Choral Prelude on "Eventide" (Abide with me)

Ernest Alfred Dicks (1865-1948) was an organist in Cheltenham, and also to the Royal Masonic Lodge. I'm not sure exactly where this work is taken from, but it was published by Bayley & Ferguson in 1927.

I think this is from Book 4 of the "Short and Easy Pieces." Maybe it's me, but I didn't find this all that easy! It's a quick little trickster to play! ;-)

Dicks doesn't set this in the usual "dreamy" way. Instead, he builds up tension by an almost constant acceleration, with more and more notes adding to the animation.

Only after he has played out the drama does he let the piece gradually relax, until it falls away into complete calm on the final chords.

The music for "Eventide" is by William H. Monk (1823-1889). He was editor of the hymnal, "Hymns Ancient & Modern." The story is that he was about to have a meeting with the hymnal committee for the 1861 edition. He suddenly realized he had NO TUNE for this text, so, he sat down at the piano, and "Eventide" was completed 10 minutes later.

The text was written by the Rev. Francis H. Lyte (1793-1847).

As with the tune, there is a special and very moving history about the text. Since I will run out of space here, I will give that story in the First Comment.

The score is attached below, as well as photos of William H. Monk and of his grave, and of Francis H. Lyte, and the monument erected to him in Westminster Abbey.