Yesterday evening St Mary & St Giles Church, Stony Stratford, held the long awaited concert which included Thomas Tallis stunning 40 part Motet: Spem in alium. With the Parish Church having a gallery on three sides the sound of those voices moving from one side to the other and back again was stunning.
The evening was a great successs with the Tallis piece being sung again as an encore but with the 8 choirs in differnt places around the gallery.
As well as being a great evening musically we had sold out and the Organ Appeal benefitted by around £3300 which was a marvellous result. A lot of people put in great deal of work on this especially David Scrutton, James Wharton and our own organist Andrew Storer.
For those who couldn't be present here is the background material that was included in the Programme. Photographs of the concet wil follow in a later post on this blog.
Welcome to St Mary & St Giles Church
This evening's entertainment is full of promise offering the rarely performed "Spem in allium" with 40 voices all round the gallery, as well as a full programme of other choral and instrumental music. We hope you really enjoy the concert which is in aid of our organ fund.
If you are a visitor, you may like to know that this church is normally open during the daytime, so anyone can call in for private prayer, or to look round. If you would like to join us for worship, there is a Parish Mass service here every Sunday at 9.30 am. For details of other services here and at AI! Saints Church, Calverton please see our weekly newsletter, or the noticeboards, or http://www.stmarystgilesstonystratford.biogspot.com/
The Organ Refurbishment Fund.
The Pipe organ at St. Mary and St Giles Church, Stony Stratford is a three manual Willis. Originally from St. George's Church, Edinburgh it was installed here in 1967. It plays an important part in our worship and is used regularly for the Parish Singers, concerts, weddings and funerals. Once refurbished this instrument will be one of the best of its type in the area, it has a wide range of stops providing rich tone and colour. The organ consists of five major sections - the Choir, the Great, the Swell, the Pedal and the Console.
In addition to the organ's regular maintenance, major refurbishment is now overdue. Leathers, wiring and some moving parts are unreliable and need replacing. In its present condition the organ can be played by a skilled organist who is aware of its weaknesses, but sadly cannot be used to its full potential, nor can it be used as a teaching instrument.
We have had a quotation of £124,000 for the repairs. The proceeds from this concert will be devoted to the Fund.
We welcome any donations. You could sponsor a pipe (or half a pipe) in thanksgiving for a special event, in memory of someone, or as an unusual gift to someone or yourself. Sponsors' names will be kept in a book on permanent display by the organ and the names of donors of £5,000 or more will be engraved on a plaque next to the organ. All sponsors will receive a certificate indicating "their sponsored pipers)"! When repairs are completed, we hope there will be opportunities for sponsors to hear, play and possibly even see the pipe(s) they have sponsored! If you would like to help, please ask for a form today, or go to our website, http://www.smsg-organ-appeal.co.uk/ Tax payers can Gift Aid donation, adding a further 28p for every £1 given.
The Programme
Choirs: I Was Glad, Parry
Organ Solo: James Wharton, Toccata & Fugue D Minor, BWV 538, J.S. Bach
Quorum: Lord, give thy Holy Spirit; Loquebantur variss linguis, Tallis
The Deadwood Quartet: Recorder trio with 'cello continuo play music by Susato and anonymous
Choirs: Spem in alium, Tallis
Interval
Choirs: With a Voice of Singing, Shaw
Vivant: The Obvious Mat, Jan Lucas; Canon, Tallis
Parish Singers: choral item, When to the temple Mary went, Eccard
Organ Solo: Andrew Storer, Praeludium in D Minor, BuxWV 140 Buxtehude.
Choirs: Zadok the priest, Handel
Encore: Spem in alium, Tallis
“I was glad”
is an setting for eight-part chorus of words from Psalm 122. Written in 1902 for the coronation of King Edward VII, it is now traditionally used at such events, although when not associated in performance with a coronation the central section, commonly known as the "Vivats'', is usually omitted. This anthem precedes the writing of "Jerusalem" by some fourteen years, but there are obvious similarities in choice of theme, interpretation, and the underlying patriotism: the Jerusalem for the peace of which the psalm urges us to pray is clearly seen to mirror the composer's mother country.
