in association with Ely Cathedral Summer Recital Series 2013
Alan Horsey, organ - David Hill, conductor Sunday 21 July at 5.15pm
Insanae et vanae curae Franz Josef Haydn from HOBXXI:1 (c.1775) 1732-1809 Insanae et vanae curae Distracted with care and anguish, Invadunt mentes nostras. When hearts despairing languish, Saepe furore replent corda, Madly they seek comfort Privata spe. Where it doth ne’er abide. Quid prodest, O mortalis, For us no rest remaineth, Conari pro mundanis, If earth our love retaineth, Si coelos negligas? And heaven we cast aside; Sunt fausta tibi cuncta, Relief he only gaineth, Si Deus est pro te. And peace at last attaineth, Whom God vouchsafes to guide. This vivid chorus was devised originally for a long-neglected oratorio, Il Ritorno di Tobia of 1774/5 composed for a concert to raise money for poor musicians and their families. Copyright difficulties with the composer’s employer followed and the piece remained forgotten for two decades. Revived in 1795, Haydn added the Insanae music as a ‘storm’ chorus. Ten years after this, towards the end of his long life, he added the sacred words and the work has survived in the standard repertoire ever since. There are two sections, each contrasted with the other. Rather strangely, the piece did not achieve immediate popularity though its quality clearly stimulated Haydn’s colleagues – Pizzaro’s aria in Beethoven’s Fidelio, also in D minor, is clearly influenced by Haydn’s prototype.
Organ solo: Prelude on ‘Rhosymedre’ Ralph Vaughan Williams no.2 of Three Preludes on Welsh Hymn Tunes (1920) 1872-1958 The evergreen prelude on Rhosymedre was written in 1920, by which time Vaughan Williams was established as a cutting-edge symphonist, but at the same time, remained a very willing writer of pleasant, consciously down-to-earth pieces for church services and other occasions. Rhosymedre is a much-loved treasure of the British organ repertory which other hands have orchestrated to good effect. With a structure that pays homage to Bach and a degree of harmonic invention to match, but in a language that is totally English-pastoral, the tune is presented simply, first in the tenor register then as the top line with a lush accompaniment, framed fore and aft by the gentle melody that forms the thematic basis of the whole piece. This real gem is a cause of regret that Vaughan Williams, onetime church organist and FRCO diploma-holder, wrote nothing else of the same quality for the organ. Organ solo: Toccata Eugène Gigout from Dix pièces (1890) 1872-1958 Eugène Gigout achieved early fame as a teenager; while a boy chorister at Nancy Cathedral, he was to be heard playing regularly for services there. At the tender age of just nineteen, Gigout gained the prestigious appointment at the Parisian church of St Augustin, remaining there until his death in office sixty-three years later. It was Gigout who was chosen to give the first performance of César Franck’s immortal third Choral. Gigout’s own compositions comprise a substantial tally of idiomatic pieces – include today’s famous Toccata and a fabulous Scherzo (both among his Dix Pièces of 1892). The pedal theme of the Toccata is a striding, grand affair which lingers long in the memory.
Locus iste Joseph Anton Bruckner WAB23 (1869) 1824-96 Locus iste a Deo factus est, This place was made by God, inaestimabile Sacramentum. a priceless sacrament. Irreprehensibilis est. It is beyond reproach. Along with his famous Masses, Bruckner’s motets – a corpus comprising over forty such works – represent a high point in Catholic church music of the Romantic period. He wrote church music all his life and each work celebrates his commitment of faith as well as of creativity. This output ranges from the simplest unaccompanied concepts to the most elaborate orchestral essays. Locus iste is one of his very finest choral pieces. The text is proper to the feast of the Dedication of a Church and Bruckner’s setting was written in 1869 for the dedication of a Chapel in the Cathedral at Linz where he had been organist between 1856 and 1868.
Jubilate in C Edward Benjamin Britten (1961) 1913-76 O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands: serve the Lord with gladness, and come before his presence with a song. Be ye sure that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves: we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. O go your way into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name. For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting: and his truth endureth from generation to generation. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. Psalm 100 in the Book of Common Prayer
This lively Jubilate was composed for the Choir of St George’s Chapel Windsor at the request of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, as a companion piece to the composer’s Te Deum of 1934. The lively toccata like ostinato underpins antiphonal choral utterance and a compelling alternatim treatment between this motto and more hushed repeated chords. The memorable yet simple thematic material is of immediate appeal and lingers long in the memory. The setting was first performed in the presence of the composers with its companion Te Deum in Leeds Parish Church at the Opening Service of the 1961 Leeds Musical Festival – an occasion televised on network TV.
