Fantasia upon the Plainsong Melody "Ad coenam Agni"

he Canadian Encyclopedia says this about the "early" organ works of Healey Willan (1880-1968): With the music for organ one enters a different world. Here Willan was thoroughly at home and made a significant and lasting contribution. One work stands out: the monumental "Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue" of 1916. It represents the culmination of Willan's first period of organ composition, which started ca 1906 with a Fantasia on 'Ad coenam agni.' The Preludes and Fugues in C minor and B minor and the "Epilogue" are the other major works from this period. While not exploring the possibilities of the instrument as searchingly as his masterpiece, they are idiomatic and very typical of their time. They combine an innate Englishness (with a Stanfordian flavour) and a European chromaticism that can be found in Reger and Karg-Elert.

Born in England, Willan became organist-choirmaster of Toronto's largest church, St. Paul's, Bloor Street, but it was his royalties as a composer which allowed him to leave "low church" St. Paul's in 1921 and to become Precentor of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene (Toronto).

The Fantasia on "Ad coenam Agni" is Willan's first published organ work! It was published by Novello in Volume 8 of the fine series, "The Village Organist." It must have seemed like VERY modern music at the time, as it other composers included such as Barnby, West, Sullivan, etc., are really from the previous generation. There are some other "modern composers" included such as my good friend, William Faulkes. :-)

This work is a brief and brisk fantasia based upon an Easter plainsong hymn, "The Lamb's high banquet called to share." After a brief introduction, we arrive at brisk Elgarian section which leads to the concluding section where the tune is played on the full organ in octaves with punctuating chords. The coda is brief but grand.

The score is attached, as well as photos of Willan and 2 of St. Paul's Church, Bloor Street, Toronto.

MORE Willan coming!