Programme Notes for Advent and Christmas at St. Mary's Church, Dalmahoy
Handel's 'Messiah' (1741) Much of the first part of 'Messiah' is based on texts which are read during Advent and Christmastide. So here is Handel's musical commentary on some of this year's readings! Sunday 29th November - The First Sunday of Advent
Sunday 6th December - The Second Sunday of Advent
Sunday 13th December - The Third Sunday of Advent
Sunday 20th December - The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Thurs. 24th December - Christmas Eve (Midnight Mass)
Friday 25th December - Christmas Day
Sunday 27th December - The First Sunday after Christmas
Sunday 3rd January - The Second Sunday after Christmas
Sunday 10th January - The First Sunday after the Epiphany / The Baptism of the Lord
A Wedding Music Season From now until the beginning of Lent, I play a selection of music from my wedding repertoire. Sunday 17th January - The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Sunday 24th January - The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Sunday 31st January - The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Sunday 7th February - The Sunday before Lent
Programme Notes for October and November at St. Mary's, Dalmahoy
'The Last of the Gorgeous Georgians' – the final leg of a six-month romp through the eighteenth century, finally reaching the Regency! Sunday 4 October – The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost Henry Heron (1739-1795) and John Alcock junior (1740-1791) Little is known of Henry Heron beyond the details given in the title page of these voluntaries. He was organist of St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge by 1745 and seems to have stayed there until the appointment of his successor in 1795. The voluntaries were first published in 1760 in an edition 'published for the Author'. They were later reissued in the edition used here in about 1765. His other published works hint at further musical activities; they include volumes of songs for Marylebone and Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and church music for the 'Orphans of the Asylum' and the 'Charity Schools in London and Westminster'. Trumpet Voluntary – Henry Heron An echo voluntary, with short phrases exactly repeated. Cornet Voluntary – Henry Heron Another echo voluntary, this time requiring an echo cornet. Siciliano (Voluntary no.2) – John Alcock junior The first movement only of a Cornet voluntary. Voluntary in G – Henry Heron In the style of a concerto, this single movement uses a ritornello on the Great, with free episodes on the Choir. Sunday 11 October – The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost John Alcock junior (1740-1791) John Alcock, Jr. received his Bachelor of Music degree at Oxford University at the same degree ceremony as his father received his Doctor of Music degree. John Alcock, Jr., published 'Eight Easy Voluntarys for the Organ' in about 1775. He was successively organist of St. Mary Magdalen, Newark-on-Trent and Walsall Parish Church, both of which had rather small and limited instruments which were hardly capable of playing these voluntaries. Voluntary no.5 – John Alcock junior An echo voluntary for Horns. Diapasons could be used as substitutes if no horn stops were available. Andante Siciliano (Voluntary no.6) – John Alcock junior The first movement of a trumpet voluntary. Voluntary no.8 – John Alcock junior The last voluntary of a set was usually a prelude and fugue for full organ. This fugue has a countersubject. Sunday 18 October – The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost John Christmas Beckwith (1750-1809) Beckwith, born on Christmas Day, hence his middle name, was an articled pupil of Drs. William and Philip Hayes at Oxford. He was successively organist of St Peter Mancroft 1794 – 1808, and Norwich Cathedral 1808 – 1809. His 'Six Voluntaries for the Organ, Harpsichord, etc', were published privately in London in 1780. The list of subscribers includes a large number of names from both Norfolk and Oxford. Voluntary no.1 – John Christmas Beckwith The opening voluntary of the set is in four movements: 1. a slow movement for Full Organ or Diapasons, 2. a fast fugue for full organ, 3. a canon for Stopt Diapason and Principal Chair Organ, 4. another fast fugue for full organ. Voluntary no.4 – John Christmas Beckwith Following a slow diapason movement, there are two movements for Bassoon (the Vox Humana stop used in the tenor register), accompanied by the two diapasons (open and stopped). To avoid the excessive use of ledger lines, Beckwith, in common with all eighteenth-century composers, uses the tenor clef for the solo part. Voluntary no.6 – John Christmas Beckwith A powerful prelude in C minor for full organ marked 'Tempo Ordinario Pomposo' is followed by a fugue in 6/8 time. Sunday 25 October – The Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost Charles Wesley (1757-1834) Son of Charles Wesley, the great hymn-writer and one of the founders of Methodism, and the brother of Samuel Wesley, also an organist and composer. He never married, living for most of his life with his mother and sister. Although Charles Wesley junior is much less well known than his brother Samuel Wesley, he was like Samuel regarded as a musical prodigy in childhood, and he was playing the organ before the age of three. He became a professional musician in adulthood, and Matthews (1971) quotes the European Magazine of 1784 as reporting that "his performance on the organ has given supreme delight". However he did not enjoy public performance, and worked mainly as a private organist, at one time to the Prince Regent; he was connected with the royal family through much of his life, having first played at the Queen's House at the age of 18. Concerto no.4 This concerto was one of a set of six written about 1778 and published in 1781. Sunday 1 November – All Saints Matthew Camidge (1758-1844) and Charles Wesley (1757-1834) The Camidge family were a family who supplied York Minster with organists continuously for 103 years. After some time as a chorister of the Chapel Royal under James Nares, Matthew returned to York where he lived the rest of his life. He served as his father's assistant and in 1799 he succeeded his father as organist of the Minster. Matthew Camidge was known for his brilliant organ improvisations. He organized huge music festivals given at York in 1823, 1825, and later. He frankly acknowledged, in the preface to his set of organ concertos published in 1817, that he was writing them in the "so long admired" style