Hymns of Praise

Leyland Band
Conductor: Russell Gray
With The Manchester Chorale (Laura Jellicoe)
& Saint Michael’s Singers (Paul Leddington Wright)
Egon Recordings: CD SFZ 131
Total Playing Time: 59.48 mins

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As Rodney Newton points out in the comprehensive insert to Leyland Band's "Hymns of Praise" recording, the hymn tune has played a core role in the repertoire of the brass band down the years.  It has provided useful material for warming up, developing the band's mellow sound and for various other exercises, quite apart from actually accompanying the singing, be it in a service or on the march. 

For many people, the one time when they see a band on television – unless there is a fete taking place in "Midsomer Murders" – is likely to be accompanying the singing on BBC television's weekly "Songs of Praise".  Since the programme started in 1961 brass bands have often been called upon to assist, both for the occasional open air production and also in various churches and other indoor venues.  In recent years, many of the arrangements produced especially for the programmes have come from the pen of Goff Richards, and these form the core repertoire on the new disc.

Being called upon to arrange a familiar and much-loved hymn tune must be something of a two-edged sword, as one tries to produce a version that will sound fresh, whilst being aware that people will soon grumble if there is any desecration of their favourite harmonies.  One must also bear in mind that most of the arrangements are made with a view to accompanying the choirs and congregations, and so there are limits as to the opportunities for the band itself to shine.  For the new recording, the band is joined by two choirs, the Manchester Chorale, Musical Director Laura Jellicoe, and Saint Michael's Singers from Coventry, whose Musical Director Paul Leddington Wright has done much work for the BBC since 1995, including conducting over 100 "Songs of Praise" programmes.

Whilst it is good to have the words matched with the tunes, the logistics of the project demanded that each group recorded its contributions independently, the band providing its accompaniment and then the two choirs recording their tracks later on.  This is a major drawback with the recording, as there are several instances where the blend doesn't quite work. Had the performers all been together in the same venue, it would have allowed for more flexibility, which would undoubtedly have made for a better match of words and music.  There is no indication as to what liaison there was between the various conductors, but anyone who has tried to play even the simplest of slow melodies to a pre-recorded accompaniment will appreciated the difficulties and limitations involved. 

There's no doubt the recording and engineering team have done a grand job piecing it all together, not an easy task when there are some tracks where the backing is shared between band and organ, or with an unaccompanied verse to accommodate, and the acoustics of the various venues have been well matched.  The problem is solely in the coordination between band and vocalists, with several instances where one feels the choir would have preferred to be able to hold things up a little, or quicken the tempo slightly to match the nuances of the individual verses.

Having said that, there is much to enjoy, and the reservations above may not be shared by other listeners.  The selection of hymns covers quite a broad spectrum, with a couple of more recent provenance alongside several old favourites.  The comprehensive notes by Rodney Newton supply background information on both composers and wordsmiths, with many interesting snippets included in their six pages.  With a double page devoted to each of the participating groups and their Musical Directors, it makes for quite a substantial booklet, although it would have been good to have a little about Goff Richards himself included.

The disc opens with one of Charles Wesley's most popular hymns, "O for a thousand tongues to sing", to the tune here entitled "Lyngham", but which Salvationists will be more familiar with as "Grimsby".  It is following the start of the second verse, where the women's voices are accompanied predominantly by the organ, that the first signs of uncertainty are apparent, as the men's parts are not quite properly synchronised with the bass section of the band.  The cornet fanfares in the last verse are typical of Goff Richards' approach, adding to the overall effect without being too dominant.

Brian Wren is the first of the contemporary hymn writers to be featured, with "There's a Spirit in the Air" (although the "a" has been omitted from the otherwise excellent booklet).  The projection of the words is generally quite good, but it may take a couple of hearings to pick up all the words of the unfamiliar hymns included.

"Crimond" is played by the band alone, allowing the subtleties of the writing to be clearly heard.  Again there is some effective trumpeting in the last verse, although an upward sweep towards the end is suddenly reminiscent of the very human love depicted in Martin Ellerby's "Tristan Encounters"!

Next comes one of the most successful performances on the disc, a lively amalgam of "O when the saints" and "Glory, glory Hallelujah!" complete with a welcome change of key - not a very common occurrence when many of these versions were planned with congregational use in mind.  It is interesting to note that Luther G Presley, writer of the lyrics – which are often presumed to have come down through some sort of folk tradition – was paid $5 for his pains, although subsequent royalty payments ran into thousands of dollars.  He also penned the protest song "We shall not be moved".

The words of "And can it be" were long attributed to Charles Wesley, although it is now thought that they actually came from the pen of his brother, John.  The tune of "Sagina" allows for both some full-throated singing from the choir and some delicate work from the band.  Another Wesley hymn, "Forth in thy name O lord I go" is coupled with Orlando Gibbons' tune "Angels Song".  This Tudor melody has a touch of the madrigal about it, with its somewhat flexible metre, and there is a little tension between band and choir, as if the music is moving a little faster than expected.

