Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)
Choral Works
London Choral Sinfonia / Michael Waldron
James Orford (organ)
rec. 2023, St John the Evangelist, Islington, London
Texts included
Orchid Classics ORC100247 [2 CDs: 92]
As George Hall reminds us in his helpful notes, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor shot to fame in 1898 with Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. This, and the other two parts of what became a trilogy, were widely popular with choral societies until after the Second World War but Coleridge-Taylor’s star waned from the 1950s onwards. In the last twenty years or so there has been something of a revival of interest in his music, mainly on disc, with his Violin Concerto achieving multiple recordings. I think it would be fair to say, though, that with the exception of Hiawatha his choral music has slumbered. Now Michael Waldron and the London Choral Sinfonia have made amends, as it were, by recording a selection of his choral music, both secular and sacred. There are 11 sacred choral pieces on Disc 1 and 8 secular pieces on Disc 2. In addition, James Orford plays the Three Short Pieces for Organ. I imagine that most of this music is here recorded for the first time.
When I asked to review this set, I was particularly intrigued to hear the pieces of sacred music, since that’s a genre that interests me; however, the pieces included by Michael Waldron prove to be something of a mixed bag. I infer from what George Hall has to say about the sacred music that dating the composition of most of the sacred pieces which Waldron has selected is problematic. Most of these pieces can only be dated accurately to their publication. There are four pieces which were published in either 1891 or 1892: In thee, O Lord; The Lord is my strength; O ye that love the Lord; and Lift up your heads. Frankly, I found these pieces were of limited interest. They’re the work of a teenage composer, albeit an obvious talent, who had only begun his studies at the Royal College of Music in 1890. In these four pieces Coleridge-Taylor has yet to find an individual voice and the music seems to me to be dutiful and Victorian; that’s especially the case with In thee, O Lord. That said, the gentle O ye that love the Lord is rather touching; the music is simple but effective.
In 1899 Novello published Coleridge-Taylor’s settings of the Morning and Evening Canticles; all five pieces are included on Disc 1 and sensibly they’re not presented as a group – with the obvious exception of the ‘Mag’ and ‘Nunc’. These seem to me to mark a significant step forward from those four early pieces. The actual composition dates are uncertain but it seems reasonable to infer that the example of Stanford, with whom Coleridge-Taylor had studied composition at the RCM, may have had a bearing. The succinct Te Deum is, for the most part, strong and affirmative in nature, though there are some short quieter passages which offer good contrast. The other four canticles share the same exuberant music for the ‘Glory be’. Jubilate Deo is cut from the same cloth as the Te Deum. The Benedictus offers a good, varied response to the text and I particularly like the quieter, thoughtful passages. In Coleridge-Taylor’s setting of the Magnificat there’s not much evidence that this is a feminine text; rather, the setting is, like the other canticles, largely robust. I make that point not as an implicit criticism – many other composers have trodden a similar path – but rather in an attempt to describe the music. I think it’s an effective setting. So, too, is the Nunc dimittis which begins with tranquil, flowing music. The music rises to a climax at ‘To be a light’ before relapsing into tranquillity. It’s a very attractive ‘Nunc’; my only criticism would be that the exuberant ‘Glory be’, common to all these canticles, doesn’t really suit the music for the canticle itself.
By the waters of Babylon is a quite substantial anthem which contains a good deal of dramatic writing. There are also some passages of more melancholy music where the text expresses regret for the fallen city. I think this is an impressive piece. Now late on the Sabbath Day is, I think, the latest of the sacred pieces, and it shows. The choral writing is assured and interesting, as is the organ part. When the text (from St Matthew’s Gospel) speaks of a great earthquake, the music is suitably dramatic. The words spoken to Mary Magdalene and her companion by the Angel who guards the tomb are set for solo soprano. It’s an extended solo and Alison Ponsford-Hill, a member of the choir, sings it well. The conclusion, setting to music Christ’s valedictory words to his disciples, provides a fervent finish to the piece.
On Disc 1 we hear one of the Three Short Pieces for Organ (1898); the other two are to be found on the second disc. They’re pleasing and fluent but not particularly distinctive, though James Orford pays them well.