of Handel and Corelli. Matthew Camidge published works of practical material written for his work as a church musician and teacher as well as anthems and service settings in Cathedral Music, Hymn and psalm tunes, an edition of Henry Lawes' Psalmody for a single voice, Instructions for the Piano forte or Harpsichord and some songs. Gavotte in A minor – Mathew Camidge Voluntary 5 (slow movement) – Charles Wesley The opening movement of a four-movement voluntary possibly written in 1812. Wesley was writing in what was then a old-fashioned style, as comparison with William Russell's voluntaries shows. Gavotte in G minor – Matthew Camidge Both Gavottes are movements from Camidge's concertos. Sunday 8 November – The Twenty-fourth Sunday after Pentecost Theophania Cecil (1782-1879) Theophania Cecil was for many years organist of St. John's Chapel, Bedford Row, London, where her father was minister from 1780 to his death in 1810. This voluntary is the first of a set of twelve published ca.1810 in the new Regency style, and uses the pedals, a feature first seen in Russell's voluntaries of 1804. Voluntary no.1 – Theophania Cecil Sophia Corri Dussek (1775-1831) Sophia Giustina Corri was a Scottish singer, pianist, harpist, and composer of Italian descent born in Edinburgh. She studied voice with her father, composer, music publisher, and impresario Domenico Corri. She was well known as a soprano and composer of songs. In 1792, she married the composer Jan Ladislav Dussek. Following Jan's death in 1812, Sophia married the violist John Alvis Moralt. Andante (Sonata for harp op.3 no.2) - Sophia Corri Dussek A beautiful slow movement written for the harp. Esther Elizabeth Fleet (1809-c.1870) Esther Elizabeth Fleet was organist of St. Botolph's Church, Bishopsgate. Her Voluntary for the Organ in C major, an introduction, slow movement and Fugue, was published in 1826, and was one of only two published works by her. It is remarkable for its early use of metronome markings, the metronome only having been invented by Johann Nepomuk Maelzel in Germany ten years previously. A Voluntary for the Organ – Esther Elizabeth Fleet Sunday 15 November – The Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) Samuel Wesley, son of Charles the hymn-writer, was born in Bristol. He was a child prodigy, writing an oratorio at the age of eight. He was one of the foremost organists of his day and was instrumental in introducing the works of Bach to England - a role later handed over to Mendelssohn, whom he met shortly before his death. The set of voluntaries Op.6 was published ca.1808. Voluntary Op.6 no.1 – Samuel Wesley The opening diapason movement is followed by an Allegro moderato based on a ritornello theme, and ends with an even faster fugue marked 'Spiritoso'. Voluntary Op.6 no.7 (first movement) – Samuel Wesley The first movement of Voluntary no.7 is a romantic Largo, approaching Beethoven in style. Voluntary Op.6 no.8 – Samuel Wesley The opening movement opens with a trumpet fanfare, leading into a more emotional middle section, before returning to the fanfare. A 'Spiritoso' fugue concludes the Voluntary. Sunday 22 November – The Last Sunday after Pentecost William Russell (1777-1813) One of the two sons of the organ builder Hugh Russell, William was organist of the Foundling Hospital and of St. Anne’s, Limehouse. He published two books of twelve voluntaries, one in 1804 and the other in 1812. The new style of Russell, Cecil and Wesley is typical of the change of taste in the Regency period, parallelled by the general remodelling of organ specifications which took place then. Voluntary 1 (1812) – William Russell Voluntary 1 is a trumpet voluntary in E minor, the second movement sounding like a funeral march, but ends with a fast movement in the major. Voluntary 7 (1812, first movement) – William Russell A Siciliano for Diapasons, Trumpet and Hautboy on the Swell. Voluntary 11 (1812) – William Russell A Full voluntary in the form of a prelude in D minor and fugue in D major. One of the original features of the 1850 foundation of the church of St. Mary at Dalmahoy, just outside Edinburgh, was the provision of a choir school for up to twelve boy boarders, who would receive musical education and sing in the church services.
Although the choir school closed in 1928, the tradition of musical education is still alive in the church. There is a fine Hamilton/Willis organ and a Yamaha digital piano, and this is my base for instrumental teaching. Car parking and toilet facilities are available. The church is situated in a beautiful and inspirational rural setting, ideal for making music. Contact me to make an appointment! Programme Notes for August and September at St. Mary's, Dalmahoy
'The Gorgeous Georgians' Sunday 2 August - The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost John Alcock senior (1715-1806) A former chorister at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Alcock became a pupil of John Stanley at the age of 14. He was organist in Plymouth (1737), Reading (1742) and organist, master of the choristers and lay vicar of Lichfield Cathedral (1750). Resigning from Lichfield, he became organist at Sutton Coldfield (1761-86) and Tamworth (1766-90). He generously handed over to Greene materials which he had collected for his own ‘Cathedral Music’ project. Voluntary 5 – John Alcock senior The second movement of Alcock’s voluntary is registered precisely: ‘Stopt Diapason and Flute, in the Choir Organ, or Echo’ with ‘Sexquialtra and Diapsons’ in the bass. This combination was used as a kind of bass Cornet, and was used extensively in Restoration Double Voluntaries. Two diapason movements – John Alcock senior These two movements would have led into faster second movements. John Worgan (1724-1790) Worgan, a pupil of Thomas Roseingrave, was organist of St. Katherine Cree (1743-c.1753), St. Andrew Undershaft (1749-1790) and St. Botolph Aldgate (1753-1790). In 1751, he succeeded his brother James as organist at Vauxhall Gardens. Martin Madan in a song wrote: ‘Let Handel or Worgan go thresh at the organ’. On 29th September 1765, he gave the opening recital on John Byfield’s newly-completed organ at St. Mary Rotherhithe. Short Voluntary – John Worgan Sunday 9 August - The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost Starling Goodwin (d.1774) Goodwin was organist of St. Mary Magdalen, Bermondsey (1738-74) and St. Saviour, Southwark, (1750-74). His works were published posthumously, including ‘The Organist’s Pocket Companion’, a collection of exuberant ‘givings out’ and interludes to the hymn-tunes