The anthem unashamedly emphasises unity and prosperity, not least in the section written for double choir, in which the two divisions of voices begin by stating independently that "Jerusalem is builded as a city that is at unity", before Parry brings the entire choral resources together to conclude the verse with the simultaneous phrase "at unity in itself'.
The following section "0 pray for the peace" is written in G flat major, contrasting with the more forceful B flat major of the opening and concluding sections, although other keys are employed during the journey as well.
The structure of this and much of Parry's music testifies to his importance in the history of English music, paving the way as it does for the ;a:e" work of Elgar and Vaughan Williams, both of whom clearly drew on many of Parry's ideas when writing their own masterpieces in the years after Parry's death.
Toccata and fugue in D minor (BWV 538) - J.S.Bach
Composed at some time between 1703 and 1707, it has from time to time been alleged that Bach was not the composer of this hugely impressive piece, but no better theory has been put forward as to its authorship and so it is generally accepted that it is reasonable (if not provenly accurate) to credit the master with the work. One reason for the doubt is that, unlike many of Bach's orchestra! and choral pieces, no manuscript version exists, suggesting to some that they should look elsewhere for the genius which conceived it, but the lack of proof of that sort is not on its own really compelling evidence to support the case. A remarkable number of organ works generally attributed to Bach have no extant manuscript, and if the source of all these is to be considered dubious then the history of early eighteenth century music is destined for a massive revision.
The toccata is a flourish of fast-moving semi-quaver passages between grander progressions of full or broken chords, whilst the fugue is, as many Bach fugues are, a protracted and intricate development of two thematic phrases rather than a piece which slavishly follows ail the mathematical accuracies demanded by a true classical fugue. The result is a versatile piece of organ music which never ceases to impress, and has become instantly recognisable by its use in film scenes, video games, rock music, and even mobile telephone ringtones.
It is one of those pieces a detailed analysis of which tends to reduce the overall aural effectiveness. Just sit back and let the sound of the Willis organ take you where it will; and then imagine just how much more impressive it could be once the necessary restoration work is completed!
James Wharton.
Quorum:
Lord: give thy Holy Spirit; Loquebentur veriis Unguis; by TALLlS.
Quorum is a small a cappella choir based in Milton Keynes who sing renaissance sacred music at church services. The choir is well known for the high quality of its singing, its flexibility, and ability to provide suitable music for a range of church services. The group is considered 'quorate' when there are enough people present to cover each part - hence the name Quorum.
Since the late 19808 Quorum has had an association with St Mary Magdalene, Willen and each year provides music for a number of services there, including Evensongs and Words and Music services.
Quorum sings weekend services at a Cathedral as a Visiting Choir each year, and in July Quorum will be the visiting Choir at Norwich Cathedral. In autumn 2009 Quorum celebrates its 25th anniversary with services and a concert at Willen. Details of engagements can be found at www. ouorummk.orq.uk
The Deadwood Quartet
are Ran, Hazel, John and Jude, a recorder trio with 'cello continua. This evening they will play for us two pieces:
PRINCE EDWARD'S PAVAN - ANONYMOUS (1550) and BERGERETTE "SANS ROCHE" by SUSATO (1551).
Spem in alium
Thomas Tallis (c.1505-1585) was a most important figure in the musical world of Tudor England. Surviving the Reformation by avoiding the ecclesiastical debates of the time, he promoted church music, whichever branch of the church happened to be fashionable. Born in Leicestershire, he was educated either at the Chapel Royal or at St. Paul's in London. He was organist at Dover Priory (c.1531), and at Waltham Abbey, (also as composer), until its dissolution in 1540. By that time he had been installed as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and so had been accepted by the monarch as useful to the development of musical accompaniment to the liturgy for the new protestant church. Later the Roman Catholic Queen Mary granted him a lease of the manor of Minster on the Isle of Thanet, but on her death he continued in the service of her protestant successor, Elizabeth, who favoured both Tallis and his contemporary William Byrd with stipends. These two musicians were joint organists and directors at the Chapel Royal and it was for the choir there that most of the sacred works were written.
