O How Glorious is the Kingdom: Favourite Anthems

The Choir of St George’s Chapel Windsor Castle

Timothy Byram-Wigfield

Favourite Anthems

O How Glorious is the Kingdom

O How Glorious is the Kingdom 1 I was glad when they said unto me [5:27] Sir C. Hubert H. Parry (1848 -1918) 2 How lovely is Thy dwelling place [6:02] Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) 3O Saviour of the world Rev Sir F. A. G. Ouseley (1825 -1889)

[2:26]

4E vening Hymn Henry Balfour Gardiner (1877-1950)

[6:24]

5O sacrum convivium Thomas Tallis (c.1505 -1585)

[3:54]

6J esu, joy of man’s desiring J. S. Bach (1685 -1750)

[5:36]

7S alve Regina Christopher Tye (c.1505 -1573)

[3:16]

8B lessed City, heavenly Salem Sir Edward Bairstow (1874-1946)

[8:54]

9P anis angelicus César Franck (1822-1890)

[3:36]

10 J ubilate Deo Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

[2:35]

Recorded on 7, 8, 10 and 11 November 2005 in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle by kind permission of the Dean and Canons of Windsor.

Producer: Paul Baxter Engineer: Adam Binks 24-bit digital editing: Adam Binks

24-bit digital mastering: Paul Baxter Design: John Christ Booklet editor: John Fallas Photography © 2006 The Dean and Canons of Windsor Photograph editing: Dr Raymond Parks

Favourite Anthems The Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Timothy Byram-Wigfield conductor Roger Judd organ 11 For He shall give His angels charge over thee

[2:56]

Felix Mendelssohn (1809 -1847) 12 A Gaelic Blessing John Rutter (b.1945)

[2:00]

13 Hail, gladdening light Charles Wood (1866 -1926)

[3:10]

14 The Whirlwind* Sir Walter Parratt (1841-1924)

[3:25]

15 Libera nos, salva nos I John Sheppard (c.1520 -c.1563)

[3:08]

16 O how glorious is the kingdom Basil Harwood (1859 -1949)

[6:51]

Total playing time:

[69:42]

* This recording is dedicated to all those who lost their lives on 11 September 2001.

The proceeds from this track will be donated to the British Memorial Garden Trust Inc. www.britishmemorialgarden.org

Notes on the music St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle is a Royal Peculiar – that is, a chapel which is not subject to a bishop or archbishop but which owes its allegiance directly to the Sovereign.

It is fitting therefore that this disc of favourite anthems by the St George’s Chapel choir should open with Parry’s stirring coronation anthem I was glad when they said unto me.

These well-known words are taken from Psalm 122, and had previously been used in similar circumstances by Henry Purcell for the coronation of King James II in 1685. Composed in 1902 for the coronation of Edward VII, Parry’s setting has been performed at every coronation since, and is sung during the arrival of the monarch.

The lineage of organists at any ecclesiastical establishment is always a fascinating insight into the musical life of the times, and St George’s Chapel is no exception, with a succession of distinguished organists that includes George Elvey, Walter Parratt, William Harris, Sidney Campbell and Christopher Robinson. Sir Walter Parratt was born in Huddersfield and held organist’s posts at Great Witley, Wigan Parish Church and Magdalen College, Oxford before becoming Organist & Choirmaster at St George’s Chapel in 1882, succeeding Sir George Elvey; he was to remain in this post until his death in 1924.

From 1893-1924 he was Master of the Queen’s and later King’s Musick, and was

responsible for the music at Queen Victoria’s funeral in 1901. Although known primarily for his organ playing and teaching, Parratt composed a number of pieces, including The Whirlwind, which is customarily sung at St George’s quarterly Obit service, when Benefactors of the College of St George are remembered. Parratt was not a natural composer, but this piece does reflect the words faithfully, and has a poignant solo for the treble line in the middle; it uses words from Proverbs, the Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus and the Psalms. Edmund H. Fellowes (a Tudor music scholar and a Minor Canon at St George’s) observed that Parratt never wrote down the organ part to The Whirlwind, preferring to improvise it at each performance. Fellowes later wrote down these accompaniments from memory, and incorporated them into the published edition we hear on this recording. On 11 September 2006, the Choir of St. George’s will sing The Whirlwind at The British Memorial Garden in New York as part of the fifth anniversary commemorations.

