''Ecce Cor Meum'' (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for ''Behold My Heart'') is the fourth classical album by

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

. The album was released on 25 September 2006 by

EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded mus ...

. An

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

in four movements, it is produced by John Fraser, written in

and English, and scored for orchestra and boys and adult

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

. The oratorio was partly inspired by McCartney's wife Linda. It is also the only classical album by McCartney that was not released on vinyl.

History

The title was inspired by the inscription McCartney noticed above a statue of Jesus in the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, New York City. The reference in the church context is to the

Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

, although McCartney freely adapted the text for use in his composition. Upon Sir Paul's

grant of arms A grant of arms or a governmental issuance of arms is an instrument issued by a lawful authority, such as an officer of arms or State Herald, which confers on a person and his or her descendants the right to bear a particular coat of arms or a ...

, he adopted "ECCE COR MEUM" as his motto. ''Ecce Cor Meum'' had been more than eight years in the making and its origins follow in the tradition of composers commissioned to write music for

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. McCartney was invited by Anthony Smith (president of Magdalen College 1998–2005) to compose something to set the seal on a new concert hall for the college. The composition was delayed by the death of McCartney's

wife A wife (: wives) is a woman in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until their marriage is legally dissolved with a divorce judgment; or until death, depending on the kind of marriage. On t ...

, and could not be used for the opening of the new auditorium (which was celebrated instead by a premiere of Tony Harrison's verse film, ''

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...

''). The project did not die: with encouragement from the then Oxford University Music Society president and perseverance by the college itself, the work was finished and eventually performed in the

Sheldonian Theatre The Sheldonian Theatre, in the centre of Oxford, England, was built from 1664 to 1669 after a design by Christopher Wren for the University of Oxford. The building is named after Gilbert Sheldon, List of Wardens of All Souls College, Oxford, Wa ...

, Oxford, in November 2001. The interlude is an elegy to

Linda McCartney Linda Louise, Lady McCartney ( Eastman; September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998) was an American photographer, musician, cookbook author, and activist. She was the keyboardist and harmony vocalist in the band Paul McCartney and Wings, Wings tha ...

. Originally, it was presented in 2001 with the full Choir of

, conducted by Bill Ives, in the

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. McCartney expressed in the programme his hope "that this piece will carry the name of Magdalen to all parts of the globe and help to make people aware of the noble institution that it is". Produced by John Fraser, ''Ecce Cor Meum'' was recorded at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

between 13 and 17 March 2006.
It was performed by soprano Kate Royal, the boys of Magdalen College Choir, Oxford, the boys of the

Choir of King's College, Cambridge The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is an English Anglican choir. It was created by Henry VI of England, King Henry VI, who founded King's College, Cambridge, in 1441, to provide daily singing in his King's College Chapel, Cambridge, Chapel, ...

, London Voices and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Gavin Greenaway. Its American première was 14 November 2006 at a sold-out

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in New York City. Scored for choir and orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's under Gavin Greenaway joined the Concert Chorale of New York and the American Boychoir, with soprano Kate Royal and Andrew Staples as soloists. The concert was simulcast over

WNYC-FM WNYC-FM (93.9 MHz) is a non-commercial public radio station, licensed to New York, New York. It, along with WNYC (AM), is one of the primary outlets for WNYC branded programming provided by the non-profit New York Public Radio (NYPR). Hi ...

, New York Public Radio and webcast over wnyc.org. The Canadian première took place on 27 October 2007 a
Metropolitan United Church
in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

. Conducted by Toronto conductor Robert Cooper, it was performed by the combined forces of the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Chorus Niagara, London Pro Musica, the Amabile Treble Choir and Orchestra London. On 3 May 2007, Paul McCartney was presented with the Best Album Award at the Classical Brits for ''Ecce Cor Meum'', at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

. The award was voted for by readers of '' Classic FM'' magazine and listeners of Classic FM. The album reached number 2 in the Top Classical Albums charts from the US.

Track listing

All pieces by

. # "I. Spiritus" – 12:00 # "II. Gratia" – 10:50 # "Interlude (Lament)" – 3:56 # "III. Musica" – 15:14 # "IV. Ecce Cor Meum" – 14:50

Release details

References

External links

Pictures from the United States premiere at Carnegie Hall
{{Authority control Oratorios Music for orchestra and organ 2006 classical albums Paul McCartney albums 2006 compositions