Organ solo: Toccata, Fugue and Hymn on Ave Maris Stella Flor Peeters op.28 (1933) 1903-86
Created a Baron by the King of the Belgians, Flor Peeters led a hugely active creative life with concerts, composition and teaching at its heart. His musical style is catholic in encompassing a wide range of influences, and yet his artistic expression remains instantly recognisable. Plainchant, music of the French schools, Bach, even jazz – all were important to him. Peeters’ creative output includes a substantial amount for the organ. His career was hugely influential both in his native Belgium and further afield. Famed equally as executant, church musician and pedagogue, Peeters was organist of Malines (Mechelen) Cathedral for over sixty years and Director of the Antwerp Royal Conservatoire. As a student, he was a pupil of both Dupré and Tournemire, and dedicated works to each.
His Opus 28 is founded on the glorious plainchant hymn Ave, maris Stella, which speaks of Our Lady as the Star of the Sea and the refuge of the faithful: Hail, O star that pointest t’ward the port of heaven; Thou, to whom as Maiden, God as Son was given.
An ebullient toccata presents the tune in long notes in the pedal. The central section shifts relentlessly and urgently forward after the initial tension has subsided; ultimately, however, the toccata motto is triumphant and this portion of the work ends in a blaze of sound. The fugue which follows is a lively, ingenious gigue with catchy, off-beat rhythms to enhance it. This leads, ultimately and after much episodic development, to a final triumphant hymn with the tune massively harmonised. Listen here for the telescoped lines in the pedal cadenza which concludes each line as the manual chord is sustained above it. This bell-like fanfare figuration is extremely impressive.
O Crux ave Rihards Dubra (1995) b. 1964 O Crux ave, spes unica O Cross, our one reliance, hail! In hac triumphi Gloria So may thy power with us prevail Auge piis justitiam To give new virtue to the saint, Reisque dona veniam. And pardon to the penitent. Venantius Fortunatus (6th century) Rihards Dubra (born 28 February 1964 in Riga) is a leading Latvian composer. Several of his works are to sacred texts including a Te Deum and an Alma Redemptoris Mater for soprano saxophone, choir, and organ. A CD of his choral output recorded by Rupert Gough and the choir of London’s Royal Holloway College has achieved widespread acclaim and done much to bring Dubra’s art to wider public notice. The short and deeply expressive O Crux ave consists of a setting of the penultimate verse of the mighty Passiontide Office Hymn Vexilla regis prodeunt by Saint Venantius Fortunatus (530-609), many of whose many stanzas survive in frequent use by English speaking translations by figures of the calibre of the Anglican priest John Mason Neale (1818-1866) – examples that spring readily to mind, beside The royal banners, include Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle, Hail thee! Festival Day and O glorious Maid, exalted far. The hushed beauty of O Crux ave has made the piece many friends.
Sleep Eric Whitacre (2000) b. 1970 The evening hangs beneath the moon If there are noises in the night, A silver thread on darkened dune A frightening shadow, flickering light… With closing eyes and resting head Then I surrender unto sleep, I know that sleep is coming soon Where clouds of dream give second sight. Upon my pillow, safe in bed, What dreams may come, both dark and deep A thousand pictures fill my head, Of flying wings and soaring leap I cannot sleep, my minds aflight, As I surrender unto sleep And yet my limbs seem made of lead As I surrender unto sleep.
Charles Anthony Silvestri, b.1965 The composer writes:
In the winter of 1999 I was contacted by Ms Julia Armstrong, a lawyer and professional mezzo-soprano living in Austin, Texas. She wanted to commission a choral work from me to be premiered by the Austin ProChorus (Kinley Lange, conductor), a terrific chorus in which she regularly performed.
It was Mr Whitacre’s wish to issue a setting of a poem by Robert Frost. Unfortunate copyright difficulties led to the composer’s substitution of a different set of stanzas to comprise the verbal text of his work. Thus it came to pass that the composer’s friend, poet Charles Anthony Silvestri (Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, Lux Aurumque, Nox Aurumque, Her Sacred Spirit Soars) set new words to the music already written. This was an enormous task, because Silvestri was being asked to not only write a poem with the exact structure of the Frost, but that would even incorporate key words from Stopping, like ‘sleep’. Thus emerged a superb poem, finding a completely different (but equally beautiful) message in the music already written. The setting of Robert Frost no longer exists.