From 1861 to 1868, Parratt was employed as Organist of St Michael’s, Great Witley in Worcestershire, a post that also included private musical duties for the Earl of Dudley at Witley Court. Parratt’s appointment was largely due to the influence of the Reverend Sir Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley, a friend of the

Notes on the music Parratt family. Ouseley came from a privileged aristocratic family background and was expected to follow his father into the diplomatic service; instead he chose to become a priest, and was ordained into the Church of England in 1849 (he was also Professor of Music at Oxford from 1855).

He used his family’s considerable wealth to philanthropic ends, supporting church music in various ways; his greatest achievement was the establishment in 1856 of St Michael’s College in Tenbury, on the border between Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

The aim of St Michael’s was to ‘promise a course of training […] for the daily choral services of the Church’, and for well over a century the college did much to maintain and even improve the standard of English Church music. Many of the most prominent figures in church music since then have been influenced in some way by the philosophy of St Michael’s. Ouseley composed a substantial amount of music for various media, but is best known for his choral works, including the beautiful motet for double choir O Saviour of the world. Stylistically the music owes much to Mendelssohn, but this should come as no surprise, as Ouseley had met the great German composer on several occasions and was familiar with his music. Mendelssohn of course was no stranger to Britain: he had close links with Queen Victoria’s royal court, and frequently performed and conducted his

music here. Such was his popularity that he was invited by the Birmingham Festival committee to compose a work for the 1846 festival; the result was one of Mendelssohn’s crowning achievements – the oratorio Elijah.

One of the most sublime movements from this work is the double quartet For He shall give His angels charge over thee; originally scored for eight solo voices, this movement is also effective with larger forces, as performed here.

This excerpt from Elijah is just one of a number of continental works that have found their way into the mainstream English choral repertoire, and a few of the most popular are performed here. Brahms’s How lovely is Thy dwelling place is taken from his German Requiem, which was premiered in Leipzig in 1869. It is the central movement of the work and acts a musical and emotional pivot between the solemnity of the first three movements and the transition from grief to the certainty of comfort in the last three. The same joyful serenity that Brahms infuses into his music also informs the chorale Jesu, joy of man’s desiring, a movement from J. S. Bach’s Cantata, BWV 147. It became famous through a piano transcription made in the 1920s by the pianist Myra Hess, where it also gained its English title, and is beloved of wedding ceremonies the world over. The fragmented statement of the chorale tune is given over a lilting organ accompaniment.

Also popular at ceremonial occasions is the little communion motet Panis angelicus, by the Belgian-born organist and composer César Franck. Originally composed as a tenor solo for his Messe à 3 voix of 1872, it has since been published in various arrangements; the version on this recording is for treble voices.

Listeners will notice how, at the second appearance of the main theme, Franck divides the choir in two and staggers the entries of the melody. This ‘canonic’ treatment results in some particularly ravishing harmonies.

The renaissance of British church music in the decades that followed the death of Ouseley was in part due to the standard of teaching at institutions such as the Royal College of Music and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Charles Wood came under the tutelage of both Parry and Charles Villiers Stanford, whom he succeeded as Professor of Music at Cambridge. A fine organist and composer, he left a considerable amount of choral music, of which Hail, gladdening light is perhaps his most frequently performed work. It sets the translation by John Keble of the Phos Hilarion, an early (third-century) Christian hymn traditionally sung at the lighting of the lamps in the evening. It is addressed to Jesus Christ, light of the world, who reveals to us the glory of God the Father. Wood scores this for the rich sonority of an eight-part double choir, and produces some glorious antiphonal effects.

