Six Short Preludes & Postludes Op. 101, Nos. 5 & 6

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was a proud Irishman and his Celtic roots featured regularly in his music. The final two pieces in his Op. 101 set of Six Short Preludes and Postludes are both subtitled ‘Founded on an old Irish church melody’. The first of these two pieces (No. 5) is a grandiose setting of the tune known as 'Gartan', familiar to us as the concluding part of 'St Patrick’s Breastplate' and usually sung to the words 'Christ be with me, Christ above me'. The concluding piece in the first set (No. 6) is more reflective. Here, Stanford alternates the hymn melody, known as 'St Columba', with a ritornello-like passage, much like a chorale prelude.

Of course, English organs are perfectly suited to the music of Stanford. I am fortunate to live near to Salisbury and have played the magnificent 'Father' Willis organ in the cathedral on many occasions. It's therefore unsurprising that for this video I turn to the virtual organ of Salisbury Cathedral