Schafe können sicher weiden (Sheep may safely gaze)

This well-known work, "Sheep may safely graze," like "Bist du bei mir," is published by Oxford University Press. Once again, there is as much of the English cathedral as there is of the German cantata in this transcription, which was published in 1942. Certainly, it felt VERY English as I played it...

Stainton de B. Taylor (d. 1975), the transcriber of this and many other works, such as "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba," was a chorister at New College Oxford. He was a well-known musical figure on Merseyside, author (The Organ Preludes of J S Bach), organist and conductor of the Wallasey Singers, who later through failing eyesight and helped by his wife, became music critic for the Liverpool Post and Echo and many of his kind and perceptive accounts of RMG recitals appeared in these publications. He compiled a wealth of information about local music which was finally published posthumously as ‘Two Centuries of Music in Liverpool’, Rockcliff Brothers Ltd, Liverpool 1976(?) In Chapter 6, p48, he included details of the then young Renaissance Music Group.

I found this to be tricky to play, as it calls for a LOT of independent manipulations of the swell and solo boxes. The flute obligato is played on the Flute Harmonique of the Solo, with the Choir Harmonic Fluter providing the "accompaniment". The melody is played on the Swell with the Lieblich Gedackt, Viola da Gamba, Hautboy AND Vox Humana with tremulant. It is the Vox that MAKES the sound.

As I mentioned, this one is not as easy it may sound - or maybe it's just me...