Ralph Vaughan Williams: Mantegna – Hymnody and Beyond

Albion Records never cease to amaze me with their imaginative releases of music written or inspired by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The present release is no exception. The disc cover photo of Italian Renaissance artist Mantegna’s (1431-1506) “The Agony in the Garden” sets the tone for much, but not all the repertoire on this album.

The programme opens with RVW’s stirring arrangement of “All People that on Earth do Dwell” for the 1953 Coronation. Originally based on Louis Bourgeois’s tune for Psalm 134 in the 1551 Genevan Psalter, it was subsequently paired with William Kethe’s English adaptation of Psalm 100 in the 1561 Anglo-Genevan Psalter. The orchestration for this present recording was made by David Stone and reduces the forces used during that regal occasion at Westminster Abbey.

Mantegna was the name given to RVW’s original hymn tune for “Into the woods my master went” composed for the 1931 enlarged edition of Songs of Praise. It is a lugubrious melody that reflects Christ’s passion embraced by nature and sacrifice. The words were by the American musician, author and poet, Sidney Lanier (1842-81).

Most listeners will associate the late Francis Jackson with the organ loft and quires and places where they sing. Yet in his catalogue were several works for orchestra, including a Symphony. It is a pleasure to hear his Homage to Vaughan Williams (Variations on Mantegna), op. 26 (c.1960). The liner notes explain the formal construction: “It…roughly follows the events of the Garden of Gethsemane; the prayers which Christ offered and the interludes in which he speaks to the disciples and comes back and finds them asleep. Then two variations are joined together to make quite a long period denoting the approach of the mob who are coming with Judas to arrest Christ. The final variation is after the arrest where they all leave the Garden; it is a slow march which dies away.” This long piece, lasting more than seventeen minutes, has been edited, with new orchestral parts prepared by Malcom Riley. Whether the listener is sympathetic to the Gospel story or not, they will find much moving music here, that is truly a Homage to (but not a pastiche of) the elder composer.

Four musicians have lent their talents to the present recording of the Prelude on King’s Lynn. The song was collected by RVW from a certain Mr Anderson’s rendition of Young Henry the Poacher, also known as Van Diemen’s Land. He adapted it for use as a hymn tune, often complimenting the words “O God of earth and altar.” In 1945, Percy Whitlock published his Six Hymn Preludes, which included a worthy chorale fantasia on King’s Lynn. Once again Malcolm Riley has brought his remarkable talents to a version for full orchestra, including an appearance of the organ in the final bars. The result is a splendid tribute to RVW, in both his pastoral and noble styles.

This dramatic offering is succeeded by a satisfying rendition of the hymn itself, in a setting for choir and orchestra by the organist and composer William H. Harris. The words are by the witty, yet often profound author and Chrisitan apologist, G.K. Chesterton.

Henry G. Ley’s meditative Prelude on Down Ampney for organ needs little introduction to organ buffs. Ley penned this beautiful tribute shortly after RVW’s death in 1958. It takes as its theme the eponymous tune to “Come down O love divine,” which first appeared in The English Hymnal: it is one of Vaughan Williams’s most celebrated hymn tunes, named after the village of his birth.

The Dulwich Choir sings RVW’s arrangement of Orlando Gibbons’s Song 13 to the words “Jesu, Grant Me This, I pray.” These words were derived from a 17^th Century Latin original translated by Henry Williams Baker (1821-77). The poet calls for the faithful to abide in Christ’s wounded love. I agree that this is best heard (as here) unaccompanied.

Vaughan Williams’s Hymn Tune Prelude on ‘Song 13’ was a rare pianoforte piece which was premiered by Harriet Cohen in 1930. Helen Glatz, who was a close friend and former pupil of the composer, arranged it for strings in 1953, evoking the sonorities of a Renaissance viol consort. It is an incredibly beautiful and moving setting.

Two numbers by William H Harris follow. The first, The Heavens Declare the Glory of God was written in 1930 for the annual Festival of the Sons of the Clergy in St. Paul’s Cathedral. This anthem features an “extended setting” of the text “Eternal Ruler of the ceaseless round” by John White Chadwick (1840-1904) coupled with Orlando Gibbons Song 1. It expresses well the notion of God guiding, protecting, and inspiring the faithful. The second is Harris’s Fantasia on an English Folk Tune, drawing on the melody known as Monk’s Gate. This was edited by Vaughan Williams and is familiar through its pairing with Percy Dearmer’s adaptation of Bunyan’s pilgrim text, gaining prominence in the English Hymnal accompanying “He who would valiant be.” Harris’s complex voluntary is summed up by the programme notes: “This highly-structured work mines every possible contrapuntal permutation of the melody, including canonic writing and inversion as well as an extended fugal passage – a veritable pilgrimage.”

