A helping hand

Words by Alexander McCall Smith have been set to music to raise money for the University of Oxford’s research into coronavirus treatments. ‘Hand of Hope’ was set to Gustav Holst’s tune ‘Thaxted’ by Piers Schmidt and Nigel Short, founder of the Tenebrae choir, members of which recorded their contributions remotely during lockdown. Sheet music for choirs is also available to download. The author and Scottish Field columnist used the work to salute health and care workers and to look forward to the creation of a vaccine. www.handofhope.global