Risca Male Choir Blog #7

New month, same situation… if not worse now!! Ah well, we must plod on and hope we come out of this soon.

The choir is still involved with things online, and I am producing videos that were recorded back in August. Since the local lockdowns have been in place, we haven’t been able to visit our HQ to record for some time, so practice videos are becoming a bit sparse now. We are trying our best to start live rehearsals again by contacting local authorities, and our secretary is doing a stellar job of keeping us all in the loop of what’s going on in the real world.

This month, I’m introducing a new section to the blog called Composers of the Month! As this first one is written with November coming up, I will be looking into some composers who were born in November.

William Mathias (1st November 1935 – 29th July 1992)

Born in Whitland, Carmarthenshire, William Mathias was known as a child prodigy, beginning composing at the age of 5. He studied at Aberystwyth University and the Royal Academy of Music in London – he was elected a Fellow at the latter in 1965. Five years later, he was a professor of music and head of department at the University of Wales, Bangor, where he resided until 1988. He also founded the North Wales International Music Festival in St Asaph in 1972 and directed it until his death, aged 57, in 1992.

As a composer, Mathias is well-known for his use of the organ in many of his pieces – writing many solo organ works and an Organ Concerto. But he is most famous for his choral works, especially in terms of chamber choirs with organ accompaniment. I would like to share with you Let the People Praise Thee O God, composed for the marriage of HRH The Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. Here is a link to the piece on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldPA6tCTEvw.

Fanny Mendelssohn (14th November 1805 – 14th May 1847)

Fanny Mendelssohn was a German composer and pianist born in Hamburg. She was also successful from a young age, but since social conventions of the time had reservations of the roles of women, many of her early works were published under her brother, Felix’s name. To give a picture of just how special a talent she was, she was able to play all 24 of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier Preludes from memory at the age of 14.

Mendelssohn wrote over 460 pieces of music, including over 125 pieces for piano and over 250 lieder (songs), most of which were published after her death. Most notable amongst these is a piece named Easter Sonata which was inaccurately credited to her brother as it was found in 1970 signed “F. Mendelssohn”. But it was later corrected by an analysis of documents in 2010. It is a truly stunning and moving work which has drama and virtuosity throughout. Here is a link to a performance of the piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3Mw4urhLqY. (It’s quite a long listen with its 4 movements, but at least try the 1st to get a flavour of the piece. Then, of course, listen to more if you wish).

Benjamin Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976)

November 22 is also St Cecilia’s Day. She is the patron saint of music and musicians.

One of the most successful British composers of all time, Benjamin Britten, was a multi-talented British musician. He was born in the fishing port of Lowestoft, Suffolk, and showed his talent from a young age. He studied at the Royal College of Music having won a composition scholarship which was adjudicated by composers John Ireland and Ralph Vaughan Williams. During his life, he was subject to a few controversies which include his death, which is now thought to be caused by syphilis contracted from his lifelong partner, tenor, Peter Pears.

He wrote a huge number of pieces of all kinds, including song cycles, operas, large scale symphonic and choral works, etc. Some of his most famous compositions include War Requiem, Peter Grimes and The Turn of the Screw. But now I will be sharing with you one of his shorter vocal numbers called A Hymn to the Virgin. Written when he was 16 years old, it involves both a choir and a small group of singers singing in two separate languages, English and Latin. Here is a link to a performance by Voces8 which uses two equal groups singing antiphonally (question and answer style):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z0O8X26UIU.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the new segment of my blogs, and I look forward to bringing you a new set every month!

Stay safe.

Tomos