Godfrey Thring’s (1823–1903) hymn “Fierce raged the tempest o’er the deep” may be distilled into the thought: Tempest roars, disciples fear; Christ speaks – ‘Peace, be still’ - and calm returns. Vaughan Williams named his tune White Gates after the Dorking cottage he moved to in 1929, during a period when his first wife, Adeline, was afflicted by chronic arthritis.

As a bonus, English organist and composer David Briggs’s triumphant Carillon on White Gates for organ solo, was specially commissioned by The Ralph Vaughan Williams Society for this present disc. Briggs has wittily described it thus: “Here’s RVW on a weekend in Paris, giving Marcel Dupré his White Gates tune, as the subject for a Carillon.” Note the nod to RVW’s Let All the World (from Five Mystical Songs) towards the conclusion. It is a little war horse that deserves to be in the repertoire of all concert organists. Brilliant!

Commissioned especially for this album, Riley’s short Introit on the hymn tune Magda for orchestral brass and percussion. It was dedicated to the present musical director, William Vann. The liner notes point out that “By a happy coincidence the second phrase of the hymn tune is identical to the opening of Vaughan Williams’s Symphony No. 8 which led to the opportunity to quote this and its answering phrase.” This is coupled with a choir performance of RVW’s “upbeat” setting of Lift Up Your Hearts by Henry Montagu Butler (1833-1918) to the same tune.

Sadly, RVW wrote extraordinarily little organ music. Important examples include the powerful Prelude and Fugue in C minor (1921) and the Three Preludes for Organ founded on Welsh hymn tunes (1920). A late offering was the Two Organ Preludes founded on Welsh Folk Songs (1956). These latter evoke pastoral dignity and lyrical warmth. Drawing from traditional melodies the Romanza and Toccata are rich in modal harmony, rhythmic vitality, and folk-inflected charm. They have been sympathetically transcribed for small orchestra by Malcolm Riley.

The final track presents a rousing performance of For All the Saints (Sine Nomine) printed as a processional hymn for the 1906 edition of the great English Hymnal. It is surely one of the best loved ecclesiastical pieces by RVW. Heard here in an inspiring arrangement by Henry Ley made in 1945, it has been stirringly orchestrated for this recording by Malcolm Riley. It matches in effect Elgar’s glorious reworking of Parry’s Jerusalem.

It is redundant to acclaim the vital programme notes by John Francis and Malcolm Riley, the definitive sound recording, and the immaculate performance of this rare repertoire by all the musicians. Just one niggle: dates of composers, their works and arrangements should be given in the track-listing: some are missing from the text.

This album is an eloquent testament to Vaughan Williams’s enduring legacy in hymnody and beyond. From regal splendour to contemplative intimacy, the programme navigates a rich emotional and stylistic landscape, illuminating lesser-known corners of RVW’s catalogue as well as music inspired by him, with reverence and flair. Albion Records continues to champion British musical heritage, inviting listeners into a rich world of sacred song, orchestral colour, and sincere tribute.

Track Listing:
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) revised orchestration by David Stone (1922-2016)
All People That on Earth Do Dwell (Old Hundredth) (1953/1966)
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Into the Woods My Master Went (Mantegna) (1931)
Francis Jackson (1917-2022) edited by Malcolm Riley (b.1960)
Homage to Vaughan Williams (Variations on Mantegna), op.26 (c.1960/2025)
Percy Whitlock (1903-46) orchestrated by Malcolm Riley
Prelude on King’s Lynn (1945/2025)
Ralph Vaughan Williams, orchestrated by William H Harris (1883-1973)
O God of Earth and Altar (King’s Lynn) (1906/1924)
Henry G Ley (1887-1962)
Prelude on Down Ampney (1958)
Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)
Jesu, Grant Me This, I Pray (Song 13) (1623)
Ralph Vaughan Williams arranged for strings by Helen Glatz (1908-96)
Hymn Tune Prelude on ‘Song 13’ (1930/1953)
William H Harris
Eternal Ruler (Song 1) (1930)
Fantasia on an English Folk Tune (Monk’s Gate) (1930)
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Fierce Raged the Tempest (White Gates) (1931)
David Briggs (b.1962)
Carillon on White Gates (2025)
Malcolm Riley
Introit on Magda, op.60 (2025)
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Lift Up Your Hearts (Magda) (1925)
Ralph Vaughan Williams, arranged for strings by Malcolm Riley
Romanza ‘The White Rock’ (1956/2025)
Toccata ‘St. David’s Day’ (1956/2025)
Ralph Vaughan Williams, arranged by Henry G Ley, orchestrated by Malcolm Riley
For All the Saints (Sine Nomine) (1906/1948/2025)
Helen Ashby (soprano), Cara Curran (alto), Tom Castle (tenor), Christopher Webb (bass) (For All the Saints)
Dulwich Choral Society; London Mozart Players; James Orford (organ); William Vann (conductor)
rec. 11-12 April 2025, St. Mildred’s Church, Addiscombe, Croydon,
Albion Records ALBCD067