CHAN 10110 Front.qxd 20/4/07 4:19 pm Page 1 CHAN X10110 CHANDOS CLASSICS CHAN 10110 BOOK.qxd 20/4/07 4:19 pm Page 2 John Ireland (1879–1962) 1 Vexilla Regis (Hymn for Passion Sunday)* 11:54 2 Greater Love Hath No Man† 6:51 3 These Things Shall Be‡ 22:12 Lebrecht Collection Lebrecht 4 A London Overture 13:36 5 The Holy Boy (A Carol of the Nativity) 2:43 6 Epic March 9:13 TT 67:11 Paula Bott soprano*† Teresa Shaw contralto* James Oxley tenor* Bryn Terfel bass-baritone*†‡ Roderick Elms organ* London Symphony Chorus*†‡ John Ireland London Symphony Orchestra Richard Hickox 3 CHAN 10110 BOOK.qxd 20/4/07 4:19 pm Page 4 and Friday before Easter – and what we cannot sketch was ready during April. Ireland Ireland: Orchestral and Choral Works have – the ceremonies on the Saturday before remarked that he felt the words were ‘an Easter as practised by the Roman Church – expression of British national feeling at the something absolutely agelong & from present time’. In fact he had earlier made a John Nicholson Ireland was born near nineteen-year-old Ireland was then still a everlasting – the rekindling of Fire – Lumen quite different setting of these words for Manchester and spent most of his life in student of Stanford’s, and was assistant Christi. The Motherland Song Book published in London, though with interludes in the Channel organist at Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Square, 1919. The composer made a few adjustments Islands and Sussex. His was a life of restricted London. Stanford was so pleased with the Greater Love Hath No Man to the words, most notably at the beginning horizons – choirmaster at the same Chelsea piece that he persuaded Walter Alcock, Ireland produced several hymns and church where ‘Sad heart’ becomes ‘Say, heart’, and in church for twenty-two years and Professor of Director of Music at Holy Trinity, to perform it, pieces that became well known, none better the last line where ‘Transcending aught’ composition at the Royal College of Music for and Ireland conducted. It was not published than this motet, a meditation for Passiontide, becomes ‘Transcending all’. fifteen, yet his music chronicles the until the year after Ireland’s death although written in 1912 for Charles Macpherson, then The piece was delivered bit by bit – the first wanderings of a restless spirit. A pupil of the composer had approved its revival. sub-organist at St Paul’s Cathedral, and his half of the choral part on 12 April. Ireland Sir Charles Stanford’s, he was also a noted This Hymn for Passion Sunday sets words by choristers, and orchestrated in 1924. The was not a quick worker and, sensing that he composition teacher, his pupils including Bishop Venantius Fortunatas (530 – 609 AD) words are a patchwork of verses from the could not finish it in time, he recruited his E.J. Moeran, Benjamin Britten and Geoffrey translated from the Latin by J.M. Neale. For all New Testament, including the Gospel of friend and pupil Alan Bush to assist in Bush. Moeran found him ‘a wise adviser and his many years’ connection with the Church, St John, letters from St Peter and from preparing the full score. Ireland would indicate an astute critic… a firm believer in the value Ireland was curiously ambivalent about his St Paul – Corinthians (I) and Romans – and orally the instrumentation he had in mind, of the study of strict counterpoint’. Although religious beliefs. To his mentor, Father opening with words from The Song of Bush would then prepare the full score Ireland wrote a large number of songs and his Thompson, he wrote on 16 July 1936: Solomon. following Ireland’s instructions. By 22 April the piano music dominated the repertoire of I am a bad sort of (Anglo) Catholic – not a BBC had the rest of the choral part and the British music teaching for many years, there constantly practising one, though it is ever in my These Things Shall Be first half of the full score. The remainder of are only a dozen or so works for orchestra. heart and mind. It is the only thing which Early in 1937 Ireland was approached by the the full score, dedicated to Alan Bush, arrived This programme thus gives a strong represents and prevents what is permanent – and BBC with a commission for music for the at the BBC only a fortnight before the first impression of his orchestral style. age-long. As one grows older & ambitious pride & Corporation’s Coronation Concert to mark the performance during the BBC’s Coronation all becomes rather lacking in fire and significance, crowning of King George VI which was to Concert broadcast on 13 May 