CHORAL MUSIC

KEY
E Easy
M Medium
D Difficult

EASY ANTHEMS

SIX ANTHEMS FOR MIXED VOICES [E]
Tim Knight, Mixed voices and keyboard, 
Tim Knight Music TKM836 £4.25

With a subtitle ‘Suitable for introits, blessings, concerts’, these are six short, undemanding pieces: three ‘Celtic prayers’ for SATB and three anthems for two-part mixed voices with some optional four-part passages. Accompaniments are sometimes specified for organ and once (Celtic blessing of the nine elements) for piano. The words of an old Jewish prayer, If my lips could sing, seem to cross over into Celtic spirituality, and receive a tender, reflective setting. Throughout there is a flowing, relaxed approach that many small choirs will find attractive.

HOW LOVELY ARE THY DWELLINGS FAIR [E]
Russell Hepplewhite
SATB
Banks Music Publications GCL038 £1.95

This anthem is lovely: gentle and easy to sing in terms of notes and rhythms, although full of musical subtlety. The structure is clear-cut with a flowing, rocking ‘How lovely are thy dwellings’ alternating with serene and still ‘My soul ever longeth’, a contrasting ‘My heart and flesh cry out’ and descending scales for ‘Blest are they that in thy house’. Minor and major tonalities gently pull at each other, but G major wins at the end as the serene and still music wells up for ‘They ever praise thee’.

LOVE IS … [E/M]
Christopher Maxim SATB
Paraclete Press PPM01946M $1.70

Many wedding anthems are difficult and compete for choir rehearsal time with schedules of music for the liturgy throughout the year. It is good to be able to welcome this simple but musical and effective setting of 1 Corinthians 13.4–8a, with its classic wedding text listing the attributes of love. The vocal lines may be easy, but they have interest for all the voices. James L. Montgomery

MIXED VOICE ANTHEMS

AVE, REGINA CAELORUM [D]
Owain Park
SATB
Novello NOV297363 £2.25

This hymn of praise to the ‘Queen of Heaven’ sounds complex but uses easily appreciated musical techniques. A plainchant-like theme, characterized by a rising fifth and rising fourth, is developed and extended. The opening two-part texture expands through three and four parts before a straightforward, yearning ‘Salve radix’ with a crescendo on ‘lux est orta’ (‘light has risen’) to a forte restatement of the opening – but sopranos now doubled by tenors, and altos by basses, and with the rising fourth stretched to an augmented fourth: a simple device but effective at this central climax. The music subsides until the chromatically entwined lines resolve on to an A major ‘decora’ (‘beautiful’): another magical moment. The texture thins out towards the end until a simple Amen reminds us of the opening rising fifth. It is inventive but always driven by the meaning of the words.

ANTHEM – TO ST CECILIA [M/D]
Thea Musgrave
SATB (with STB soli) and organ
Novello NOV297430 £2.75

Musgrave sets part of Pope’s Ode for Music on St Cecilia’s Day starting ‘Music the fiercest grief can charm’. Writing for the combined choirs of St Paul’s and Westminster Cathedrals and Westminster Abbey, the composer has enjoyed the opportunities for word painting, from the opening ‘fiercest grief’ needing charming to the final lifting of ‘the soul to heaven’. The organ is called upon in its own right ‘When the full organ joins the tuneful quire’ and also is invaluable in depicting the varied landscapes, whether of hell or heaven. A turning point comes about halfway through when a clear A major chord appears as ‘angels lean from heaven’; after further depictions (including ‘a shade from hell’) all comes together for a final 16 bars of joyous A major.
Julian Elloway

THE LORD REIGNS [M/D]
Richard Allain
SATB and organ
Novello NOV297431 £2.75

For those who celebrate Sea Sunday on the second Sunday of July, here is an appropriate setting of the opening of Psalm 93 that would be fun to sing and to listen to. A 7/8 toccata-like organ quaver pattern turns into 4/4 but with no relaxation of the quavers for a central section in which the choir has a series of exciting crescendos on ‘The floods have lifted up … have lifted up their waves.’ The organ part is trickier than the choral parts.