Basil Harwood was educated at Oxford, and returned there as organist at Christ Church from 1892-1909. He is perhaps best-known for his organ music, which includes a fine Sonata in C sharp minor. His anthem for All Saints’ tide O how glorious is the kingdom is a tour de force, not least for the organist who has a virtuosic solo at the start of the anthem.

At the words ‘clothed in white robes they follow the Lamb’ a quieter passage is heard, and although Harwood returns twice to the predominantly jubilant opening music, the anthem ends quietly.

Balfour Gardiner’s Evening Hymn is a work of similarly dramatic extremes. A slow organ prelude, played over a sustained pedal note, builds inexorably up to the shattering first choral entry, whilst the central section uses carefully placed changes in tone and volume, as well as dense harmonies, to create a truly magical choral texture. Similar to the Harwood, following a recapitulation of the opening, the music gradually winds down, ending mysteriously.

Unlike the previous three composers, Sir Edward Bairstow spent the majority of his career in the north of England, and is particularly associated with York Minster, where he was Organist and Master of the Music from 1913 until his death in 1946. Both his organ and choral music are of the highest

Notes on the music quality, and have remained firm favourites in the repertoire of organists and choirs alike.

His anthem Blessed City, heavenly Salem was written for use during dedication festivals or Saints days, and is without doubt one of his most ambitious creations. Bairstow was fascinated with plainsong, and used it in a number of his organ pieces, as well as in this work, which uses the words and melody from the Sarum plainchant Urbs beata. The debt to the plainchant is not overt, but Bairstow uses portions of the chant sparingly at salient moments, most notably in the work’s quiet conclusion. As was fashionable then, Bairstow also scored this for larger forces – in this case string orchestra, organ and chorus – presumably for performance at one of the many choral festivals (Three Choirs, Leeds, Birmingham) that were so much part of the English musical scene at that time, in a similar way to Parry’s I was glad.

The two most recently-composed items on this disc come from two very different British composers. Benjamin Britten was arguably the most significant and prolific British composer since Purcell, and his most important works are those for the stage, including the operas Peter Grimes and Billy Budd. His left-wing political stance did not always endear him to the English establishment, nor to the church, but he wrote a small number of choral works designed for liturgical use.

Chief among these are the Missa Brevis (written in 1959 for the choir of Westminster Cathedral) and the Jubilate Deo of 1961, which was commissioned by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, for The Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor. The Jubilate Deo is a short work built upon two contrasting musical ideas. The piece opens with a joyful, angular melody and a lively bell-like organ accompaniment, and then moves into a more homophonic and settled passage introduced at the words ‘be thankful unto Him’. Britten juxtaposes these ideas a number of times before returning to the opening fanfare for the concluding ‘Amen’. By contrast, John Rutter enjoys a reputation as probably the most popular choral composer of his generation; he is particularly well-known to choirs the world over for his approachable and goodnatured Christmas carols. A Gaelic Blessing is a superb example of his style: skilfully crafted with a memorable melody, and atmospheric, often wistful, harmonies.

Whilst we can see that today’s high standards of church music are in part due to the tireless efforts of nineteenth-century figures such as Ouseley and Samuel Sebastian Wesley, in many ways the foundations of this glorious tradition can be traced back to the sixteenth century – seen by many as the golden age of English church music. The history of the Tudor Church, from Henry VIII’s infamous

