Fantasia Upon the Hymn Tune ‘Intercessor’ - Charles Villiers Stanford

Apologies for the sound quality - tech issues
Stanford’s ‘Fantasia upon the tune ‘Intercessor’ by C. H. H. Parry’, op.187 was composed for the 1922 Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester, and was first performed at a ceremony unveiling a memorial tablet to Stanford’s friend and RCM colleague Parry at the west end of the cathedral.
The piece is in three sections: in the first, the melody is passed between solo reed stops on manuals and pedals; in the second, the Pedal reed has the entire tune, topped by an almost pastorale 6-8 accompaniment; in the third, the whole tune is played, with quieter recitative-like spaces between the lines.
Parry wrote the tune for Ada Greenaway’s (now rarely sung) 1904 hymn ‘O word of pity, for our pardon pleading’; we sing this tune at St John’s on Lent 5 to ‘’Spirit of God, in all that’s true I know you’; and on Maundy Thursday to ‘This is the night, dear friends, for weeping’'. March 2024 marks the centenary of Stanford’s death - this strong piece is a fitting memorial to him also.
Dublin-born Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) was an enormously influential composer, teacher and conductor. Among his famous pupils were Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. He is best known for his Anglican liturgical works and anthems, but he also wrote symphonies and operas (now rarely heard). He was educated at Cambridge, and was one of the founding professors of the Royal College of Music.
Representations of The Last Supper, some inspired by, or copies of, Da Vinci's famous masterpiece.
Played by Peter Christie on his Viscount Envoy FV-350 home digital organ as part of the online music programme for St John's Episcopal Church, Greenock, Scotland.