Twelve Hymn-Preludes (5. Rock of Ages, cleft for me)

The fifth prelude, "No. 5 Toplady" is perhaps the most interesting of the first six. Certainly, it HAS to be the most unique treatment that I've ever heard of Thomas Hastings' very famous tune!

It begins with a "recitative" played by the left hand in the tenor register. Bingham calls for a "Musette", so I used the 16' Dulzian of the Swell, played an octave higher. The right hand has some "harp strums", which I used the Solo Glockenspiel, "rolling" the chords and ocatves to produce the effect. I had to sneak on the Harmonique Flute for the sustained last chord of the first "verse".

The second verse calls for Choir Flutes 16' & 4' with tremulant. To achieve this, I used the Swell 8' flute with unison off and Sub and Super couplers on, as well as coupling it to the Great at 16' & 4'' with the addition of the 4' Flute of the Solo coupled in as well. I needed to add the Solo flute as well, as I'd run out of notes without a real 4' stop. I had to "thumb up" and "thumb down" a few times to prevent the louder Solo flute from dominating.

The third verse uses the Solo Orchestral Oboe for the obligato and the Swell Strings and Flute for the melody in the left hand. The piece ends in a wistful G-minor, rather than the expected B-flat major.

All-in-all, this is an amazing little piece!

It is dedicated to Norman Coke-Jephcott, the famouse Englishman who was then organist of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC.

The first verse of the hymn is as follows:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let my hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.