If the sacred choral music is something of a mixed bag, I wouldn’t say the same about the secular pieces; these seem to me to achieve much greater consistency and to exhibit superior compositional technique. It’s surely no coincidence that all these secular pieces date from 1901 or later. I may as well get my sole reservation out of the way first. As a matter of subjective personal taste, I don’t care at all for Viking Song. Apparently, this was one of Coleridge-Taylor’s most popular pieces. It was first conceived as a solo song for low voice and piano but London Choral Sinfonia here present it in an arrangement for chorus and organ. To be sure, it’s a rousing piece and, as such, brings the programme to a robust conclusion. However, the music suffers from a significant excess of ‘rumpty-tum’ and it’s thin gruel compared with the other secular pieces heard earlier on the disc, all of which are for unaccompanied choir.
Sea Drift should not be confused with any setting of Walt Whitman’s poetry. This is a setting of lines by another American, Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907). His poem tells of a fisherman’s daughter looking out to sea on a stormy night. She’s hoping to see her lover’s boat, but in the morning his body is washed up onshore. The composer designated this as a ‘rhapsody for eight unaccompanied voices’. Much of the writing, depicting the storm, is turbulent and dramatic but the last verse, when the drowned sailor is found, is subdued and poignant. This is a fine setting. The Lee Shore is in a similar vein; the poem starts by describing a seafarer, whose boat gets too close to the coastline during a storm, with tragic consequences. The opening is stormy while the later music is calmer. It’s another good piece though perhaps not quite on the same level of illustrative accomplishment as Sea Drift. By the lone Sea Shore is another maritime setting. George Hall references a “bleak and dreary seascape” which eventually becomes warmer in tone. The growing warmth begins in the second of the three stanzas and that warmth was the strongest impression I took away. The music is very well written for choir and here it’s beautifully sung.
I may be wrong, but I detect the influence of Stanford in Whispers of Summer. This is a tranquil setting and most attractive. The members of London Choral Sinfonia sing the music with expert control. The notes describe The Evening Star as “a small masterpiece”. Again, the music is very well laid out for SATB chorus. The harmonic language in this hushed and thoughtful piece is inviting. There’s rich harmonic language to savour in Song of Proserpine, a beautiful piece. However, for me, the pick of this particular bunch is Summer is gone, a setting of lines by Christina Rossetti. George Hall suggests that the harmonies are “almost Delian”. I wouldn’t disagree. This gorgeous setting shows us the direction in which Coleridge-Taylor’s music might have gone had he not succumbed to pneumonia the year after this part-song was composed; he was only 37.
I’m glad I’ve had the chance to hear this music. There’s an element of unevenness to the sacred music, but the best of those pieces are accomplished and the secular repertoire is much more consistently successful. There may be an element of musical unevenness – other listeners may well feel differently – but there is no unevenness whatsoever in the standard of performance. The singing of the London Choral Sinfonia is highly accomplished: Michael Waldron has evidently trained the choir very well indeed and he conducts the performances expertly. James Orford provides excellent support from the organ console.
The venue for the recordings, the church of St John the Evangelist, Islington is not one which I can recall experiencing before on disc but it seems very suitable for this music. The project was in the expert hands of producer Adrian Peacock and engineer David Hinitt; you won’t be surprised, therefore, to learn that the recorded sound is excellent.
This valuable collection of short pieces, expertly performed, expands our knowledge of this sadly short-lived composer.
John Quinn
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Contents
Disc 1 – Sacred
Te Deum Laudamus (publ. 1899)
The Lord is my strength (1892)
In thee, O Lord (publ. 1891)
Jubilate Deo (publ. 1899)
O ye that love the Lord (1892)
Benedictus (publ. 1899)
By the waters of Babylon (1899)
Arietta (Three Short Pieces for Organ) (1898)
Lift up your heads (publ. 1892)
Magnificat (publ. 1899)
Nunc Dimittis (publ. 1899)
Now late on the Sabbath Day (1901)
Disc 2 – Secular
Sea Drift (1908)
By the lone Sea Shore (1901)
Whispers of Summer (1910)
The Evening Star (1911)
Elegy (Three Short Pieces for Organ) (1898)
The Lee Shore (1911)
Song of Proserpine (publ. 1912)
Summer is gone (1911)
Melody (Three Short Pieces for Organ) (1898)
Viking Song (1911)
