Volumes 7-11 Edited by Geoffrey Atkinson and published by Fagus Music at £10, £10, £15, £15 and £15 respectively. . www.fagus-music.com

This year we can commemorate the 250^th anniversary of the birth in Bristol of Samuel Wesley, whose collected works for organ have been carefully edited and published in 12 volumes by Geoffrey Atkinson for Fagus Music. The first part of this appraisal of Wesley’s contribution to the early 19^th century English keyboard repertoire, which covered the pieces contained in volumes 1-6, was published in The Organ in the May 2016 issue, no. 376. That article contains an overview of his life and places him in context with his contemporaries, and should be referred to by the interested reader. In this second part of the article I shall offer an appraisal of volumes 7-11, omitting volume 12 which is devoted to Wesley’s duets, including the Grand Duet KO604, the introduction to J.S. Bach’s Fugue in E flat for four hands KO 669 and Vincent Novello’s arrangement of the Fugue for four hands. Thus the whole of this Wesley’s contribution to the solo repertoire as found in both printed and manuscript sources will have been covered in these two articles.

Since there is ample information about the composer’s life, career and achievements, including his enthusiasm for and possible application in his own pieces of the keyboard works of J. S. Bach, in each volume in this series, and since more detailed information is readily available through articles in encyclopaedias such as The New Groves, as well as in the excellent scholarly books listed in the short bibliography at the end of this article, I shall concentrate on a discussion of the music contained in volumes seven to eleven in these series.

Volume seven contains the two sets of Three Voluntaries for the Organ Composed and Inscribed to John Harding esq., and have been allocated KO615 and KO616 in the source book (see Bibliography at end of this article). These Voluntaries were published by Preston, probably ca. 1824. The first Voluntary from the first set is in three movements, each in D major, opening with a movement for the Diapasons in 3/4 marked Slow. Mainly in two voices moving in quavers and crotchets with a few semiquaver interpolations after a chordal introduction with suspensions, its improvisatory feel is apparent. The second movement is in C time and marked Lively, with the Right Hand for the Flute or Dulciana, with much use of arpeggiated semiquavers and semiquaver triplets. The editor has suggested that the predominantly single notes in quavers or crotchets for the left hand could be played on the Diapasons, but there is the possibility that both hands could play on the solo stops. The closing movement is in cut C time, marked Lively and for the Full organ throughout. After a chordal opening the piece continues with an imitative section before a sequential close. The editor has suggested a possible elaboration of the very static closing bars, as well as indications for use of the pedal to cover the octave writing for the extended compass of the contemporary English organ. Voluntary no. two is in two movements, both in F major, the first one opening with a movement in 6/8 marked Slow. The first 15 bars and the closing four are for the Diapasons, the section from bar 16 to 24 has the indication that the right hand is for the Swell or Cremona. This section is in singlesemiquaver notes for the right hand, with just a few demisemiquaver written out ornaments, over two notes in the left hand, reversing the opening texture. The second movement in 2/4 is marked Lively opens on Diapasons and Principal, with or without the Fifteenth and Great, with a section for Diapasons in the relative minor, returning to the Great at bar 84, with a further section for Diapasons at bar 116 to 129, with the closing 15 bars on the Great. The right hand texture varies between one and two notes with occasional thicker textured bars over a mainly single note left hand; after a short chordal opening there is much use of semiquavers against quavers with some passages for semiquavers in both hands. The third Voluntary of the first set is also in two movements, both in D major, with the opening movement in C time marked Slow. It is an improvisatory movement with considerable rhythmic and textural variety, opening with a dotted rhythms for Full Organ (without Trumpet) followed by two short passages on the Swell separated by an octave interjection on the Full Organ before a lengthy passage on the Full with semiquavers against held chords passing between the hands before a brief reappearance of the dotted quaver + semiquaver is followed by a longer passage on Swell, leading to a close on the Full Organ. The second movement is in cut C time and marked Lively for the Full Organ without Trumpet. Fugal, it proceeds mainly in crotchets after the subject in minims and semibreves. The texture is quite loose with long passages in just two voices before a Cadenza leads to a few bars with the Trumpet added.

