Psalm Prelude, Set 1, No. 3

The final prelude of the first set use the 4th verse of Psalm 23, as it's inspiration:

"Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."

It is a remarkable piece...

It begins with some very timid and frightened footsteps in C minor, portrayed by 2 "gloomy" reeds - the 8' Hautboy of the Swell as accompaniment, and the 16' Cor Anglais (at 8' pitch) for the melody.

The work moves through a series of keys, gradually becoming more confident. More and more stops are added, and the piece builds to a tremendous climax on a massive C major chord. The footsteps are now like those of a giant!

The piece gradually melts away, with a slight touch of gloom towards the end, this time played on the Solo Clarinet.

The piece ends with a C major chord, ppp, with the 32' Open being "felt" more than heard.

Like any work of Howells, the registration changes are almost "constant." I didn't get this exactly the way I wanted it, but without toe studs, I settled for this.