|
|
| Home |
Duration: about 12 minutes
This is a demanding and rich tapestry inspired not
by a tune called "Coventry Cathedral", but by the building itself. The old
cathedral was bombed in 1941, leaving only the walls standing. In the 1950s
a new, modern building was erected beside the old, having a multi-storey clear window
separating the two. In this glass are carved larger-than-life-size saints and angels, so
that you can look through them and see the ruin of the old edifice. It is
such a powerful sight, and John Hutton's
etched figures in the glass are so haunting, that I have sat and stared at them
for hours at a time - and of course music eventually emerged.
The piece was commissioned
by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for a noon-hour concert in 1980, and it was
later broadcast. Alvin Lowry, trumpet, and Bruce Wheatcroft, organ, were the players who
premièred it on that concert in All Saints' Cathedral, Edmonton.
An MP3 exists (not a great quality recording unfortunately), and it may be heard by clicking below. A few sample pages of the score may be obtained that way also. If you are intrigued by this piece, and would like the full score please send me an email, below. My only requirement, and I ask this on pretty much every page, is that you send me the details of any performances so that I can keep this site up-to-date.
The score to the 'Prelude' section is partly graphic,
requiring the players to interpret drawings, lines and other non-musical
symbols. Instructions are provided. This section is atonal and
expressively dissonant. The 'Meditation' section (originally entitled 'Pastorale') was actually
written before I had seen Coventry, but somehow it seemed to fit. It is a lovely
passacaglia, relatively tonal and refreshing after the drama of the first part. The Meditation
was first performed by Wendy Grasdahl,
with Sharon Beckstead playing the organ, and the whole is dedicated to Wendy.
|
|