The first Voluntary of the second set (these are numbered four to six in this edition) is in two movements opening with a 3/8 in E minor marked Slow and for the Diapasons. From bar 17 both hands play on the Swell, the left hand moving to Diapason bass between bars 25-41 before a return to both hands on Diapasons until a close in the dominant in bar 55. The movement progresses almost entirely in three voices, with some passages for just two, with semiquavers against quavers predominant. The second movement is in E major, in C time and marked Cheerful, not Brisk, for Diapasons and Principal. The first eight bars, a tuneful air-like passage, are to be repeated with the Treble on the Swell, with soft Bass. As the movement progresses first the Fifteenth and then the Twelfth are added; with the latter addition the piece becomes more chordal and fuller textured rather than primarily two-voice and melodic. The second Voluntary of this set is in two movements, both in C major, and opens with a movement in C time for the Diapasons, marked Slow; after arpeggios in both bass and treble the movement settles into mainly two-voice writing with semiquavers over a quaver bass before a short passage in which the bass also progresses in semiquavers beneath crotchets or syncopated figures before a conclusion in the tonic. The second movement is in 3/ 4 and marked Lively. It opens on the Diapasons, Principal, Twelfth and Fifteenth, with a passage for right hand on Swell over Diapason bass, the opening four bars presenting the same melody and left hand hand before diverging in each hand, followed by an imitative section on the Great, the short opening subject ascending a sixth and falling back a third, a second subject opening with an ascending triad followed by a descending run back to the tonic. A return to the opening melodic theme is then followed by a short two-voice passage for Sw and Choir before the imitative section reappears on the Great. Towards the end of the imitative working a passage in dactylic rhythms in contrary motion makes its presence felt, followed by a close with the Sesquialtera added. This movement combines elegant melodic writing with imitative writing in a most attractive manner. The final Voluntary in this second set for John Harding is in three movements, opening with a movement in B♭ in C time marked Spirited. The first 12 bars are for Full organ, with writing in octaves, with bars five to eight being thick chords for the Full Swell. After a short passage on the Choir a lengthy passage for Full Organ with neatly varied textures including octaves in the left hand and dactylic rhythms in the right hand. This is followed by twelve bars with both hands on the Choir, before the right hand moves to the Swell. A return to Full Organ contains mainly writing in octaves, with a descending quaver run of two octaves beneath a combination of chords and rests before the octaves return for the closing few bars. The second movement is in E♭ and is in C time, marked Moderately Slow in binary from. It opens for Soft Choir Organ, followed by Swell over Diapason Bass. The second half opens with both hands on the Choir before the right hand moves to the Swell until the end of this short Aria-like piece with some chromatic writing, which is mainly a semiquaver melodic line over a slower bass of two voices. The final movement, in B♭ and in 3/4, is marked Lively, for Full Organ, and is fugal, the subject in crotchets and quavers opening with an octave leap. The movement progresses in quavers without a pause in mainly two voices with some passages of a homophonic nature in up to four voices until 12 bars from the end when chords and rests interpolate, with the instruction Add the Trumpet, the piece closing with held chords.

Volume eight contains Six Introductory Movements and a Loud Voluntary, KO610, a Voluntary (in Bb) KO626 and a Fuga (in D) KO603. The title page of the Six Introductory Movements continues "Intended for the use of Organists as soft Voluntaries to be performed at the commencement for services of the Established Church, to which is added a Loud Voluntary with Introduction and Fugue". The set was published by Clemti Collard and Collard in 1831. Thee Introductory Voluntaries are short pieces of ca. 25-40 bars, in a variety of keys and time signatures (D 6/8, E C, F 2/4, A cut C, C 3/ 4 and Eminor also 3/4). Registration is usually for Gt. Diapason, with changes during the piece, such as passages for Swell (sometimes with the right hand only on this manual while the left hand plays on the Great), and addition of the Principal. The Loud Voluntary is in two movements both in D in the form of a Prelude and Fughetta, and opens with an Andante which juxtaposes chordal crotchets with quaver passages and dotted rhythms, mostly for Full Great, with a few chords on the Choir Diapasons and Principal, the movement closing with four bars of a crotchet chord followed by rests before a chord of A introduces the Fughetta in cut C time, marked Spiritoso and Full without Reeds, the subject being accompanied from its second note. The use of arrowheads to indicate its appearance is carried over into this edition. In bar 86 the Trumpet is added, and the piece proceeds with writing in octaves before further entries of the subject lead to a conclusion of held chords in left hand beneath quaver passages in the right hand, the piece ending with five bars of minim chords followed by rests.

