Hark! the cock crows

This lively glee by John Wall Callcott, for SSATB voices, captures a moment of dramatic urgency from Joanna Baillie’s play Ethwald. The text describes the crowing cock and the blowing wind signalling the coming of day, urging a swift departure and prayer. Callcott’s setting vividly portrays the text’s excitement and forward momentum. Its origins in the popular glee tradition of the late 18th and early 19th centuries make it a rewarding choice for a skilled choir looking for an engaging secular work that offers clear opportunities for dynamic contrast and rhythmic precision, bringing to life a scene of hasty farewell.