THE world premiere of a 'vanished' choral masterpiece will take place in Okehampton this weekend.

The work by 20th century English composer Thomas Dunhill, lay for decades in a music publisher's offices.

Tim Matthews, musical director at All Saints Church, Okehampton, said:?'The score appears to have been sitting on the shelves in the publisher's offices for a very long time and appears to have simply vanished from mind and view.

'The publisher is Stainer and Bell of London, and we have been provided with official copies of the music. It is not unusual for music to fall through the cracks, as it were.

'It depends on what's popular at the time of composition, whether anybody sings the music, whether it "hits" with the right movers and shakers at the time.

'Yet this is a fine and challenging piece of music written by one of England's most talented 20th century composers. It is tuneful, dramatic and well crafted.'

The work, Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in G, and composed by Thomas Dunhill 100 years ago, will be performed by All Saints Parish Church Choir on Sunday, January 27.

The piece is written for four-part harmony, with a soprano, alto, tenor and bass. It was written for an evensong service, which was the main forum for sacred English choral music in the early 1900s.

The event came about following a chance encounter at a shop between Mr Matthews and Paul Vincent, Thomas Dunhill's grandson.

Mr Vincent is an expert on his grandfather's music, researching and promoting it through the Thomas Dunhill Connection project.

Mr Matthews said: 'I was wearing an All Saints Choir hooded top and Paul started talking to me about choral music. Since then we've worked on a number of music-related projects in Mid and West Devon.'

Mr Vincent said: 'The choral connection is strong. Dunhill's friend, John Ireland, was a well-known organist and choirmaster at St Luke's, Chelsea, and this music may well have been written for his choir.'

Mr Vincent will be singing with the All Saints Choir on Sunday — it is through him that the score was made available to the choir.

Mr Matthews said:?'It is very unusual for a choir like ours to attempt something like this, but our singers have been amazing and worked very hard.

'We sing a wide variety of music in church from modern worship songs to RnB tracks so this is at the high end of the spectrum but it just shows how far we've come in a relatively short space of time.

'The choir now includes six junior scholars and we have recruited several new members in recent months.

'This is a big deal for English choral music, for Okehampton and for the choir — for many members this will be their only chance to be involved in a world premiere, and you can bet they're nervous about it.

'We may not be the choir of King's College Cambridge, but we want this music to be heard and jumped at the opportunity to do something special for the church and town.

'We hope that everyone within the local community will be as excited as we are about this. And who knows what else might emerge from the vaults at Stainer and Bell in the near future?'

The premiere performance at All Saints Parish Church at 6.30pm is free for all to attend, and takes place within the framework of a simple choral evensong service. All are welcome and refreshments are available afterwards.

Thomas Dunhill, who lived from 1877 to 1946, is best-known for his work a a composer of music for children. During his life he was an examiner with the Associated Board, a teacher at Eton College and a Professor of Music at the Royal College of Music.

His friends and colleagues included notable composers, including Gustav Holst, John Ireland and Ralph Vaughan Williams.