The Voluntary in B♭ is a further example of a Prelude and Fugue with the opening movement in 3/2 marked Andante, for the Diapasons throughout. It moves mainly in crotchets against minims, with a variable texture. The Fugue in C time is marked Moderato for Great, and the subject, which opens with two minims followed by a dotted minim and crotchets is announced in octaves. It moves no quicker than quavers with much use of crotchet against crotchet, again in a loose texture including two parts in octaves. The Fugue winds up with minim chords followed by rests with pauses over them., again implying a fill in and linking passages. The Fuga in D is in C time and marked allegro, the four-bar subject containing semiquaver passages with quaver figures including repeated notes before the fall of a seventh. The editor has suggested a possible elaboration of the closing bars which certainly feel static in comparison with the preceding semiquaver writing in a varied texture. Volume nine contains the Twelve Short Pieces for the Organ with a Full Voluntary added KO617, two sets of Variations on God save the King/Queen KO 619 and KO678 and Variations on Rule Britannia KO620. The Twelve Short Pieces, printed by Clementi & Co in ca. 1817, are probably Wesley’s best known compositions for organ, selections appearing in numerous anthologies of the past century. Actually comprising 13 pieces, they can be grouped by key with 1-3 in G, 4-7 in A minor, 8-10 in F and 11-13 in D; the closing Fugue, perhaps intended originally to be part of no. 12 was given the number 13 in the autograph manuscript. Both the tempo instructions from the ms. and the metronome marks from the printed edition are given. A variety of styles and registrations are offered, including passages for Hautboy (No.4, which also includes Flute and Diapasons and is written in 9/8), Cornet, (No. 5), Dialogue between Cremona or Vox Humana with an interlude on the Flute (No. 8, which is written in 3/8 with semiquaver triplets), Full Organ Without the Trumpet (Nos. 7 and 10), and Full Organ (No. 3), the lack of qualification in this piece allowing the player to choose. No. 11 is for the Flute in right hand against Diapasons. Other registrations include Diapasons, Principal, Fifteenth and Twelfth in various levels. No. 12 also includes the Flute in the mix up to Fifteenth, and is in 6/8 with continuous semiquaver movement between the voices, which occasionally include octave quavers in the left hand. The first section is repeated, the only other piece with repeats is the binary form no. 9. The final short Fugue is in cut C time and marked Moderately Slow specifies Full Organ With the Trumpet and moves mainly in crotchets with quavers as passing notes. Time signatures are mainly C, with nos. 3 and 11being in 3/4 and no. 12 in 6/8.

The Full Voluntary, comprising two movements, both in D minor, opens with a movement making much use of dotted rhythms, including octaves in the left hand and a pedal part. Marked for Full Organ with the Trumpet, the movement includes a passage in equal semiquavers for the right hand on the Swell over the left hand Diapason or Choir before a return to the Full Organ and the dotted rhythms before three bars in quavers and chromatic writing lead to a close on the dominant. The following Fugue (not thus designated) is in C time for Full without the Trumpet, and the four-bar subject combines semiquavers with disjunct quavers; a quite intense and lengthy piece, it closes with block chords punctuated by rests, the editor suggesting a cadenza for these bars, before a close with continuous writing for five bars. This Voluntary is one of the best two-movement compositions of the time. The sets of Variations include two on God save the King/Queen, the first set being in D and having three variations after the theme is stated, each half being written out with different registrations covering a wide range from Swell and Choir to Full Organ. The first Variation, in two voices, opens for Diapasons and Principal only, with the Fifteenth added for the repeat of each section, which is fully written out with the semiquaver figuration moving from right hand to left, the melody appearing clearly in crotchets in the right hand until the closing bars. The second Variation is in binary form for Diapasons and principal, with the right hand in semiquaver triplets throughout against crotchets or quavers. The final Variation is for Full without the Trumpet and in it the melody appears in the treble in crotchets beneath which continuous semiquavers unfold in two voices. It is in binary form, and after the second half is repeated there is a nine-bar coda in the same format. Rule Britannia (by Dr. Arne and arranged by Samuel Wesley) has just one Variation after the theme, which is present in the treble. It opens with Diapasons, Flute and Principal, a short passage for Swell and Choir before the left hand introduces the close on Full Great. The variation presents the theme in the right hand on the Flute against almost continuous semiquavers in the left hand on the Diapason, before the piece closes on the Great Full with trumpet – a fine contrast!

