Organ
SKU: ST.H491
Composed by Samuel
Coleridge-Taylor. Organ
music. With an
introduction by Richard
Hills. Score. Stainer &
Bell Ltd. #H491.
Published by Stainer &
Bell Ltd. (ST.H491).
ISBN
9790220224874.
Orga
nist Richard Hills
introduces this reissue
of a neglected Edwardian
classic with a timely
note on
performance-style, the
composer and his works.
Varied in colour and
mood, and written with an
idiomatic command of the
instrument, these
Three Impromptus
reinforce the impression
of Coleridge-Taylor not
only as a versatile
presence on the Edwardian
scene, but also as a
composer whose music is
an enduring part of our
British musical
heritage.
Stylistically
, the Three
Impromptus bear a
closer resemblance to the
composer's theatrical
works than to those
intended for the church
or concert hall. This
light-hearted approach to
organ composition is all
the more striking when
one compares these pieces
with others written
during the same period by
Coleridge-Taylor's
colleagues and teachers,
many of whom were heavily
influenced by the German
Romantic tradition of
Josef Rheinberger and Max
Reger. As original
compositions (as opposed
to transcriptions) the
Three Impromptus
should prove an
invaluable addition to
the repertoire for
recitalists wishing to
programme sophisticated
lighter fare that has
immediate appeal.
