Marché Sérieuse

Bertram Luard-Selby (12 February 1853 – 26 December 1918) was an English composer and cathedral organist. As an organist, he served in Salisbury Cathedral and Rochester Cathedral. As a composer, he wrote prolifically for the church, the concert-hall and the theatre.

Luard-Selby was born at Ightham Mote, Kent. He studied the organ at the Leipzig Conservatoire, and was organist at, successively, St. Barnabas, Marylebone, and Highgate School (1876); Salisbury Cathedral (1881); St. John's, Torquay, 1884; and St. Barnabas, Pimlico, 1887. He was appointed organist of Rochester Cathedral on the death of the incumbent, John Hopkins, in 1900, and held the post until 1916, when he took a post at Bradfield College. He was the musical editor of Hymns Ancient and Modern, published in 1904. He also gave chamber music concerts in London in the 1880s.

He composed two school cantatas, The Waits of Bremen and A Castle in Spain; chamber music including two piano quintets; a piano quartet; three sonatas for violin and piano; and many songs and part-songs. His church music includes two settings of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis, 16 anthems, and a number of pieces for the organ.

Among Luard-Selby's orchestral works were Village Suite, which premiered at the Henry Wood Proms in 1908, and An Idyll. In addition he wrote a great deal of music for the theater.

Luard-Selby died in Brigg, Lincolnshire at the age of 65.

The score, courtesy of Dr. John Henderson, is attached below, as well as a photo of the composer, and several of some of the churches and cathedrals at which he served.

Marché Sérieuse, published by Novello, is exactly what the title implies. It is grand and stately, but with an interesting harmonic usage, and an oddly effective "drummed pedal part," which is mostly in octaves.

The exquisite central section is finely balanced, and leads without break into a recap of the opening, which is now expanded with a grand coda, and final unison!

Peace and safety to All!