« Mis-interpreting E-mail | Main | Cold Enough For You? »
February 12, 2006
In appreciation, Herbert Howells
Even though he looks a little forbidding, this gentleman, Herbert Howells (1892-1983), wrote some of the world's most luscious choral music - IMHO, of course.
In preparing to write this entry, I googled Howells, and found, to my amazement but not to my surprise, that there is a Herbert Howells Society. Here is a link to the "Herbert Howells Resource Page," which has information about the Herbert Howells Society branches in the UK and the US.
There is plenty of biographical information about Howells out and about, so I won't replicate that here. I will just add a few personal remembrances and reflections.
One of Howells' first major choral works I sang was his Requiem - just about ten years ago. The circumstances of this performance were quite memorable for me. I had just joined the Cathedral Choir of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis, and we were preparing a concert of three Requiems: Howells, Faure, and Durufle - all of which I love. Unfortunately, our conductor became seriously ill before the scheduled performance, and we carried on under the directorship of a very competent substitute. Our director had been released from the hospital not long before the concert, and he made a surprise appearance to hear us - we were thrilled to be able to make this offering for him. I still remember the concert and the incredibly powerful emotional impact that singing three Requiems back-to-back can have. This experience opened up the world of the Requiem to me. There are so many wonderful settings - Mozart, of course; Verdi, Brahms, and many others. Some are ferocious in tone (with frightening Dies Irae sections), and others (like John Rutter's) are like lullabies.
Since the Howells Requiem performance mentioned above, I have sung a number of his other pieces. This afternoon, in Duluth, we (the Gregorian Singers) sang his Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis as part of a choral evensong at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. In the concert following, we closed with Howells' Te Deum. (These three were the Collegium Regale settings - prepared for Kings College, Cambridge.)
What transcendent music! Many moods weave in and out of these pieces - mystery, luminescence, joy, awe .... Howells uses the full range of dynamics, rhythms, tempos, and harmonies for his reverential and evocative works. It has been my privilege to sing his music a number of times now, and I hope I will be able to many times more. If anyone out there has any pull, I'd like to sing his Hymnus Paradisi some time.
Posted by hgroteva at February 12, 2006 10:37 PM | Choral Music