six compositions including We Will Remember Them, a placing to music of The Ode, the iconic memorial verse from a Laurence Binyon poem.
"The opportunity I have been given to provide a musical expression for Anzac Day commemorating an event so significant in Australian history, is one that I hope will be shared by Catholic communities and others in this country," he said.
"I'm expressing in a sense not just my own reaction to the tragedies of war, but in a sense you're speaking for people who often don't have words to express what they feel."
The music is designed to fit in with any commemoration day such as Remembrance Day, and is aimed to be simple and able to be repeated.
The music was commissioned in spring by prominent Melbourne barrister and National Gallery of Australia chairman Allan Myers and his wife Maria, who said he was not aware of any other Australian liturgical music marking the sacrifices of war.
"It is our hope that the music will also be used in concert performances," Mr Myers said.
"In every case, it will be a reminder of the sacrifice of those who died in war and a prayer for them that war may be avoided."
War Memorial director Brendan Nelson launched the mass on Friday, with the first full performance to occur on Anzac Day eve in Adelaide.
The first national service will take place at 8am the next day at St Christopher's Cathedral, Forrest.
The mass, the music for which is freely available, will be performed at eight Catholic churches across this year's Anzac Day weekend and is intended to be used at a range of future events.