There is in fact an earlier recording of a performance conducted by Joseph Pilbury, who conducted a substantial number of [mostly amateur] concert performances of Sir Arthur Sullivan's work in the 1970s and 80s, and which appears on a black vinyl 'L.P.' issued around 1980 by Rare Recorded Editions. That is an [almost] complete recording, but omits one section, - I think from memory "Oh Lord Save Thy People", - a serious defect as it's one of the finest parts of the Te Deum, but also one of the most technically challenging for amateur forces. The same disc also contains some of the first recordings of certain items from 'The Golden Legend', including the Prologue. Only a comparatively limited number were pressed as Rare Recorded Editions was a small record company based in West Hampstead, so it's a pretty rare item, - but it has to be said that the quality of the performance and strength of the resources involved are nothing like as good as the B.B.C.'s here! The original performance in 1872 at the Crystal Palace didn't only involve vast resources, - including several orchestras and a brass band, - it was also vastly loud! Sullivan's mother, Mary Clementina Sullivan, was bitterly disappointed that she was ill on the day and so could not, as planned, attend the performance. The story goes that she didn't in fact have to miss it: she merely had to have the window of her bedroom opened - the family was then living in Lupus Street, Pimlico! - and was able to hear the entire thing clearly from a distance of over four miles! The introduction of the 'martial' theme used in counterpoint to the chorus singing the tune 'St. Anne' in the final section caused a clergyman I know to make the comment, - intended entirely as a compliment, - that this would be "the only Te Deum ever written which would actually be able to make God laugh." It would be good if someone were also able to 'post' a full recording of Sullivan's later 'Te Deum Laudamus' of 1900, (also known as the 'Boer War Te Deum',) in which the tune 'St. Gertude' - "Onward, Christian Soldiers" - appears magnificently in counterpoint in the bass line in a similar way to the use of 'St. Anne' here. There is an excellent full recording by the choir of Ely Cathedral made in the 1990s on their C.D. 'That Glorious Song of Old', and I believe there may have been a more recent one since.
I was there in the Queen Elizabeth Hall audience for the Pilsbury performance. All went well until the final movement. The choir came in a bar too early and chaos ensued until Pilsbury and the organist managed to straighten everything out. This happened without a restart and I was so impressed. All preserved (and issued) on LP, as you say.
Not so much a Reply as an addendum: there is now a posting of the 'Boer War Te Deum', which can be found by searching on RUclips for "Te Deum Laudamus - Arthur Sullivan".
What I want to know is why the lyric on the last part says Save the King, when there was no King of England during Sullivan's lifetime. (And the piece was written for a prince.)
That's a very good question. I'm guessing that it may be because the choir in this recording were singing from scores printed by Novello after Queen Victoria's death and in which they'd changed from 'Queen' to 'King'. The same thing happened (in reverse) to Parry's "I was glad" at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - Parry's "Vivat Rex!" was changed to "Vivat Regina!".
@@webrarian I think that your guess is correct: - the original printed vocal/piano score of which I have a copy reads as the title on the cover "Te Deum Laudamus Et Domine Salvam Fac Reginam".
I'm not quite sure what you mean? To my ears the choir here clearly sings "O Lord save the Queen", not King. As regards the Prince of Wales, the Te Deum was written to celebrate his recovery - he had, as it were, already been "saved". One must also remember that a Te Deum is a liturgical work and in the liturgy of the Church of England, at least in the Book of Common Prayer, every liturgy included a prayer for the monarch.
I believe it’s because it was written for Edward, Victoria’s son. He almost died from the same fevor his father died to and this was made to celebrate his recovery. I’m reading Edwards wiki right now and that’s how I found this song
@@chriscann7627 100% correct. The choir did indeed sing QUEEN. Facsimiles of the original vocal score (still freely available 2021) were used for this recording.
Magnificent rendition of this classic. is the audio copy available for purchase or download please i will be delighted to get a copy. 7 star performance!
This is a grand piece for sure, but one thing I always find incongruous - not to say jarring - is the jaunty little hornpipe tune that appears close to the end in counterpoint to the hymn tiune St. Anne. It just seems to bring the whole level down from grandeur to sometjhing resembling one of the G&S operettas.
WRONG CREDITS!!!! The version by the BBC Concert Orch is over 58 minutes long. What an incredible bungle. And after someone pointed it out to you, you didn't correct it. Good God.
What an excellent work for its time. Stirring, expressive and upllifting, particularly "The Glorious Company Of The Apostles". Thank you.
Totally-gave me goose-bumps.