STARS OF THE MORNING [M/D]
Christopher Maxim
SATB with divisi and organ
Paraclete Press PPM01825 $2.90

This is a dramatic setting of the words of the Michaelmas hymn, mostly loud and emphatic, with an arresting opening that reappears towards the end as well as in the middle, men only, for ‘Who like the Lord? thunders Michael the Chief’. There is much battling for right and shouting for joy; an exhilarating time will be had with a confident choir and organist.
James L. Montgomery

REMEMBRANCE

THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD [E]
June Nixon
SATB and organ
Encore Publications £1.95

There are many settings of the fourth stanza (‘We shall grow not old …’) of Binyon’s poem For the fallen but June Nixon has unusually chosen to follow it with the mystical sixth stanza in which those we are remembering are known ‘as the stars are known to the Night’. The choral writing is mostly unaccompanied with the phrases linked by an expressive organ part with a pedal line like a muffled drumbeat. The piece successfully combines warmth and solemnity.

THE TRUE LIGHT [M/D]
Judith Weir
SATB and organ
Chester CH88033 £3.50

The Master of the Queen’s Music continues her distinguished contribution to church music with a substantial anthem that, unusually, was a government commission. It marked the centenary of the Armistice that ended World War I, setting words from I John and Psalm 107, and would be suitable for every Remembrance Sunday. There is an extensive organ part that can be heard played by Peter Holder on the YouTube clip of the service from Westminster Abbey. A passage marked ‘serene’ describes those gathered ‘from the east and the west, from the north and the south’, followed by an organ solo preparing us for a ‘celestial, translucent’ setting of ‘the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth’.

REMEMBER [M]
Owain Park
SATB, upper voice choir or S solo and organ
Novello NOV297445 £2.75

Also marking the centenary of the Armistice is this setting by Owain Park that breaks Christina Rossetti’s poem Remember into two-line couplets sung mostly unaccompanied by the SATB choir. These couplets are separated by upper voices, supported by organ, singing the votive antiphon that starts ‘Da pacem Domine in diebus nostris’ (‘Give peace, O Lord, in our time’). The first time there are just the first three words, then six, and so on until the fifth and final time when the complete prayer is heard, before the SATB choir repeats ‘Remember’ as heard at the start, and the upper voices add an Amen. The contrasts and gradually development of the upper voice sections give the piece a clear structure and flow, with memorable thematic material and sensitivity to the words: highly recommended.
Stephen Patterson

ORGAN MUSIC

E Easy
M Medium
D  Difficult

MANUALS ONLY OR WITH OPTIONAL PEDALS
A THIRD SET OF VOLUNTARIES [E]
A FOURTH SET OF VOLUNTARIES [E]
A FIFTH SET OF VOLUNTARIES [E]
John Marsh ed. David Patrick and John Collins
Fitzjohn Music Publications £13.00 each

John Marsh (1752–1828) was a largely self-taught organist and composer – and violinist and concert organiser and diarist. His 37 volumes of journals tell us much about musical life in 18th-century England, as do the different prefaces to each of his five sets of organ voluntaries. He states that if his pieces ‘be thought deficient in contrivance and modulation which the composer may seem to have sacrificed to air and contrast … I shall, in part, plead guilty’ explaining that he wanted his music to ‘avoid crude and complicated harmony and unnatural modulation’ so as to be appreciated ‘in a country parish church’. The pieces are certainly tuneful, often have charm, and avoid what Marsh would have considered ‘laboured contrivance’. All the volumes have a primary intention ‘for the use of young practitioners’.

Set 3 contains 15 voluntaries and 23 preludes or short introductions for verse anthems in 14 different keys – and advertises its preface as containing ‘a few thoughts on the style of church music in general’, in fact a feature of all the volumes. Set 4 has 33 mostly slow voluntaries, shorter than those in Set 3; the last voluntary is different, being a three-movement arrangement of one of Marsh’s concertos. The preface includes his views on why ‘Voluntaries are in general so little attended to that it matters not what is played’! Set 5 has 44 voluntaries, short and mostly slow, and divided into three sections for the opening, middle and conclusion of the service. The excellent editorial notes are extensive, and cover registration, optional use of pedals, ornamentation, tempo, dynamics, compass and cadenzas.
Duncan Watkins

A CELEBRATED CONCERTO (M)
Thomas Roseingrave ed. David Patrick
Fitzjohn Music Publications £5.00      

This version of Roseingrave’s concerto was published after the composer’s death in 1766 as ‘for the harpsichord’, but many keyboard concerti of the time were published in the UK for either organ or harpsichord, and this piece certainly works well on the organ with a light registration. It is in three quite short, through-composed movements, an Allegro in common time is followed by an Adagio of seven bars with a Phrygian cadence leading into a closing Allegro in 3/8 in D major. It is different in many details from the MS version in four movements in the Cambridge Fitzwilliam Museum (before 1750); whether the piece is a keyboard reduction of a now lost orchestral concerto – perhaps even one of the earliest in the UK – or an original work for solo keyboard in imitation of an orchestral piece is open to conjecture.
Technically not over-demanding (although the repeated right-hand leaps of quaver thirds, which occur several times in the first movement, need care), this piece would be a good addition to a recital.

