Sun darkens the chapel

Fifty years later, in 1995, world-renowned American composer Stephen Montague was commissioned by Contemporary Music Making for Amateurs (CoMA) to write his orchestral work, Dark Sun, commemorating this horrific event.

Musicians and choir members from Boundstone College, Lancing College, Shoreham, Horsham and CoMA Sussex, performed the powerful 20 minute lamentation again.

The title alluded to the towering cauldron of burning smoke darkening the sun. The piece started with an ear-splitting bang from percussion, together with discordant strings, conveying devastation and chaos.

Cries of despair from the choir punctuated the music's emotional roller coaster, as did live 1945 broadcasts from radios nesting between the musicians: the American children's programme "Terry and the Pirates", underlayed by a 1930s Japanese invasion of China; a Japanese propaganda station broadcasting stories from 'back home' to undermine GI morale; and a dispassionate BBC announcement of the bomb falling. These were a bit muffled, unfortunately, but still had an eerie quality.

Choir and orchestra finished with a prolonged "shhhhhhhhhh", imitating the fall-out dust raining down. And was that a droning aeroplane sound somewhere?

As we arrived, however, the Hangleton Brass Band gave us 'hors' tunes like the de Sousa March and Amazing Grace outside the Chapel, overlooking 'd'oevre' of panoramic sea views.

Proceeding through the long cloisters tunnel towards the chapel we passed roving musicians, like buskers, playing James Weeks's Stacking, Weaving, Building, Joining; Steve Dummer on clarinet; the College's new piano teacher Adam Swain on mini keyboard and Oktawia Petronella on fiddle. We wondered what we were in for.

The concert began with Stephen Montague's Intrada 1631 inspired by a South American 17th century catholic liturgical chant. While there was much field drum activity from Dummer & cohorts lurking at the side, the whole piece had a mesmerising dirge-like quality.

Then Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, tenderly sung, and conducted by Aeden Kerny, followed by Barber's Adagio for Strings, played at a soft measured pace, Dummer conducting.

Stephen Montague's precise, passionate conducting brought Dark Sun to a loud finale so powerful it was a while before we could start clapping.