break with Rome to the eventual Anglican Church of Elizabeth I, was a volatile mixture of reformation and counter-reformation, idealism and ignorance, personal ambition and political treachery. As a result, the church music of the Reformation period is particularly diverse in both style and religious content, and forms one of the musical highpoints of the Western church. Many of the composers at this time would probably have been Catholic – often secretly so – and as a result of the Reformation, would have been used to providing music for both the Latin rite and its vernacular successor. Three examples of music for the Latin rite are offered on this recording. Thomas Tallis (often dubbed the ‘father’ of English church music) was the most influential English composer of the period, and served as an organist and in other professional capacities for four successive English monarchs. His most famous work is the 40 -part motet Spem in alium, but his smaller-scale works are more representative of his style. His five-part motet O sacrum convivium probably started life as an instrumental fantasia, and is characterized by the use of imitation and climactic sequential repetition. A contemporary of Tallis, Christopher Tye spent most of his career in East Anglia, becoming Master of the Choristers and Organist of Ely Cathedral between 1541 and 1543. His setting of the Salve Regina is for men’s voices and uses

the plainchant (heard at the opening) as the basis of his motet.

Little is known about the life of John Sheppard, and until fairly recently the full scope of his achievement was not fully appreciated; but thanks to the work of scholars, much of his music has now been restored and reconstructed, and he is now regarded as one of the most prolific composers of the Tudor period. Sheppard’s setting of Libera nos, salva nos employs the unique seven-part vocal scoring of two treble, mean and alto parts above a plainchant bass. Equally exceptional is his astonishing treatment of dissonance which, as David Wulstan wrote, ‘evokes a votive fervour unequalled in any other sixteenthcentury work’. © 2006 Jeremy Cull Dr Jeremy Cull is Director of Music at the Reid Memorial Church, Edinburgh, and maintains a busy schedule as an organist, accompanist, composer and arranger.

He is a keen advocate of the art of organ transcription, and a number of his arrangements have now been published

by Animus.

Texts and translations 1 I was glad when they said unto me Sir C. Hubert H. Parry (1848 -1918)

I was glad when they said unto me ‘We will go into the house of the Lord’.

Our feet shall stand in thy gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is builded as a city that is at unity in itself.

O pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee.

Peace be within thy walls and plenteousness within thy palaces.

Psalm 122: 1-3, 6, 7 2 How lovely is Thy dwelling place Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

How lovely is Thy dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!

For my soul, it longeth, yea fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my soul and body crieth out, yea, for the living God. Blest are they that dwell within Thy house, they praise Thy name evermore!

Psalm 84: 1, 2, 4 3 O Saviour of the world Rev. Sir F. A.G. Ouseley (1825 -1889)

O Saviour of the world, who by Thy cross and precious blood hast redeemed us: Save us and help us, we humbly beseech Thee, O Lord.

From The Visitation of the Sick

4 Evening Hymn Henry Balfour Gardiner (1877-1950)

Te lucis ante terminum, Rerum Creator, poscimus Ut pro tua clementia Sis praesul et custodia.

Procul recedant somnia Et noctium phantasmata: Hostemque nostrum comprime: Ne polluantur corpora.

Praesta, Pater piissime Patrique compar unice, Cum Spiritu, Paraclito, Regnans per omne saeculum.

Amen.

Roman Breviary, 8th century

Thee, Lord, before the close of day, Maker of all things, Thee we pray For Thy dear loving kindness’ sake To guard and guide us in Thy way.

Banish the dreams that terrify, And night’s fantastic company: Keep us from Satan’s tyranny: Defend us from unchastity.

Protect us, Father, God ador’d, Thou too, coequal Son and Lord, Thou, Holy Ghost, our Advocate, Whose reign can know nor bound nor date.

Amen.

5 O sacrum convivium Thomas Tallis (c.1505 -1585)

O sacrum convivium, in quo Christus sumitur, recolitur memoria passionis eius, mens impletur gratia, et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur.

St Thomas Aquinas (c.1227-1272) Antiphon at Second Vespers, Corpus Christi

Through the way where Hope is guiding Hark, what peaceful music rings, Where the flock in Thee confiding, drink of joy from deathless springs.

Theirs is beauty’s fairest pleasure, theirs is wisdom’s holiest treasure.

Thou dost ever lead Thine own, in the love of joys unknown.