SIX LESSONS OR VOLUNTARIES [E–M]
Theodore Aylward ed. David Patrick
Fitzjohn Music Publications £5.00

This set of six multi-movement Lessons, mainly comprising dance movements, was published c.1784 as being ‘for the harpsichord, organ or piano forte’; they are generally better suited to the stringed instruments, although performance of most movements on a chamber organ is quite feasible. The texture varies from thick chords in the preludes to two parts in many of the dance movements. With a light registration the latter can sound effective on the church organ; the minuets with variations work well and some of the Allemands are not that different from contemporary Italian allegros for organ. The pieces are not too demanding, but a few extended arpeggios need care and there is plenty of scope for adding ornaments.

INTRODUCTION AND FUGUE [M]
Ann Mounsey ed. David Patrick
Fitzjohn Music Publications £5.00

Ann Mounsey (1811–91), pupil of Samuel Wesley and Thomas Attwood, was organist of St Vedast, Foster Lane in London from 1837 to 1886. This Introduction and Fugue was published in 1879 in The Organists’s Quarterly Journal Part 43 Volume VI. The stately Introduction opens in D minor and closes in C. The rather more lively Fugue in F has a subject mainly in semiquavers, with sequential writing; it continues fairly loosely, primarily in three parts but occasional passages have added ‘voices’.
There are some interesting modulations, use of diminished sevenths, and sequential runs in thirds in the right hand on the last page that will need careful fingering. The editor’s added treble line in bars 28–31 of the fugue is practical, but his optional pedal part can be taken by the left hand in the introduction if the player wishes, and safely ignored in the fugue. This is a useful piece for both recital and closing voluntary.
John Collins

ORGAN ANTHOLOGIES

THE OXFORD BOOK OF CEREMONIAL MUSIC FOR ORGAN: BOOK 2 [M–D] ed. Robert Gower
Oxford 978-0-19-352836-9 £22.50

This is a useful selection of pieces for a variety of occasions, although many might not be classed as ‘ceremonial’, such as arrangements of Debussy Clair de lune or Schubert Ständchen. Of the original organ pieces, a few will be known to most organists, such as the Gigout Toccata, but the collection is valuable for gathering several excellent pieces that players might otherwise not come across: a Wedding March by York Bowen, Reger’s Fugue on the ‘English National Anthem’, Ernest Farrar’s Elegy and a ‘Nun danket’ prelude by Karl Piutti. Fanfare-like pieces include Peter Hurford’s extrovert Paean and H.J. Stewart’s 1922 Sousa-like Spanish Military March – Sousa himself appears with an arrangement of the Washington Post March. Gabriel Jackson’s Carillon for Louise and Nick is a breath of fresh air among some of the thicker-textured pieces. All in all, there is something for everyone in this wide-ranging anthology.
Duncan Watkins

ORGAN ENCORES VOLUME 4 [M–M/D]
arr. Ian Tracey
Church Organ World COW-2019-008 £20

The fourth volume of organ encores from Church Organ World Publications features seven well-known compositions by Susato, Bach, Elgar, Respighi, MacDowell, Dvořák and Handel, all arranged for organ by Ian Tracey. In a well-presented volume, there is something here for every occasion, and these pieces needn’t only be used as encores. Beyond the environs of an organ recital, there is no particular reason why they may not also be used as organ voluntaries within the context of a church service. This would be an excellent addition to the music libraries of those who enjoy playing arrangements on the organ.
Richard Brasier

SINGLE COMPOSER COLLECTIONS

ORGAN AND KEYBOARD WORKS VOL. 4 [M]
Girolamo Frescobaldi ed. Christopher Stembridge
Bärenreiter BA8415 £42.50

The fourth volume of Bärenreiter’s Frescobaldi urtext contains the Fiori Musicali (1635) and the Aggiunta to the Toccate d’Intavolatura (1637). The excellent, almost lavish, quality of the production and the scholarly attention to detail is a fitting testament to the editor Christopher Stembridge’s life-long engagement with this repertoire. Readers who have already acquired the previous three volumes will no doubt want to add this volume to their set. For others, the appeal might be less compelling, especially given the availability of alternative, less expensive editions. Furthermore, much of the Fiori – though very fine – consists of relatively short Kyrie versets, with more extended toccate and ricercare; and as the editor points out, the music of the Aggiunta is more suited to the harpsichord.
The edition is curious half-way house that is neither a direct transcription of the original nor a ‘modern’ edition. Thus there are dots replacing what would otherwise be tied notes over barlines, and the beaming of quavers sometimes reflects the original moveable type, at other times Frescobaldi’s convention in engraved publications. For clarification the reader is referred to Vol. I of this series.
Warwick Cole

