Chorale Prelude on "Melcombe" - Sir Hubert Parry // Salisbury Cathedral

Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry is perhaps best known for his choral writing, most famously his choral song Jerusalem, the hymn tune Repton, and his setting of verses from Psalm 122, better known as I was glad, composed for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1902. Amongst his other compositions is a handful of pieces for organ including two books of Seven Chorale Preludes, published in 1912 and 1916. His setting of "Melcombe" is taken from the former volume.
The original tune was composed by Samuel Webbe in 1782 and is often sung to the words 'New every morning is the love'. Originally published as a chant tune in the Roman Catholic Mass (Webbe composed much music for Roman Catholic services) but its popularity meant that it was included in many Protestant hymnals as well. The tune was named after Melcome Regis, now an area of Weymouth in Dorset, not too far from where Parry was born in Bournemouth.
Parry's lilting setting in 12/8 time is a lyrical one, with each phrases of the gently ornamented melody separated by a short-interlude, showing the influence of Bach on Parry's writing. The 'Father' Willis organ of Salisbury Cathedral (sampled for Hauptwerk by Milan Digital Audio) is a perfect match for this quintessentially English music.
Organ detail: milandigitalau...
#hauptwerk #milandigitalaudio #salisburycathedral
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Thank you for watching. 😀
Marcus

[@grahamtwist]

A really lovely performance, Marcus: bravo! Parry's beautiful setting of 'Melcombe' is indeed perfectly suited to the softer colours of the Father Willis at Salisbury and your gentle artistry coupled with subtle registration choices makes this a most charming recoding. Gorgeous!

[@MarcusReeves]

Thank you very much, Graham. 🙏🏻

[@RalphLooij]

A beautiful setting. Since I'm certainly not familiar with the English romantic style, it's always nice to discover new pieces through your and other channels. Thanks!

[@MarcusReeves]

Thanks, Ralph. I guess one of the joys of the internet is being able to discover new repertoire.

[@jerrymartin79]

Beautifully played - not a piece that I was familiar with, but such a lovely discovery - wonderful!. Thanks Marcus!

[@MarcusReeves]

Thank you, Jerry. Parry’s organ music would be right ‘up your street’!

[@philipaggesen]

Lovely as always Marcus. Sounds very calming!

[@MarcusReeves]

Thanks very much, Philip.

[@billraty14]

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

[@MarcusReeves]

Thanks very much, Bill. 😊

[@lyndon1904]

Lovely - can’t go wrong with Parry - every one of his Chorale Preludes is pure quality. Think I might ask Santa for Salisbury…

[@MarcusReeves]

Thanks, Lyndon. Salisbury is still a great sample set despite its age!

[@joscallinet6260]

Would be a mighty task for Santa to stuff Salisbury down the chimney, yet here's hoping your Christmas wish comes true.

[@joscallinet6260]

Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry and Sir Charles Villiers Stanford both composed very high-quality music for the organ. Both were more or less contemporaries on the British music scene, even though many thought Stanford was more oriented musically toward his native Ireland. I'd love to hear you play some of Stanford's music in conjunction with Parry's, so we could get a comparison between these two fine composers.

[@MarcusReeves]

Indeed, these two were pillars of the second English renaissance. There are many other composers who either contributed to this great flourishing or who were influenced by it. I’ve already recorded some Stanford for the channel (th-cam.com/video/ogNaq0DIQgw/w-d-xo.html) but there’s plenty more to record. As ever, time is the biggest obstacle!

[@LindsayWilson63]

Great setup and performance. Could I ask you what size your touchscreens are?

[@MarcusReeves]

Thank you. They are 24”.