Spem in Alium was different, written for eight separate choirs of five parts each, it required greater performance resources than the Chapel Royal could produce. The earliest surviving manuscript dates from after King James' accession in 1603, nearly twenty years after Tallis' death. A clue appears at the end of the manuscript suggesting it was copied from an Elizabethan document. Several Italian Renaissance composers wrote works of twenty and thirty voice parts. Possibly Tallis was intent on producing the "ultimate" in polyphonic vocal music, outdoing others and ensuring his place in international musical history and leaving for us a really unique gem.
It is uncertain from manuscripts whether Tallis envisaged the motet being accompanied by an organ, or sung unaccompanied. it is a difficult piece to sing, each voice part in each group of parts relying as heavily on its colleagues as does each choir or group of parts on its counterparts forming the other groups. The contrapuntal style of the writing means that absolute rhythmic accuracy is fundamental and there is no scope for approximation: a hard task when there is often only a single singer to a part. By weaving the various voices and choirs together (and also by keeping them apart for much of the earlier part of the work) Tallis gradually develops a wash of sound which grows in intensity until, after some seventy bars we hear for the first time all forty parts singing together.
This fusion leads into an antiphonal section with groups of choirs answering each other across the music and, in some cases, across the building too, until the climax starts with the first announcement by all voice parts of "Respice", the effect of which is augmented by a sudden change from the key of C major around which the piece has revolved thus far to A major - an unrelated modulation which would at that time have been radical - leading in turn to a short flirtation with D major before engineering a protracted conclusion in G major.
Due to the vocal complexity and the need for a venue sympathetic to the structure of the piece, Spem in Alium is rarely heard in live performance. We must leave it to you our audience to assess to what degree we manage to cope with the first of these: but we are certain that the availability of the extensive gallery as the location for the various groups of singers will fulfil the second requirement.
James Wharton.
Spem in alium nunquam habui
My hope is in none other
Praeter in te, Deus Israel,
but Thee, 0 God of Israel,
Qui irasceris et propitius eris,
Thou who showest both anger and mercy,
Et omnia pecceta hominum in tribulastione dimittis.
And who absolvest all the sins of suffering mankind.
Domine Deus, creator caeli et terrae,
Lord God, creator of heaven and earth,
Respice humilitatem nostram.
Be mindful of our low estate.
With a Voice of Singing - Marlin Shaw (1875 – 1958)
was a prolific composer of music for plays, songs, hymns, etc. in the first half of the last century. His work ranged from a number of operas to a congregational mass setting.
He was born into a musical family, his father being for many years organist at Hampstead Parish Church, and his younger brother Geoffrey also inherited a love of the art and produced much music of his own. Neither brother can be listed among the true "greats" when compiling the league table of composers, but he worked in collaboration with both Vaughan Williams and Percy Dearmer on the editing of some notable anthologies of hymns, particularly Songs of Praise and The Oxford Book of Carols. Clearly to have been accepted as a fellow editor by such as Vaughan Williams he would have had to have been recognised as a more than capable musician. He was a founder, along with Sydney Nicholson and others, of the Royal School of Church Music, and wrote hymn tunes to "Through the night of doubt and sorrow" (Marching), and "Hills of the north, rejoice" (Little Cornard).
"With a voice of singing" is a short anthem composed in 1923 for a festival of choirs held at Rochester. It is a joyous statement of confidence in the power of God to conquer evil and how this good news should be proclaimed by believers on a universal basis" Musically it is a straightforward four-part setting with mainly chordal writing, although there are brief sections of a few bars here and there where the idea of a fugue is floated. Shaw employs the technique of unison writing, not for extra emphasis as many of his contemporaries would have done, but essentially for the reverse, leaving the (sometimes sudden) introduction of the harmony sections to fulfil that function.
