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Richard Blackford: Prelude and Passacaglia for Organ [Printed Music]
£10.99
In stock
Catalogue Number
NMP1130
For Solo Organ
20-page saddle-stitched Score
Duration: c.8½ mins
ISMN No: 979-0-708167-79-2
Prelude and Passacaglia was commissioned by David Hill and recorded by him In on the organ of Peterborough Cathedral in July 2019. The Prelude is a fast, florid, toccata-like movement, exploiting the full range and colours of the instrument. The opening motif, featuring fourths and fifths, develops by augmentation and diminution as the movement progresses. The florid texture is balanced by a descending, sustained pedal figure in longer values that also features the perfect fifth. By contrast, the eight-bar Passacaglia has a more predominantly delicate texture. It’s theme is related to the Prelude, a sequence of fourths and fifths. Its ten variations range from two-part textures to dramatic six-part chord sequences. The penultimate variation builds in volume and texture to the final one, marked Maestoso, with the passacaglia extended to cadence on a full-bodied B major final chord. The duration is about nine minutes. Richard Blackford is one of the foremost concert and media composers in Europe. His concert works are performed regularly around the world and his music for film and television is broadcast frequently in almost every European country.
A PDF Version of this score is available upon request.
Manufacturer: Wyastone Estate Limited, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, NP25 3SR
Email: sales@wyastone.co.uk
Reviews:
How impoverished the organist’s repertory would be without that humble but ever so effective musical form, the Passacaglia. From the freshness of Frescobaldi’s first foray, almost 400 years ago, to the increasingly tortuous Teutonic examples by Karg-Elert, Reger et al, the triple-time, repeating ground-bass pattern provides an excellent compositional discipline for composers of all generations and schools.
The best exemplars should grow organically from simple roots to a magisterial denouement. David Hill’s gorgeously coherent programme from Peterborough showcases some of the best of the genre by a septet of English-born composers, starting with Walter Alcock’s cornerstone Introduction and Passacaglia of 1933. He captures the work’s nobility with authority and grace, aided by the cathedral organ’s recently acquired Tuba Mirabilis. A brace of Herbert Murrill’s pithy organ pieces provides a clever contrast. The sinewy Postlude on a Ground does not outstay its welcome and the Carillon’s merry ostinato chatters away cleanly and with élan.
Richard Blackford’s recent Prelude and Passacaglia (2019) carries on stylistically from where Murrill left off 70 years earlier. Textures are inherently spiky (though clean), with further stylistic nods to those 1960s British organ modernists Leighton, Mathias and Preston. This is a concise essay which is worthy of repeated hearings.
Needless to say that David Hill’s enthusiasm for this generous programme shines through. This, combined with Gary Cole’s immaculate engineering, makes this album a cause for celebration. Malcolm Riley GRAMOPHONE reviewing From The Ground Up Regis CD REGCD539 David Hill, organ