Tavener’s The Lamb

Coughing at concerts is often considered as a distracting annoyance, but what if the noise originated from the composer himself?

John Tavener’s “The Lamb” was written in 1982 as a dedication to his nephew for his 3rd birthday. However, when the carol was performed in the same year at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols (an annual Christian service which celebrates the birth of Jesus), Tavener was more anxious that Mother Thekla, a counsellor and spiritual advisor of his, would be able to hear his work. As a result, whilst sitting in the audience at King’s College, Cambridge, he gave a loud cough shortly before his work was about to commence, so that Mother Thekla, who borrowed a radio to listen to the BBC live broadcast from the convent, would take the signal and recognise his work.