Organ solo: Aria Andrew Carter (1995) b.1939
A native of Leicester but very much an adopted Yorkshireman, Andrew Carter studied music at the University of Leeds before settling in York, where he was a Songman in the Minster and founded the award-winning Chapter House Choir, for whom he penned his earliest choral arrangements. Several of his carols have been included in the renowned Christmas Eve broadcast from King's College Chapel, Cambridge, and he was invited to write Missa Sancti Pauli for the 1997 tercentenary celebrations of Wren's St Paul's Cathedral. His lifelong love of the organ is reflected in the festive Organ Concerto and in the publication by Oxford University Press of an Andrew Carter Organ Album.
A clue as to the character of Aria is that it has also been published in the USA under the title Chanson de la Vièrge Pensive. It follows in the footsteps of Mendelssohn, Brahms, and countless organ composers since in raising its hat to Bach, with a coloratura ornamented style, accompanimental writing that would not be out of place in the 17th century, and having Bach’s apparent favourite key of B minor. Organ solo: Processional William Mathias (1964) 1934-92 Once again we hear from a Welsh composer whose own style was decidedly ‘contemporary’ but who also understood the value of tuneful, accessible music, especially for worship. William Mathias was Professor of Music in the University of North Wales at Bangor, Artistic Director of the North Wales Music Festival, and was chosen to write the anthem for the 1981 wedding of HRH The Prince of Wales. The jaunty Processional is among his earliest organ works.
Give unto the Lord Edward William Elgar op.74 (1914) 1857-1934 Give unto the Lord, O ye Mighty, Give unto the Lord Glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; The God of glory thundereth, it is the Lord that ruleth the sea; The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation; The voice of the Lord is full of majesty; The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars, Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. Yea, the voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire, Yea, the voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness, and strippeth the forests bare. In His temple doth every one speak of His glory. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The Lord sitteth above the waterflood; and the Lord remaineth a King for ever; The Lord shall give strength unto His people; the Lord shall give His people the blessing of peace. Psalm 29 Elgar left for posterity two superbly crafted and vividly scored choral psalm-settings composed during the second decade of the 20th century. The first of these, Great is the Lord dates from 1912 and is inscribed to the Very Reverend J. Armitage Robinson. The second, Give unto the Lord was written in the early months of 1914 to be ready for the Festival of the Sons of the Clergy in St Paul’s Cathedral that year. It is dedicated to Sir George Martin, Stainer’s successor as Organist of St Paul’s, who conducted the first performance. The vocal score lays out the accompaniment for organ, as used this afternoon – the piece is also scored for orchestra. The Festival of the Sons of the Clergy dates back to the very origins of the charity in 1655. The first fund-raising event was a service on 8 November 1655 in the old pre- fire of London St Paul’s. A collection was taken at the service on behalf of the families of clergy who had remained loyal to the Crown following the execution of Charles I and who had been deprived of their livings by Cromwell, thus being left, in many cases, penniless. The service was followed by a dinner in the Merchant Taylors’ Hall at which a further collection was taken. The service and dinner became a regular annual event, which still continues to this day well over three and a half centuries later. The format of the festival service has changed little over the years, and today it is still notable for a fine sermon from an eminent preacher, wonderful music from the Choir of St Paul’s, and pageantry. The service also symbolises the coming together of church and state, with bishops processing with the aldermen of the City of London and the Archbishop of Canterbury processing in state with the Lord Mayor.
Elgar’s setting of Give unto the Lord was brought back into favour by means of its inclusion on a famous EMI disc by the Choir of Worcester Cathedral directed by Christopher Robinson with organist Harry Bramma in the 1960s. Until then, the piece had languished in relative obscurity outside Three Choirs circles. The work was included in the Jubilee Celebration of the Royal School of Church Music in 1977, when it was conducted at the Royal Albert Hall by Dr Lionel Dakers.