COMPLETE ORGAN WORKS [D]
Alexander Glazunov ed. Alexander Fiseisky
Bärenreiter BA11222 £25.00

This new edition of organ music by the Russian composer Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936) is a welcome addition for organists. A descendant of the traditions of Balakirev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin and Tchaikovsky, Glazunov’s compositions cover a wide range of genres. Only recently have his organ works (possibly with the exception of the Fantasia Op.110) come to prominence amongst lovers of the repertoire. A well-informed preface in Russian, German and English offers a comprehensive introduction to the composer, the organ music and the editing process. The musical notation itself has been well presented, as one would expect from Bärenreiter. Although Glazunov’s organ works may only be within playing reach of more advanced organists, the edition itself would be a welcome addition to any music library.

EIGHT EARLY ORGAN WORKS [E–E/M]
Josef Rheinberger ed. Birger Petersen
Butz-Verlag BU2939 €12.00

While editions of the organ music of Josef Rheinberger (1839–1901) can be found across the market, the stand-out feature here is the inclusion of some first publications. The eight short works in this volume from Rheinberger’s early period comprise five contrapuntal pieces (Fughetta, Trio and three Fugues), an Adagio, Andante and Vorspiel (Prelude). Four of them appear in print for the first time, including an early working of a fugue that appears in parallel with a later version. Rheinberger, like many other composers, was influenced by the contrapuntal genius of J.S. Bach, and these early works offer a fascinating insight into his development as a composer. The eight pieces are mostly sight-readable, and all could be used within the context of a church service or organ recital.
Richard Brasier

A WALTER ALCOCK ALBUM [M–D]
Walter Alcock ed. David Patrick
Fitzjohn Music Publications £10.00

Assistant at Westminster Abbey (he played for three coronations) and then organist of Salisbury Cathedral for 31 years, Walter Alcock (1861–1947) is today remembered for his 1913 tutor, The Organ, still available, and from which come two of the six pieces in this collection, Fantasia and Toccatina (subtitled in the original ‘A Study in Staccato’). Sketch is taken from A Gift Book published in 1935 by the School of English Church Music (now the RSCM) where it is one of the ‘original compositions specially contributed by twelve living Church Musicians of eminence’. The two larger scale works included here were both written for Three Choirs Festivals, a 1930 Toccata – heavy rather than virtuosic – and a more interesting 1927 Fantaisie–Impromptu whose 120 bars show a variety of texture and invention that justifies the ‘fantaisie’ in the title.
Duncan Watkins

EXPRESSIONS FOR ORGAN [E/M]
Carson Cooman
Carus-Verlag 18.042/00 €24.95

Carson Cooman is respected and admired as a concert organist, publisher and commissioner of numerous new works for organ. He is also a prolific composer: this varied collection of 14 character pieces contains preludes, fantasies and dances on plainsong melodies, a Pièce Héroïque and more, all with only modest technical challenges and, without exception, direct, engaging and entertaining pieces. Though some may baulk at the rather steep price, this is a highly useful resource for liturgical and concert organists.
Huw Morgan

ORGAN VOLUNTRIES

GROUNDWORKS: FIVE CHACONNES FROM THE OPERAS [M]
Henry Purcell arr. Antony Baldwin
Banks Music Publications 14092 £4.95

This is an attractive selection of transcriptions of Purcell’s music based on a ground bass. The five pieces come from some of Purcell’s most famous works, opening with the famous ‘Dido’s Lament’ from Dido and Aeneas, and continuing with chaconnes from King Arthur, The Fairy Queen and others. The publication is well laid out, with clear spacing and registrations clearly marked. It would make a great five-movement suite suitable for an organ recital; however, these are also fine stand-alone pieces and could easily be used in both a liturgical and a secular setting. The price is a bargain, considering the quality of the transcriptions and publication.