of the period. Cornet Voluntary – Starling Goodwin A standard cornet movement of the period. Interludes -Starling Goodwin Short pieces to be played between the verses of hymns. Voluntary no.12 in G major – Starling Goodwin The first movement is a grand Largo alternating between full Great and the Vox Humana. This leads into a sprightly second movement. Sunday 16 August - The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost William Walond (1725-1770) Walond, an organist at Oxford, composed in 1758 a setting of Pope's 'Ode on St. Cecilia's Day', believed to be the first setting of this poem in its original form. Three sets of organ voluntaries by him were published. Cornet Voluntary in E (Op.2 no.1) – William Walond Published in 1758 as the first of 'Ten Voluntaries for the Organ or Harpsichord'. Diapason movement in D minor – William Walond Cornet Voluntary in G – William Walond Sunday 23 August - The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost Charles Burney (1726-1814) Born at Shrewsbury, Burney studied in Chester, Shrewsbury and later in London under Thomas Arne. In 1749 he was elected organist of St. Dionis Backchurch. Suffering from tuberculosis, he moved for the sake of his health to King's Lynn in Norfolk in 1751 as organist of the parish church. Here he laid the foundations for his great work as music historian. He returned to London fully recovered nine years later. Travelling extensively throughout Europe, he published the first volume of his 'General History of Music' in 1776. For the last 25 years of his life, he was organist of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea, where he was buried. Cornet pieces – Charles Burney Burney's volume of 'VI Cornet Pieces with an Introduction for the Diapasons and a Fugue, proper for young Organists and Practitioners on the Harpsichord' was published by John Walsh. All of the organ music played today is taken from this publication. The Cornet pieces are single movements only. Introduction – Charles Burney Fugue – Charles Burney Sunday 30 August - The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost Thomas Sanders Dupuis (1733-96) Born in London of an old Huguenot family, Dupuis was a chorister of the Chapel Royal, later becoming a pupil of John Travers. Organist of the Charlotte Street Chapel, near Buckingham Palace, he succeeded William Boyce as organist at the Chapel Royal in 1779. He died from an overdose of opium at his house in King's Row, Park Lane, and is buried in the west cloister of Westminster Abbey. Trumpet Voluntary – Thomas Sanders Dupuis Like many trumpet voluntaries of the period, this one uses echo effects between Great and Swell. Voluntary no.6 (diapason movement) – John Bennett The first movement of a larger voluntary. Fugue in E minor – Thomas Sanders Dupuis Sunday 6 September - The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost John Bennett (1735-1796) Organist of St. Dionis Backchurch 1752, in succession to Charles Burney. His set of 'Ten Voluntaries for the Organ or Harpsichord' was published privately in 1758. A long and distinguished list of 228 subscribers included Handel. Voluntary no.5 in A – John Bennett A two-movement work, opening with an Adagio for the Great diapasons. The Allegro which follows it is precisely registered 'Diapasons, Principal, Teirc, 12th and 15th for Forte, Stop'd Diapason and Principal for Piano'. Voluntary 1 (diapason movement) – John Bennett The first movement of a larger voluntary. Voluntary 8 – John Bennett After the customary slow diapason movement, the fugue which follows introduces a faster semiquaver section in the middle, which later incorporates the fugue subject. By analogy to similar pieces, this middle section, although unmarked, was probably played on the Choir, returning to the Great for the final section. Sunday 13 September - The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost Philip Hayes (1738-1797) Son of William Hayes, Philip Hayes was a chorister in the Chapel Royal. Organist at Oxford of Christ Church (1763-65), New College (1776), and Magdalen College (1777), he succeeded his father as Professor of Music at Oxford in 1777. Reputed to be the fattest man in England, he acquired the nickname of 'Phil Chaise'. Pastorale – Philip Hayes With a drone bass, similar to shepherds' bagpipes, this movement is an extract from one of Hayes' concertos. Jonathan Battishill (1738-1801) Battishill, a chorister at St. Paul's and later deputy organist to William Boyce at the Chapel Royal, was organist concurrently of St. Clement Eastcheap (1765) and Christ Church Newgate Street (1767) until his death. Air – Jonathan Battishill A short Andante for diapasons. Voluntary in B flat – Jonathan Battishill This is a single movement for full Great, with echoes on the Swell. Sunday 20 September - The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost William Goodwin (d.1784) Possibly the son of Starling Goodwin, he was organist of St. George the Martyr, Southwark, from before 1764 until his appointment to St. Bartholomew by the Exchange from 1766 until his death. He succeeded Starling Goodwin at St. Saviour, Southwark, in 1774. He also appeared to have been organist of St. Mary Newington. He is buried at St. Saviour's (now Southwark Cathedral). Trumpet Voluntary – William Goodwin The usual two-movement form, using the Great Trumpet and the echo trumpet on the Swell. Voluntary 7 – William Goodwin A one-movement voluntary contrasting Full Great with echoes on the Swell. The opening chords are similar to the opening of Handel's Hallelujah Chorus! Diapason movement in G minor – William Goodwin The first movement of a larger voluntary. Voluntary 8 – William Goodwin A prelude and fugue for Full Organ. Sunday 27 September - The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost Samuel Long (d. 1764) A chorister of St. Paul's Cathedral under Charles King, Long was appointed organist of St. Peter le Poer, Broad Street, about 1745, and kept this appointment until his death in 1764. He was buried in St. Andrew Holborn. Four Lessons and two Voluntarys for the Harpsichord or Organ were published posthumously for his widow Sarah. Voluntary no.1 – Samuel Long A prelude and fugue for Full Organ. Air and variations – Samuel Long A movement from Lesson no.1 for harpsichord. Voluntary no.2 – Samuel Long Another prelude and fugue for Full Organ. A heartfelt thanks to all those who came to St. Mary's, Dalmahoy, for my Scottish debut concert. It was a great success, and I have had many appreciative comments since. I hope it will be the first of many.
