Postlude on "Faith of our Fathers" and "Lourdes' Pilgrim Tune" (Twelve Hymn Tune Voluntaries, No. 9)

Ernest Alfred Dicks (1865-1948) was an organist in Cheltenham, and also to the Royal Masonic Lodge. He published several collections, including these fine set of "Hymn Tune Voluntaries - Twelve Pieces for Organ in Various Styles founded on Favourite Psalm and Hymn Tunes," published by Bayley & Ferguson in 1923.

The style is indeed varied, and some of the pieces, actually, most of the pieces, are filled with charm and color. They are unpretentious, and quite "old fashioned," especially when you consider what was happening in the musical world of 1923!

All of them are brief, and while none of them are really hard, I can't say that many of them are actually easy. I suppose it depends on the degree of "detailing" that you want to do.

I'm doing the entire set of 12, but skipping over the Christmas ones for now, and holding off on the Easter ones, which I'll do at the appropriate time. I've also omitted the "Thanksgiving" one for the time being.

"Postlude on the tunes 'Faith of our Fathers' and 'Lourdes' Pilgrim Tune'" is the 9th in the collection. It is dedicated: "To W.(alter) T. Vale, Esq. ARCO," who was to achieve his fame as Organist of All Saints' Church, Margaret Street, in London.

This one is a bit of a "mystery" to me, as I can't not "identify" the tune for "Faith of our Fathers," although I do know it. I seem to recall seeing this linked with the famous text, but I can't recall where, and can not locate it. It serves the first and last sections of this rollicking postlude.

The middle section uses the famous "Lourdes Pilgrim Tune," dating from Grenoble around 1882, and associated with text, "Immaculate, Mary, Thy praises we sing."

The form is A-B-A, and the joyful appeal is immediate! You'll have a hard time not smiling with this one!

The scores are courtesy of Dr. John Henderson, Librarian for the RSCM. They are attached below in 2 pdf's, as the "complete" set omits two pages from the first piece in the collection.



Peace and safety to All!