1937. After Vexilla Regis ones heart must turn towards what represents take place in May that year. After some initial that performance Eric Fenby prepared the Ireland withdrew almost all his early music, permanence. I do not wish ever to lose this. I am haggling over fees Ireland quickly responded piano reduction used in the published vocal including Vexilla Regis. Composed in 1898 for a Pagan, a Pagan I was born & a Pagan I shall with a scheme to set eight of the fifteen score. The first public performance followed at chorus accompanied by trumpets, trombones ever remain. That is the foundation of religion. verses of the idealistic poem ‘A Vista’ from the Queen’s Hall on 1 December that year. and organ, this work is by a large margin the The deepest religious emotions I have ever felt Lyrics of Life and Art by John Addington Both this and the Coronation Concert were earliest piece in the present programme. The have been at the Ceremonies on the Thursday Symonds the younger (1840–1893), and the conducted by Sir Adrian Boult. 4 5 CHAN 10110 BOOK.qxd 20/4/07 4:19 pm Page 6 Rather late in the day Ireland decided to the piece is now of far greater artistic The Holy Boy ‘Pomp and Circumstance No. 1’. It is not what I incorporate The Internationale into the music, significance, more complex in detail, technically This ‘Carol of the Nativity’ was written as a feel appropriate at the present time… What I have and Alan Bush obliged him by writing it out. difficult and subtle in style, than in its original piano solo on Christmas Day 1913, and it was in mind is stern and purposeful rather than jolly Ireland put the tune on the horn after the form. the third of the four Preludes published in or complacent. word ‘paradise’ at the end of the penultimate The overture was at first called ‘In Town’, 1918. After the First World War Ireland By 5 June Ireland was ready to send Boult a stanza. Almost immediately he had cold feet but this title was dropped because it was arranged it for violin or cello and piano and as rough sketch of the opening of the march for and asked the critic Edwin Evans not to too similar to that of a contemporaneous an organ solo. During the Second World War his approval, quoting Winston Churchill’s ‘grim identify the tune in his programme notes; after work by Eric Coates. However, as A London he used it to produce a short choral setting of and gay’ as a possible title. Later he wrote to the work’s first public hearing he rewrote the Overture it immediately caught on, and the Herbert S. Brown’s poem Lowly, Laid in a Father Thompson: horn part at this point. The shadow of the little figure of four notes heard after the slow Manger, and the version for string orchestra I shall aim at strength and definition rather than First World War hung long over Ireland, as it introduction was recognised as representing recorded here. There was a real-life ‘holy boy’, excessive brilliance… The BBC wanted something did more overtly over the works of many of the cry of a London bus conductor: ‘’dilly, one of Ireland’s choristers at St Luke’s, jolly and hearty, but that is not my idea at all… his contemporaries, and it is not surprising Piccadilly!’ But, as the composer remarked, Chelsea. He was Robert Glasby, the son of a There is something rational to be said in a direct that the ‘These things shall be’ motif is also ‘beyond that, the work has little to do with sculptor who became Ireland’s landlord. and forcible way & I hope I may be given the found in other works, in particular in his Piccadilly, or at any rate, the Piccadilly of A cherubic sculptured head of the young boy power to do this work aright. You may specially setting of Rupert Brooke’s The Soldier (1917) 1938’. Slower music signals the development remained a treasured possession of Ireland’s, remember me in this at the Altar, as I know it will at the words ‘If I should die’. section, with solo horn tone evident, and in even after the boy, by then in his early thirties, help me. Except the Lord build the house… the score the words ‘Memento mori’ appear. had died in tragic circumstances. In July 1941 the V-Campaign (the Morse for A London Overture To underline the feeling of remembrance, the letter V being dot–dot–dot–dash) became This work originated as Comedy Overture, the muted strings outline the melody of Epic March the subject of press comment – and Ireland test piece for the Crystal Palace National Brass Schumann’s song Widmung (Dedication In a letter dated 28 November 1940, at the was quick to point out that the opening theme Band Contest in 1934.