October 14, 2012 - Proper 23

Canonic Variations on "Slane" - Larry Visser
Messiah: "He Trusted in God" - G.F. Handel
O Vos Omnes - Tomas Luis de Vittoria

Hymns: #492 Finnian, #475 Tysk, #488 Slane

The music this week is a bit on the dark side but is not without hope. The prelude and postlude are taken from a set of variations that have connections to both of the anthems as well as the closing hymn. The two anthems share key and theme despite being written 150 years apart. These anthems also have a great deal of drama packed into just a few measures. This is true of the organ music as well. It’s amazing how much can be packed into only a few measures of a variation.

The Gradual anthem is taken from the second part of Handel’s Messiah. It is one of the choruses that is quite often cut. He Trusted in God is a setting of Psalm 22 and following the tenor solo All They that See Him is a very sarcastic and biting chorus reminiscent of the mob choruses of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. Handel left his mark on music history primarily through the composition of oratorio. This was mostly by default. Handel had gone to England as a composer of operas but the performance of opera was not allowed during Lent so he had to turn to oratorio; an unstaged opera on biblical texts. There are moments in Messiah that are very clearly opera set to Biblical text. The implied mob psychology and disdainful tone of this chorus is Handel’s way of illustrating the fear and pain of Christ on the cross. This text can also easily be applied to each of our lives and be seen as a reminder of the fact that, though the message is intended as sarcastic and biting that what is said is true. God will deliver those that have his favor.

The communion anthem is O Vos Omnes by Tomas Luis de Vittoria, one of the most prominent composers of the Renaissance. Despite being educated in Rome (possibly by Palestrina) he never lost the Spanish flare that was an integral part of his heritage. Musicologists constantly site the fact that his music is filled with “Spanish mysticism.” His setting of O Vos Omnes from Lamentations 1:12 from the collection of motets published in 1572 is beautiful because of its simplicity. This piece is the response of the Christ on the cross from He Trusted in God. The translation of the piece is:
“O all you that pass by the way, attend and see: If there is pain like as my pain. Attend all people, and see my sorrows if there is sorrow like as my sorrow.” This dialogue captures the pain and suffering of Christ as a response to the taunting mob. The juxtaposition of the taunting mob of He Trusted in God and Christ’s response of “who knows sorrow like unto my sorrows” is incredibly poignant.

The prelude and postlude are taken from Larry Visser’s Canonic Variations on “Slane” which is the closing hymn. The first variation is an overture, which reminds me of the overture to Messiah, something I had considered playing this week before finding this piece. It exploits the double dotted figure typical of the French overture of the Baroque period, and reminiscent of the opening of the Meesiah overture. The piece then gives way to a very simple trio titled Hymnus for solo reed and flute with pedal. The third variation, Prayer¸ places the tune in the pedal and the upper voice of the right hand. The manuals are exploiting the Voix Celeste, a string stop which composers like Guilmant and Boellmann had used for Priere’s of their own. The pedal plays the melody on a 4’ reed stop. The fourth movement is a trio which features the melody on two “gap” registrations bouncing between hands and an accompanying line in the pedal. Movement 5 is a Paean, a lyric poem of thanksgiving and triumph played on full organ sounds that play with the rhythm of the tune. The penultimate setting is a Lament, this movement features the Flute Celeste and the oboe taking turns on the melody in the excruciating key of eb minor. The melody is passed between the two voices throughout and ends with a statement combining eb major and minor in a way which draws parallels with the treatment of key and mode in the Vittoria. The concluding toccata opens with the canon split between the upper voice of the right hand and the pedal. The “B section” features a canon between left and right foot before reintroducing the canon between right hand and pedal to end. This piece exploits the full resources of the organ while capturing the many moods of pieces available to the organist and illustrating different aspects of the text. This hymn tune has been paired with Be Thou My Vision and Lord of All Hopefulness as well as exploiting the innate beauty of the hymn tune.