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Ennis Fruhauf
An English
Cantata
for Soloists, Choir,
and Organ
on texts by
(24 Pages)
An English Cantata is a six-movement work for voices and organ, based on a well-known hymn melody, The Eighth Tune (or Tallis Canon), by Thomas Tallis (1505-1585), and sets texts by three English authors.
The opening movement, "We have but faith," is a setting of Verse 6 from the Preface of In Memoriam A.H.H., an extended work by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1809-1892). In Memoriam, written over a number of years, memorializes the life and early passing in 1833 of Arthur Henry Hallam, a school friend from Tennyson’s years at Trinity College, Cambridge. The musical structure is that of a late Baroque polyphonic chorus and includes augmented cantus firmus appearances of the four phrases of the Tallis hymn tune. The second movement, "Strong Son of God," is a brief arioso setting of Verse 1, again from In Memoriam. It is followed by an aria for soprano that quotes the text of Isaac Watt’s (1674-1748) paraphrase of Psalm 117, "From all that dwells below the skies," familiar in modern-day hymnody as the first verse of the Doxology.
Verse 7 of In Memoriam appears in the second stanza of the opening chorus, which returns as the fourth movement of the cantata, presenting the text, "Let knowledge grow." The fifth movement, a duet for soprano and tenor, is a setting of Watts’ second verse from the Doxology, "Eternal are thy mercies, Lord." The concluding choral movement , like the first and fourth movements, is contrapuntal in nature and again features cantus firmus citations of Tallis Canon, while offering a setting of the familiar Doxology text by Thomas Ken (1637-1711), "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow."
Throughout An English Cantata, the organ plays the role of the Baroque orchestra, providing essential bass lines and an orchestral ritornello, as well as accompanying the (SATB) chorus in its polyphonic presentations. In the arias, the organ serves to accompany the solo voices and knit the melodic phrases together with thematic and harmonic structures. The writing for voices and organ is technically challenging and evokes the style and content of Johann Sebastian Bach’s legacy, alongside that of George Frideric Handel. In keeping with the Baroque tradition, interpretive instructions are minimal and reflect the performance practices of the period.
Copyright © 2004 Ennis Fruhauf
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