Twelve Hymn-Preludes (6. Lift up your heads)

The 6th prelude, "6. Truro", brings the first book of pieces to a rousing conclusion!

It begins with a canon played between the Solo Tuber, marked FF in the right hand against, the tune in the Pedal, marked F. Staccato chords played on the Full Swell "march" the piece right along. The Solo Tuber is SO powerful that I HAD to add the 4' Super coupler on the Swell to make the chords heard!

The second verse has massive staccato chords played both hands above the thunderous melody played in octaves in the pedal. Hearing and playing this, it's not suprising to see that Bingham was friends with Marcel Dupre, as the final three pages have a little "alla Dupre feel" to them!

The piece is dedicated to Philip C. Jones, and Bingham gives an "alternate text" as "These things shall be".

I give the first verse of the principal text here:

Lift up your heads, ye mighty gates,
Behold the King of Glory waits;
The King of Kings is drawing near;
The Saviour of the world is here!


I hope to be able to do the Second Book of these in the near future! The pieces look quite interesting, and the whole thing ends with a big French toccata on "My faith looks up to Thee!"... :-)