KEY

E Easy
M Medium
D  Difficult

WARM-UP EXERCISES

WARM UP THE CHOIR
Bertrand Gröger
Schott ED22867 £15.99

Church choir directors often omit warm-ups, but do so at their peril, especially given the voices with which they are typically working, including the very young and the elderly. There seems little that is significantly different in the exercises in this book: they are based on tried and tested principles. But they are organized in an interesting way with 22 separate ‘routines’, each of which comprises four physical exercises, two breathing exercises, two humming exercises and four singing exercises. The routines gradually increase in difficulty. Although the intention is to enable the busy choir director to choose a single routine and follow it through, the exercises are interchangeable, and many will want to pick and choose from different routines, à la carte rather than the set menu. The main index and a ‘thematic overview’ will help to do that.

Bertrand Gröger directs a jazz choir, a pop choir and the Swiss Chor Zug that has a repertoire of arrangements of pop, rock, jazz and gospel. These exercises – physical, breathing and singing – should help everyone.
Stephen Patterson

ANTHEMS BY FRENCH COMPOSERS

FRENCH CHORAL MUSIC [Mostly M]
Edited by Denis Rouger
Mostly SATB, unaccompanied or with organ
Carus Verlag 02.311/00 €27.90

Here are 45 sacred pieces written by French composers (or at least composed in France), spanning seven centuries from Pierre de la Rue (c.1460–1518) through to Yves Castagnet, Philippe Mazé and Denis Rouget, all alive and composing. Of the 27 composers, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Saint-Saëns, Gounod, Dubois and Bouzignac are strongly represented. All but six of the pieces have Latin texts, and are given with English, German and French prose translations. A few of the pieces are well known in English-speaking lands (including Ave verum corpus settings by Fauré and Saint-Saëns) but the majority will be discoveries to most of us. Indeed, some are first editions, including pieces by Widor and Adam.

French voice descriptions (Dessus, Taille, etc.) are replaced by SATB designations and some pieces originally with low Haute-contre alto parts have been transposed upwards. The occasional solo lines are mostly suitable for singing chorally if preferred. The whole collection is practically conceived, and includes in this conductor’s score a CD of performances of 14 of the pieces. The publisher’s website has spoken pronunciation guides for the six French-language pieces. The editor has written a useful introduction to French sacred repertoire that will be help conductors and singers approach this music, although I would have liked also a brief note about the source and significance of each piece. It is a handsome score at a large format (320×229 mm), and heavy! For singers there is a smaller-size choir edition of the whole anthology, and all the pieces are available separately. Church choir conductors will find this a useful anthology for repertoire ideas – and for French pieces presented in a friendly way for non-French choirs.
Julian Elloway

ANTHEM OCTAVOS

O PRAISE GOD IN HIS SANCTUARY [M]
Francis Jackson
SATB and organ
Oxford X709 £2.35

VICTIMAE PASCHALI LAUDES [M/D]
Philip Lawson
SATTBB
Oxford NH232 £3.00

The indefatigable Francis Jackson, now in his 101st year, continues to write works with a youthful vigour and inventiveness. Many composers have set Psalm 150, O praise God in his sanctuary, but few with such heartfelt joy – although I particularly like the contrasting central section where the music moves into 6/8 to ‘praise him in the timbrels and dances’ and (sostenuto) ‘praise him upon the strings’. The anthem was written for Ampleforth Abbey and the printed organ registration specifies both ‘Trompeta’ (presumably the Abbey’s unique Trompetta Argentea) and separately ‘Small Trumpet’. The Trompeta may have to be regarded as optional for performances in places without an equivalent; what is not optional is a final top B flat for first sopranos.

The setting of the Easter Sequence, Victimae paschali laudes, is by Philip Lawson who for 18 years sang with, and was also principal arranger for, the King’s Singers. The traditional plainsong is used throughout, but moving between the voices and with an imaginative range of harmonies and textures. As well as the normal ‘Amen Alleluia’ at the end, Alleluias are inserted twice previously and come to dominate the music that celebrates the triumph of Easter is a way that is solemn and joyful.

