Sacred Choral Songs – The Choir of Holy Trinity Church of Geneva, Robin Buffle

Francis ROUS / James Leith Macbeth BAIN: Brother James’s Air (Arr. By. Gordon Jacob) – William BYRD: Ave Verum Corpus – Guiseppe Ottavio PITONI: Cantate Domino – Henry PURCELL: Remember not, Lord, our Offences, Z. 50 – Thomas ATTWOOD: Teach me, O Lord – Peter WARLOCK: Bethlehem Down – Edward BAIRSTOW: Let all mortal Flech keep Silence – William WALTON: See me as Seal upon thine Heart – Thomas Attwood WALMISLEY: Magnificat in D Minor – Edward BAIRSTOW: Holy, Holy, Holy (After Handel) – Felix MENDELSSOHN: Hear my Prayer, WoO 15, MWV B49 – Samuel WESLEY: Thou wilt keep him in perfect Peace – Patrick HADLEY: My beloved Spake.

The Choir of Holy Trinity Church of Geneva, Robin Buffle, direction. https://www.holytrinitygeneva.org/
Rhiannon Boissier, mezzo-soprano.
Della Jones, mezzo-soprano.
Peter Duplock, basse.
Peter Innis, orgue.

SIDE I

Band 1
Brother James’s Air (Marosa)
Arr. Gordon Jacob (b. 1895)

This setting of the 23rd Psalm has gained significant popularity. Gordon Jacob, a pupil of Stanford and Charles Wood, arranged it based on a melody by “Brother James”—the familiar name of James Leith Macbeth Bain.

Band 2
Ave Verum Corpus
William Byrd (1543(?)–1623)

At age 20, Byrd became the organist of Lincoln Cathedral; twelve years later, in 1575, he joined Thomas Tallis as an organist of the Chapel Royal. Byrd is celebrated as one of the greatest English composers of the 16th century, known for both instrumental and church music. Ave Verum is one of the best-known of the 63 motets in Gradualia (1605?). This four-part motet is acclaimed for its “consummate artistry.”

Band 3
Cantate Domino
Giuseppe Ottavio Pitoni (1657–1743)

Pitoni, a prolific composer of church music, served as choir master at Monte Rotondo, Assisi Cathedral, and St. Peter’s in Rome from 1719 until his death. His works range from four-part motets like Cantate Domino to large-scale compositions for multiple choirs.

Band 4
Remember not, Lord, our offences
Henry Purcell (1658–1695)

The brilliance of Purcell’s music, marked by Italian and French influences, amazes. A child of the Restoration, he held roles such as Gentleman of the Chapel Royal and organist at Westminster Abbey. This five-part anthem, with words from the Litany, uses chromatic and discordant entries to heighten the drama of “spare us, Good Lord.”

Band 5
Teach me, O Lord
Thomas Attwood (1765–1838)

Attwood, a pupil of Mozart in his youth and host to Mendelssohn in his old age, served as the organist at St. Paul’s Cathedral. This simple anthem from Psalm 119 bridges the Handelian period with early Victorian church music, demonstrating Attwood’s lasting influence.

Band 6
Bethlehem Down
Peter Warlock (1894–1930)

Peter Warlock, born Philip Heseltine, infused his music with contrasting moods: extrovert, melancholy, and gentle. Known for his scholarship in Elizabethan music, his primary influences stemmed from the 16th and 17th centuries and the work of his friend, Frederick Delius. Bethlehem Down, a setting of a poem by Bruce Blunt, captures Warlock’s poignant style.

Band 7
Let all mortal flesh keep silence
Edward C. Bairstow (1874–1946)
Rhiannon Boissier, mezzo-soprano; Peter Duplock, bass

Bairstow’s anthem, with text from the Liturgy of St. James, stands out for its expressive depth. As an organist at Leeds Parish Church and York Minster, Bairstow influenced Anglican church music profoundly through his chants, organ works, anthems, and motets.

Band 8
Set me as a seal upon thine heart
William T. Walton (b. 1902)
Rhiannon Boissier, mezzo-soprano

Though known for orchestral music, Walton’s background as a boy chorister at Christ Church, Oxford, ensured a lasting contribution to church music. This motet, with words from Song of Solomon, has an “immediate impact” often associated with genius.

SIDE II

Band 1
Magnificat in D minor
Thomas Attwood Walmisley (1814–1856)

Walmisley’s Magnificat, noted for its unison passages and choral contrasts, is a staple of 19th-century church music. A Cambridge professor at age 22, Walmisley was instrumental in reviving Bach’s works in England alongside his friend Mendelssohn.

Band 2
Holy, Holy, Holy
After Georg F. Handel (1685–1759)
Arr. Edward C. Bairstow (1874–1946)
Della Jones, mezzo-soprano

Bairstow transformed Handel’s Dove Sei into an anthem with English “Sanctus” text, which Samuel Arnold originally adapted. Bairstow defends this choice, noting that “the end seems to justify the means” as the lyrics align with Handel’s melody.

Band 3
Hear my prayer
Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Della Jones, mezzo-soprano

Famous for its closing line, “O for the Wings of a Dove,” Mendelssohn’s Hear my prayer is a four-part anthem that alternates between the plea for God’s aid, expressions of fear, and the calming imagery of the dove’s rest.

Band 4
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
Samuel S. Wesley (1810–1876)

Wesley, an organist at several major cathedrals, advanced English church music with a romantic, refined style. This anthem exemplifies his dramatic abilities and complex harmonies, praised by contemporaries for their noble quality and rich modulation.

Band 5
My beloved spake
Patrick Hadley (b. 1899)

Hadley’s setting of Song of Solomon, composed in 1938, is marked by high vocal pitches, a two-part fugue, and a challenging organ accompaniment. As a Professor of Music at Cambridge, Hadley was known for his innovative compositions.