"The Little Church Around the Corner"
One East 29th Street, New York
MUSIC NOTES:
Pentecost 20 - October 21, 2001
George Oldroyd (1893-1956) composed his Mass of the Quiet Hour in 1928, and dedicated it to the Archbishop of Canterbury. With the turbulence of the time -- war in Ireland, a general strike and the beginnings of world depression - one can understand Oldroyd's quest for a "quiet hour," especially as we come to terms with the unsettling events of our own time. The music harks back to the Victorian era, as if deliberately to spurn the innovations and often bewildering experiments of the New Music which were sweeping across Germany and France. It is clear and straightforward, embracing romanticism as decidedly as the New Music rejected it. The Kyrie is gentle and prayerful; the tuneful Gloria could almost be a congregational setting; the carol-like Sanctus ends with a soft, shimmering organ chord that readies the soul for the Eucharistic Prayer; the familiar text of the Agnus Dei assumes the quality of personal prayer with its imploring solo passages.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) made some ten trips to England during his life, and it was during one such trip that he composed his marvelous anthem Hear my prayer. The work was intended for use in the Anglican service, and has become a staple of the repertory of many English cathedral choirs. The solo part is a tour-de-force for any boy chorister, and often marks a high-point of his tenure with the choir. The text (by W. Bartholomew) is steeped in romanticism, with its sense of foreboding, its fixation on the troubled soul; its narrative of the hapless individual, oppressed and alone, longing for "the wings of a dove" as a means of delivery to a place of rest. The music alternates between innocent song-like passages and moments of Sturm und Drang ("storm and stress") marked by chromaticism and sforzando entries of the full choir.
César Franck (1822-1890) is an enigmatic figure in the history of French music. His early career was frustrated by the Parisian musical establishment, largely because of his Belgian birth and his disinterest in opera. He came into his own later in life, with his appointment as organist to the Church of Ste. Clotilde, with its famed Cavaillé-Coll organ. He acquired a loyal following of students, and his gentle manner greatly endeared him to them. The much-loved Panis angelicus was written in 1872 during his time at Ste. Clotilde. The piece was originally scored for tenor, organ, harp, cello and double bass, and was later rescored and interpolated into the 1861 Mass for Three Voices.
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) made some ten trips to England during his life, and it was during one such trip that he composed his marvelous anthem Hear my prayer. The work was intended for use in the Anglican service, and has become a staple of the repertory of many English cathedral choirs. The solo part is a tour-de-force for any boy chorister, and often marks a high-point of his tenure with the choir. The text (by W. Bartholomew) is steeped in romanticism, with its sense of foreboding, its fixation on the troubled soul; its narrative of the hapless individual, oppressed and alone, longing for "the wings of a dove" as a means of delivery to a place of rest. The music alternates between innocent song-like passages and moments of Sturm und Drang ("storm and stress") marked by chromaticism and sforzando entries of the full choir.
César Franck (1822-1890) is an enigmatic figure in the history of French music. His early career was frustrated by the Parisian musical establishment, largely because of his Belgian birth and his disinterest in opera. He came into his own later in life, with his appointment as organist to the Church of Ste. Clotilde, with its famed Cavaillé-Coll organ. He acquired a loyal following of students, and his gentle manner greatly endeared him to them. The much-loved Panis angelicus was written in 1872 during his time at Ste. Clotilde. The piece was originally scored for tenor, organ, harp, cello and double bass, and was later rescored and interpolated into the 1861 Mass for Three Voices.