"Come let us sing of a wonderful love" is another less familiar hymn, the author Robert Walmsley having written many for Manchester's Whit Week Festival.  This is followed by another arrangement presented by the band alone.  The tune "Nottingham" is an adaptation of a Kyrie attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, often associated with the words "Take my life and let it be consecrated, lord, to thee".  The setting includes an effective euphonium obbligato, and the lead into the last verse brings a pronounced lift, with the cornets providing enhancement to the euphonium melody before the music dies down towards the final bars.

"Great is thy faithfulness" sees band and choir united once more, with the arrangement contrasting male and female voices, and with some delicate flugel playing to be heard between the verses.  "The day thou gavest" is sung to organ accompaniment alone, with oddly snatched phrases in the first verse making it sound rather disjointed, although the descant for the last verse comes across effectively

"To thee, O lord, our hearts we raise" is the first of two harvest hymns included.  The tune "Golden sheaves" is one of many written by Sir Arthur Sullivan, its stately tread enhanced by moving quaver lines added by the arranger.  Hymn-singing did not play such a prominent role in Roman Catholic liturgy prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, but a number of hymns have come from that tradition, including "Hail Redeemer, King Divine", by Patrick Brennan.  Again, there are some effective passages for the band linking one line with the next.

Chris Bowater is one of the leading contemporary song-writers, having contributed amongst others to the annual Spring Harvest celebrations.  "Jesus shall take the highest banner" is typical of many recent worship songs with its rather jerky rhythms which can cause problems when a congregation is trying to learn it.  To have it played by band alone may have been a mistake, as the rhythms come across as a little stilted, and with it being less familiar this is one instance where it would have been good to have the words to go with the tune.

The broad lines of "Trentham" – "Breathe on me, breath of God" – are emphasised by Goff Richards' sustained writing for the band, although this extended setting also pays tribute to its association with the Whit Walks, with suitable musical references, and a coda for band alone.  The arrangement, originally broadcast as part of a feature on the Whit Walks, may not be quite so effective taken out of context.

Listeners may be familiar with Charles Skinner's festival setting of "Crown him with many crowns", sung at many Salvation Army events down the years.  Goff Richards' version of "Diademata" may be a little more restrained, without the harmonic twists in the last verse, but still conveys something of the celebratory nature of the hymn.

"We plough the fields and scatter", with its German melody "Wir pflugen", receives a suitably robust reading, with the arranger sometimes opting to harmonise the traditional unison opening phrase, and with some tasteful fanfare work from cornets and trombones.

"Eventide", with its association with the words "Abide with me", has long been a favourite for community hymn singing, but here is presented by band alone, with the opening verse featuring cornet triplets in the manner of Bach's "Jesu, joy of man's desiring" whilst the melody appears in the tenor section of the band, accompanied by tuned percussion.  After the second verse, featuring flugel and trombones, a short development passage leads to a final verse with sweeping cornets and an effective contribution from the basses.

"What a wonderful change" is an example of a hymn coming out of a time of adversity, as the author Rufus H. McDaniel penned it following the death of his son in 1914.  The lively tune is by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel, who also wrote "The Glory Song", and this version includes a verse pitching a solo side drum against shot chords from the band.

There was considerable opposition a few years ago when it was decided to drop William Blake's "Jerusalem" from the programme for the "Last Night of the Proms".  With Hubert Parry's stirring unison melody, and particularly coupled with the sweeping strings of Elgar's orchestral arrangement, it was swiftly restored to its rightful place, and has remained there ever since.  In this instance there are no liberties taken by the arranger, just a straight-forward transcription allowing the words their due prominence.

The final item on the disc, for band alone, is a compilation of a number of hymns that have featured in "Favourite hymns" polls.  Entitled "Hymns of Praise" and with some of the tunes receiving only a passing reference, it was played by the National Youth Brass Band of Scotland at the gala concert following the European Championships in Glasgow, appearing on the disc of highlights commemorating that event.  It is a clever pot-pourri, even if some of the sections merely whet ones appetite for a hymn that fails to materialise!  It certainly makes for a suitably upbeat end to the recording.

To sum up, this is a recording that should have a lot going for it: excellent sleeve notes, and first class performers, but ones expectations are not really fulfilled: the tracks by the band alone give an indication that a first class recording is out there somewhere, but much of the band's work in accompaniment is masked by the choirs – which one would expect of an accompaniment – and the united items lack spontaneity and the last degree of co-ordination that could make this recording come alive.  There is much to enjoy, but overall one is left with the feeling that it is a missed opportunity, and that an all-brass recording may have found wider acceptance.

Peter Bale

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