Elgar Organ Works

THE DOBSON ORGAN OF MERTON COLLEGE, OXFORD Elgar BENJAMIN NICHOLAS Organ wor ks EDWARD ELGAR (1857–1934): ORGAN WORKS THE DOBSON ORGAN OF MERTON COLLEGE, OXFORD Sonata for Organ in G major, Op. 28 Benjamin Nicholas 1 I. Allegro maestoso [9:03] 2 II. Allegretto [4:37] 3 III. Andante espressivo [6:31] 4 IV. Presto (comodo) [7:05] 5 ‘Nimrod’ from ‘Enigma’ Variations, Op. 36 [3:56] transcr. by W. H. Harris 6 Prelude to The Kingdom, Op. 51 [9:43] transcr. by A. Herbert Brewer* 7 Gavotte [5:50] transcr. by Edwin H. Lemare Vesper Voluntaries, Op. 14 8 Introduction: Adagio – [1:33] 9 I. Andante [1:20] 10 II. Allegro [2:57] 11 III. Andantino [2:42] 12 IV. Allegretto piacevole [1:56] 13 Intermezzo [0:44] 14 V. Poco lento [2:03] 15 VI. Moderato [1:57] 16 VII. Allegretto pensoso [2:00] 17 VIII. Poco allegro – Coda [4:27] Recorded on 25-26 June 2015 in Cover design: John Christ Join the Delphian mailing list: the Chapel of Merton College, Oxford Booklet design: Drew Padrutt www.delphianrecords.co.uk/join Total playing time [68:33] Producer/Engineer: Paul Baxter Benjamin Nicholas photo: John Cairns 24-bit digital editing: Adam Binks Booklet editor: John Fallas Like us on Facebook: 24-bit digital mastering: Paul Baxter Delphian Records Ltd – Edinburgh – UK www.facebook.com/delphianrecords *premiere recording of this arrangement Cover & booklet photography © Dobson www.delphianrecords.co.uk Pipe Organ Builders Ltd Follow us on Twitter: @delphianrecords With thanks to the Warden and Fellows of the House of Scholars of Merton College, Oxford Notes on the music The first recording of Merton’s new organ – post of Organist and Choirmaster in his own offering music and seeking commissions with attractively individual, quirky charm. The wistful The Merton Organ (Delphian DCD34142), a right. The church offered a small salary, but little similar lack of success. However, there were lyricism of some of these ‘short melodies’ mixed recital spanning repertoire from Bach in the way of artistic stimulation: ‘I am a full- a few glimmers of encouragement, and one seems more suited to a Victorian drawing- and Stanley to Dupré and Messiaen – was fledged organist now,’ he said, ‘& hate it!’ The of them came from the (now long-defunct) room than a church, and their elegant textures designed to demonstrate the instrument’s main problem seems to have been the choir firm of Orsborn and Tuckwood, who accepted often suggest the inspiration of strings or considerable versatility. But behind the (‘awful’), but Elgar stayed the course for over a song and commissioned a book of short woodwind; we can certainly hear a pizzicato contemporary sophistication of its construction three years until his marriage in the spring of organ pieces. The title was not Elgar’s: like their cello in the bass of the fifth voluntary, and and design, this is essentially an English 1889, when he moved to London. This was the other ‘popular shilling publication’, The Minster the third was transcribed from an unfinished Romantic organ with a big, warm-hearted end of his career as an organist. Unsurprisingly Echoes, The Vesper Voluntaries was a long- string quartet. And while the voluntaries can personality, securely grounded in the aesthetic perhaps, there is no surviving organ music running series of ‘Short melodies for the Organ, be played separately, Elgar conceived the work traditions of the late nineteenth century, and from those days. But within the next few Harmonium, or American organ, which by their as a whole, carefully planning a contrasting but this second recording highlights those qualities years he had composed two substantial organ variety will be useful for Church purposes as complementary sequence of mood and key. in music by the composer who pre-eminently works in vividly contrasting styles: one looking Offertory Music, Interludes, or Voluntaries, and Cohesion is provided by the two themes of the shares them: Edward Elgar. backwards to his past life as a parish organist, will certainly be welcome for their effective Introduction, which return in the Intermezzo the other forward to his maturity as a great grace and simplicity, demanding no special and Coda, and exercise a subtle influence on Curiously, Elgar was one of the few major symphonist and master of the orchestra. executive skill in their performance’. The regular some of the other pieces too. When played as composers who were not especially attracted contributors were third-rate jobbing composers it is here, with a full range of power and colour, by the keyboard. During his early years in The move to London had its compensations who churned out sentimental ‘religious’ music Book 26 of The Vesper Voluntaries makes Worcester his first instrument was the violin, – the happiness of married life, the birth of by the yard, often