Volume ten contains 35 Miscellaneous Short Pieces, composed over quite a wide time-scale and gathered from both printed and manuscript sources, some of which are in Wesley’s autographs. Several appear in multiple sources, and most are untitled. Although a detailed account of each piece is precluded by space constraints, an analysis is provided in the accompanying table. The great majority are in binary form, and cover only two pages, with a few requiring three; only nos. 11 (Voluntary in C), 14 (Untitled piece in C), 26 (Untitled Piece in A in two movements) and 34 (Untitled piece in Eb) run to four pages. Only three have more than one movement, nos. 11 and 26 with two and no. 12 with three, of which nos. 12 and 26 have a Fuga as the closing movement. The opening five were written as Airs for the Seraphine, a small free-reed keyed instrument regarded as a precursor of the harmonium.

Volume 11 is entitled 12 Miscellaneous longer Voluntaries, all from manuscript sources from both an early and a late period, although only one of the pieces in this collection is specifically entitled Voluntary, with two others assigned this title by the editor. Three pieces are entitled Fuga in the source, one with an Introduction, a further three have been given this title of which one also ahs an introduction. The opening piece in this volume is the Fuga in D KO630, the appearances of its short subject of four bars of minims covering a sixth being marked with a + together with comments such as "reversed", "augmented" and "anticipated" appearing in the score. It runs to 193 bars in cut C time and is in mainly three voices, with additional parts appearing at will. The second piece, a Fugue KO631dated Sep 9, 1837, ie just over a month before Wesley’s death, was “composed expressly for Dr. Mendelssohn, and is in B minor, its six bar subject in C time having mainly crotchet movement, and proceeds in only two voices for much of its 110 bars. The third piece, entitled Introduction and Fugue KO634 by the editor comprises seven bars in 3/8 marked Slow based on a short rhythmic sequence and finishing on the dominant, followed by a Fugue, of which the subject contains a fall of a diminished seventh, after which a secondary subject, with a sequence of sinuous semiquavers after repeated note quavers, enters. Much of the piece is in two voices only with occasional held semiquaver chords against passagework. The fourth piece is an Introduction and Fugue KO635 in G (neither movement has a tempo indication), the opening movement in 3/2 in binary form is in three voices having some passages in thirds in the right hand, a fourth voice appearing in the final bar of each section. The Fugue in C time opens with an octave leap, the rhythm, but not the interval, repeated for three bars before a bar of quavers. Its 92 bars contain mainly two or three voices, with occasionally added parts before a slow chordal coda. The fifth piece, entitled Voluntary KO640 by the editor, is again in two movements, both in D major. The opening movement is marked Very Slow in 3/4 for the Diapasons with a short passage for the right hand marked Swell which introduces semiquaver figures. The Fugue in cut C time has no tempo indication and the subject, which covers four bars, is in quavers and crotchets with one minim at the end of the second bar. Mainly in three voices with much use of quaver figures in concludes with a few bars of chordal shifts over a tonic pedal. The sixth piece is a Larghetto KO641 in 3/8 in D major, of which only the first section is repeated, the second being followed by a Coda for Full organ. The first two sections are for a Diapason Bass mainly of one note, but occasionally with two, beneath two voices for Swell in the right hand, including semiquaver passages in thirds or sixths, with occasional holding notes.

The seventh piece in this volume is entitled Voluntary 12^th in the MS, this intriguing title possibly indicating that it was at one time considered as a choice for the final Voluntary of the set of 12 published singly as Op. 6 (published as the volumes 1 and 2 in this series, see the first of my article in The Organ, May 2016 issue), the 12^th Voluntary appearing in ca. 1817. In three movements, each in B♭, but with a key signature of one flat only. The opening movement is in 3/2 and marked Slow and is for Full, with a passage for the right hand on the Swell over a Diapason bass. There are passages in octaves at the start and towards the finish of the piece, and quaver passages beneath full chords in the varied texture, the movement concluding with chords and rests over octaves before single notes two octaves apart lead to the dominant. The second movement is in C time and lacks tempo and opening dynamic markings – Full appearing in bar 56 with a short passage for Swell from bar 118 before Full resumes for the coda. Homophonic throughout, in crotchets and quavers, sometimes against minims, sometimes in two voices only, sometimes in thicker textures, this is a most satisfactory example of Wesley’s command of his material in a longer non-fugal movement. The closing movement is in C time, is marked Moderately Slow and opens on Soft Organ with a short passage in octaves for Full Organ before a return to Soft Organ, the short, through-composed movement, mainly in two or three voices, closing with a passage in octaves on the Full Organ leading to a short chordal coda. Varying in texture, including some quaver passages in thirds in the right hand, this tuneful movement brings the Voluntary to a successful close.

