Not my own music today. I am playing a piece by Herbert Howells, a composer I admire for his organ and church music. I am playing on Michael Kidd's organ. The first Howells I remember coming across was probably the carol anthem "A spotless rose is blooming". The Ichthyan Singers in Cambridge sang the Jubilate from his Collegium Regale service, a joyful and bracing setting.
When Gloucester Cathedral planned to dedicate part of a staine glass window to Howells' memory, I was glad to contribute, for the pleasure that he has given me, latterly chiefly through his organ music. I also remember with something like awe the experience of being in Wells Cathedral for a performance of Howells' Hymnus Paradisi. A wonderful work, partly deriving its emotional power from Howells' loss of his young son Michael.
When Gloucester Cathedral planned to dedicate part of a staine glass window to Howells' memory, I was glad to contribute, for the pleasure that he has given me, latterly chiefly through his organ music. I also remember with something like awe the experience of being in Wells Cathedral for a performance of Howells' Hymnus Paradisi. A wonderful work, partly deriving its emotional power from Howells' loss of his young son Michael.
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