THANK YOU! A Midsummer Organ Concert on the Hamilton/Willis Organ at St. Mary's, Dalmahoy
Admission by ticket (contact church on 0131 333 1683) Retiring collection contributing to St. Mary's and the RSCM Music Sunday Refreshments in church hall during interval Click here for directions to the church. For buses to the church, click here. PROGRAMME Voluntary VI – John Christmas Beckwith (1750-1809) Lesson III for the harpsichord – Elizabeth Turner (d.1756) [Allegro] – Minuetto Affettuoso – Giga - March Sonata no.8 in E minor – Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) Introduction and Fugue – Intermezzo – Scherzoso – Passacaglia INTERVAL A Song of Sunshine – Alfred Hollins (1865-1942) A Midsummer Night's Dream – Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Nocturne (arr. Reginald Goss Custard (1877-1956)) Wedding March (arr. F. Cunningham Woods (1862-1929)) Serenade – Derek Bourgeois (b.1941) Popular Song from Façade – William Walton (1902-1983), arr. Robert Gower Hornpipe Humoresque – Noel Rawsthorne (b.1929) Finlandia – Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), arr. Herbert Austin Fricker (1868-1943) Programme notes for June and July at St. Mary's, Dalmahoy, Edinburgh
'The Gorgeous Georgians' Some years ago on the 18th century organ of St. Mary Rotherhithe, London, I set myself the task of playing representative pieces by all the English 18th century organ composers I could find. It took me six months to get through 29 composers. I'm now repeating the series for you, taking you on a musical journey through history from 1707 to 1837. The title 'Gorgeous Georgians' is borrowed from 'Horrible Histories'! You can read about the whole series here. Sunday 7 June 2015 – Pentecost 2 William Croft (1678-1727) Croft was a pupil of John Blow at the Chapel Royal. He was appointed in 1704 as joint organist at the Chapel Royal, sharing the post with Jeremiah Clarke until Clarke's suicide in 1707. In 1708 he succeeded Blow as organist of Westminster Abbey. The style of Croft's organ works bridges the transition from the Restoration to the Georgian style. Prelude: Voluntary 11 – Croft Communion: Voluntary 8 – Croft Postlude: Voluntary 12 – Croft This is a typical 'Full Voluntary' – a slow introduction, followed by a fast fugue. Sunday 14 June – Pentecost 3 George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Handel settled in London in 1712, moving to the house in Brook Street in 1723. This set of 'Six Fugues or Voluntarys for the Organ or Harpsichord' was composed in 1716, and published by John Walsh in 1735. Prelude: Fugue 4 (HWV 608) - Handel Communion: Fugue 6 (HWV 610) - Handel Postlude: Fugue 2 (HWV 606) - Handel Sunday 21 June – Pentecost 4 William Hine (1687-1730) Hine was appointed deputy organist of Gloucester Cathedral in 1708, and organist in 1710. One voluntary was published after his death. Prelude: Voluntary in F – Hine Thomas Roseingrave (1690-1766) Roseingrave travelled to Italy in 1710, meeting the Scarlattis. He returned in 1720, becoming the first organist of the new church of St. George, Hanover Square, in 1725. 'Among Roseingrave's scholars was a young lady to whom he was greatly attached, and whose affections he had gained, but her father, who intended to give her a large fortune, did not approve of her marrying a musician, and forbade Roseingrave his house. This disappointment affected his brain, and he never entirely recovered the shock. He neglected his scholars and lost his business.' (Archdeacon Coxe). He was sacked from St. George's in 1737, and later moved to Ireland. Communion: Voluntary in F minor – Roseingrave A slow movement for the diapasons (originally stopped and open drawn together), with constantly-shifting tonality. Elizabeth Turner (d.1756) One of the foremost sopranos of her day, working frequently for Handel, Elizabeth Turner was one of the first Englishwomen to publish any substantial compositions. Although intended as harpsichord music, her 'Lessons' work well on an eighteenth-century organ. Postlude: Lesson III for the harpsichord ([Allegro], – Minuetto Affettuoso, – Giga, – March) Turner Sunday 28 June – Pentecost 5 Maurice Greene (1695-1755) Greene was a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral under Jeremiah Clarke and Charles King. Studying the organ under Richard Brind, he was organist of St. Dunstan in the West and St. Andrew, Holborn, before succeeding Brind at St Paul's. When Croft died in 1727, Greene took his place as organist in the Chapel Royal, in 1730 becoming professor of music at Cambridge. In 1735 he was appointed Master of the King's Musick. He inherited a fortune in 1750, and gathered manuscripts together for the publication of a series of 'Cathedral Music'. He never completed the project, and left his research materials to William Boyce, who completed the publication. Prelude: Voluntary 8 in C minor – Greene Popular in 20th century arrangements for full modern organ with pedals, Greene's original is formed of a short slow introduction followed by a sprightly Vivace. Communion: Voluntary 3 in A minor – Greene In the usual two-movement form, the second movement is an Andante. Postlude: Voluntary 12 in E – Greene The final voluntary of a set of 10 or 12 was usually the climax of the set, and this one is no disappointment. The slow introduction is highly decorated in the Restoration style. This is followed by a fugal Vivace, which keeps the momentum going right to the end. Sunday 5 July – Pentecost 6 John Travers (c.1703-1758) A chorister at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, Travers was a pupil of Maurice Greene and Pepusch. Organist of St. Paul, Covent Garden (1725) and Fulham Church, and sub-organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral (1727), he was appointed organist of the Chapel Royal in 1737, as the partner of his teacher Greene. Best known for his church and vocal music, a set of ‘XII Voluntaries for the Organ or Harpsichord’ was published posthumously. Preludes: Voluntaries no.2 in F and no.4 in C – Travers No.2 is a Cornet Voluntary with almost continuous semiquaver movement,and no.4 is for ‘Full Choir Organ’. Communion: Voluntary no.6 in A minor and major – Travers A voluntary for the flute (a 4 ft stop). Postlude: Voluntary no.10 in D major – Travers A Full Voluntary in the form of a prelude and fugue. Sunday 12 July – Pentecost 7 William Boyce (1710-1779) Born in London, Boyce was a choirboy at St Paul's Cathedral before studying music with Maurice Greene. He was appointed Master of the King's Musick in 1755 and organist of the Chapel Royal in 1758. When Boyce's deafness became so bad that he was unable to continue as a working organist, he retired and worked on completing the compilation of ‘Cathedral Music’ that his teacher Greene had left incomplete at his death. Prelude: Voluntary 1 in D - Boyce Voluntary 1 is in two movements: a short introduction for the diapasons, followed by a lively movement for trumpet and echo. John James (d.1745) After many posts as deputy, John James was organist of St. Olave, Southwark 1730-36, possibly moving to St. George-in-the-East. He was noted for his skills in extemporisation. Communion: Voluntary in A minor – James A full voluntary with a fugal second movement. Postlude: Voluntary 10 in G - Boyce Voluntary 10 is a Full