Leeds Philharmonic Chorus “The Leeds Philharmonic Society is the senior choir in the city by date of foundation and by virtue of its continued and very distinguished programme sustained annually since 1870.” Simon Lindley, Leeds City Organist Leeds Philharmonic Society has over 100 singing members regularly performing concerts at Leeds Town Hall. Performances are often jointly promoted with Leeds International Concert Season and the BBC. Repertoire is extensive, combining both tradition and innovation. In recent years the chorus has recorded works such as Stanford’s Stabat Mater and Te Deum for Chandos, Walton’s Gloria and Belshazzar’s Feast for Naxos and Messiah for CMI Records. Early in its history the chorus gave performances of new works conducted by composers such as Elgar, Parry and Sullivan. More recently, the chorus gave the first broadcast performance of Geoffrey Burgon‘s Requiem in 1977 and has commissioned works from James Brown, Donald Hunt and Philip Wilby. Unfamiliar and demanding works have been a frequent feature of programmes. Recent examples include Franz Schmidt’s The Book with Seven Seals, Rachmaninov’s The Bells (with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra), Adams’ Harmonium and Wilby’s Bronte Mass (world premiere). However, the chorus is no stranger to “cross- over” music: it has been a mainstay of Leeds Opera in the Park also taking part in a national tour of The Queen Symphony (2006/7) conducted by Tolga Kashif. As well as performing concerts in Leeds Town Hall, the chorus has performed in many other prestigious venues including the Royal Albert Hall (London), Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), Symphony Hall (Birmingham), The Sage (Gateshead), the Liszt Academy (Budapest) and Stephansdom (Vienna). David Hill is Leeds Philharmonic Society’s Musical Director and Conductor. He is supported by newly-appointed Chorusmaster Richard Wilberforce, conductor of the Hallé Youth Choir, The Exon Singers, the Orlando Chamber Choir and the Sarum Consort. David Hill Renowned for his fine musicianship, David Hill is widely respected as both a choral and orchestral conductor. His talent has been recognised by his appointments as Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers, Musical Director of the Bach Choir, Chief Conductor of Southern Sinfonia, Musical Director of Leeds Philharmonic Society and Associate Guest conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate by the University of Southampton in 2002 in recognition of his Services to Music. Born in Carlisle in 1957 and educated at Chetham’s School of Music, where he is now a Govenor, he was made a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists at the tender age of 17. He took an organ scholarship to St John’s College, Cambridge under the direction of Dr George Guest and returned to the college as Director of Music from 2003-07. David Hill’s previous posts have included Master of the Music at Winchester Cathedral (1987-2002), Music Director of the Waynflete Singers (1987- 2002) Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral, Musical Director of the Alexandra Choir (1980-87) and Associate Conductor and then Artistic Director of the Philharmonia Chorus (1986-97). He is in great demand for choral training workshops worldwide and his handbook on the subject Giving Voice was published in 1995. He is a choral advisor to music publishers Novello, for whom he has edited a number of publications. As an organist, David Hill has given recitals in most of the major venues in the UK and has toured extensively abroad.
David Hill’s broad-ranging discography of over 70 recordings, including many award- winners, can be found on the for Decca/Argo, Hyperion, Naxos and Virgin Classics labels. The discs span repertoire from the renaissance to the present day. With the Bach Choir, David Hill has contributed to the film sound tracks of Kingdom of Heaven, The Chronicles of Narnia and Shrek the Third. He is engaged in a series of recordings of major English choral composers with the Bach Choir and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra for Naxos.
David Hill has appeared as guest conductor with the London Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb Philharmonic, Ulster Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, English Chamber Orchestra, The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Sinfonia 21, the Northern Sinfonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, RTE National Symphony Orchestra, The Minnesota Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonqiue de Strasbourg as well as the Netherlands Radio Choir and RIAS Kammerchor, Berlin. His commitment to new music has led to him commissioning works from Judith Bingham, Carl Rütti, Francis Pott, Patrick Gowers, Jonathan Harvey, Philip Moore, Naji Hakim, Sir John Tavener and Philip Wilby amongst others.
Alan Horsey
Alan Horsey was born in the New Forest town of Fordingbridge and received his musical training at the Royal College of Music. Following appointments at Leeds Minster (formerly Leeds Parish Church) and St James, Muswell Hill, London he served as organist at Bradford Cathedral 1986-2002. He has been conductor of the Otley and Ilkley Choral Societies since 1997 and is accompanist to the Leeds Philharmonic Society and to Overgate Hospice Choir. Such spare time as Alan now has is devoted to pipe-organ restoration, working with John R. Clough and Son Ltd. His leisure pursuits include domestic poultry and woodwork. Ely Cathedral Summer organ recitals 2013 Sundays at 5.15 – admission free unless otherwise stated
Next week, Jonathan Lilley 28th July Assistant Organist, Ely Cathedral (until August)
4th August Alexander Berry Assistant Organist, Ely Cathedral Girls Choir
11th August Nigel Kerry Director of Music, Church of Our Lady and the English Martyrs, Cambridge
18th August Sarah MacDonald Director, Ely Cathedral Girls Choir Director of Music, Selwyn College Cambridge
25th August Scott Farrell Director of Music, Rochester Cathedral formerly Assistant Organist, Ely Cathedral
Thursday The General Admission £10 29th August Buster Keaton’s 1926 classic in aid of at 8.00pm with improvised organ accompaniment Ely Cathedral by Jonathan Lilley Chorister Fund
1st September Edmund Aldhouse Assistant Organist, Ely Cathedral (from August)
8th September Prime Brass All seats Alexander Berry, organ £10 unreserved Paul Trepte, conductor