Voluntary in A Minor | Maurice Greene (1696-1755) | St. Mary Redcliffe (HW)

I performed Maurice Greene’s Voluntary in A minor on the Harrison & Harrison organ from St. Mary Redcliffe (Hauptwerk). Greene’s organ voluntaries, published posthumously, are contrapuntal and reflective, featuring chromaticism and expressive harmonic textures.

This piece consists of two part, a slow (Largo) first part with a gentle registration and a second part (Andante) with a bold registration (without reeds). I played the largo really slow and broad, towards lento (around 31 BPM) to highlight the contrast with the much brighter and fugal-like second half of the piece. I played the Andante part around 77-78 BPM.

Born in London, Greene was a choirboy at St. Paul’s Cathedral, later becoming its organist and succeeding William Croft at the Chapel Royal. He also served as Professor of Music at Cambridge and Master of the King’s Musick. . His masterpiece, Lord, Let Me Know Mine End, remains a staple of Anglican choral music. He passed away in 1755 and was later reburied in St. Paul’s Cathedral.

00:00 Largo
02:09 Andante

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