WE BESEECH THEE, ALMIGHTY GOD [E]
Paul Mealor
SATB
Novello NOV297264 £1.75
BENEATH THY COMPASSION [M/E]
Paul Mealor
SATB
Novello NOV296835 £2.25

These two short anthems are both slow (‘Lento espressivo’), each starting softly, building to a big climax and falling away to quiet stillness at the end. We beseech thee, Almighty God is the more compressed, reaching its fortissimo ‘thy Majesty’ after just eight bars. It is a setting of Cranmer’s collect for the third Sunday in Lent. Beneath thy compassion is more spacious, and even slower; its text is a translation of the earliest known Marian prayer, found on a fragment of papyrus dated to 250 AD. It is an impassioned (and mostly very loud) plea to the Mother of God to deliver us from danger. The musical language is built on a clear tonality, with slowly moving harmonies and occasional clusters that resolve back onto the key chord.
James L. Montgomery

PSALM 150 [D]
Matthew Martin
SATB and organ
Novello NOV297044 £2.75
SICUT CERVUS [M]
Matthew Martin
SATB
Novello NOV297187 £2.25
SANCTISSIMA [D] Matthew Martin
SSATB
Novello NOV297055 £2.25
AVE MARIS STELLA [M]
Matthew Martin
SATB and organ
Novello NOV297022 £2.25

Matthew Martin (b. 1976) changed publisher a year ago, and these four scores are among the first of his to come from Novello. Psalm 150 is a festival anthem written for the dedication of the Kenneth Tickell organ in Manchester Cathedral (you may have heard the broadcast in BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong in September last year). As might be expected it has an exhilarating organ part, bright and fiery. The choral writing matches in the outer sections, but there is also a wonderful inward-feeling transition into ‘Let everything that hath breath raise the Lord’. It is perhaps in quiet, reflective music that the composer excels, and nowhere more so than in Sicut Cervus (‘Like the deer that yearns for running streams’), a beautiful, warm D flat major depiction of the yearning soul, written for Buckfast Abbey.

Sancissima is a ‘re-imagining’ of Guerrero’s Ave Virgo sanctissima for ORA Singers. The new piece has the same structure and indeed number of bars as the original, but Guerrero’s motifs are developed contrapuntally and harmonically, eventually building into an unexpectedly powerful, rich F sharp major final cadence. There is further ‘re-imagining’ in Ave maris stella, written for Harrow School, where the plainsong melody associated with the text is transformed and developed between the voices. The organ part provides helpful support throughout, making this the least difficult of the four pieces under review.

Martin avoids writing ‘easy’ music that is little more than trite, or ‘difficult’ music that is only performed by those for whom it was written – his music is well worth exploring by adventurous choirs.
Stephen Patterson

I WAS GLAD WHEN THEY SAID UNTO ME [M]
Hubert H. Parry
John Rutter
Oxford 978-0-19-351965-7 £3.00

It is good that this anthem has been off-printed from the Oxford Choral Classics: Sacred Choruses volume: it is a popular piece and choir conductors should certainly be aware of this edition. For many, its attraction will be the new three-stave organ accompaniment (OCC Sacred Choruses has a piano accompaniment) that is much easier to use than adapting any piano reduction. But this publication also starts with a useful discussion of the various versions of the piece made for each coronation: written for 1902, revised by Parry for 1911, revised by others for 1937 and 1953. Rutter argues that 1911 is much preferable and bases his edition on that. For those who feel they cannot sing the Vivats except at a coronation, Rutter provides an alternative ‘general-purpose’ text so that the anthem does not need to be deprived of what he calls ‘a truly thrilling moment of musical splendour’.
James L. Montgomery

Nico Muhly 

CHORAL COLLECTION [E/M–D]
Nico Muhly
12 pieces for mixed-voice choir, with organ and unaccompanied
Chester Music SRO100173 £14.99

