Vaughan Williams does have a distinctive sound, though also similar to other English composers of the era. I will resist the urge to explain further as it is tied up in my Master's Thesis and Lecture/Recital and I could go on for a while on the development of English church music. Prelude on Rhosymedre is an organist's standard, which I have played many, many, many, many times (including on said Lecture/Recital)?keith wrote: ↑Sun May 07, 2023 4:57 am Only half paying attention at that point, I said to SWMBO "gee that sounds like a Ralph Vaughan Williams piece".
It turns out, according to the program, it must have been his "Fantasia on Greensleeves" - that I didn't recognize for some reason "Prelude on ‘Rhosymedre’" that I didn't recognize at all - I just recognized his style. Vaughan Williams is weird (IMO) and I'm not much of a fan, but I do sorta like "Toward The Unknown Region".
ETA: There were two Vaughan Williams pieces, I don't remember hearing "Greensleeves", so it must have been "Rhosymedre".
We actually did 2 VW pieces today, O How Amiable with the choir, and the "Come my Way" hymn, which is essentially a congregation version of "The Call" from his Five Mystical Songs.
We also did one of the hymns they were doing at the Coronation, Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation (to Purcell's tune Westminster Abbey). I did not use that one because of the Coronation but because it fit today's reading. It is a very standard Anglican/Episcopal hymn that my place sings with gusto (the same can be said about the other one they had at the Coronation, "Praise my soul, the King of Heaven").
I did not select the RVW songs because of the coronation, either. Again, they fit the week. Next week go Tudor with Tallis's "If ye love me."