Martin Janus (c.1620-c.1682)

O sacred feast, translation probably by Robert Bridges (1844-1930) in which we feed on Christ: the memory of his passion is renewed, 7 Salve Regina Christopher Tye (c.1505 -1573) the mind is filled with grace, and to us is given the promise of future glory. Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae: Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve 6 Jesu, joy of man’s desiring Ad te clamamus, exsules fílii Hevæ.

J. S. Bach (1685 -1750) ad te suspiramus gementes et flentes Jesu, joy of man’s desiring, in hac lacrimarum valle.

Holy wisdom, love most bright, Antiphon from the office of Compline Drawn by Thee, our souls aspiring, Hail holy queen, mother of mercy: soar to uncreated light.

Hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope.

Word of God our flesh that fashion’d To you do we cry, with the fire of life impassion’d poor banished, children of Eve, striving still to Truth unknown, To you do we send up our sighs, soaring, dying round Thy throne. mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.

Texts and translations 8 Blessed City, heavenly Salem Sir Edward Bairstow (1874-1946)

Blessed city, heav’nly Salem, Vision dear of peace and love, Who of living stones art builded In the height of heav’n above, And by angel hands apparell’d As a bride doth earthward move.

Out of heav’n from God descending, New and ready to be wed To thy Lord, Whose love espous’d thee, Fair adorn’d shalt thou be led; All thy gates and all thy bulwarks Of pure gold are fashioned.

Bright thy gates of pearl are shining, They are open evermore; And, their well earn’d rest attaining, Thither faithful souls do soar.

Who for Christ’s dear name in this world Pain and tribulation bore.

Many a blow and biting sculpture Polish’d well those stones elect, In their places now compacted By the heav’nly Architect.

Nevermore to leave the Temple Which with them the Lord hath deck’d.

To this Temple, where we call Thee, Come, O Lord of Hosts, today; With Thy wonted loving kindness, Hear Thy servants as they pray; And Thy fullest benediction Shed within its walls alway.

Amen.

Part of Hymn 396, A & M. New Standard Edition No. 332 9 Panis angelicus César Franck (1822-1890)

Panis angelicus fit panis hominum; Dat panis caelicus figuris terminum: O res mirabilis! manducat Dominum: Pauper, servus, et humilis.

St Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) English text by John Rutter

Bread of the angel host Sent down from God above; Body of Christ our Lord in token of his love: O gift most wonderful!

Christ as our sacrament: Humble, lowly, all share his sacred feast.

10 Jubilate Deo Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

O be joyful in the Lord, all ye lands: Serve the Lord with gladness and come before His presence with a song.

Be ye sure that the Lord He is God: it is He that Hath made us and not we ourselves; We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

O go your way into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise be thankful unto Him, and speak good of His name.

For the Lord is gracious, His mercy is everlasting: and His truth endureth from generation to generation.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be: world without end.

Amen.

Psalm 100

11 For He shall give His angels charge over thee Felix Mendelssohn (1809 -1847)

For He shall give His angels charge over thee, That they shall protect thee in all the ways thou goest; That their hands shall uphold and guide thee, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Psalm 91: 11-12 12 A Gaelic Blessing John Rutter (b.1945)

Deep peace of the running wave to you, Deep peace of the flowing air to you, Deep peace of the quiet earth to you, Deep peace of the shining stars to you, Deep peace of the gentle night to you, Moon and stars pour their healing light on you, Deep peace of Christ the light of the world to you, Deep peace of Christ to you.

Words adapted from an old Gaelic rune

Texts and translations 13 Hail, gladdening light Charles Wood (1866 -1926)

Hail, gladdening Light, of His pure glory poured, Who is th’Immortal Father, Heavenly blest, Holiest of Holies Jesus Christ our Lord.

Now are we come to the sun’s hour of rest, The lights of evening round us shine, We hymn the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Divine.

Worthiest art Thou at all times to be sung With undefiled tongue, Son of our God Therefore in all the world Thy glories Lord, they own.

Amen.