Nico Muhly (b. 1981) has forged for himself a distinctive musical language that seems to combine American minimalism (his early years included working as editor and conductor for Philip Glass) with the Anglican choral tradition. For those who do not yet know his music, this collection provides a selection of 15 years’ worth of church compositions; all 12 pieces are available separately. The level of difficulty ranges from the comparatively straightforward Lord, keep us modest when we claim to pieces that must have challenged their college or cathedral dedicatees. They are united though by their ‘singability’: Muhly obviously loves the voice and writes sympathetic vocal lines. I hope that church choir directors will buy this collection and get to know, select and perform some of its contents.
James L. Montgomery

ORGAN MUSIC

E Easy
M Medium
D  Difficult

EASY PEDALS

TWELVE VOLUNTARIES FOUNDED ON CHURCH MELODIES (SET 2) [M]
Michael Maybrick
ed. David Patrick
Fitzjohn Music Publications £12.00

After publishing earlier this year the First Set of Voluntaries based on hymn tunes by Maybrick (1799–1846), David Patrick now brings us the Second Set of twelve. Each voluntary consists of a slow introduction followed by a fugue, all in major keys up to two sharps or flats and between 70 and 100 bars. Some of the tunes will probably not be that well known today, but there are settings of Miles Lane, University, Handel’s Harmonious Blacksmith – hardly a church melody! – and Haydn’s National Hymn (Austria). Dynamics and occasionally manuals are indicated, and although there is a pedal part, much of this is a doubling of the manuals at the unison, or an octave below. The volume is clearly printed as usual; the introduction includes notes to assist performance, with a specification of a contemporary organ with the full compass Swell. These generally well-written pieces will make worthwhile voluntaries and recital items.
John Collins

MOSTLY MANUALS ONLY

AN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY ITALIAN ALBUM [M]
David Patrick
Fitzjohn Music Publications £12.00

This anthology contains seven Sonatas and one Pastorale from Italian manuscripts and publications, opening with a three-movement piece by Niccolò Valenti that comprises an allegro Toccata with long held pedal notes, an adagio Elevazione with a cantabile right hand over an Alberti bass and an allegro Post Communio in binary form. There follow two Sonatas by Gaetano Valeri, one an Allegro for the Principale e Flauto in 12, and the other an Adagio–Siciliano for the Principale e Voce Humana respectively, the latter usually being a half compass stop, tuned sharp to the Principale, giving an undulating effect and only very rarely indeed a reed stop. The other Sonatas – two pieces in two movements (Larghetto and Allegro) by Ignazio Cirri, and one-movement pieces by Quirino Gasparini (with some tricky, fast runs in sixths in the right hand) and Andrea Lucchesi – are further good examples of the post-Scarlatti Italian Sonata. The Pastorale by Bartolomeo Franzosini is an extended piece in 6/8 with a simple pedal part of long held notes.

The introduction gives brief biographies and details of further editions of pieces by the composers, as well as the specifications of a large contemporary instrument – but smaller, as was the norm, would have been more appropriate. Here we have a useful selection of pieces, generally not over-difficult, but frequently requiring nimble fingers, which can be effective today in services and recitals, and which are a good introduction to the large number of such pieces now available.

VOLUNTARIES FROM THE JOHN READING MSS AT DULWICH COLLEGE [M]
John Reading and others
ed John Carnelley
Fitzjohn Music Publications £12.00

John Carnelley has edited 12 pieces from John Reading’s three large volumes of organ music at Dulwich and one at Manchester that contain voluntaries by earlier and contemporary composers as well as Reading’s own. David Patrick has added a version of a voluntary by Reading also found in an 18th-century published anthology. Five are ‘1st Voluntaries’ in two or more movements (three by Reading, one by Barrett and one by Mr Seedo), intended for playing before or after the first lesson and a vehicle for solo stops with some tuneful writing for Cornet, Trumpet and Vox Humana. Three are ‘2nd Voluntaries’ (two by Reading and one by Mr Seedo) intended for playing at the end of the service and usually in the form of a prelude and fugue. One short single-movement piece by Thomas (or Theophilus) Cole is entitled simply Voluntary. There are also two Sicilianos (one by Cole in 6/8, predominantly with equal quavers, and one by Charles Froud in 12/8, in a dotted rhythm). There follows a Minuet, and an Aire for French Horns and Trumpets, both by Reading.

