Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)
Partsongs
The Choir of King’s College, London / Joseph Fort
rec. 2023, All Hallows’, Gospel Oak, London
Texts included
Delphian DCD34271 [47]
Recently, I reviewed a two-disc set of choral pieces by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor recorded by Michael Waldron and London Choral Sinfonia. That release included a mixture of sacred and secular items. Now, hot on the heels of that set comes a disc by Joseph Fort and the Choir of King’s College, London, which focuses exclusively on Coleridge-Taylor’s partsongs. There is some overlap between the two programmes but Joseph Fort includes six items which were not on Michael Waldron’s programme. Among these six songs, Fort and his choir give us four premiere recordings: Isle of Beauty; Dead in the Sierras; The Fair of Almachara; and Requiescat.
Let’s consider first the pieces which are not on the London Choral Sinfonia programme. Isle of Beauty is an attractive setting of a poem by Thomas Haynes Bayly (1797-1839). Dead in the Sierras is intriguing. It’s a setting of lines by an American poet whose pen name was Joaquin Miller (1837-1913). I can do no better than quote what Jonathan Clinch says about it in his notes: the poem “speaks of the American landscape and animals of the Sierra Nevada, as natural life continues after the death of a hunter”. That’s a rather unusual subject for an English composer; Coleridge-Taylor sets the words to intense music. The Fair of Almachara takes as its subject an evening country fair in the Spanish town of Almachara, which I learned from Jonathan Clinch is in the province of Malaga. The poem by Richard Hengist Horne (1802-1884) has four stanzas. Much of the setting has vivid, lively music but in verse three the mood of the poem relaxes momentarily and Coleridge-Taylor sets these words to warm, tranquil music, thereby offering good contrast with the rest of the song.
The Sea Shell and All my stars forsake me don’t appear on the London Choral Sinfonia disc, though Delphian claim neither as a premiere recording. The former, a setting of lines from Tennyson’s Maud, features music that has a light touch to it; Joseph Fort’s choir articulates it with admirable precision. All my stars forsake me caught my attention. It’s a setting of lines by Alice Meynell (1847-1922). The music, which is richly harmonised, is very beautiful and the present performance does it justice. Joseph Fort’s selection of part songs ends with a Matthew Arnold setting, Requiescat. Jonathan Clinch explains that the score is undated and that the song was never published: if that remains the case, I wonder if it might be published now on the back of the growing interest in Coleridge-Taylor’s music. Clinch says that “the setting revels in the poet’s longing for death”; there’s undoubted melancholy in the music but I think it’s also rather gorgeous.
The other items were also recorded by London Choral Sinfonia – their sessions took place in January 2023 while the Choir of King’s College, London recorded their disc just a month later. When I reviewed the LCS disc I said that I felt the partsongs were musically stronger than the sacred music which they also recorded; it’s good, therefore, to have more than one version of some of these songs. Oddly, both discs open with the same two items: Sea Drift followed by By the lone seashore. Sea Drift is a fine, dramatic piece. The King’s College choir bring plenty of energy and commitment to their performance. By the lone seashore is much more introspective and I like the flow which Joseph Fort imparts to the music. Song of Proserpine is one of Coleridge-Taylor’s last compositions. It’s a setting of verses by Shelley. It’s a lovely piece – the music is deeply felt – and it here receives an excellent performance. The Evening Star is structurally simple but the warm, inviting harmonies compel the listener’s attention. Summer is gone sets words by Christina Rossetti; Coleridge-Taylor uses chromatic harmony very imaginatively to enhance the expressiveness of his setting.
I enjoyed this disc very much. Every time I’ve encountered the Choir of King’s College, London on disc I’ve been impressed by their evidently scrupulous preparation and the commitment they bring to the music; that’s the case on this occasion too. They sing very well; however, I was not always convinced by the balance of the choir. Thirty singers are involved (11/6/6/7) and to my ears, the sopranos quite often dominate the texture. Interestingly, the London Choral Sinfonia has the same number of sopranos (11/9/6/8) but their sopranos are better integrated. I think that’s partly because the alto and bass sections are very slightly larger than the King’s choir. More significantly, though, I think the LCS voices are a bit more mature; that not only produces a fuller sound in the lower parts but also means there’s a little less edge to the soprano tone. But both choirs acquit themselves very well on their respective discs; no purchaser will be disappointed with either.
While there is an element of duplication involved across the two releases, I feel that the two choirs’ programmes complement each other. The London Choral Sinfonia offer fewer partsongs – just eight – but they do present a selection of Coleridge-Taylor’s sacred music on a separate disc. That’s interesting to hear but, as I’ve indicated, I think the secular compositions are more rewarding. If I only wanted one of the discs for my collection, that would sway me slightly towards the Delphian disc.
Delphian’s engineering was in the safe hands of Paul Baxter; he has recorded the choir expertly. Jonathan Clinch’s notes are excellent, not only introducing the pieces but, just as importantly, setting them in the context of the enthusiasm for partsongs that British composers and singers exhibited in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth centuries.
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Contents
Sea Drift (1908)
By the lone seashore (1901)
Isle of Beauty (publ. 1920)
The Lee Shore (1911)
Dead in the Sierras, Op 67 No 2 (1905)
Song of Proserpine (publ. 1912)
The Fair of Almachara Op 67 No 3 (1905)
The Sea Shell
All my stars forsake me, Op 67 No 1 (1905)
The Evening Star (1911)
Whispers of Summer (1910)
Summer is gone (1911)
Requiescat
