Harris, William: Choral Music

Featuring

Timothy Byram-Wigfield
Roger Judd
Ben Alden
Ronan Busfield
Giles White
James Birchall

Gareth Dayus-Jones
Choir of St George's Chapel
William Henry Harris

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Compositional Technique

The anthems "Faire is the Heav'n" and "Bring us, O Lord God" by Sir William Henry Harris are considered his two finest eight-part motets and are both in D flat major, which is described as "the glorious key" for these works.

Composer Biography

Sir William Henry Harris, the composer, served as organist at St George's Chapel, Windsor, for almost three decades, during which he tutored Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The composer, Sir William Henry Harris, often chose texts he venerated and was reluctant to distract from them with his own musical contributions, which some saw as an inability to create memorable melodies.

Recording & Production

This recording was made in St George's Chapel, Windsor, where the Choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, has sung services continuously since 1348, with the exception of the Commonwealth period.

Composer Biography

William Henry Harris, the composer, was a chorister at St David's Cathedral in South Wales at age fourteen, where he sometimes took over organ duties from the organist, Herbert Morris.

Historical Context

Sir William Henry Harris set the text "I said to the man" to music for unaccompanied men's voices, dedicating it to Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), after discovering her pride in King George VI's 1939 Christmas broadcast which used the text.