The introduction gives much information about the composers, detailed editorial policy including interpretation of ornaments and a critical commentary with details of concordances and Reading’s own interesting instructions. The collection supplements the selection from these manuscripts published by Robin Langley in 1988; some of the voluntaries in particular are pieces of high quality. The volume is excellent value for exploring voluntaries prior to John Stanley’s printed collections.
John Collins

MUSIC FOR FUNERALS

THE OXFORD BOOK OF FUNERAL AND MEMORIAL MUSIC FOR ORGAN [M]
Compiled by Julian Elloway
Oxford 978-0-19-340119-8 £13.50

Seeing the name above, sharp-eyed readers might wonder whether the compiler of this book and this journal’s Reviews Editor are the same. Indeed they are. Rest assured then, dear readers, in the interests of editorial integrity and balance, that this review is being overseen by another member of the editorial team. This is a companion volume to the Book of Wedding Music from the same publisher. Here we have 28 pieces, including Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ (Enigma Variations), Louis Vierne’s Berceuse and Handel’s ‘Ombra mai fu’ (the Largo from Serse). If you’re expecting key funereal suspects such as Thalben-Ball’s Elegy though, you’re going to be disappointed. Bach is well represented, though there are just four Bach chorale preludes. One is them is his alternative canonic arrangement of Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier. Another is his chorale prelude Nun danket alle Gott, which is perhaps the trickiest piece in the book. That said, it’s the sort of piece that can be played at any tempo and any volume, and I’ve heard performances both loud and fast and also slow and quiet (I shall opt for the latter!). Indeed, for this piece there are no tempo or registration instructions. As I played through I was pleasantly surprised to find some delightful choices: among others Satie’s Gymnopédie no 1, Brahms’s ‘How lovely’ (the German Requiem chorus edited musically to 68 bars) and Schubert’s Andante from the ‘Death and the Maiden’ String Quartet. The collection is said to be for players of a moderate level of competence; nearly all are scored for manuals and pedals. I suspect many organists will be glad to have a clutch of appropriate contemplative pieces in one book rather than several.
Stuart Robinson

ADVENT ORGAN MUSIC

O ANTIPHON SEQUENCE [M/D]
Cecilia McDowall
Oxford 978-0-19-372294-7 £9.75

This fine and substantial work was commissioned by the American Guild of Organists earlier this year and is a fresh and welcome addition to the Advent organ repertory. McDowall bases each of the seven ‘O’ antiphon settings on its plainsong melody, save for the last, O Emmanuel, into which she weaves the famous ‘O come, O come Emmanuel’ melody. Each antiphon is strongly characterized, from the fiery flashes of O Adonai to the luminous, mysterious harmonies of O Oriens: there is much scope for colourful registration throughout. It is a strong piece that can be performed as a whole sequence or creatively woven into an Advent liturgy.
Huw Morgan

CHORALE PRELUDES WITH PEDALS

COMPLETE CHORALE PRELUDES [M]
Jürg Baur
Reinhard Kluth
Edition Dohr 95248
£16.50

Jürg Baur (1918–2010) received a broad and progressive musical education from an early age, and went on to enjoy a celebrated career as a lecturer in musicology and composition in Düsseldorf and Cologne, receiving many state prizes along the way. This collection of his complete chorale preludes will appeal to those who enjoy the post-romantic style of Karg-Elert: they are literate, well-crafted pieces that stand close scrutiny and would be useful in both a liturgical and concert context.

