My Dove is written in the style of an antique lullaby. Based on a softly dissonant ground bass, the harmony rocks back and forth as accompaniment to the lyrical cantilena melody which is shared between soprano and tenor. But for all the simplicity and fluidity of its construction, this is a song that requires considerable vocal virtuosity given its overall range of three and a half octaves—the tenor soloist climaxing on a top D, no less.
from notes by Jeremy Summerly © 2008