under exotic-sounding French a lasting impression that belies its modest and he also played the bassoon in an informal a daughter, and unlimited opportunities to pseudonyms. This of course was something appearance on the printed page. wind quintet with his brother and some friends. hear and absorb a wealth of new music in Elgar could never do, and his contribution The piano was an essential requirement for a the concert hall and the opera house. But on (Volume 26) is a real curiosity. Attracting no In the early 1890s one of Elgar’s closest friends music teacher and composer, and Elgar played the whole this was a difficult time: Elgar was attention at the time, it soon went out of print, and most loyal supporters was Hugh Blair, it well enough for his own purposes, but it hoping to establish himself in the capital, but and only resurfaced with the appearance of a the acting organist of Worcester Cathedral. was no more than a useful tool, and not a he failed. His health began to suffer and in 1891 modern edition in 1987. It was Blair who conducted the premiere genuine source of inspiration. Another useful he retreated back to Worcestershire. Here, his of Elgar’s first major choral work, The Black keyboard instrument was the organ – Elgar’s native soil provided a more fruitful foundation The eight voluntaries fall into two groups of Knight, in 1893, and in 1894 he commissioned father William was organist of St George’s for his development during the next ten years four, framed by an Introduction and Coda, a ceremonial piece, Sursum Corda, for a royal Catholic Church in Worcester for nearly forty into a composer of real stature. But in London with a brief Intermezzo in the middle. If the visit to the cathedral. In April 1895 Blair heard years, and he encouraged his son to learn the he advertised for teaching work (‘Mr Edward regular two- and four-bar phrases and repetitive that a party of American church musicians organ too. Edward was only fifteen when he Elgar begs to announce that he receives sequences perhaps betray a self-taught was visiting the UK in the summer; they were began to deputise for his father at St George’s; PUPILS for VIOLIN, ACCOMPANIMENT, composer who was still finding his way, the coming to Worcester on 8 July, hoping to hear he continued as assistant for ten years until ORCHESTRATION etc’) and received no replies. music rarely does exactly what one expects, the fine four-manual organ which William Hill William’s retirement, and in 1885 accepted the And he trawled round the music publishers, and its superficial simplicity conceals an had installed in the south transept in 1874, and Notes on the music Blair once again asked his old friend to write France were claiming to write ‘symphonic’ Predictably, after only five days’ preparation, Discouraged by the negative reception, Elgar something for the occasion. Elgar clearly organ music, but the surging ebb and flow of the premiere of the Sonata was not a success. never wrote another big organ piece, though relished this rare opportunity to compose a theme, texture and tone-colour in this Sonata Elgar’s devoted admirer Rosa Burley thought the instrument plays a significant part in many substantial non-liturgical concert work, and comes far closer to a truly orchestral style of Blair was to blame: ‘He made a terrible mess of of his orchestral and choral works. As his he began to make plans for a four-movement organ writing; this was conclusively proved poor Elgar’s work. I was present at the débâcle fame increased, Novello (and other publishers Organ Sonata. In an initial fit of enthusiasm fifty years later, when Gordon Jacob made a and commiserated with the Genius’. But the too) – no doubt somewhat regretting their he found a suitable ‘intermezzo’ (Allegretto) in wonderfully effective orchestration. composer was more generous: ‘With a splendid hasty decision over the Sonata – filled an existing instrumental piece, and copied and flash of loyalty he refused to blame the murderer, their catalogue with organ transcriptions re-arranged it straight away; the transparent With its wealth of memorable melody and who, he said, had not had time thoroughly to of instrumental works, and three of these four-part texture with pizzicato bass and tight motivic construction, the sonata-form study the victim.’ Novello in London refused complete this programme. The earliest is the cantabile tenor melody, and the salon style of Allegro maestoso is the work of a real to publish it, fearing its scale and difficulty Gavotte, a pretty salon piece for violin and the central section, suggest that the original symphonic composer; Elgar had never would deter prospective buyers, but it was piano from 1885, written in a fashionable may have been a string quartet.

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