Translation from the Greek by John Keble (1792-1866) 14 The Whirlwind Sir Walter Parratt (1841-1924)

As the Whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no more.

But the righteous is an everlasting foundation.

There be of them that have left a name behind them, that their praises might be reported, and some there be that have no memorial, but these were merciful men whose righteousness hath not been forgotten.

The Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle The Choir sings regularly in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal Family. Significant recent events have included the marriage of Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the service of dedication and prayer following the marriage of TRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and events in celebration of HM The Queen’s 80th birthday.

Keep innocency and take heed unto the thing that is right, for that shall bring a man peace at the last.

All things that are on the earth shall turn to earth again, But glorious is the fruit of good labours And the root of wisdom shall never fall away.

Proverbs 10: 25; Ecclesiasticus 44: 8, 9; Psalm 37: 38; Ecclesiasticus 40: 11; Wisdom 3: 15 15 Libera nos, salva nos I John Sheppard (c.1520 -c.1563)

Libera nos, salva nos, justifica nos, O beata Trinitas.

Antiphon of the Trinity

Free us, save us, make us righteous, O blessed Trinity.

16 O how glorious is the kingdom Basil Harwood (1859 -1949)

O how glorious is the kingdom wherein all the saints rejoice with Christ.

Clothed in white robes, they follow the Lamb, whithersoever He goeth.

Antiphon for All Saints

The Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, has been in existence since the year 1348, and – with the exception of the Commonwealth period (1649 - 60) – has sung services in the Chapel continuously since then. The choir comprises 23 boy choristers between the ages of 8 and 13 years – 5 of whom are probationers, or training choristers – and 12 Lay Clerks who provide the adult voices of alto, tenor and bass. The Choir sings daily during term-time (except Wednesdays); members of the public are always welcome to attend.

Further to its Chapel-related duties, the Choir performs throughout the world and enjoys regular partnerships with esteemed ensembles such as the London Handel Orchestra, the Southbank Sinfonia and the London Mozart Players.

Recent recording activities have seen a disc of well-known hymns, a recording of anthems

by Sir William Harris, and a disc of choral music by Gustav Holst. www.stgeorges-windsor.org

The Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Timothy Byram-Wigfield Choristers Oliver Banks Christian Bell Hugo Bishop Rhys Brown John Carter Oliver Dennes Joseph Edwards Daniel Evans-Jones Joe Gall Alexander Halksworth Lawrence Halksworth Alexander Opoku Edward Pinnegar Thomas Pinnegar Frederick Stanford Jean Michel Tokabi

Alto Biraj Barkakaty Stephen Burrows Colin Cartwright Jeremy Filsell Tenor Ben Alden Jonathan Bungard Ronan Busfield David Manners Bass James Birchall Trevor Craddock Gareth Dayus-Jones John Heighway

Timothy Byram-Wigfield received his formative training as a chorister at King’s College, Cambridge.

Following study at the Royal College of Music he won an organ scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford, before being appointed Sub-Organist of Winchester Cathedral. During his time there, Tim studied the organ with Richard Popplewell and David Sanger, leading to his appearance as a finalist in the Royal College of Organists’ Performer of the Year competition.

In 1991 he took up the post of Master of the Music at St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, overseeing a prosperous period for the choir. Whilst there he embarked on a wide range of activities, including training the Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus, participation in the Edinburgh Festival and touring extensively as a recitalist. In 1999 he was appointed to the newly-created post of Director of Music at Jesus College, Cambridge, where he combined his choral activities in the college with teaching and playing, before arriving in Windsor in January 2004.

Roger Judd As a solo organist he has given recitals in many cathedrals in the UK, and toured to the USA, France and the Netherlands.

A regular recording artist for Delphian Records, his recordings have consistently met with critical acclaim, including a disc of transcribed overtures performed on the celebrated Lewis organ in the Kelvingrove Hall, Glasgow (DCD34004) and a disc of music by the Edwardian Alfred Hollins (DCD34044).

