[1] Lasting approximately 30 minutes, the Requiem for a Tribe Brother is one of Williamson's largest unaccompanied choral works, standing alongside the Symphony for Voices of 1962 and the Mass of Saint Etheldreda of 1990 in duration.
Williamson divides up the extensive text of the traditional Requiem Mass into ten movements, as follows: A brooding chant-like refrain for male voices, simulating the drone of a didgeridoo, alternates with homophonic passages for full choir.
Much in the manner of the opening Requiem aeternam, passages for soloists are contrasted with densely harmonised sections for the full choir.
In common with the second movement, the Agnus Dei is a slow chorale, featuring a highly pungent harmonic language and many unusual shifts of key.
The serene concluding movement, in C major, derives its melody from the opening of the Song of Hope from Williamson's choral-symphony for Kath Walker, The Dawn Is At Hand (1987–89).