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David Fisher - A PERFORMANCE OF

David Fisher - A PERFORMANCE OF

David Fisher - A PERFORMANCE OF

A PERFORMANCE OF "THE TIFFANY ANTHEM" BY FOUR CATHEDRAL CHOIRS on 20th SEPTEMBER 2014

THE TIFFANY ANTHEM was commissioned by Jonathan Gregory and the Leicester Old Choristers Association with help of a grant from the Arts Council England and first performed in Leicester Cathedral on Saturday 18th September 2004 by the Cathedral Girls Choirs of Coventry, Derby & Leicester on the occasion of the 74th Festival of The Federation of Cathedral Old Choristers Associations. 

For the genesis of the piece and an explanation of its title please click HERE.

 

On the 10th anniversary of the piece, The Tiffany Anthem was chosen to be the anthem for the festival of girls´ choirs from four cathedrals [Derby, Coventry, Leicester and Southwell] at Derby Cathedral on 20th September 2014. Conducted by Dr Chris Johns from Leicester and featuring Dr Tom Corfield on the organ. The following Thursday [25th September] it was performed at Coventry Cathedral with Kerry Beaumont on the organ and then the girls from Leicester Cathedral performed it in their evensong on 29th September with Dr Johns directing and Simon Headley at the Harrison and Harrison organ for which the piece was written.

 

Canon Peter Gould [Master of the Music], Dr. Tom Corfield [Organist] and the Girl Choristers of Derby Cathedral Choir released the definitive recording of THE TIFFANY ANTHEM on Regent Records [REGCD333] in 2009.

 

The photographs on the right are:

 

[1] the four cathedral girls´ choirs of Derby, Coventry, Leicester and Southwell rehearsing at Derby Cathedral;

[2] is the composer [C] with Canon Peter Gould [R] and Dr. Tom Corfield [L] with the girls from Derby Cathedral some of whom recorded the piece in 2009;

[3] is Dr Chris Johns from Leicester conducting the anthem in rehearsal;

[4] the music lists of Derby, Coventry and Leicester;

[5] Coventry Cathedral Girls´ Choir conducted by Paul Leddington-Wright;

[6a & 6b] the Coventry girls´ choir with the composer and their Director of Music, Kerry Beaumont.

 

 

David Fisher writes: I set the words which can be found on the chapel designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany for the 1893 World´s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It is an amazing interior which has all the words set in the mosaics around the chapel. The inspiration for me, when I knew I was writing for young voices, was the line on one of the steps of the chapel: I will go to the altar of God, to God who gave joy to my youth. I set the anthem macaronically [English and Latin texts alternating and overlapping] with a stirring tune and all the harmonies are designed to be melodies in their own right for ease of singing. The piece is in ternary form with an introduction and coda and the accompaniment is designed to test the organ in terms of virtuosity and its timbres. The huge volume of the opening with four notes being played at once on the pedals is matched by the sheer volume of ´organo pleno´ at the end in which the tuba [a noted stop of the Leicester organ] comes to the fore.

 

For further information, here is an excellent video of the Tiffany Collection at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in which you can get some idea of the detail and magnificence of the collection and the Tiffany Chapel: 

 

 

 

 

The words taken from the Tiffany Chapel are:

 

  

I will go to the altar of God, to God who gave joy to my youth

  

SANCTUS SANCTUS SANCTUS

DOMINUS DEUS OMNIPOTENS

QUI ERAT ET QUI EST ET QUI VENTURUS EST

ERGO SUM PANIS VIVUS QUI DE COELO DESCENDI

 

I am the bread of life descended from Heaven

 

SI QUIS MANDUCAVERIT EX HOC PANE VIVET IN AETERNUM

 

Who eats this bread will live eternally

 

SANCTUS SANCTUS SANCTUS

DOMINUS DEUS OMNIPOTENS

QUI ERAT ET QUI EST ET QUI VENTURUS EST

ADJUTORIUM NOSTRUM IN NOMINE DOMINI QUI FECIT CAELUM ET TERRAM

 

Our help is in the Name of the Lord who made heaven and earth

 

SANCTUS SANCTUS SANCTUS

DOMINUS DEUS OMNIPOTENS

QUI ERAT ET QUI EST ET QUI VENTURUS EST

 

I will go to the altar of God, to God who gave joy to my youth

 

SANCTUS SANCTUS SANCTUS

DOMINUS DEUS OMNIPOTENS

QUI ERAT ET QUI EST ET QUI VENTURUS EST

SANCTUS!

 

 

Below is the live video recording of the performance in Derby Cathedral on 20th September 2014 and underneath the video are some of the critical comments received since the video was published on YouTube: 

 

“The performance at Derby Cathedral of “The Tiffany Anthem” is very impressive and Tom Corfield’s playing is terrific. I’ll give some thought to a boys’ choir who could tackle it…” [R.S. Surrey, England]

“What a beautiful setting “The Tiffany Anthem” is, and great sound, with the girls singing, the ironwork and stained glass, the organ, and the overarching blend of sound. It is really a very good piece, even to uninformed ears like mine. You have achieved what you stated as your goal; to really use all of the voices of the organ, to fill the sanctuary with sound, and to blend high and low with soft and strong notes and chords. From watching the organist, it appears to be a blend of contrasting rhythms too...making it surely difficult to play.” [G.F. Mesa, Arizona, USA

“I listened to the YouTube session of “The Tiffany Anthem” on the computer and then streamed it over the Internet on my TV with the sound coming through the BOSE amplifier. What a performance in a fine acoustic! Dr. Tom never ceases to amaze me.  He just sits there and plays superbly without any fuss and showy movements…” [D.S. Leicestershire, England]

“I am so delighted the anthem is so well received... I think it absolutely beautiful…” [G.B. East Sussex, England]

“…new pieces present such technical and musical challenges. Having undertaken to perform it I´m sure the choir members relished the opportunity to be involved in such an exciting and substantial work full of rhythmic and harmonic interest and memorable melodic lines.” [R.R. West Midlands, England]

“…even more special is the Derby Cathedral video.  The audio and visuals are marvellous, and the organist and singers really shine, not to mention the conductor.  The choristers must have been very proud of themselves afterwards. I could listen to them again and again. Congratulations to all involved...” [R.V. Warren, Michigan, USA]

"I thought “The Tiffany Anthem” sounded splendid and Chris Johns really had the measure of it. I love the feeling of flashes of light that you manage to create in the music. It´s a terrific festival piece!" [N.C. Leicestershire, England]

"The Tiffany Anthem is wonderful - very nicely produced video as well... I´d have to describe those Fisher-esque harmonies as ´scrunchy´..." [H.A. Adelaide, South Australia]