With this and much of Shaw's other output, we are left with the impression of a musician who knew the capabilities and limitations of those for whom he was writing, and deliberately suppressed his own fancies in favour of making his music manageable by fairly average performers. Nevertheless, the overall sound is impressive and conveys the mood of the words well.
James Wharton
Vivant
are Mark Prescott and Clive Williams, who play acoustic music on violin and melodeon. The music they will play tonight is a combination of new and old, with interpretations of a recent composition by Surrey-based composer Jan Lucas, 'The Obvious Mat', and of Thomas Tallis' famous Canon. Mark and Clive are performing their own full length concert at St Mary and St Giles, tomorrow evening on Sunday the 7th of June at 7.30pm in aid of the Church Restoration Fund.
When to the Temple Mary Went .. Johannes Eccard
was born at Muhlhausen, Thurinqia, Germany. At the age of eighteen he went to Munich, where he became the pupil of Orlando Lasso. Eccard's works consist exclusively of vocal compositions, such as songs, sacred cantatas and chorales for four or five, and sometimes for seven, eight, or even nine voices. Their structure is much admired by musicians. This piece from the Tudor period, shows a spirit of true religious feeling and is a dignified account of Simeon witnessing the Christ-child in the temple and declaring his faith and readiness to die in that faith.
Praeludium in D minor - Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637 - 1707)
was a German-Danish organist, lutenist and a highly regarded composer of the Baroque period. His organ works comprise a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and church services. He wrote in a wide variety of vocal and instrumental idioms, and his style strongly influenced many composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach and Gustav Mahler. Buxtehude, along with Heinrich Schotz, is considered today to be one of the most important German composers of the mid-Baroque. This Praeludium in D minor is a classic five-section Buxtehude praeludiurn. It consists of three free toccata-like sections and two fugal sections. While in many Buxtehude praeludia only the first free toccata section is over 20 measures, all three of the free sections of this praeludiurn are around 20 measures in length. The middle free section also contains a brief imitative passage of about five measures which spins back into improvisatory passage work. Buxtehude often allows the second and third free toccata sections to grow organically out of the preceding fugues as he does In this praeludiurn, In this piece, the first fugue appears to grow spontaneously out of the preceding free passage work, as the end of the toccata section uses motivic material similar to the fugue subject. The two fugues are thematically related, the second fugue subject being a triple time variation on the first. Sometimes Buxtehude ends his praeludia with a surprise soft conclusion, but this one ends with a bang on a six-voice chord with double pedal.
Zadok The Priest - George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
wrote the anthem "Zadok the Priest" in 1727 for the coronation that year of King George II. It has been used at every monarch's coronation since that occasion.
The anthem is in three movements, the first of which is a brief choral statement after a protracted instrumental introduction of the fact that "Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet anointed Solomon King". These words and the rest of the text which form the anthem are adapted from I Kings chapter 1. It is believed that Handel himself decided on the words which he wished to set, and this probably accounts for the fact that the score does not follow the Authorised Version of the Bible verbatim, but rather gives us a paraphrase of the scriptural text. The second movement is clearly written with a brass accompaniment in mind, but is in reality no more than a bridge which leads to the real substance of the work, the third movement, which itself begins with the popular acclamation "God save the King!" and moves on to the many repetitions of the two words "Alleluia" and "Amen". Many arrangements of the work exist, some for four-part chorus and some for eight-part, but the version to be heard this evening has been edited by Donald Burrows and employs only six vocal parts.
The work forms part of a sequence of four Coronation Anthems, all of which were performed at the 1727 coronation. What can probably be safely concluded from this is that Handel was the only composer in Britain at the time whose standing was such that he would be asked to write the music for the occasion. It may also have helped that the King was of the Hanoverian line, and that Handel was German by birth. Fortunately, great music is accepted as such in most of the world without reference to the national allegiances of its originator; music is, indeed, an international language.