Pieces eight through to eleven KO659-662 are single movements all in D major and lacking a specific title; the editor has suggested the possibility that they could be played in pairs, although since there is no certainty of an original pairing this could be quite arbitrary. No. eight is marked Swell (clearly the left hand would be played on the Choir) and is in 3/8 and tentatively entitled Andante, which suits its quiet character. A single voice in the left hand supports either semiquavers in one voice – or occasionally two - or quavers in two voices in either thirds or sixths. A coda in dotted crotchets has the bass moving by semitones, this being repeated in the alto as the piece close in A major. No. nine is in 3/2 and marked Slow, Diapasons, and is in a varied texture with occasional quaver movement and some crotchet passages in thirds. Nos. ten and eleven are clearly Fugues, as the editor ahs entitled them. The first is in cut C time, marked Lively for Diapasons, Principal and Fifteenth, the subject based on a sequential repetition in crotchets including repeated notes after two minims. The texture varies with much writing in two voices in crotchets or quavers and occasional octave jumps of a two-voice chord in the right hand. A suggested cadenza leads to a concluding seven bars in minims then semibreves. No. eleven is in Cut C with neither tempo nor registration, the subject announced in the bass covers an octave and includes quavers and crotchets. At 140 bars it is longer than its predecessor but has a similarly varied texture with predominantly two-voice writing before a four-bar coda in minims and a semibreve.

The final piece in this volume, entitled Voluntary KO663 by the editor, is in two movements, both in F major, opening with a 6/8 movement for the Diapasons, Principal and Fifteenth marked Cheerful. After a quaver opening it contains mainly semiquaver figures either hands together or against quavers in either hand, closing in the dominant. It is followed by a clearly fugal movement in cut C marked Full, which is also in a varied texture in crotchets and minims, quavers first appearing as part of a dotted rhythm in bar 92, and then assuming prominence from bar 107-118 before the conclusion with the subject in two voices an octave apart.

Each volume is very clearly printed, and contains an introduction to Wesley’s life and a thorough commentary on each piece in the volume, and the editor’s extremely helpful suggestions for performance, including registration and special attention to the use of the pedals; this should be read before playing the pieces. Unlike William Russell, Wesley never used a third stave for obligato pedal parts, causing some extra problems to today’s player, coupled with the use of notes in the lowest octave available on the contemporary instruments but not on today’s organs. Few ornament signs are used, the most commonly occurring being tr which probably signifies a trill commencing on the upper auxiliary although a few method books and primers (such as the Guida della Musica by John Danby) were advocating a start on the main note. Appogiaturas occur and there are other written-out grace notes, which generally sound better when played on the beat, in a few instances an interpretation before the beat may work adequately. Even at this relatively late stage there is scope for addition of further ornaments particularly in the repeats of slower movements. The beat is even at this late stage usually given as a four-note ornament commencing on the lower auxiliary. These volumes offer an excellent edition of the organ works of one our leading composers of the early 19^th century whose music deserves to be played far more frequently than it is. We should be profoundly grateful to Geoffrey Atkinson for continuing to its conclusion the series initiated by Barry Brunton. The attached tables give an overview of the scope and extent of Wesley’s creativity on a volume by volume basis.

Bibliography

Francis Routh: Early English Organ Music: From the Middle Ages to 1837, Barrie & Jenkins, 1973.
Philip Olleson: Samuel Wesley, the man and his music, Boydell Press, 2003
Michael Kassler and Philip Olleson: Samuel Wesley (1766-1837): A source Book, Routledge, 2001
Philip Olleson (ed): The letters of Samuel Wesley: Professional and Social Correspondence 1797-1837. Oxford University Press, 2001.
Nicholas Temperley and Stephen Banfield: Music and the Wesleys. University of Illinois, 2010.
Brown, Geoffrey Ernest, (1977) The organ music of Samuel Wesley. Durham theses, Durham University, available at Durham E-Theses online at http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/9873