Chorale Prelude on "Eventide" (Abide with me)

T. Tertius Noble (1867-1953) studied at the Royal College of Music where he was a student of Sir Walter Parratt, Sir Charles Stanford, and Sir Fredercik Bridge. Completing his studies at the Royal College, he was appointed teacher of organ, a position he relinquished when after 5 years at Ely Cathedral, he was appointed to York Minster. In 1913 he was invited to serve as Organist and Choirmaster at St. Thomas Church, New York, where he remained until his retirement in 1943. Dr. Noble died in Rockport, Mass. in 1953."

Noble wrote a significant amount of organ music, as well as a number of classic liturgical works that have stayed in the repetoire. These include his Evening services in a A major, B minor and A minor, and his anthems "Go to dark Gethsemane," "Souls of the Righteous," and "Grieve not the Holy Spirit." His tune "Ora labora" for the hymn "Come, labour on" is well known in the US.

The "Chorale Prelude on 'Eventide'" dates from 1949, and is more of a chorale fantasia then just a prelude. Noble does not indicate which verse/s he has in mind, but a look at the complete text should give a pretty good idea.

Beginning with strings at 16', 8', & 4' over a soft 32' in the pedal, the work builds up slowly. A highly-chromatic section follows with the tune appearing on the Solo Clarinet. A "lighter", more "fleeting" section gradually builds up to a massive climax, where big chords, like the footsteps of a giant marching heavenwards, ride above the tune played on the full pedal in octaves. The grandeur slowly dies away with echoes of the Solo Clarinet at the end.

This piece is one of those that is MUCH harder to play than one might think. At least I found it as such...

I include the complete text of the hymn in the "first comment," so that the listener can decide for themselves which verse is being set during the course of the piece.