James MacMillan (b. 1959) is a leading contemporary composer frequently performed in both America and Europe. He studied composition at the University of Edinburgh and the University of Durham where he received his Ph.D. in 1987. During his studies, he was greatly influenced by modernist Polish composers Lutosławski and Penderecki. When he returned to Scotland in 1988, he began to pursue a different compositional direction, based more on nationalism and his religious roots. While successful as an orchestral and stage composer, his choral writing is of superlative quality and spans all difficulty levels.
Christus Vincit was commissioned in the name of Sir Thomas Armstrong by the Musicians Benevolent Fund for performance at the St. Cecilia's Day Service in St. Paul's Cathedral on November 23rd, 1994. The composition shows little of the modernist approach that defined his earlier works. Harmonically sparse, this work derives its intensity from the interplay between homophonic and canonic sections. He also employs the "Scottish skip" rhythm toward the middle of the piece. There is an angelic soprano solo proclaiming: "Christ is King."