HIGHLAND CATHEDRAL: TWO ARRANGEMENTS [E]
Michael Korb and Uli Roever arr. Antony Baldwin
Banks Music Publications 14096 £3.95

Often erroneously credited as a Scottish tune, Highland Cathedral was composed in 1982 by German composers Michael Korb and Uli Roever, simply because they wanted to write a tune that ‘embraced the atmosphere, legends and folklore of Scotland’, as Antony Baldwin explains in his arranger’s note. The popularity of the tune is such that it is often an ‘unofficial national anthem’ of Scotland, played frequently by bagpipers all over the world and a frequent request at both weddings and funerals. This arrangement is a welcome addition to the catalogue, and provides a more substantial and pleasing arrangement, harmonically more satisfying, than most of the other available arrangements of this over-played and over-requested tune. Baldwin provides an easy arrangement (with some basic pedalling techniques) and another arrangement that is slightly more complex.
Ian Munro

CARILLON [E]
Giles Taylor
Tim Knight Music TKM838 £5.95

The Carillon by Giles Taylor is based around 16 bars of material that returns in either its original format or slightly altered form over the course of two and a half pages. The descending motifs aim to reflect the character of a peal of bells, and this is used to good effect. The edition itself is well-presented, and the composer has included useful guidance concerning registration. While this Carillon is short, it would make a useful piece to play before or at the end of a church service. It could also be presented as a short encore at the conclusion of an organ recital.
Richard Brasier

SCHERZO [M]
W.T. Best ed. David Patrick
Fitzjohn Music Publications £6.00

William Thomas Best (1826–97), who always preferred to be known as W.T. Best, compiled and edited 56 volumes of collected organ music from 1880 in a series called Cecilia, and included this
A minor Scherzo in volume 9. Best was an industrious arranger of orchestral works for organ (Beethoven and Mendelssohn symphonies among much else), and this organ piece feels in reverse like an orchestral concert overture – although David Patrick has reduced the ‘very numerous’ dynamic indications in the original and registered it for a two-manual instrument. If the central section does not leave a strong impression, the outer sections grab the attention with a catchy tune presented with flamboyance and sparkle, driving through to the final Presto.
Duncan Watkins

CDs and DVDs

*

SINGLE COMPOSER CHORAL CDS

HENRY ALDRICH: SACRED CHORAL MUSIC
The Cathedral Singers of Christ Church, Oxford / The Restoration Consort / David Bannister (organ) / James Morley Potter Convivium CR052
Although Henry Aldrich (1647–1710) isn’t a familiar name, this attractive release celebrates an important figure in 17th-century Oxford. James Morley Potter directs spirited performances by the Cathedral Singers of Christ Church, Oxford (where Aldrich was Dean from 1689 until his death), with sensitive organ accompaniment by David Bannister. Some of the tempi may be a bit on the stodgy side, and diction at times can be lost in the complex polyphonic textures. The soloists (credited in the accompanying booklet) are choir members and make significant contributions. However, the voices don’t always blend well together, and intonation isn’t always accurate. Nonetheless, despite occasionally lacking in finesse, this is a valuable addition to the catalogue and a fitting and vital tribute to Henry Aldrich.

***
THE GARMENT OF HOLINESS: CHORAL AND ORGAN MUSIC BY IAIN QUINN
Chapel choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge / Shanna Hart, Alexander Goodwin (organ) / Sarah MacDonald
Regent REGCD503
The opening Regina caeli and Christus est stella matutina set up the listener for 76 minutes of music-making of the highest quality. The choir is in good health with brilliant intonation, excellent sense of ensemble, wonderful vocal blend and a remarkable dynamic range. MacDonald allows the music space to breathe and wash over the listener. Consisting mainly of anthems and motets, plus a set of evening canticles, a Mass and a couple of solo organ pieces, this CD is a well-thought- out retrospective of Iain Quinn’s compositional output. His music is accessible, tonal, and sublimely relaxing to listen to; it is deeply spiritual. My only quibble is the inclusion of the final Toccata on ‘Victimae Paschali Laudes’: I can’t fault the piece or performance but it is the antithesis to the rest of the music on this brilliant disc. Ian Munro

MIXED CHORAL CDS

**
PRI RES POUR NOTRE DAME: DUPRÉ, BOULANGER,
DEMESSIEUX, POULENC
Romsey Abbey Choir, Colin Walsh
– Cavaillé-Coll organ of St Ouen, Rouen / George Richford  Regent REGCD538

