Prelude

Everett Titcomb (1884-1968) spent his entire career in the greater Boston Massachusetts area. He was born in Amesbury, and studied organ and composition with Samuel Whitney, organist and choirmaster of The Church of The Advent, Boston. Titcomb’s compositional inclinations lean strongly toward the music of High Church ritualism (Anglo-Catholic), and beginning in 1910 he was able to give full vent to them. That year he was appointed to The Church of St. John the Evangelist, Beacon Hill, the
and The New England Conservatory of Music. He served St. John’s until he died in 1968.

I don't want to overdo this Titcomb thing. I'm really NOT all that much of a fan, and I don't do all that much of his music. Still, I will be doing at least one more of his bigger Toccatas, hopefully tomorrow, just as soon as I can figure out how to turn the pages...

"Prelude" was composed in 1943 and is dedicated an "obscure American organist" named Virgil Fox... ;-) This piece is NOT what you'd think of when you think of Virgil Fox. It is restrained throughout, and is essentially modal in it's harmonic colors. The piece uses mostly 8' stops, and achieves it's "variety" by texture and tonality, rather than by large stop changes. The composer was VERY meticulous in including "rubato" marks, of which there are many, and I've tried to observe all of them to the best of my ability.

I haven't played this piece in years, but its sweet "liturgical sadness" always strikes a chord in me.

I haven't mentioned it in awhile, but I've been really struggling with my hearing issues for almost 2 months straight. It's not as "horrific" as it sometimes got - it's just NEVER good - and my "perception" of the sound is not right. All of these pieces, with their registrational refinements (or lack thereof!) are partially what I hear IN MY HEAD... Please keep me in your thoughts.

All that aside, I DO like this piece a LOT.