Voluntary consisting of an introduction and fugue. Sunday 19 July – Pentecost 8 John Keeble (1711-1786) Keeble was organist of St. George, Hanover Square, and published his collection of eighteen voluntaries in three sets of six between 1777 and 1778. Whereas the majority of organ composers of the time explored the many different colours available on the eighteenth century organ, Keeble's strength was in his counterpoint. Prelude: Voluntary no.13 in F major – Keeble A slow first movement alternating between the Great and the Swell, ending with a 'Cadence ad Libitum’, leads into the fugal second movement. Communion: Voluntary no.5 in G minor (first two movements) – Keeble The short first movement, featuring dotted rhythms, leads into a soft Andante, returning to the dotted rhythms as at the beginning. The fugue will not be played today. Postlude: Voluntary 14 in C minor – Keeble Voluntary 14 is a three-movement work, consisting of an opening Largo, an Allegro in the relative major of E flat, followed by a fugue in C minor. Sunday 26 July – Pentecost 9 John Stanley (1713-1786) John Stanley, blind from the age of two, was organist of St. Andrew Holborn at the age of fourteen and at the age of seventeen became the youngest person to obtain the Oxford degree of Bachelor of Music. In 1734 he was appointed organist to the Inner Temple, and it was in the Temple Church that Handel heard him perform. He succeeded William Boyce as Master of the King’s Musick from 1779, a post he held until his death in 1786. Prelude: Voluntary in D (Op.6 no.5) – Stanley This voluntary in three movements demonstrates different reed stops. After the customary diapason movement on the Great, the second movement uses the Great Trumpet with echoes. The slow movement which follows uses a soft combination in alternation with a soft reed. Communion: Voluntary in D minor (Op.7 no.4) – Stanley The second movement is a dialogue between a soft reed and accompaniment. At one point in the original, all three manuals are in use simultaneously, the inner voice being ‘thumbed’ on the Choir. Postlude: Voluntary in D minor (Op.5 no.8) – Stanley This voluntary is in three movements. The first uses a flute at 4ft pitch as solo stop. The slow movement in the middle is entirely on the Swell, and does not go below fiddle G, the lowest note of an 18th century Swell. The finale is a vigorous fugue on full Great, with episodes on another manual. Programme Notes for April and May Thursday 2nd April - Maundy Thursday Prelude: Le banquet céleste – Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) Communion: Ave verum corpus – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Messiaen's depiction of the 'heavenly banquet' was written in 1928. Note the staccato (short) notes in the pedals which are marked to be played 'like waterdrops'. Mozart's setting of 'Ave verum corpus' was written 17 June 1791 for Anton Stoll, who was musical co-ordinator in the parish of Baden near Vienna. It was composed to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. Friday 3rd April - Good Friday Prelude: Chorale Prelude on 'Rockingham' – Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) Postlude: Erbarm' dich mein, O Herre Gott (BWV 721) – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Parry's setting of 'When I survey' was published as the second of a set of 'Seven Chorale Preludes' in 1912. Bach's prelude on a metrical version of Psalm 51 is influenced by a cantata once thought to be by Buxtehude, but actually written by Buxtehude's Estonian pupil Ludwig Busbetzky. Saturday 4th April - Easter Eve Postlude: Hallelujah Chorus ('Messiah') – George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) This piece surely needs no programme notes! Join in as you are able! Sunday 5th April - Easter Day Prelude: Easter Morn: A Meditation – John Ebenezer West (1863-1928) Introit (Choir): This joyful Eastertide – arr. Charles Wood (1866-1926) Communion: I know that my Redeemer liveth ('Messiah') – George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Postlude (Choir): Sing! - David Willcocks (accompanied by Toccata from Fifth Symphony – Charles-Marie Widor) West, a nephew of Ebenezer Prout, was a London organist and chief editor for Novello & Co., where he worked for 45 years. Wood, an Irishman, was Professor of Music at Cambridge University. His pupils included Ralph Vaughan Williams at Cambridge and Herbert Howells at the Royal College of Music. Willcocks' 'Sing!' was written in 1999 as a choral accompaniment to Widor's famous Toccata. Widor himself sanctioned the addition of a choir to this piece. Sunday 12th April - The Second Sunday of Easter Prelude: Psalm-Prelude (Set 1 no.2) – Herbert Howells (1892-1983) Communion: Berceuse – Louis Vierne (1870-1937) Postlude: Saraband for the morning of Easter – Herbert Howells Howells' Psalm-Preludes are meditations on verses from the Psalms. This one is based on Psalm 37 v.11, and dates from 1916. Vierne's Berceuse is a lullaby dedicated to his daughter Colette. Howells' Saraband is one of a set of 'Six Pieces for Organ' dating from the 1940s. Sunday 19th April - The Third Sunday of Easter Prelude: Serenade for Strings (slow movement) – Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Communion: Andantino in F (Suite for Organ) – Edward Elgar Postlude: Sonata in G (first movement) – Edward Elgar The Serenade for Strings was written in March 1892 and dedicated to the organ builder and keen amateur musician Edward W. Whinfield. The Suite for Organ was originally composed as a set of Vesper Voluntaries in 1890. The eleven voluntaries were composed in quick succession immediately after his marriage to Alice in 1889. Elgar's Sonata was written in 1895 as a large organ work that would show off the Cathedral organ at Worcester. Amazingly, the work took only two weeks from conception to the first performance, which Hugh Blair, the cathedral organist, gave to an American Organists' convention meeting in Worcester. Sunday 26th April - The Fourth Sunday of Easter Music for Good Shepherd Sunday Prelude: A Meditation on 'Brother James' Air – Harold Darke (1888-1976) Communion: Pastorale in F (BWV 590, first movement) – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Postlude: Worthy is the Lamb ('Messiah') – George Frideric Handel 'Brother James' was the popular name for James Leith Macbeth Bain who died in 1925. This well-known tune was composed by him for the Scottish metrical version of Psalm 23. This organ meditation was written in October 1947. 'Worthy is the Lamb' is followed by a magnificent 'Amen' fugue which concludes Handel's oratorio. Sunday 3rd May - The Fifth Sunday of Easter Music from Russia and Uzbekistan Prelude: Chorale Varié – Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915) Communion: Chant sans paroles (Souvenir de Hapsal) – Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Postlude: Toccata – Georgi Mushel (1909-1989) Taneyev's variations were written in 1913 for inclusion in an album edited by the Abbé Joubert, and are a rare example of pre-revolutionary Russian organ music. Tchaikovsky visited Haapsalu, Estonia, in 1867, where he composed the cycle of piano pieces 'Souvenir de Hapsal'. Mushel studied at the Moscow Conservatoire. On graduating, Mushel taught at the Tashkent Conservatoire, becoming Professor of Composition in 1976. He was influenced by local Uzbek traditional music. Sunday 10th May - The Sixth Sunday of Easter Music from Italy Prelude: Agnus Dei (Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem) – arr. Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Communion: Intermezzo ('Cavalleria Rusticana') – Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945) Postlude: Etude symphonique – Marco Enrico Bossi (1861-1925) Verdi's Requiem (sometimes called 'Verdi's best opera') was first performed in Milan Cathedral in 1874. Liszt's transcription of the Agnus Dei dates from 1877. Cavalleria Rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) is a one act opera premiered in 1890 in Rome. The Intermezzo, which has featured in a number of film scores, contains the theme of the Easter Hymn. Bossi was director of music and organist at Como Cathedral, and did much to increase the standard of Italian church music. His 'symphonic study' is famous for its challenging pedal part. Thursday 14th May - Ascension Day Music from France Prelude: Prière du Christ montant vers son Père – Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) Communion: Communion – Charles Gounod (1818-1893) Postlude: March on a theme of Handel – Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) Messiaen's 'L'Ascension' was originally composed for orchestra in 1932-33. He re-arranged it for organ in 1933-34. The 'Prayer of Christ ascending towards his Father' is the final movement. Gounod's Communion is one of three surviving organ pieces composed by him. The 'Theme of Handel' in Guilmant's march is, of course, the Ascensiontide chorus 'Lift up your heads' from 'Messiah'. Sunday 17th May - The Seventh Sunday of Easter Music for Norway's national day (Syttende mai) Prelude: Morning Mood (Peer Gynt) – Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) Communion: At Rondane - Edvard Grieg Postlude: Wedding Day at Troldhaugen - Edvard Grieg Constitution Day, more commonly known as 'Syttende mai' (17th May), commemorates the signing of the Constitution of Norway at Eidsvoll on 17th May 1814. Grieg, although considered a Norwegian composer, had Scottish roots. After the Battle of Culloden in 1746, Grieg's great-grandfather, Alexander Greig, travelled widely, settling in Norway about 1770, and establishing business interests in Bergen. 'Wedding Day at Troldhaugen' was written in 1896 to commemorate the 25th wedding anniversary of Grieg and his wife Nina. Troldhaugen ('Troll Hill') was the Grieg family home in Bergen built in 1885, and now a museum. Sunday 24th May - Pentecost
Prelude: Prelude to the Te Deum – Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1634-1704) Communion: Nun bitten wir den heilgen Geist – Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707) Postlude: Prelude and Fugue on BACH – Franz Liszt (1811-1886) Charpentier's prelude, dating from between 1688 and 1698, is nowadays better-known as the Eurovision signature tune. Liszt's fantasy on the notes BACH (B flat, A, C, B natural), exists in two versions written in 1856 and 1870. This is the second of the two. Sunday 31st May - Trinity Sunday Prelude: Prelude in E flat (BWV 552) – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Communion: Trio Sonata no.3 (slow movement) - Johann Sebastian Bach Postlude: Fugue in E flat (BWV 552) - Johann Sebastian Bach The final piece of Part Three of Bach’s publication 'Clavierübung' (Keyboard Practice) has a subject which resembles William Croft’s hymn tune 'St. Anne', hence the English nickname for this piece. It has Trinitarian symbolism on many levels: three flats in the key signature, three sections, the lengths of which are related to each other by a factor of three, three different time signatures related to each other by a factor of three, and three fugal subjects which combine perfectly with each other - three in one! This fugue has been described as probably the most perfect depiction of the Trinity in all of Western Art. OK, so not musical, unless you're into Bark or Depussy! But I couldn't resist posting this cute video of our Jack Russell and a toy mouse. Enjoy! A quick post to thank all those in 96 countries worldwide who have watched me on YouTube. The total of hits reached five figures a couple of days ago. 77% of these are for the four videos of eighteenth-century music on the 1764 organ at St. Mary Rotherhithe, London. Please note that the others are worth watching, too!
More will be on the way, so keep watching! Programme Notes for organ music played at St. Mary's Dalmahoy
Sunday 1st February – Epiphany 4 Prelude: Herr Gott, nun schleuß den Himmel auf (BWV 1092) – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Communion: Mit Fried' und Freud' ich fahr' dahin (BWV 616) - Bach Postlude: Fiat Lux – Theodore Dubois (1837-1924) Tomorrow is Candlemas, when the Light of the World was presented in the Temple. Simeon's Nunc Dimittis is here presented in two Bach chorale preludes based on the hymn. The theme of light is continued in Dubois' 'Let there be light', a toccata which starts quietly and gradually builds up to a fortissimo climax. Sunday 8th February – Epiphany 5 Prelude: Fugue in G minor (BWV 578) - Bach Communion: Siciliano (from Flute Sonata in E flat, BWV 1031) – Bach, arr. C.H. Trevor Postlude: Toccata and Fugue in D minor (BWV 565) - Bach Today's postlude, the most famous of all organ works, needs no introduction – or does it? Doubt was cast upon the authenticity of its authorship and upon its origins as an organ piece by Peter Williams in two talks on BBC Radio 3 in 1981. Williams suggested that it originated as a piece for solo violin in A minor by a composer of the generation following Bach. He invited the violinist Jaap Schröder to prepare a version for solo violin and it does work excellently as a violin piece! Sunday 15th February - The Sunday before Lent (The Transfiguration) Prelude: For the mountains shall depart ('Elijah') – Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Communion: Then shall the righteous ('Elijah') - Mendelssohn Postlude: Then did Elijah the prophet ('Elijah') - Mendelssohn The ascension of Elijah in a 'fiery chariot, with fiery horses' going up 'by a whirlwind to heaven', the subject of our first reading, is masterfully portrayed by Mendelssohn in his famous oratorio 'Elijah'. Wednesday 18th February - Ash Wednesday Prelude: O Lamm Gottes unschuldig (BWV 1095) - Bach Communion: Lent Prose (NEH 507) Postlude: O Lamm Gottes unschuldig – Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) Tonight's new moon marks the beginning of the Chinese Year of the Sheep. Christ as the 'lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' is invoked in these two chorale preludes on a metrical version of the Agnus Dei. Sunday 22nd February – Lent 1 Music by Estonian composers Prelude: Ave Maria – Peeter Süda (1883-1920) Communion: Largo – Rudolf Tobias (1873-1918) Postlude: Maestoso – Edgar Arro (1911-1978) Tuesday marks the 96th anniversary of the declaration of the Estonian republic in 1918, and therefore I play three pieces by Estonian composers to mark the occasion. Arro's Maestoso was written in 1943 during the most tragic days of the Second World War when Estonia was already under occupation - an occupation which lasted