1968-2016 Harrison/King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, England
1968-2016 Harrison/King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, England
Wikimedia Commons

A Triple Tribute #2046

. . . to Cecilia, the Patron Saint of Music, to composer Benjamin Britten, and to the memory of Stephen Cleobury. 

Hour One

BENJAMIN BRITTENPrelude & Fugue on a Theme of VittoriaStephen Cleobury (1968 Harrison/King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, England) Priory 005

GEORGE BAKERProcession Royale (premiere)Stephen Cleobury (2016 Harrison/King’s College Chapel) KGS 020

OLIVIER LATRY:  St. Cecilia Improvisations –Cathedral Schola/Marie Rubis Bauer; Olivier Latry (2003 Pasi/St. Cecilia Cathedral, Omaha, NE) PD Archive (r. 3/24/04)

BRITTENAntiphon (Praised be the God of love)King’s College Choir/Stephen Cleobury; Henry Websdale (Skinner & Aeolian-Skinner/Cathedral of St. Paul, St. Paul, MN) PD Archive (r. 3/28/19)

ANTON BRUCKNEREcce sacerdos magnusChoir of King’s College Chapel/Stephen Cleobury; Becky Smith, Andrew Cole & Joe Arnold, trombones; Henry Websdale (2016 Harrison/King’s College Chapel) KGS 035

STEPHEN PAULUSThe Road HomeMarcus McDevitt, treble; Choir of King’s College/Stephen CleoburyKGS 034

Filler –  LATRY: Sortie #7 (see above)

Hour Two

SIMON PRESTONAlleluyasStephen Cleobury (King’s College Chapel) KGS 020

ROBERT PRIZEMANToccataStephen Cleobury (1968 Harrison/King’s College Chapel) Collins 14012

BRITTEN:   Village Organist’s Piece (1940)Eric Plutz (1968 Aeolian-Skinner/Church of the Epiphany, Washington, DC) Raven 945

BRITTENRejoice in the LambDale Warland Singers/Dale Warland; Dean Billmeyer (1987 Kney/St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN) American Choral Catalog 123

HERBERT HOWELLSA Hymn to St. CeciliaWells Cathedral Choir/Malcolm Archer; Rupert Gough (1974 Harrison/Wells Cathedral, England) Hyperion 67494

WILLIAMS HARRISO what their joy and their glory must beKing’s College Choir/Stephen Cleobury; Benjamin Bayl (1968 Harrison/King’s College Chapel) EMI 57026

BRUCKNERTota pulchra esChoir of King’s College Chapel/Stephen Cleobury; Donal McCann (2016 Harrison/King’s College Chapel) KGS 035

Filler – BRITTEN: Prelude and Fugue (see above)

November 22 turns out to have much musical significance.  First, it is the Feast of Saint Cecilia, patron of music and musicians.  It also was the birthday of composer Benjamin Britten (b. 1913),and the day on which conductor and organist Stephen Cleobury died last year (d. 2019).  And, though not a complete list, it’s also the birthday of composers Jacob Obrecht (1458), Frantisek Benda (1709), Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710), Conradin Kreutzer (1780), Cecil Sharp (1859), Hoagy Carmichael (1899), Joaquin Rodrigo (b. 1901), Bernard Naylor (1907). Fikret Amirov (1922), Dika Newlin (1923), Gunther Schuller (1925), Hans Zender (1936), conductor Kent Nagano (1951), cellist Emmanuel Feuermann (1902), pianist Stephen Hough (1961) and soprano Sumi Jo (1962).  It must have been something in the water!

Continuing support of PIPEDREAMS is provided in loving memory of Wesley and Lucinda Dudley by their family, with additional support from Walter McCarthy, Clara Ueland, and the Greystone Foundation, by Jan Kirchner on behalf of her family foundation, by the Art and Martha Kaemmer Fund of the HRK Foundation, in celebration of the life of Martha Hulings Kaemmer, and by listener-contributors to this public radio station. Additional support comes from Dobson Pipe Organ Builders of Lake City, IA, and Randall Dyer & Associates, Inc. of Jefferson City, TN, members of APOBA, the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America, a collaborative of designers, creators, and maintainers of pipe organs found in religious and educational institutions, concert halls, and residences throughout the United States and beyond. An APOBA resource guide and member prospectus is available at APOBA.COM.