Credit must be given to the anonymous recording engineers and organ tuner Denis Lacorre for their sterling work making this recording a richly rewarding listen. The Senior Girls of Romsey Abbey Choir under George Richford are accompanied on the mighty Cavaillé-Coll organ by Colin Walsh. This CD is more of a showcase for the organ than it is for choir: Colin Walsh is obviously having the time of his life exploring the different colours and registrations. The choir responds to the technical demands of Poulenc’s Litanies à la Vierge noire and Lili Boulanger’s Pie Jesu effortlessly. Perhaps some of the faster tempi are slightly too much for this acoustic. The ethereal final phrase of the Litanies evaporates into the vast church beautifully: it is real delight. Ian Munro

**
MUSIC FOR MILAN CATHEDRAL
Siglo de Oro / Patrick
Delphian DCD34224
For their latest offering, Siglo de O focuses on early Ren from Milan Cathedral. In particular, the choir explores the sacred music of Hermann Matthias Werrecore and his predecessors and contemporaries. Of Flemish origin, Werrecore was the cathedral’s Maestro di cappella for more than 30 years from 1522. He composed 30 motets, six of which are recorded here. The excellent programme notes argue that Werrecore’s output has been unfairly eclipsed by other composers. Judging by this CD, and two large-scale motets Ave maris stella and Popule meus in particular, Werrecore was indeed a master of his craft. Josquin des Prez is among other composers represented; earlier he too had made the trek over the Alps to Milan. There’s confident, lyrical singing from this small yet beautifully formed group directed by Patrick Allies: an overdue fresh airing of fine music.

** REQUIEM: MUSIQUES POUR
LES FUNÉRAILLES ROYALES ESPAGNOLES
La Maîtrise de Toulouse / Les
Sacqueboutiers / Mark Opstad Regent REGCD551
Musicians based in Toulouse are well represented in this CMQ. As well as the organ CD reviewed later, here is a collaboration between a French choir school and an ensemble of early brass instruments. Founded in 2006, the Maîtrise de Toulouse is a children’s vocal ensemble from the city’s conservatoire, augmented by adults singing the lower parts. They wind the clock back 400 years not to France but to regal Spain with, as a centrepiece, Victoria’s Requiem of 1603. At the time, this was performed in royal circles by niños cantorcicos (as young Spanish choristers were known) and the ministriles (wind players attached to church foundations). The CD notes include a contemporary account of mourners who ‘maintain their gravity while the musicians play on furiously’. There is fine, clean and sustained singing here – the brass instruments bring a refreshing perspective to Victoria’s music which we more often hear accompanied. Stuart Robinson

Organ CDs

**
CÉSAR FRANCK
John Challenger p 1876
Father Willis organ of Salisbury Cathedral
www.salisburycathedral.org.uk

This recording of music by César Franck (1822–90) was the last to be made on the Father Willis organ of Salisbury Cathedral before its restoration. John Challenger certainly pulled out all the stops to give it a fitting farewell. Pièce héroïque is a gripping start and the full power of the organ is well demonstrated. The programme notes state that ‘some wind leakage and action noise may be audible at times’. The wind leakage is particularly noticeable in the quieter, more reflective passages of Prélude, Fugue et Variation and the second Choral. This isn’t a big irritation, nor does it detract from enjoyment of Challenger’s wizardry in a flawless performance. This disc is a fine testament to the instrument, with the range and scope of not just dynamics but the various couplings and timbres as impressive as Challenger’s playing. Ian Munro

**
BACH IST DER VATER, WIR SIND DIE BUBEN
Peter Holder plays the 1797 Johann Nepomuk Holzhay organ of Neresheim Abbey
Fugue State Records FSRCD015

‘Bach is the father, we are the children.’ As Peter Holder points out in his informative liner notes, Mozart wrote that referring to Emanuel Bach, not his father, but nevertheless it is ‘the immediate legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach’ that this recording ‘seeks to explore and celebrate’. The programme focuses on the Bach family with lively and spirited renditions of the Toccata and Fugue BWV 565, the D major Prelude and Fugue BWV 532 and the arrangement of the G major concerto of Prince Johann Ernst BWV 592. Bach’s sons Friedemann and Emanuel – curiously, since neither is particularly known for their contribution to organ repertoire – are represented in Holder’s arrangement of a trio sonata for flutes (Fk 48), and the Sonata in A minor (H 85). A set of variations by Rinck and the Mozart Adagio and Allegro in F minor (K 594), again arranged by Holder, complete the disc. While other organist-composers could lay a stronger claim to carrying on Bach’s organ-playing legacy, this recording is nonetheless a satisfying programme. But the real star is the 1797 Holzhay organ. One gains a vivid sense of the instrument in the abbey, and the whole is set off by the intelligence and vigour of the performances. Warwick Cole

