Review Details
Alternatim! ANDREW MORRISON Organ THE FRIDAY SCHOLA
Alan Cooper
09 October 2009
King's College Chapel
The guest organist for the second in the Friday afternoon Alternatim Series was Andrew Morrison from St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral. Once again the vocal sections of the music were provided by The Friday Schola led, steadied and given firm support by Dr Roger Williams.
Last week, we heard the music of just one composer Philip ap Rhys. This week there were three composers, two of them really big names, Thomas Tallis and William Byrd. However the performance began with a less well known composer, John Redford, or at least it is to him that some scholars have attributed the Alternatim setting of the Magnificat which we heard first.
The usual plainchant introduction was followed by an invention for organ mostly in two parts using high and low flute stops. It was long breathed, sinuous with clear curvaceous melodic lines. As the Magnificat proceeded, the organ sections became more harmonically developed and richer in texture until finally the organ opened up to full power in a radiant final celebration.
The opening organ part in the Alternatim setting of Ecce tempus idoneum by Thomas Tallis was a beautiful hymn-like piece but here again as the piece proceeded, the contrapuntal complexities became more interesting and attractive.
Finally we were in the wonderful realm of William Byrd. The first of the two settings of Clarifica me Pater had fascinating rhythmic undercurrents supporting the counterpoint while the second mirrored some of the composers most attractive vocal writing.
To conclude his offering for the series, Professor Morrison played Byrd’s magnificent Fantasia in C. Such a fine performance of this wonderful piece does not really need an excuse but for those who would ask “what has this to do with Alternatim?” our answer could be that in a sense, all the Alternatim organ music could be labelled as Fantasias; at least this is the area of the composer’s imagination from which they emerge. The difference would be that in the Alternatim pieces the musical imagining is limited by the thoughts behind the ecclesiastical texts which it replaces. In the Fantasia in C however, we have Byrd’s untrammelled musical imagination set free at the keyboard and it was enlightening to compare that with what he produced for the Clarifica me Pater settings.