S. Salvador's Organ Loft
| Fantasia and Fugue in A minor | J.S. Bach |
| Basses et Dessus de Trompette | Clerambault |
| Cremorne en taille | Couperin |
| Variations: "Mein junges leben hat ein end" | Sweelinck |
| Requiem Aeternam | Wills |
| Praeludium, Fuge und Ciaccona | Buxtehude |
| Apparition de l'Eglise Eternelle | Messiaen |
| Biblical Sketch No. 2
|
Van Hulse |
The following programme notes were
read by the
Festival Administrator at the start of the recital:
|
This afternoon's recital is give by Melville Young, Director of the Festival music. The programme is devoted to works of two periods - the baroque era and the contemporary period of composition. The organ at St. Salvador's was built by Wandsworth & Maskell of Leeds in 1882 - this being their first instrument in Scotland. In 1930, Rothwell of Harrow cleaned the instrument and added a Swell 4 foot reed and the Great nineteenth. The organ, therefore, is at present virtually in its original form, possessing two manuals and pedals, some twenty-two speaking stops and the normal couplers. The action is heavy tracker throughout. A word may be said concerning the contemporary works to be performed. Arthur Wills, a current Cathedral Organist and a composer of forceful English music is represented by his Requiem Aeternam. Here we find Wills in a more reflective mood, but still utilising polytonality and the whole-tone scale. The Messiaen work reveals the composer's characteristic mysticism. 'Apparition de l'Eglise Eternelle' is impressionistic in nature. Mr. Young feels that this Vision of the Eternal Church may well be intended to give the hearer a glimpse of things to come as they arise from the mists of prophecy, stand clear before our gaze and slowly fade until the time for the New Heaven and Earth arrives for mankind. He also feels that there is an analogy between this conception of the music and St. John's vision in the Apocalypse: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them." Biblical Sketch No. 2 by the contemporary American, Van Hulse, is a fair example of programme music, depicting Moses receiving the Decalogue. The commands of God at the beginning give way to a softer passage probably portraying the peace and calm of the holy mountain. The abrupt mood change at the close is in keeping with Moses' wrath on returning to find the Children of Israel in an idolatrous orgy. This brief passage merges with the final dignified phrases which may well represent the solid foundation which the Ten Commandments give to Christian society. The recital opens with the
Fantasia and
Fugue in A minor by Bach. |
| Of course the reason
why I concentrated on the
Baroque and Modern periods was the fact that the tracker
action was so
heavy that the two manuals could not be coupled save for
chordial
passages. Indeed when the Swell to Great AND the
Swell
Superoctave to Great were employed simultaneously, one
had very nearly
to stand on the pedals and rise from the bench to push
down the manual
chords! This precluded the tonal mixing and
nuances of the
Romantic Period. There was even an ancient 'nag's
head' Swell
Pedal on the right, no pistons but six antiquated iron
combination
pedals which 'wrenched' the stops out from the jambs
with a
clatter. Having said that, it must be admitted
that there is a
more subtle control of phrasing with 'tracker' and,
because of the
compensatory beauty of a number of stops, one could live
without
electric or electro-pneumatic action. |
| Swell Lieblich Bourdon |
16' |
Great
Double Diapason |
|
Pedal Open Diapason Couplers Swell Super Octave |
16' 16'
|