H96 Organ Book 1 (2022)

Programme note:

Organ Book 1 is a collection of three pieces as follows:

Merry-Go-Round (after Gertler) takes its impetus from the painting by Mark Gertler that I first saw in Tate Britain in the late ʼ70s. Once seen it can never be unseen. The mood seems to be far from ʻmerryʼ. The riders look terrified. Thereʼs a sense of impending calamity about it. I've wanted to write a piece that has a similar atmosphere to it ever since. It should sound as if a malfunctioning fairground organ has started up of its own accord, which eventually runs out of steam.

S.H.
18 October 2022
Duration: c.3.5 minutes

Gironde (after Kelly) takes its form from the American artist, Ellsworth Kellyʼs painting, ‘Gironde’ (1951). The painting is a grid of 16 equally sized squares, each of which has a varied patterning of yellow and white lines which are either placed vertically or horizontally. The piece follows this structure and is composed of 16 continuous, 30 second long sections of harmonically and rhythmically related elements. The piece is dedicated to the memory of my art teacher from school days, Molly Penrice, who once had us all making something of a similar nature to the Kelly painting during an afternoon of design in art class.  I would suggest the player uses a different 8' flute-like stop for each of the two manuals and pedals. The player should feel free to change manuals between the hands as and when, but the registrations should not change at any point.

S.H.
26 October 2022
Duration: c.8 minutes

eternityʼs sunrise, after the poem, ʻEternityʼ, by William Blake, is all derived from a few musical ideas that are mulled over and spun out over three obsessive sections. The bulk of the material comes from the third section. The Blake poem seems to pinpoint the very nature of what unleashed creativity is all about in four distinctive and direct lines. 

ʻEternityʼ

He who binds to himself a joy

Does the winged life destroy;

But he who kisses the joy as it flies

Lives in eternityʼs sunrise.

William Blake

The three continuous sections are as follows:

1] ʻHe who bindsʼ 

2] ʻthe joy as it fliesʼ 

3] ʻthe winged lifeʼ 

eternityʼs sunrise is dedicated to Amelie Held who gave the première on the Musiikkitalo organ in Helsinki, Finland on 21 September 2024. I had entered for the Kaija Saariaho Organ Composition Competition and won one of the solo organ piece prizes. Amelieʼs performance was quite remarkable to say the least; a powerful memory.

S.H.
13 October 2022
Duration: c.18 minutes 

Past Performances:

21 September 2024 (World première of eternity’s sunrise)
Amelie Held (organ)
Musiikkitalo, Helsinki, Finland