He has contributed two volumes (DCD34024 & DCD34078) to Delphian’s 4-volume survey of Messiaen’s complete organ music, performing works from the first half of the composer’s career including La Nativité du Seigneur, L’Ascension and Messe de la Pentecôte. Forthcoming recordings include a disc of organ music by his predecessor at Windsor, Sir William Harris, for Regent Records, and a second volume of overtures for Delphian, recorded at the organ of Rochdale Town Hall.

Byram-Wigfield is also active as a pianist, singer, composer and choral arranger. He is Associate Director of the Oxford Bach Choir, teaches piano and organ at Eton College, and is a regular examiner for the diploma examinations presented by the Royal College of Organists.

Roger Judd was a chorister in Winchester Cathedral, and continued his musical career as organ scholar at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he studied with Sir David Willcocks. Subsequently, he was Assistant Organist of Ely Cathedral, and Master of the Music at St Michael’s College Tenbury before moving to Windsor Castle in 1985.

As Assistant Organist of St George’s Chapel he accompanies the Chapel choir in their services, recordings and concerts.

He is organ tutor at Royal Holloway College and a piano tutor at Eton College.

He performs widely as a soloist and continuo player, and has made a number of solo recordings.

Also available on Delphian The Three Kings: Music for Christmas from Tewkesbury Abbey Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum Benjamin Nicholas director DCD34047

A Gaelic Blessing Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh Matthew Owens conductor DCD34007

In the vast, echoing space of their medieval home the boys and men of Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum celebrate the awe and mystery of Christmas, ushering in the birth of the Christ-child with a sequence of carols from the last two centuries that combines familiar names with offerings from some of today’s foremost composers.

The first in a series of recordings with Matthew Owens and the Choir of St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh. Best-loved sacred works and new choral music grace this release, which includes works by Franck, Brahms, Pärt, Finzi, Holst, Tavener, Mozart, Henschel and Wesley, some of them in world premiere recordings.

‘I doubt whether there are many more admirable choirs outside Westminster, Oxford and Cambridge than the Tewkesbury Abbey Schola Cantorum. … Nicholas’s choir give proof yet again of the qualities that place them firmly in the front rank: flair, acumen, versatility and poise’ – Church Times, December 2007

’this recording is a real gem … the performance is always delicate but nonetheless abounding in richness’ – Choir & Organ, April 2003

Olivier Messiaen: Complete Organ Works Vol IV Timothy Byram-Wigfield The Organ of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle DCD34078, 2 discs

The Lamentations of Jeremiah Lay Clerks of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Timothy Byram-Wigfield conductor DCD34068

The final volume in Delphian’s survey of Messiaen’s complete organ music takes in his earliest published works, in which the ‘abundance of technical means allows the heart to overflow freely’. The British Harrison instrument in St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle reveals a surprising capacity to speak with a French accent in this music, and Timothy Byram-Wigfield’s combination of virtuosic majesty with a compelling and loving faith has captured the imagination of reviewers.

Not since the early 1600s have the refulgent strains of John Mundy’s Lamentations setting been heard in Windsor. It has been reconstructed especially for this recording, made in Windsor Castle’s Albert Memorial Chapel by gracious permission of Her Majesty The Queen. The men’s voices resonate in the resplendent chapel acoustic, transcending the desolation of the texts’ anguished laments in singing of extraordinary conviction and certainty.

‘… gives full weight to the music’s uncompromising intensity’ – Gramophone, July 2006 (on Vol I)

‘[Mundy’s work] is the real revelation of the disc. It is a work of searing intensity and concentrated drama that loses nothing when heard alongside the established masterpieces by Tallis and Byrd. … ByramWigfield shapes the performances with care and great musicality.’

– International Record Review, May 2009

‘a magnificent achievement … utterly compelling’ – BBC Music Magazine Instrumental Choice, Proms 2008 edition (on Vol III)

DCD34048