Elgar’s epic anthem, “Give unto the Lord”, is the third release in this year’s series of choir and organ tutorials from Ralph Allwood and the choir of the Old Royal Naval College chapel in Greenwich. In an engaging lesson lasting nearly forty minutes, Ralph and Jonathan Eyre discuss how to perform and accompany this monumental piece of music.
“Give unto the Lord”, Op. 74, was written by Elgar in 1914 for a festival of the Sons of the Clergy, held at St Paul’s Cathedral, the piece being dedicated to Sir George Martin, the cathedral’s organist.
Elgar’s anthem has that confident and broad style so typical of Edwardian church music, having been written originally with an orchestral accompaniment. As Ralph explains, the cathedral would almost certainly have been packed for the event, and the work was written on the sort of scale that was needed to project the sound to the back rows.
Early on in the rehearsal Ralph asks Jonathan to explain some of the challenges in rendering such a busy and demanding orchestral accompaniment on the organ. One of the first things to note, Jonathan points out, is that the organist simply can’t manage without a page turner as there’s so much going on. The size of the orchestra and the complexities of some of the solo parts mean that quite a few compromises have to be made in an organ reduction, because you can’t bring out all the solo parts at the same time.
Find out more about this tutorial here:
viscountorgans.net/give-unto-...
About the Choir & Organ tutorial series:
This choir and organ tutorial series emphasises the partnership between director and organist, showing how the roles complement each other when creating excellent church music. The organist for this series is Jonathan Eyre, and the series is illustrated with a number of classic examples from the repertoire.
The works include the mass movements, Gloria and Sanctus, classic anthems such as Elgar’s monumental “Give unto the Lord”, and a section from Fauré’s Requiem. Each episode brings out a different aspect of choral performance and organ accompaniment, in most cases including a detailed rehearsal during which Ralph Allwood leads the choir through to a full rendition.
There is a well-established production team for these tutorial sessions, and it was a pleasure once again to bring it together for a recording session at the Old Royal Naval College Chapel in Greenwich on a bright day in January. James Atkinson, with his assistant Andy Heathcote, was responsible for the excellent camera work, this time employing a full six cameras to capture every detail of the action from a variety of angles. Adrian Lucas masterminded the sound recording, while Francis Rumsey acted as session director.
The organ used during these recordings is a Viscount Regent 356, a physical modelling digital instrument, which was installed in the chapel a few years ago to stand in for its ailing but historically significant pipe organ. The location of the console near to the choir at the front of the chapel makes for relatively easy interaction between conductor and organist.
Find out more about the choir and organ tutorial series here: viscountorgans.net/choir-and-...
12 июл 2023
