The Origin of The Keep

 

The Oozy Channel Keep, that is.

It is a rarity for me to read song texts along with a recording.

But with Vaughan Williams' Hodie, I did. It contains a mixture of Medieval poetry, some more from the composer's wife Ursula, amongst Bible verses set to original music, as well as some interspersed Christmas carols.

In any case, upon listening to this 60-minute oratorio at some point, I chose to read along with the included texts. It was the concluding few stanzas of the work, words from John Milton, which read:

And the well-balanced world on hinges hung,

And cast the dark foundations deep,

And bid the weltering waves their oozy channel keep.

 

For this blog, I have purposefully taken the meaning of these words well out of context, but the simple fact where I actually remembered these verses all these years later speak to their effect on me. This includes all of Milton's words Vaughan Williams chose to set in the work's concluding Epilogue, some with musical allusions. Read the complete text HERE!

The perennial favorite Fantasia on Christmas Carols hypes me up less, mainly due to its never-ending appearances on record, but it is a worthwhile work too. I love these performances, but who could blame me with Willcocks, Dame Janet, and John Shirley-Quirk on the roster.

Give it a try and approach The Oozy Keep posthaste!

 

 A review from 2019

The 12-minute Fantasia on Christmas Carols by Ralph Vaughan Williams combines four rather obscure British carols (at least stateside), although I am familiar with The Sussex Carol and there are also subtle references to The First Nowell, which VW later reworked into another Cantata. As with The First Nowell setting, the Fantasia is neither gaudy nor treacly, but rather VW successfully creates mystery in the opening, with Medieval chanting by the baritone and evocative responsorials from the chorus, and explodes into festivities only at the end with pealing bells, full strings and organ, but ultimately ends intimately. Barry Rose, lovingly leading an unnamed string orchestra, has long been a reference recording on EMI, now remastered and reissued on Warner Classics, and the sound is in excellent shape with fine balance between instrumentalists, chorus, and organ with nothing lost in the Guilford Cathedral acoustic. Baritone John Barrow is full-throated, and while one might yearn for more subtlety, it is rather well sung.

A handful of English conductors have given quality performances of VW’s Fantasia, Matthew Best on Hyperion , Richard Hickox on Chandos and EMI, Wetton on Naxos, although the best of the bunch is probably John Rutter on his Christmas Album with baritone Stephen Varcoe on Collegium . Barry Rose, however, is more loving and warmly luxuriant in this performance, if not quite as rhythmically taut as Rutter and Hickox on the earlier EMI.

“And the well-balanced world on hinges hung;
And cast the dark foundations deep,
And bid the weltering waves their oozy channel keep.”

Thus concludes Vaughan Williams’ 60-minute Christmas cantata Hodie, led by Sir David Willcocks and the London Symphony Orchestra, a mixture of scripture, following the birth of Jesus and the ensuing manger scene of shepherds and magi, and secular verse, including the John Milton from above and Vaughan Williams’ own wife Ursula covering the March of the Three Kings, among others. The format stirs up Britten’s War Requiem in my mind, with the Westminster Abbey boys gently chanting the scripture accompanied only by organ, Vaughan Williams hauntingly transitions each time to the soloists and adult chorus who intone the secular poetry with full orchestra at their beck and call. Featuring only original music, no pre-existing Christmas carols are used, Hodie is not all glitz and glam outside of the jaunty opening and the glorious finale, Vaughan Williams judiciously balances the intimate with the dramatic in true 20th Century fashion, bridging modernism and pastoral English settings. Standing out is the exotic March of the Kings that trudges along with great effort, some lovely a cappella choral numbers performed by the Bach Choir, and the aforementioned boisterous open and close which set themselves apart from a primarily gentle musical setting.

This performance of Hodie is greatly elevated by a solid team of English soloists: Dame Janet Baker in good voice, Richard Lewis who thankfully does not bleat in an English manner and has an excellently heroic Bright Portals, and a strong John Shirley-Quirk. Sir David Willcocks is firm in his leading of these forces, willingly giving into the drama, but lovingly addressing the gentle nature of much of this music; this is also an easy reference recording of this major choral/orchestral work. EMI gets a good balance here as well, easily picking out the orchestral voices, chorus, and soloists, but it is also quite easy to hear the piano, harp, and celeste amidst the din, although the organ could afford a closer sound accompanying the trebles and, additionally, the loudest tutti passages at the end of the recording strain the sound a tad.

Hodie is represented on record by a relative few: this classic 60’s Willcocks stereo remaster on EMI , now on Warner Classics, the late Sir Richard Hickox also on EMI with Robert Tear in the 90’s, and a lacklustre Hilary Davan Wetton on Naxos is all that is regularly available. This pairing of Barry Rose’s Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Willcocks' Hodie is an easy first choice in good sound, with excellent performances, stand-out soloists, and nice alternative Yuletide listening by the master Vaughan Williams. Highly Recommended!

Listen on YouTube

 

Work
Hodie (59.13)
Fantasia on Christmas Carols (12.13)

Soloists
Dame Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano
Richard Lewis, tenor
John Barrow, baritone
John Shirley-Quirk, baritone

Ensembles
Guildford Cathedral Choir
Westminster Abbey Choristers
The Bach Choir
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir David Willcocks, conductor
Barry Rose, conductor

Label: EMI / Warner
Year: 1966; 2000
Timing: 71.34

 

 

Those looking for entry into The Oozy Keep could very well start here.

Put down your lance, bypass The Kraken, and give a listen.