**
EUROPEAN ORGAN MUSIC
Colin Walsh plays the organ of Lincoln Cathedral
Priory PRCD1223

Much of the music here is Francophone in origin – Jongen, Franck, Duruflé, Mulet and Langlais, but there’s also a fair proportion of time given to the works of Enrico Bossi. Colin Walsh opens with a fine display of grandeur with Bossi’s Entrée pontificale. The CD notes quote Felix Aprahamian’s description, apropos of a 1966 recording, of ‘rolling diapasons, roaring reeds, and prelates rolling up and roaring down the aisle’. It’s easy to imagine the same here. There are changes of mood, however. Franck’s Prélude, Fugue et Variation shows off the organ’s more intimate colours. Walsh doesn’t hang about, though this is a beautifully phrased interpretation. There are some fine choices here: Duruflé’s splendid ‘Soissons’ Fugue, Dupré’s Cortège et Litanie and the Langlais Te Deum to close – Colin Walsh studied with the latter and clearly French organ music is in his blood. The 1898 Father Willis instrument is given a good airing in this fine recording.

**
SYMPHONIC ACCLAMATIONS & GREGORIAN PARAPHRASES Matthieu de Miguel plays the Puget organ of Notre Dame de la Dalbade (Toulouse)
Priory PRCD 1210 

If in these distracted times you’re clamouring for a fix of Very Loud French organ music, then look no further. Matthieu de Miguel has recorded, on the Puget organ in Toulouse where he is titulaire, works by Widor, Langlais and Tournemire – staple composers surely in any gastronomie musicale. In addition, there is a suitably entitled Vif et impétueux by André Fleury – an astonishing piece of virtuosity. By contrast, from Tournemire’s L’Orgue Mystique Op. 56, there’s the beautifully mesmerizing Pentecost Communion followed by the exceedingly difficult Fantaisie-choral. Like several pieces on this CD, these are based on Gregorian themes. De Miguel can play with both élan and tendresse. The organ also performs well: a comprehensive instrument with beautifully voiced softer stops and unmistakeably fiery French reeds. What’s more – this organ is in tune! En fin we’re treated to Grunenwald’s Jubilate Deo – complete with large and loud, added sixth chord. Magnifique! Stuart Robinson

*
ST ASAPH EXPERIENCE
John Hosking plays the organ of St Asaph Cathedral / Olivia Hunt (soprano) / Bethan Griffiths (harp) / Xander Croft (violin)
Willowhayne WHR058
On the evidence of this CD, especially his performances of J.S. Bach’s C major Prelude and Fugue BWV 547 and C.S. Lang’s Introduction and Passacaglia, John Hosking is a formidable player. The biggest piece is Sigfrid Karg-Elert’s Symphonic Chorale ‘Nun ruhen alle Wälder’ for organ, violin and soprano – rather thick and turgid for my taste, although halfway through, the first time the violin enters pianissimo above organ marked ‘visionär’, there is a welcome moment of light. Other vocal music is by Boellmann, Lili Boulanger and John Hosking himself. A harp toccata by Guillaume Connesson and organ Variations sur un Noël Bourguignon by André Fleury are also part of this very mixed CD. The finale is Dupré’s Toccata from his Symphony No. 2, excitingly played with drive and technical assurance. Judith Markwith

*
ROULADE
Simon Earl plays the Nicholson organ of Christchurch Priory Priory PRCD1209
In this recording from Christchurch Priory, Simon Earl offers a programme designed to show off the many different colours and characteristics of the Priory organ. More serious compositions, such as C.V. Stanford’s Fantasia and Toccata and the Danse macabre by Saint-Saëns are pitted against more light-hearted works, such as Nigel Ogden’s Penguins’ Playtime, and Seth Bingham’s Roulade, after which the CD is named. Simon Earl is at one with the organ and repertoire throughout, exploiting the vast dynamic capabilities of the instrument. Matched with sensitive playing, he succeeds in offering a pleasant listening experience.

*
THE ENGLISH CATHEDRAL SERIES VOLUME XX
Timothy Parsons plays the organ of Exeter Cathedral
Regent REGCD523
The 20th release in Regent’s English Cathedral series is the debut recording of Exeter Cathedral’s assistant organist, Timothy Parsons. It is also the first recording to showcase the Exeter organ since its major rebuild and restoration in 2014. As well as works by such well-known composers as Mendelssohn, Vierne, Brahms, Alain and Duruflé, the recording affords us the chance to hear two works by composers who have an association with the cathedral – Matthew Locke and Samuel Sebastian Wesley. Contemporary compositions by Mark Blatchly and Nico Muhly complete the varied programme. This is a well-crafted disc, brought to life by the excellent playing of Timothy Parsons. His enjoyment of the repertoire is evident from the outset, and his command of the Exeter instrument is impressive.

