I Was Glad - Charles Hubert H. Parry
Requiem: "In Paradisum" - Gabriel Faure
Elegie - Louis Vierne
Hymns: #494 Diadmeta, #382 General Seminary,
#598 Mis Freuden zart
This week’s music transitions from the majesty and glory of
Christ the King toward the more solemn attitude of Advent and a world awaiting
a Savior – which makes it a world without a Savior. The music this week is all
European, a Belgian trumpet tune, an English coronation anthem and a French
communion anthem and postlude. Perhaps a better uniting factor for the music
this week is that each piece captures a very definite mood. They are, in
essence, character pieces.
Charles Hubert H. Parry’s (1848-1918) setting of Psalm 122
is the gradual anthem this week. I Was
Glad was written for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902 and was
revised in 1911 for the coronation of King George V. The setting by Parry is
different from those preceding it by Boyce and Purcell in Parry’s use of
strategically placed performing groups. The opening was sung by the Abbey choir
with a 430 voice “General choir” joining at “Jerusalem is builded.” “O pray for
the peace of Jerusalem” is sung by a smaller semi-chorus and the “vivet”s are
sung by the King’s Scholars and the king and queen pass under the rood screen.
The final triumphant statement of “plenteousness” is aptly sung by the combined
forces. Though Parry is remembered for
this anthem and Jerusalem another
contribution is the one he made as a teacher. Vaughan Williams, Howells, and
Holst are among the students that Parry taught while at the Royal College of
Music. This anthem captures all of the joy and hope that comes with a new
monarch – Godly or earthly. I think that it is a fitting close to the church
year as we begin the new liturgical calendar.
On that same note, I thought it fitting to open the service
with a festive trumpet tune. This one is by the Belgian composer, Flor Peeters(1903-1986).
Peeters is primarily known for his church music and organ compositions. Trumpet tunes are a standard part of the organ
literature. They usually involve a call and response of some sort between a
solo trumpet stop on the organ and the full organ sound. This piece does just
that. There is a trumpet solo with accompaniment that alternates with
contrasting themes played on the other keyboards. The piece is bright and
festive but also has a bit of crunch to the harmonies with quick modulations
The piece is joyful and declamatory, everything you need before singing Crown Him With Many Crowns.
In Paradisum is
the final movement of Gabriel Faure’s (1845-1924) Requiem Op. 48. Faure states
that he began work on the Requiem “for the pleasure of it” but he had lost both
his parents in the two years before he began work on the piece. This Requiem,
unlike the Mozart from a few weeks ago is about peace. The work is not a full
liturgical mass and this movement takes its text from the Burial Service. Its
text is:
“May angels lead you
into paradise; upon your arrival, may the martyrs receive you and lead you to
the holy city of Jerusalem. May the ranks of angels receive you, and with
Lazarus, once a poor man, may you have eternal rest.”
And is also included in Durufle’s setting of the Requiem. It
is traditionally sung in procession from the final blessing of the corpse from
the church to the graveyard where the burial takes place. This movement makes
extensive use of the harp (for us a solo flute stop) to create a picture of the
ranks of angels that the text references. This piece is about hope and rest.
The Elegie by
Louis Vierne (1870-1937) is taken from his collection of 24 pieces in Free
Style written fro organ or harmonium. The piece is dedicated to Georges Krieger
(1885-1914) a colleague of Vierne’s who died at a very young age. The piece is
typical of Vierne’s writing. It is very chromatic and quite expressive. I
thought that this piece paired well with the hope of the Faure and served as an
excellent transitionary piece to the more somber season of Advent.
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