James Wharton
The evening was a great successs with the Tallis piece being sung again as an encore but with the 8 choirs in differnt places around the gallery.
As well as being a great evening musically we had sold out and the Organ Appeal benefitted by around £3300 which was a marvellous result. A lot of people put in great deal of work on this especially David Scrutton, James Wharton and our own organist Andrew Storer.
For those who couldn't be present here is the background material that was included in the Programme. Photographs of the concet wil follow in a later post on this blog.
Welcome to St Mary & St Giles Church
This evening's entertainment is full of promise offering the rarely performed "Spem in allium" with 40 voices all round the gallery, as well as a full programme of other choral and instrumental music. We hope you really enjoy the concert which is in aid of our organ fund.
If you are a visitor, you may like to know that this church is normally open during the daytime, so anyone can call in for private prayer, or to look round. If you would like to join us for worship, there is a Parish Mass service here every Sunday at 9.30 am. For details of other services here and at AI! Saints Church, Calverton please see our weekly newsletter, or the noticeboards, or http://www.stmarystgilesstonystratford.biogspot.com/
The Organ Refurbishment Fund.
The Pipe organ at St. Mary and St Giles Church, Stony Stratford is a three manual Willis. Originally from St. George's Church, Edinburgh it was installed here in 1967. It plays an important part in our worship and is used regularly for the Parish Singers, concerts, weddings and funerals. Once refurbished this instrument will be one of the best of its type in the area, it has a wide range of stops providing rich tone and colour. The organ consists of five major sections - the Choir, the Great, the Swell, the Pedal and the Console.
In addition to the organ's regular maintenance, major refurbishment is now overdue. Leathers, wiring and some moving parts are unreliable and need replacing. In its present condition the organ can be played by a skilled organist who is aware of its weaknesses, but sadly cannot be used to its full potential, nor can it be used as a teaching instrument.
We have had a quotation of £124,000 for the repairs. The proceeds from this concert will be devoted to the Fund.
We welcome any donations. You could sponsor a pipe (or half a pipe) in thanksgiving for a special event, in memory of someone, or as an unusual gift to someone or yourself. Sponsors' names will be kept in a book on permanent display by the organ and the names of donors of £5,000 or more will be engraved on a plaque next to the organ. All sponsors will receive a certificate indicating "their sponsored pipers)"! When repairs are completed, we hope there will be opportunities for sponsors to hear, play and possibly even see the pipe(s) they have sponsored! If you would like to help, please ask for a form today, or go to our website, http://www.smsg-organ-appeal.co.uk/ Tax payers can Gift Aid donation, adding a further 28p for every £1 given.
The Programme
Choirs: I Was Glad, Parry
Organ Solo: James Wharton, Toccata & Fugue D Minor, BWV 538, J.S. Bach
Quorum: Lord, give thy Holy Spirit; Loquebantur variss linguis, Tallis
The Deadwood Quartet: Recorder trio with 'cello continuo play music by Susato and anonymous
Choirs: Spem in alium, Tallis
Interval
Choirs: With a Voice of Singing, Shaw
Vivant: The Obvious Mat, Jan Lucas; Canon, Tallis
Parish Singers: choral item, When to the temple Mary went, Eccard
Organ Solo: Andrew Storer, Praeludium in D Minor, BuxWV 140 Buxtehude.
Choirs: Zadok the priest, Handel
Encore: Spem in alium, Tallis
“I was glad”
is an setting for eight-part chorus of words from Psalm 122. Written in 1902 for the coronation of King Edward VII, it is now traditionally used at such events, although when not associated in performance with a coronation the central section, commonly known as the "Vivats'', is usually omitted. This anthem precedes the writing of "Jerusalem" by some fourteen years, but there are obvious similarities in choice of theme, interpretation, and the underlying patriotism: the Jerusalem for the peace of which the psalm urges us to pray is clearly seen to mirror the composer's mother country.
