From: Church Music Quarterly (Royal School of Church Music, U.K.) March 2009

Music from Denmark

AVE MARIA [E/M]

Unison a cappella

MARIA INTERLUDIUM [D]

Oboe solo

HALLELUJAH! PRAISE THE LORD [E/M]

Canon a 3

Henrik Colding-Jørgensen

Ed. DanMus DM0058 c/o www.nodehandleren.dk (e-mail danmus@danmus.dk)

This interesting set of pieces is presented in a booklet consisting

of a single piece of paper. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord stands alone

while the Ave Maria and Maria Interludium form a single piece.

The Ave Maria is for unison, unaccompanied voices, which have a

simple tonal melody reminiscent of plainsong.

The Maria Interludium

for solo oboe and designed to be played between two renditions of

the Ave Maria, is by contrast far more complex and chromatic. It brings

to mind some of James MacMillan’s music for solo instrument; it is

somewhat less virtuosic than MacMillan’s writing but would still

require a highly competent player to do it justice. It might also work

on a flute or violin. In the right context this piece would be extremely

effective and a welcome alternative to choir and organ.

Hallelujah! Praise the Lord is a short canon for three voices. The

text, based on the opening verses of Psalm 146, can be sung in English

or Danish. Again, the melody is simple and modal and the resulting

piece could be rather beautiful if sung with sensitivity.

Esther Jones