Postlude on 'St Gertrude' [Onward Christian Soldiers] - Roland Diggle

Diggle’s bold take on St Gertrude (1943) makes the most of the confidence of the hymn, from the opening fanfares via a fugal central section to the triumphant restatement of the entire tune.
Roland Diggle (1885-1954) was a London-born American organist and composer who wrote and arranged an enormous number of published pieces (over 500), and who served for forty years as organist and choirmaster at St. John's Episcopal Church of Los Angeles, California. He moved to the USA in 1904 where he became a tireless advocate for the organ. His music is virtually unknown in the UK.
"Onward, Christian Soldiers" (1865) is a hymn by Sabine Baring-Gould, based on various biblical references to Christians being soldiers for Christ. The music was composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1871; he named the tune "St Gertrude," after the wife of his friend Ernest Clay Ker Seymer, at whose country home he composed the tune. The piece became Sullivan's most popular hymn tune.
Images: Stained glass images of the archangel St Michael, typically with sword in hand and often showing his victory over Satan. The title page shows a memorial window in Greenock’s Finnart St Paul’s Church, and the first slide shows a roundel from St John’s Church Largs.
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.