Il Rozzo Martello for unaccompanied choir SATB by Peter Maxwell Davies was commissioned by BBC Radio 3. It was first performed on 14th August 1997 at the Queen Elizabeth Hall London by the BBC Singers conducted by StephenCleobury.A Michaelangelo sonnet lies at the heart of Il Rozzo Martello - a contemplation on the process of artistic creation and the role of inspiration within it the sculptor's ‘crude hammer’; of the title in Davies'swords ‘a pale echo of the creative efforts of exploring the same theme and similar imagery’. This introduction is distinguished from the setting of Michaelangelo's test by adopting a plainsong style although it builds to aclimax with progressively rich harmony Duration: c 12 minutes.
