April 7, 2013 - Easter 2

Prelude on "Westminster Abbey" - Robert M. Speed
Look, Ye Saints! - Dan Forrest
Peace I Leave With You - J. Valery Roberts
Rubrics: "Hallelujah has been restored" - Dan Locklair

Hymns: #192 Vreuchten, #314 Adoro Devote,
              #209 St. Botolph

This week’s music was written by contemporary American composers. The prelude is a piece written by Robert M. Speed the organist of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Des Moines, Iowa. The composition is based on Henry Purcell’s hymn tune Westminster Abbey which, in the 1982 Hymnal is paired with the 7^th century text Christ is Made the Sure Foundation. For me this piece helps to bridge the gap from the resurrection to the Christ as the risen and ascended head of the Church. This piece starts with an agitated theme in minor and then bursts into a new key but as it does gets softer until all that is left is the string celeste on the swell and a simple 8’ principal to play the melody. At the last line stops are added and the building begins. This line is repeated and the material from the opening returns to lead to a triumphal return of the tune played in full chords with pedal scales. The piece ends with a loud fanfare that takes us into the opening song of praise and sets up the joy of the service to follow.

The gradual anthem is an arrangement by Dan Forrest (b. 1978) of William H. Monk’s hymn tune Coronae. This tune is paired with the text Look, Ye Saints the Sight is Glorious by Thomas Kelly. Dan Forrest is a well-respected and highly sought after composer. His works have been performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. Forrest holds a doctorate in composition from the University of Kansas. He taught theory and composition at Bob Jones University but left the position to compose full time. This setting of Look, Ye Saints! was written for piano four hands and is a simple arrangement of the hymn that is primarily driven by the accompaniment. I will be playing the accompaniment on the organ which, although you lose the novelty of the piano duet allows for the additional colors available on the organ. The piece sets all four verses. The first begins in unison and then expands to four parts; the second is divided between the women and men. The third takes the tune away and plays with the tonality making it a bit darker and more reserved as the choir sings about the “Sinners in derision.” The piece closes with a soprano descant followed by a coda of “crown Hims” and an extended five- one progression in the organ.

Peace I Leave With You by J. Valery Roberts falls into the “oldie-but-goodie” category for me. I learned this anthem at one of my previous churches. After I left they dissolved the choir in favor of a contemporary service and sold all of their choir music. This is one of the first pieces that I looked for when I went back. It is a little on the “schmaltzy side” but conveys the message of the text elegantly and simply. The anthem is divided in half – perhaps to make it more appealing. The opening section is an extended tenor solo which could stand on its own. The second half is just the choir. The solo never returns, it becomes exclusively choral once the soloist is done. The choir illustrates the text through the use of drastic dynamic contrast – often going from pianissimo to forte in one measures time. This anthem conveys the text through gentle simplicity and the easy to listen to melody truly does bring peace to the listener.

The postlude is the first movement of Dan Lockair’s (b. 1949) Rubrics. This piece is one of the most often performed contemporary American organ works. It was premiered by Mary Preston in 1989. Most of what I know about the piece comes directly from the preface written by the composer which states: “The extra-musical impetus and subsequent titles for each movement are found in the instructions to the services for THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER.” The first movement is called Hallelujah has been restored and is taken from pg. 584 which gives “instruction” for the Psalter. The last “rubric” states that “Hallelujah” has replaced the English “Praise the Lord.” Despite the implications of the instruction in the BCP, it seems an incredibly appropriate piece for the second Sunday of Easter when – just as its name indicates, “Hallelujahs have been restored.” The piece is based on “F,C,G,D” and hops about from keyboard to keyboard with a great many trills and even a couple of pedal glissandos.