There is in fact an earlier recording of a performance conducted by Joseph Pilbury, who conducted a substantial number of [mostly amateur] concert performances of Sir Arthur Sullivan's work in the 1970s and 80s, and which appears on a black vinyl 'L.P.' issued around 1980 by Rare Recorded Editions. That is an [almost] complete recording, but omits one section, - I think from memory "Oh Lord Save Thy People", - a serious defect as it's one of the finest parts of the Te Deum, but also one of the most technically challenging for amateur forces. The same disc also contains some of the first recordings of certain items from 'The Golden Legend', including the Prologue. Only a comparatively limited number were pressed as Rare Recorded Editions was a small record company based in West Hampstead, so it's a pretty rare item, - but it has to be said that the quality of the performance and strength of the resources involved are nothing like as good as the B.B.C.'s here!
The original performance in 1872 at the Crystal Palace didn't only involve vast resources, - including several orchestras and a brass band, - it was also vastly loud! Sullivan's mother, Mary Clementina Sullivan, was bitterly disappointed that she was ill on the day and so could not, as planned, attend the performance. The story goes that she didn't in fact have to miss it: she merely had to have the window of her bedroom opened - the family was then living in Lupus Street, Pimlico! - and was able to hear the entire thing clearly from a distance of over four miles!
The introduction of the 'martial' theme used in counterpoint to the chorus singing the tune 'St. Anne' in the final section caused a clergyman I know to make the comment, - intended entirely as a compliment, - that this would be "the only Te Deum ever written which would actually be able to make God laugh."
It would be good if someone were also able to 'post' a full recording of Sullivan's later 'Te Deum Laudamus' of 1900, (also known as the 'Boer War Te Deum',) in which the tune 'St. Gertude' - "Onward, Christian Soldiers" - appears magnificently in counterpoint in the bass line in a similar way to the use of 'St. Anne' here. There is an excellent full recording by the choir of Ely Cathedral made in the 1990s on their C.D. 'That Glorious Song of Old', and I believe there may have been a more recent one since.
I was there in the Queen Elizabeth Hall audience for the Pilsbury performance. All went well until the final movement. The choir came in a bar too early and chaos ensued until Pilsbury and the organist managed to straighten everything out. This happened without a restart and I was so impressed. All preserved (and issued) on LP, as you say.
Not so much a Reply as an addendum: there is now a posting of the 'Boer War Te Deum', which can be found by searching on RUclips for "Te Deum Laudamus - Arthur Sullivan".
Wonderfully pompous and bombastic setting of the Te Deum!
'Pompous and bombastic', certianly; 'wonderful'? Hmm, I wonder.
What I want to know is why the lyric on the last part says Save the King, when there was no King of England during Sullivan's lifetime. (And the piece was written for a prince.)
That's a very good question. I'm guessing that it may be because the choir in this recording were singing from scores printed by Novello after Queen Victoria's death and in which they'd changed from 'Queen' to 'King'. The same thing happened (in reverse) to Parry's "I was glad" at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II - Parry's "Vivat Rex!" was changed to "Vivat Regina!".
@@webrarian I think that your guess is correct: - the original printed vocal/piano score of which I have a copy reads as the title on the cover "Te Deum Laudamus Et Domine Salvam Fac Reginam".
I'm not quite sure what you mean? To my ears the choir here clearly sings "O Lord save the Queen", not King. As regards the Prince of Wales, the Te Deum was written to celebrate his recovery - he had, as it were, already been "saved". One must also remember that a Te Deum is a liturgical work and in the liturgy of the Church of England, at least in the Book of Common Prayer, every liturgy included a prayer for the monarch.
I believe it’s because it was written for Edward, Victoria’s son. He almost died from the same fevor his father died to and this was made to celebrate his recovery. I’m reading Edwards wiki right now and that’s how I found this song
@@chriscann7627 100% correct. The choir did indeed sing QUEEN. Facsimiles of the original vocal score (still freely available 2021) were used for this recording.
Magnificent rendition of this classic. is the audio copy available for purchase or download please i will be delighted to get a copy. 7 star performance!
The CD was only available through BBC Music Magazine. I haven't seen any other recordings of this work. Sorry!
Has anyone worked out the timings for each section? If so, could they share them please?
This is a grand piece for sure, but one thing I always find incongruous - not to say jarring - is the jaunty little hornpipe tune that appears close to the end in counterpoint to the hymn tiune St. Anne. It just seems to bring the whole level down from grandeur to sometjhing resembling one of the G&S operettas.
soprano a bit unsure in higher notes
Many are :)
WRONG CREDITS!!!! The version by the BBC Concert Orch is over 58 minutes long. What an incredible bungle. And after someone pointed it out to you, you didn't correct it. Good God.
The whole CD is that length but it also includes Sullivan's Cello Concerto and Macbeth Overture. This is the Te Deum performance as advertised..