The anthem unashamedly emphasises unity and prosperity, not least in the section written for double choir, in which the two divisions of voices begin by stating independently that "Jerusalem is builded as a city that is at unity", before Parry brings the entire choral resources together to conclude the verse with the simultaneous phrase "at unity in itself'.
The following section "0 pray for the peace" is written in G flat major, contrasting with the more forceful B flat major of the opening and concluding sections, although other keys are employed during the journey as well.
The structure of this and much of Parry's music testifies to his importance in the history of English music, paving the way as it does for the ;a:e" work of Elgar and Vaughan Williams, both of whom clearly drew on many of Parry's ideas when writing their own masterpieces in the years after Parry's death.
Toccata and fugue in D minor (BWV 538) - J.S.Bach
Composed at some time between 1703 and 1707, it has from time to time been alleged that Bach was not the composer of this hugely impressive piece, but no better theory has been put forward as to its authorship and so it is generally accepted that it is reasonable (if not provenly accurate) to credit the master with the work. One reason for the doubt is that, unlike many of Bach's orchestra! and choral pieces, no manuscript version exists, suggesting to some that they should look elsewhere for the genius which conceived it, but the lack of proof of that sort is not on its own really compelling evidence to support the case. A remarkable number of organ works generally attributed to Bach have no extant manuscript, and if the source of all these is to be considered dubious then the history of early eighteenth century music is destined for a massive revision.
The toccata is a flourish of fast-moving semi-quaver passages between grander progressions of full or broken chords, whilst the fugue is, as many Bach fugues are, a protracted and intricate development of two thematic phrases rather than a piece which slavishly follows ail the mathematical accuracies demanded by a true classical fugue. The result is a versatile piece of organ music which never ceases to impress, and has become instantly recognisable by its use in film scenes, video games, rock music, and even mobile telephone ringtones.
It is one of those pieces a detailed analysis of which tends to reduce the overall aural effectiveness. Just sit back and let the sound of the Willis organ take you where it will; and then imagine just how much more impressive it could be once the necessary restoration work is completed!
James Wharton.
Quorum:
Lord: give thy Holy Spirit; Loquebentur veriis Unguis; by TALLlS.
Quorum is a small a cappella choir based in Milton Keynes who sing renaissance sacred music at church services. The choir is well known for the high quality of its singing, its flexibility, and ability to provide suitable music for a range of church services. The group is considered 'quorate' when there are enough people present to cover each part - hence the name Quorum.
Since the late 19808 Quorum has had an association with St Mary Magdalene, Willen and each year provides music for a number of services there, including Evensongs and Words and Music services.
Quorum sings weekend services at a Cathedral as a Visiting Choir each year, and in July Quorum will be the visiting Choir at Norwich Cathedral. In autumn 2009 Quorum celebrates its 25th anniversary with services and a concert at Willen. Details of engagements can be found at www. ouorummk.orq.uk
The Deadwood Quartet
are Ran, Hazel, John and Jude, a recorder trio with 'cello continua. This evening they will play for us two pieces:
PRINCE EDWARD'S PAVAN - ANONYMOUS (1550) and BERGERETTE "SANS ROCHE" by SUSATO (1551).
Spem in alium
Thomas Tallis (c.1505-1585) was a most important figure in the musical world of Tudor England. Surviving the Reformation by avoiding the ecclesiastical debates of the time, he promoted church music, whichever branch of the church happened to be fashionable. Born in Leicestershire, he was educated either at the Chapel Royal or at St. Paul's in London. He was organist at Dover Priory (c.1531), and at Waltham Abbey, (also as composer), until its dissolution in 1540. By that time he had been installed as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, and so had been accepted by the monarch as useful to the development of musical accompaniment to the liturgy for the new protestant church. Later the Roman Catholic Queen Mary granted him a lease of the manor of Minster on the Isle of Thanet, but on her death he continued in the service of her protestant successor, Elizabeth, who favoured both Tallis and his contemporary William Byrd with stipends. These two musicians were joint organists and directors at the Chapel Royal and it was for the choir there that most of the sacred works were written.
