Griffiths, who was accompanied by eight brass players and a 120-member choir at the Papal Mass, said: "The music before the mass was the Sonata Pian' e Forte by Giovanni Gabrieli (played on the organ and brass) and then a Bach
chorale prelude. After the service, I played the Toccata from Symphony No 5 by Charles-Marie Widor and then the organ and brass played the March of the Priests by Felix Mendelssohn."
He played the "Organ
Chorale Prelude: Nun Komm Der Heiden Heiland," BWV 659, a stately and complex piece with strong resonances from composer Dietrich Buxtehude, as well as monastic plainsong.
The Symphonic Band, directed by Timothy Paul, will perform "Cathedrals" by Kathryn Salfelder, "Bayou Breakdown" by Brant Karrick,
Chorale Prelude by Vincent Persichetti, "Soundings" by Cindy McTee, and "In Storm and Sunshine" by John Heed.
The final movement is in
chorale prelude style, where the soprano sings verse seven of Nicolai's hymn, Wie schon leuchtet der Morgenstern, while the bass sings texts from Jeremiah and Revelation.
As the programme traditionally follows evensong (superbly sung by the choir), the German baroque composer Georg Bohm's plaintive
chorale prelude on the Lord's Prayer was appropriate.
This seems like common sense, yet it begs the question to assume that pieces reflecting the traditional view of Scheidemann as inventor of the so-called monodic
chorale prelude and the chorale fantasia are "mature" or relatively late, whereas others seemingly closer to the Sweelinck style are, as in one example, "obviously representing a preliminary stage" (p.
The second movement, an illustration of Matthias's sly, rather roguish sense of humor, explores motives from the spiritual "Let My People Go." As a Finale, Kern reworked and orchestrated an organ
chorale prelude that he had composed for my wife's and my wedding in 1994.
Then organist John S Bailey will play Bach's Praeludium in G Major, BWV 568 and
Chorale Prelude Erbarm' dich mein, O Herre Gott, BWV 721.
There is much to admire here; however, the symbolism of the choral movements - the personal eulogies over the grave which were traditional in German families, the appearance of 'Christ in his passion' in the 'wrong' key in the opening movement (the ripieno 'O Lamm Gottes' in the otherwise E minor
chorale prelude), the echoing of the sevenths of 'Herr, bin ich's?' at 'meine' in the subsequent chorale - all deserve mention (two of them are dealt with in my review of The Church and the Arts, ed.
Brahms's early organ works, including the preludes and fugues (WoO 9 and 10), the fugue in A-flat minor (WoO 8), and the
chorale prelude and fugue on O Traurigkeit, O Herzeleid, are the subject of chapter 4.
Unlike numerous other hymn preludes on the communion hymn "Picardy" ("Let all mortal flesh keep silence"), which play upon the modal and chant-like character of the tune, White casts it as a gently rocking neo-baroque
chorale prelude with a lovely counter-melody preparing the way for the hymn.
Chorale Prelude "By the Waters of 4/29/1928 Babylon" (orchestrated by Mabel Wood Hill) Bach, J.