Elevation

Hugh Blair (25 May 1864 – 22 July 1932) was an English musician, composer and organist. Born in Worcester, he was the son of Rev. Robert Hugh Blair, who founded Worcester College for the Blind in 1866. A chorister at Worcester Cathedral and a pupil at The King's School, Worcester, Blair was organ scholar at Christ's College, Cambridge, graduating B.A. 1886, Mus.B. 1887, M.A. 1896 and Mus.D. 1906.

He was Organist of Worcester Cathedral from 1895 to 1897, having been Acting Organist before that time. Edward Elgar dedicated his cantata "The Black Knight" to Blair, who was conductor of the Worcester Festival Choral Society. Blair also asked Elgar to write an organ voluntary for the visit of some American organists to Worcester, and received Elgar's first Organ Sonata as a result. Amazingly, the work took only two weeks from conception to first performance, but the haste with which Blair had learnt the work showed in a somewhat muddled rendition.

Worcester Cathedral Library contains copies of Blair's compositions, and his splendid Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in B minor for double choir is in the repertoire of every cathedral choir, and is still often performed and recorded.

"Elevation" is a "large" piece despite it's brief length. It is, as many of these "cathedral utterances" are, a "double arch," which moves from pp to ff, back again to pp and then going to full organ and falling away to a hushed ppp at the conclusion, and all of these changes in 3:42. The flow is all-important, and the many changes in registration are done WHILE playing, and not at "pause points".

The score is attached below, as is a photo the choristers of Worcester Cathedral with Hugh Blair in the rear right. (Opens with paint or photo viewer.)

After years of searching, I finally came across Blair's "Short Sonata in G Major," so, look out for that - as soon as I can learn it!

More English works coming soon... ;-)