Spem in Alium was different, written for eight separate choirs of five parts each, it required greater performance resources than the Chapel Royal could produce. The earliest surviving manuscript dates from after King James' accession in 1603, nearly twenty years after Tallis' death. A clue appears at the end of the manuscript suggesting it was copied from an Elizabethan document. Several Italian Renaissance composers wrote works of twenty and thirty voice parts. Possibly Tallis was intent on producing the "ultimate" in polyphonic vocal music, outdoing others and ensuring his place in international musical history and leaving for us a really unique gem.
It is uncertain from manuscripts whether Tallis envisaged the motet being accompanied by an organ, or sung unaccompanied. it is a difficult piece to sing, each voice part in each group of parts relying as heavily on its colleagues as does each choir or group of parts on its counterparts forming the other groups. The contrapuntal style of the writing means that absolute rhythmic accuracy is fundamental and there is no scope for approximation: a hard task when there is often only a single singer to a part. By weaving the various voices and choirs together (and also by keeping them apart for much of the earlier part of the work) Tallis gradually develops a wash of sound which grows in intensity until, after some seventy bars we hear for the first time all forty parts singing together.
This fusion leads into an antiphonal section with groups of choirs answering each other across the music and, in some cases, across the building too, until the climax starts with the first announcement by all voice parts of "Respice", the effect of which is augmented by a sudden change from the key of C major around which the piece has revolved thus far to A major - an unrelated modulation which would at that time have been radical - leading in turn to a short flirtation with D major before engineering a protracted conclusion in G major.
Due to the vocal complexity and the need for a venue sympathetic to the structure of the piece, Spem in Alium is rarely heard in live performance. We must leave it to you our audience to assess to what degree we manage to cope with the first of these: but we are certain that the availability of the extensive gallery as the location for the various groups of singers will fulfil the second requirement.
James Wharton.
Spem in alium nunquam habui
My hope is in none other
Praeter in te, Deus Israel,
but Thee, 0 God of Israel,
Qui irasceris et propitius eris,
Thou who showest both anger and mercy,
Et omnia pecceta hominum in tribulastione dimittis.
And who absolvest all the sins of suffering mankind.
Domine Deus, creator caeli et terrae,
Lord God, creator of heaven and earth,
Respice humilitatem nostram.
Be mindful of our low estate.
With a Voice of Singing - Marlin Shaw (1875 – 1958)
was a prolific composer of music for plays, songs, hymns, etc. in the first half of the last century. His work ranged from a number of operas to a congregational mass setting.
He was born into a musical family, his father being for many years organist at Hampstead Parish Church, and his younger brother Geoffrey also inherited a love of the art and produced much music of his own. Neither brother can be listed among the true "greats" when compiling the league table of composers, but he worked in collaboration with both Vaughan Williams and Percy Dearmer on the editing of some notable anthologies of hymns, particularly Songs of Praise and The Oxford Book of Carols. Clearly to have been accepted as a fellow editor by such as Vaughan Williams he would have had to have been recognised as a more than capable musician. He was a founder, along with Sydney Nicholson and others, of the Royal School of Church Music, and wrote hymn tunes to "Through the night of doubt and sorrow" (Marching), and "Hills of the north, rejoice" (Little Cornard).
"With a voice of singing" is a short anthem composed in 1923 for a festival of choirs held at Rochester. It is a joyous statement of confidence in the power of God to conquer evil and how this good news should be proclaimed by believers on a universal basis" Musically it is a straightforward four-part setting with mainly chordal writing, although there are brief sections of a few bars here and there where the idea of a fugue is floated. Shaw employs the technique of unison writing, not for extra emphasis as many of his contemporaries would have done, but essentially for the reverse, leaving the (sometimes sudden) introduction of the harmony sections to fulfil that function.
