Sword in the soul

Once upon a time there was a large cupboard in the corner of the organ loft in the chapel at Trinity College, Cambridge, which housed a huge array of loose music manuscripts and uncatalogued volumes of keyboard music. It was, to put it politely, disordered. Stephen Layton (Director of Music) and I (Organ Scholar) had both started at Trinity College in autumn 2006 and early on agreed the cupboard needed tackling. Most of it turned out to be nineteenth and twentieth century organ music belonging to one of Stephen’s predecessors – Alan Gray – who had held the post between 1893-1930. In amongst the mountains of old organ music, however, lay a few more recent additions…

Within the stacks of loose sheets, I spotted something signed by Francis Grier. It was handwritten manuscript, and the dozen-or-so pages were all out of order. I was familiar with Grier’s music and liked it. I salvaged the loose manuscript and took it to my room. Playing it through at the piano, I was immediately captivated by the texts and the musical sound world.

I then largely forgot about it until I was in my fourth year, with a little more time around the edges of the academic work to return to it. I reached out to the previous director of music, Richard Marlow, to find out what he could tell me. He spoke enthusiastically about the piece and explained the context of its commission and performance. He was helpful, even sourcing a recording of the original BBC Radio 4 broadcast so I could hear it.

I was captivated and knew instantly that I wanted to put together my own performance. Our Chaplain, Alice Goodman, was extremely kind and generous, helping source and edit the Rowan Williams texts, and involving Sir Geoffrey Hill and Richard Lloyd-Morgan to join her as speakers for the performance. By this point I had written to Francis Grier, who also provided invaluable support. All were in attendance for the performance in Trinity College chapel on Friday 5 March 2010.

Realising this work proved rather a seminal moment for me. It is not particularly long, nor scored for huge forces, but it is the intimacy and intensity which produce something of profound impact. Grier’s music and Williams’ words complement each other perfectly, weaving together to produce a very human and direct experience for the listener.

Sword in the Soul is a piece very dear to me, and it has been the utmost pleasure to record it. I would imagine it will be a new discovery for almost all who listen, but one which I hope resonates with others as much as it has with me.

The Good Friday / Passiontide theme is certainly not under-explored, but I hope the rest of the journey through this album provides some new and enjoyable discoveries. Elgar certainly needs no introduction, but Lux Aeterna and We Will Remember Them both shine a fresh light on a familiar melody and a familiar text respectively. The sharp contrast of Lux Aeterna’s symphonic breadth, alongside the startling simplicity and directness of We Will Remember Them, prove engaging listening.

Bednall’s Finzi-inspired setting of the Song of Simeon canticle has always resonated with me, and I am delighted we were able to commission him to scale the original organ-only accompaniment for orchestra. The music resounds to notes of optimism and content.

Owain Park has written and arranged much for LCS through his position as Composer in Residence. Hail Gladdening Light packs an emotional punch in a short and restrained setting. The solo plainsong-inspired melody against more harmonically advanced wordless choir gives a nice melodic and harmonic link to Grier.

And I saw a new heaven is, I would guess, known to 99% of people who have ever sung in a choir performing sacred music. It is a small, perfectly formed anthem accessible to choirs of all sizes and abilities. I have always felt that, despite its apparent small scale, it has inner grandeur. The first of the two climaxes, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God..’, hints at trumpets and drums. The second climax, ‘…for the former things are passed away…’, suggests full strings. LCS commissioned Park to bring these orchestral sonorities to life. His skilful adaptation of Bainton’s notes exploits these different textures and colours in the best possible way, serving to enhance the words and melodies of this miniature masterpiece.

Michael Waldron