PSALM 147 [M]
Thea Musgrave
Novello NOV269802 £5.99

Thea Musgrave, celebrating her 90th year, is enjoying the most colourful of late flowerings. This little offering for the Orgelbüchlein Project, though on a far more modest scale than several recent commissions, is a charming and coherent little piece. The flowing lines and introspective mood reflect well the gentler verses of the psalm; an occasional harmonic tartness only adds to the colour and reflective mood. Incorporating the chorale melody Lobet den Herrn, denn er ist sehr freundlich, it is a lovely addition to this ongoing project and highly recommended.

VICTIMAE PASCHALI LAUDES [M]
Walter Gleissner
Edition Dohr 18921 £8.95
WIE SOLL ICH DICH EMPFANGEN [M]
Holger Hantke
Edition Dohr 11366 £8.95

Following his recent setting of the Stabat Mater, Walter Gleissner (b. 1931) here presents another liturgical, chorale-melody based work, this time a bold fantasy on the Easter hymn Victimae Paschali Laudes. He captures the muscularity and drive of both the original plainsong and the chorale Christ ist Erstanden: this piece would make a fine Easter or festal voluntary.

Holger Hantke, born in 1951 and an organist and composer in Lübeck, is far from a prolific composer but this short partita shows a nice command of style and idiomatic writing. Four verses of the Gerhardt/Crüger hymn, in Catherine Winkworth’s translation ‘O Lord, how shall I meet thee/you’, are set in an unchallenging but pleasant tonal style, the choral melody appearing as a cantus firmus in various textures. A useful liturgical piece.
Huw Morgan

MORE VOLUNTARIES WITH PEDALS

FOUR PIECES FOR ORGAN [M]
Leonard Butler
Fitzjohn Music Publications £8.00

David Patrick continues to explore the byways of the organ repertoire, and comes up with fascinating forgotten repertoire, such as these four pieces by Leonard Butler (1869–1943). No composition date is given, but they were first published in 1896. They are probably best described as ‘character pieces’, with At Springtime, Canzonetta, Capriccietto and an Alla Minuetto that loses its ballroom dance character and ends ‘Pomposo’ and with a request for Tuba on the final chord. Aside from that, the music is mostly charming, with a touch of Sullivan, and too good to lie forgotten.
Duncan Watkins

PASSACAGLIA CHORALITER [M]
Bernd Genz
Edition Dohr 18922 £8.95

Berndt Genz (b. 1958) graduated as a Protestant theologian, but has always studied and practised music alongside his pastoral work. This piece, from 2017, is based on a freely-composed melody in a chorale style that is treated in variation form in several sections that the composer states may be combined in different orders. The language is richly tonal, the writing idiomatic and the atmosphere varied and well-paced.
Huw Morgan

SOMETHING DIFFERENT

FOUR COD-PIECES [D]
Peter Warlock
arr. Malcolm Rudland
Novello NOV165737 £5.99

Peter Warlock, best known for serious, elegiac works such as The Curlew or Bethlehem Down, also had a turbulent side that enjoyed riot, manic gaiety and keen satire. These pieces fit into that part of his character: written in 1917 for piano, he conceived them very much as highbrow music-hall entertainment. Humour abounds in the music itself, the subtitles and the expressive instructions (‘like a barn-dance; or perhaps a cab-horse – a potato would do’). This humour will not speak to everyone, though the music is witty and Malcolm Rudland’s arrangements are stylish.

DREI PRÄLUDIEN AUS DER GEOGRAPHIE (THREE GEOGRAPHICAL PRELUDES) [M]
Christiane Michel-Ostertun
Dr J. Butz BU 2867 €12.00

Christiane Michel-Ostertun is well-known in Germany for her improvisations and organ teaching for children. These three preludes are playful takes on ‘geographical’ elements: the New World, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. References to classical repertoire, most obviously the famous head-motif of Beethoven’s fifth symphony, occur throughout the music, making them entertaining and accessible concert works, technically achievable and offering plenty of scope for orchestral colour.
Huw Morgan