The Welsh composer William Mathias, born in 1934, was self-taught, something that shows in his music. He did not follow any of the schools of British music in the middle and late 20th century, and although you'd place him on the conservative side of the musical spectrum if you had to choose, these sacred pieces don't rest comfortably there. He uses modal and quartal harmonies in ways that seem not antique, but vigorous and new. The big anthem An Admonition to Rulers (to a text from the Wisdom of Solomon) is distinctive, but ...
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The Welsh composer William Mathias, born in 1934, was self-taught, something that shows in his music. He did not follow any of the schools of British music in the middle and late 20th century, and although you'd place him on the conservative side of the musical spectrum if you had to choose, these sacred pieces don't rest comfortably there. He uses modal and quartal harmonies in ways that seem not antique, but vigorous and new. The big anthem An Admonition to Rulers (to a text from the Wisdom of Solomon) is distinctive, but the real gems here are the small carol-like pieces in the sets Ave Rex, Op. 45 and Salvator Mundi. Sample some of these: they add considerable harmonic sophistication without losing the appeal of simple tunes. The setting of The Lord's Prayer, the last piece of choral music Mathias wrote, is mysteriously powerful. The performances by the St. Albans Abbey Girls Choir and Lay Clerks of St. Albans Cathedral Choir, joined variously by piano, organ, and orchestra, are ideal; the girls'...
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