**
PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION
Martin Baker plays the Ruffatti organ of Buckfast Abbey
Ad Fontes AF001
Martin Baker’s recording consists of works selected from his inaugural concert on the organ of Buckfast Abbey. The instrument – the largest in the South West of England – was the first in the United Kingdom by the Italian builder Fratelli Ruffatti. The programme opens with music by Dom Sebastian Wolff, the abbey’s long-serving monk, composer and organist. Other works by Bach, de Grigny, Jongen and Widor explore the various tonal nuances of the instrument, which is located in both the quire and west gallery of the abbey church. The recital culminates in Martin Baker’s own transcription of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. While the instrument may not be to everybody’s taste, it is Martin Baker’s musical playing and highly imaginative transcription of the Mussorgsky that brings this disc to life. The organ has been excellently captured by the sound engineer, and the disc and informative booklet are presented in an attractive collectors’ case.

**
ORGAN PARTY VOL. 5 GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND VOL. 3
Kevin Bowyer plays the organ of King’s Lynn Minster
Priory PRCD 1201 and 1202
In addition to playing and recording much of the standard organ repertoire, Kevin Bowyer is renowned for championing lesser-known works. These two releases by Priory are no exception. Many of the composers, and the majority of both playlists, are likely to be unknown to most listeners, but Kevin Bowyer excels at bringing these little-known gems to life. Some familiar names also feature among the extensive roster of composers, including Ernest Tomlinson whose seven-minute Triumphal Overture is the longest and Pachelbel with a chorale prelude that is the shortest track on the discs! See www.prioryrecords.co.uk for full listings. The organ of King’s Lynn Minster acts as the perfect vehicle, with all resources being used to good effect. These discs are fun and good-humoured; they would make a worthy addition to any collection. Richard Brasier

ORGAN DVD

***
THE ENGLISH ORGAN
A Will Fraser film with Daniel Moult as performer and presenter
4DVD and 3CD pack
Fugue State Films FSFDVD012
I wish I were allowed to award a fourth star to this set of three documentaries about the English organ, plus individual films about 33 organs and ten hours of specially recorded organ music (on DVD and CD, stereo and surround). The ‘English’ in the title refers to the nationality of the organ builders, with instruments filmed also in Scotland, USA, Australia and New Zealand. Much of the music is by English composers more or less contemporary with the instruments. But as well as the instruments and the music there are the connections between them and wider history, and the way changes in society (as well as technical developments) influenced builders – the whole package is a cultural history, seen and heard from a new perspective. The first DVD is a three-part documentary on ‘The Long Beginning c.1500–1855’, ‘The Victorian Boom 1855–1904’ and ‘Modernity and Nostalgia 1908–2017’. The other three DVDs and three CDs provide an abundance of further music and (on DVD) demonstrations of the organs. Daniel Mould presents the documentaries and plays with astonishing virtuosity (where suitable) and always with an appropriate sense of style over nearly 500 years of music. The 64-page booklet includes full stop lists and pictures of the 33 organs. The UK retail price of £68.50 is a bargain for all that it contains, but at the time of writing there is a discounted price. It is easy to drown in superlatives when describing this achievement of Fugue State Films. Judith Markwith.

BOOKS

MUSIC AND FAITH: CONVERSATIONS IN A POST-SECULAR AGE
Jonathan Arnold
Boydell & Brewer: 264pp.
H/B 978-1-78327-260-0 £30.00
Jonathan Arnold, formerly a professional singer in several of the top London chamber choirs, now ordained and Dean of Divinity at Magdalen College, Oxford, has interviewed 12 writers, artists, scientists and historians, some with faith, some unchurched, some agnostic and some atheist, mostly lay but some clergy (indeed one bishop). In the ‘conversations’ he explores how music and faith are intertwined in their experience and the effect that sacred music has on them, whether as believer or non-believer. It is not an easy read, partly because it covers such a wide area of experience, and the definition of ‘faith’ is broad, but readers who persevere will find much to agree and disagree with. Throughout there is an encouraging belief that music matters
– indeed that what we sing is important, for as the Bishop of Leeds says, ‘If you sing rubbish, you believe rubbish.’ Julian Elloway