With this and much of Shaw's other output, we are left with the impression of a musician who knew the capabilities and limitations of those for whom he was writing, and deliberately suppressed his own fancies in favour of making his music manageable by fairly average performers. Nevertheless, the overall sound is impressive and conveys the mood of the words well.
James Wharton
Vivant
are Mark Prescott and Clive Williams, who play acoustic music on violin and melodeon. The music they will play tonight is a combination of new and old, with interpretations of a recent composition by Surrey-based composer Jan Lucas, 'The Obvious Mat', and of Thomas Tallis' famous Canon. Mark and Clive are performing their own full length concert at St Mary and St Giles, tomorrow evening on Sunday the 7th of June at 7.30pm in aid of the Church Restoration Fund.
When to the Temple Mary Went .. Johannes Eccard
was born at Muhlhausen, Thurinqia, Germany. At the age of eighteen he went to Munich, where he became the pupil of Orlando Lasso. Eccard's works consist exclusively of vocal compositions, such as songs, sacred cantatas and chorales for four or five, and sometimes for seven, eight, or even nine voices. Their structure is much admired by musicians. This piece from the Tudor period, shows a spirit of true religious feeling and is a dignified account of Simeon witnessing the Christ-child in the temple and declaring his faith and readiness to die in that faith.
Praeludium in D minor - Dieterich Buxtehude (c. 1637 - 1707)
was a German-Danish organist, lutenist and a highly regarded composer of the Baroque period. His organ works comprise a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and church services. He wrote in a wide variety of vocal and instrumental idioms, and his style strongly influenced many composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach and Gustav Mahler. Buxtehude, along with Heinrich Schotz, is considered today to be one of the most important German composers of the mid-Baroque. This Praeludium in D minor is a classic five-section Buxtehude praeludiurn. It consists of three free toccata-like sections and two fugal sections. While in many Buxtehude praeludia only the first free toccata section is over 20 measures, all three of the free sections of this praeludiurn are around 20 measures in length. The middle free section also contains a brief imitative passage of about five measures which spins back into improvisatory passage work. Buxtehude often allows the second and third free toccata sections to grow organically out of the preceding fugues as he does In this praeludiurn, In this piece, the first fugue appears to grow spontaneously out of the preceding free passage work, as the end of the toccata section uses motivic material similar to the fugue subject. The two fugues are thematically related, the second fugue subject being a triple time variation on the first. Sometimes Buxtehude ends his praeludia with a surprise soft conclusion, but this one ends with a bang on a six-voice chord with double pedal.
Zadok The Priest - George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
wrote the anthem "Zadok the Priest" in 1727 for the coronation that year of King George II. It has been used at every monarch's coronation since that occasion.
The anthem is in three movements, the first of which is a brief choral statement after a protracted instrumental introduction of the fact that "Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet anointed Solomon King". These words and the rest of the text which form the anthem are adapted from I Kings chapter 1. It is believed that Handel himself decided on the words which he wished to set, and this probably accounts for the fact that the score does not follow the Authorised Version of the Bible verbatim, but rather gives us a paraphrase of the scriptural text. The second movement is clearly written with a brass accompaniment in mind, but is in reality no more than a bridge which leads to the real substance of the work, the third movement, which itself begins with the popular acclamation "God save the King!" and moves on to the many repetitions of the two words "Alleluia" and "Amen". Many arrangements of the work exist, some for four-part chorus and some for eight-part, but the version to be heard this evening has been edited by Donald Burrows and employs only six vocal parts.
The work forms part of a sequence of four Coronation Anthems, all of which were performed at the 1727 coronation. What can probably be safely concluded from this is that Handel was the only composer in Britain at the time whose standing was such that he would be asked to write the music for the occasion. It may also have helped that the King was of the Hanoverian line, and that Handel was German by birth. Fortunately, great music is accepted as such in most of the world without reference to the national allegiances of its originator; music is, indeed, an international language.
James Wharton
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