Tulkaa, palatkaamme (2003)

Tulkaa, palatkaamme (‘Come, let us return’) for organ and baritone voice was commissioned by the Naantali congregation and organist Kari Vuola, for the mass of Easter morning, with a text taken from the Old Testament (Hosea 6:1-3). The piece has three movements: Introduction, Scherzo and Adagio. My interpretation of the text reflects both the semantic and phonetic aspects, which are deeply interwoven. In the Introduction, the phonetic and harmonic colours are connected. The cantus firmus, ‘Victimae paschali laudes’ is clearly heard in the intermezzo-like Scherzo. The third movement is a combination of Adagio and Toccata, in which the rhythmic aspects of the text are emphasized. An interesting point in the text of Hosea lies in the juxtaposition of extremes: light and darkness, rejoicing and cruelty. Interpreting these qualities musically is a task which composers of liturgical music should not escape.

1. “Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.

2. After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.

3. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth”.

Listen to Tim Wakerell and Alan Tsang performing Tulkaa, palatkaamme on 20th October 2007 at St John the Evangelist Islington

Partita piccola (2004)

Partita piccola ‘Herraa hyvää kiittäkää’ (Thank the good Lord) was a commission by the Leppävaara congregation in Espoo, Southern Finland, for the inauguration of a new organ in Karakappeli in 2004. The instrument was built by Veikko Virtanen according to a little 19th century Finnish romantic organ by Zachariessen. The partita is in four stanzas, as is the original Swedish choral, with a text based on Psalm 150. At least three factors affected my work. (a) The intimacy of the beautiful, small-sized instrument (b) The choral, a hymn for thanksgiving, and (c) the date of the inauguration, which happened to be very near All Saints' Day. So the atmosphere of the original rejoicing choral is more or less refracted by a very different liturgical surrounding.

Listen to Tim Wakerell performing Partita piccola on 20th October 2007 at St John the Evangelist Islington