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It is interesting that this approach to composition is quite different to the complexities of his earlier pieces (If the Lord had not helped me, for example, written in 1910). An extract from his autobiography in the days when he was articled to Sir Frederick Bridge at Westminster Abbey in the 1890s records the funeral of Gladstone held there in 1898: ‘Gladstone’s funeral gave me a grand opportunity of seeing a host of celebrated personages. The choir was a union of all the most celebrated London choirs, together with St George’s Chapel, Windsor. The wonderfully solemn yet simple burial sentences of William Croft (1678–1727) sung unaccompanied by that great choir impressed me very deeply.’
Could it be that, subconciously, Bairstow was seeking something of the simplicity of Croft’s burial sentences in The Lamentation? Certainly this straightforward approach has a strong effect.
from notes by William McVicker © 1997
Bairstow, Harris & Stanford: Choral works Three composers whose contributions to the Anglican choral tradition are rich in historical significance.» More |
Out of darkness A glorious and varied (Byrd, Purcell, Bairstow, Laloux and Casals—and that's just the first five tracks) choral recital taking us through the liturgical year from Lent to Trinity.» More |