Six Hymn-Preludes, BOOK ONE

SIX HYMN-PRELUDES FOR ORGAN (1945)
BOOK ONE:
1. DARWALL’S 148th
2. SONG 13 3:19
3. DEO GRACIAS 7:17

Nearing the end of the war in 1944, Whitlock had submitted a manuscript of five Chorale Preludes to the OUP. His publisher Norman Peterkin at the OUP asked for one more so they could produce two books, each containing three pieces. For the additional Prelude, Whitlock transcribed an earlier orchestral score, ‘Fanfare on the Tune Song of Agincourt’ written in 1940. He completed the transcription for solo organ on the 12th of May 1944. He had cut out quiet a bit of repeated material from the original score

The 1940 orchestral score (with part for organ) had been written after Whitlock and his wife Edna heard a broadcast of ‘Agincourt Song’. Edna said to him ‘You should write a piece on this fine tune’, so he did, ‘& started on the score straight away’.

The new piece was eventually given the title ‘Deo Gracias’, words taken from the Latin chorus of the 15th century Folk Song. An entry for the 24th May 1944 reads, ‘9pm to St Stephen’s. Tried over my new Hymn Preludes. E[dna] came. The new on[e] on ‘Agincourt Song’ far the best’. The two books were published by the OUP in 1945.

Malcolm Riley suggests that ‘two of the Preludes, on Werde Munter (Jesu joy) and Darwell’s 148th had originally been composed as far back as November 1923 when Whitlock was still a student at the RCM’. The Prelude on Orlando Gibbons’ Song 13 could also be assumed to be ‘an early effort’ being very much influenced by the Cantata writing of J.S. Bach.

In the July 1946 issue of Musical Opinion, an anonymous reviewer wrote. ‘…these preludes exhibit that originality and freshness of expression which distinguish so much of [Whitlock’s] work for the organ’.

See video for further details.