until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, when Estonia regained its independence. Sunday 1st March - Lent 2 Music by Welsh composers for St. David's Day Prelude: Pie Jesu (Requiem) - Karl Jenkins (b. 1944) Communion: A sad pavan for these distracted times – Thomas Tomkins (1572-1656) Postlude: Processional – William Mathias (1934-1992) Tomkins was born at St. David's. His 'sad pavan' was written a fortnight after Charles I's beheading. Tomkins himself felt the full force of Cromwell's military coup – the organ which he had designed at Worcester Cathedral was destroyed by Cromwell's troops and he lost his job as cathedral organist. Although he was allowed to remain in his house in the Close, he never lived to see the Restoration. William Mathias was born in Whitland, Dyfed. From 1970-1988 he was Professor and Head of the Music Department at the University College of North Wales Bangor. He was known as a conductor and pianist and gave or directed many premières of his own works. In 1972 he founded the North Wales Music Festival at St Asaph Cathedral and remained its artistic director until his death. Sunday 8th March - Lent 3 Music by women composers for International Women's Day Prelude: Prelude and Fugue on 'St. Mary's' – Elizabeth Stirling (1819-1895) Communion: Verset: 'Tantum ergo sacramentum' – Juliette Folville (1870-1946) Postlude: Prelude and Fugue in D minor – Clara Schumann (1819-1896) Born in Greenwich, Elizabeth Stirling was an eminent London organist of the mid-Victorian period. In 1856 she submitted her exercise for the Oxford degree of Bachelor of Music, but, although accepted, it was not performed, as Oxford at this time restricted degrees to men only (the ban on women graduates was lifted as late as 1920). Eugénie-Emilie Juliette Folville was born in Liege, Belgium. In 1897 she took a position teaching piano at the Liege Conservatory. She lived for several years in London. A pupil of her father Friedrich Wieck, Clara Schumann gave her first recital at the age of nine and could play the piano concertos of Mozart and Hummel from memory whilst still a child. A pianist of the first rank, married to Robert Schumann in 1840, most of Clara's compositions were for her own instrument, but her list of works include songs and string trios. The three preludes and fugues of op.16 were written in 1845 and published by her husband as a birthday present. Sunday 15th March - Lent 4 Prelude: Irish Tune from County Derry – Percy Grainger (1882-1961) Communion: God so loved the world ('The Crucifixion') – John Stainer (1840-1901) Postlude: The immovable Do (or The cyphering C) – Percy Grainger 'The immovable Do' was conceived coincidentally. One morning Grainger was practising on one of his harmoniums when the mechanism of the high C broke so the instrument continuously played the tone automatically. Grainger being inventive as always improvised around the drone creating a new piece. The piece ‘draws its title from one of the two kinds of Tonic sol-fa notation. I chose the one with an ‘immovable Do’ (in which ‘Do’ always stands for C). In my composition – which is not based on any folksong or popular tune – the ‘ immovable Do’ is a high drone on C which is sounded throughout the whole piece. It seemed natural for me to plan it simultaneously for different mediums seeing that such music hinges upon intervallic appeal rather than upon effects of tone colour’. The drone on the high C's are played by wedging two pencils in the organ keys! Sunday 22nd March - Passion Sunday Prelude: Majesté du Christ ('L'Ascension') – Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) Communion: The Primerose – Martin Peerson (b.1571-73, d.1650-51) Postlude: O Mensch, bewein' dein' Sünde groß (BWV 622) - Bach The text for Messiaen's 'Majesty of Christ praying that His Father should glorify him' comes from today's Gospel. Martin Peerson's 'primrose' from the 'Fitzwilliam Virginal Book' acknowledges that last Friday night we reached the Spring Equinox, the fixed point which determines the date of Easter. Bach's hauntingly beautiful chorale prelude on 'O man thy grievous sin bemoan' comes from his 'Little Organ Book', compiled at Weimar around 1714, when he was 28 years old. Sunday 29th March - Palm Sunday Communion: Herzlich thut mich verlangen (BWV 727) - Bach Postlude: In tears of grief ('St. Matthew Passion') – Bach A chorale prelude on the famous 'Passion Chorale' during the communion is followed by the final chorus from Bach's St. Matthew Passion' as a postlude. Programme Notes for January (Note: 'Organist's Corner' (Organistens hjørne) was a section of the weekly parish bulletin at St. Hallvard kirke in Oslo, in which I gave the congregation some programme notes on the music performed during the service. I continued the custom on the noticeboard at Rotherhithe, and now my notes will appear in 'In Touch', the magazine of St. Mary's, Dalmahoy. Here is a pre-publication taster.) Sunday 4th January - The Second Sunday after Christmas Prelude: The Holy Boy – John Ireland (1879-1962) Communion: Prelude on 'Whence is that goodly fragrance' – Harrison Oxley (b.1933) Postlude: Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern (BuxWV 223) – Dieterich Buxtehude (1637-1707) The earliest version of 'The Holy Boy' was written at Christmas 1913 and was published as 'The Holy Boy - a carol', forming the third movement of his Four Preludes for Piano. The piece was composed while Ireland was the organist at St Luke's Church, Chelsea. Harrison Oxley's prelude on 'Quelle est cette odeur agréable' features the melody played on a 4 foot stop in the pedals, appearing to be in the middle of the romantic texture. Buxtehude's fantasia on 'How brightly shines the morning star' is sectional and uses the whole melody twice. Sunday 11th January - The First Sunday after the Epiphany – The Baptism of the Lord Prelude: Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam (BWV 684) – Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Communion: O come, everyone that thirsteth ('Elijah') – Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Postlude: Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam – Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) The chorale prelude from 'Clavierübung III' published by Bach in 1739 is a musical painting of the moment of Jesus' baptism. The two parts in the right hand representing Jesus and John use Bach's four-note 'sign of the Cross' motif and the two are continually crossing each other. The fast-flowing line in the left hand is the river Jordan, more like a little brook ('Bach' in German!) than a large river. The chorale melody from Johann Walther's Songbook of 1524 is played by the pedals on a four-foot stop thus sounding in the middle of the texture. Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah was premiered in Birmingham at the Triennial Music Festival on 26 August 1846, using an English translation by William Bartholomew, who served as his text author and translator for many of his works during his time in England. Like Bach, Pachelbel also places the melody of the chorale 'Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam' in the pedals, but this time in the usual place at the bottom of the texture, underneath some busy manual parts. Sunday 18th January - The Second Sunday after the Epiphany Prelude: Voluntary in D (No.1 of 'Twelve Voluntaries') – Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) Communion: Variations on Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ – Samuel Scheidt (1587–1654) Postlude: Impromptu no.1 in F – Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912) Today's first reading recounts the call of the young Samuel, so it is appropriate to play music by three composers bearing his name. Samuel Wesley, son of Charles the hymn-writer, was born in Bristol. He was a child prodigy, writing an oratorio at the age of eight. He was one of the foremost organists of his day and was instrumental in introducing the works of Bach to England - a role later handed over to Mendelssohn, whom he met shortly before his death. Wesley’s friend Vincent Novello, founder of the publishing house, said of him : ‘Samuel Wesley was one of the greatest musical geniuses that England ever produced.' This Voluntary is in three movements. Samuel Scheidt was born and lived for the whole of his life in Halle, where Handel was later born. Scheidt studied with the famous Dutch organist Sweelinck, whose style influenced him greatly. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born on 15 August 1875 in Holborn to Daniel Hugh Taylor, an African surgeon from Sierra Leone, who returned to Africa before Samuel's birth, and Alice Taylor, 'formerly Holmans'. In 1890 he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, originally as a student of the violin, then graduating to studying composition with the composer Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. He left the RCM as a highly-esteemed and promising young composer. His greatest success was 'Hiawatha's Wedding Feast', based on the poem by Longfellow. Between 1898 and 1907 he was chief conductor of the Croydon Symphony Orchestra and resident conductor to the Westmoreland Festival, as well as the Rochester Choral Society. In 1904 he became chief conductor to the Handel Society concerts, a post he held until his death. At the same time he served as guest conductor for performances of 'Hiawatha' (by 1904, it had been performed 200 times in England). He also lectured in Croydon, later joining Trinity College of Music (1903), Crystal Palace School of Art and Music (1905) and then the Guildhall School of Music as professor of composition. On 28 August 1912, Coleridge-Taylor collapsed at West Croydon station while waiting for a train. He died a few days later of pneumonia at his home in Croydon, on 1 September 1912, at the age of 37. Sunday 25th January - The Third Sunday after the Epiphany Prelude: Organ Sonata no.1 (2nd movement) – Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) Communion: Be thou faithful unto death ('St. Paul') - Mendelssohn Postlude: Overture to 'St. Paul' – Mendelssohn As today is also the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, two movements from Mendelssohn's oratorio of the same name are appropriate. Composition of the music began in 1834, and the work was premiered on May 22, 1836 at the Lower Rhenish Music Festival in Düsseldorf. The English premiere was in Liverpool on October 3, 1836 in a translation by Mendelssohn's friend, Karl Klingermann. Paul Hindemith's Organ Sonata no.1 was written in 1937, one of only three works he composed for the organ. His style has been described as neoclassical, but is very different from the works by Igor Stravinsky labelled with that term, owing more to the contrapuntal language of Johann Sebastian Bach and Max Reger than the Classical clarity of Mozart. A merry Christmas to all followers of my website and YouTube channel!
I'm looking forward to working with old friends and new in the coming year as organist (regular and deputy), choirmaster, accompanist and teacher in the Edinburgh area. I'm now on Facebook (facebook.com/alanmusicteacher) and Twitter (@alanjohnphill), so use the buttons at the top of my website if you want to contact me that way. I'm also on LinkedIn (uk.linkedin.com/in/alanjohnphillips). See you next year! At last, I've got round to posting YouTube videos from my new organ at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, Dalmahoy, Edinburgh. All are popular wedding pieces.
Jesu, joy of man's desiring The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba The Flower Duet from Lakmé Highland Cathedral Music lists and pictures of the organ and church can be found here. By the way, I do have a playlist of wedding pieces on YouTube to help with choosing music for the Big Day! https://www.facebook.com/alanmusicteacher is now online!
Last Sunday, I had the pleasure of performing on the 1760 George England organ of Christ's Chapel, Dulwich after Evensong. I played four voluntaries by John Christmas Beckwith to demonstrate the various colours of the Georgian organ - diapasons (open and stopped together), trumpet (with echo), flute (at 4ft pitch), bassoon (vox humana in the lower registers), cornet (with echo) and the full organ with trumpet. The Beckwith voluntaries I recorded during my afternoon practice session, and can be seen on YouTube - go to the 'Gorgeous Georgians' page, scroll down to John Christmas Beckwith and click on the titles. These I followed with four pieces by women composers, two of them 'Gorgeous Georgians' in their own right: Esther Elizabeth Fleet and Elizabeth Turner. It was interesting to reinterpret Turner's harpsichord 'Lesson' as an organ voluntary! As there were not enough programmes to go round (two in all!), I had to give a running commentary, but for those who want to read it, I post it below for downloading.
From Epiphany to Lent is usually an uneventful season of 'Sundays in Ordinary Time'. However, the ordinariness of the season is broken at Rotherhithe by a Confirmation at Candlemas: a joint feast of the light of Christ and the fire of the Spirit. The organ music is divided into three groups: in January, I play a Buxtehude mini-season, followed by two weeks of music by women composers from France and England. Finally, the two weeks before Lent are taken up with two national commemorations: Sunday 23 February is the eve of Estonia's Independence Day, so music by Peeter Suda and Edgar Arro; and Sunday 2 March is the day after St. David's day, so an all-Karl Jenkins programme of organ music and a selection of well-known Welsh hymn-tunes.. See the slideshow below for photos of some of them.
We're halfway through the season now (at the beginning if you consider Christmas doesn't end until Candlemas!), so here's the music sheet at last.
Advent 2013 sees the visits of many choirs to St. Mary Rotherhithe. A full list of these can be found on the parish website – please visit! 8 December is not only the Second Sunday of Advent, it is also the birthday of Sibelius, and the Canzonetta Choir from Joensuu, Finland, will be singing in the morning. I shall contribute to the birthday celebrations by playing Sibelius's 'Intrada' for organ and an organ arrangement of 'Finlandia'. In honour of the distinguished composer John Tavener, who died on 12 November this year, we will be including his carol 'The Lamb' in our Service of Nine Lessons and Carols on the Fourth Sunday of Advent.
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April 2020
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