Mendelssohn: Veni Domine 'Hear my prayer, o Lord', Op. 39 No. 1

Compared with large-scale oratorios such as St Paul, which includes the lyrical chorus How lovely are the messengers, Mendelssohn’s smaller sacred choral works were influenced by Palestrina, ranging from short liturgical motets such as the Sechs Sprüche to the canticle settings of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis. The famous sacred melody ‘O for the wings of a dove’ is to be found in Hear my prayer. The fine choristers of St Albans Cathedral can also be heard ‘on sparkling form’ (Gramophone) in John Rutter’s Gloria (8572563).

Mendelssohn’s ‘Hear my prayer’ (or, in its English adaptation also known as ‘O for the wings of a dove’) is a much loved piece of ‘Victoriana’, made famous by, among others, Master Ernest Lough. Often sung by boy sopranos, it is here performed by Felicity Palmer, traditionally a mezzo, but using the soprano register of her voice here. She is soloist with the Heinrich Schütz Choir and Chorale under Roger Norrington, on an Argo LP which also contains the Sechs Sprüche (Six Aphorisms), a collection of short motets for particular days in the ecclesiastical year was written in 1845, the year in which Mendelssohn resumed directorship of the Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra. The three sublime Psalms, Op. 73 are included (shared between the Heinrich Schütz and King’s College choirs) as is the brief but touching Ave Maria, written in Rome in 1830 and whose publication at the time led The Neue Zeitschrift für Musik said of it at the time that ‘the music sings so convincingly of the sanctity of Mary that it could lead a non-Catholic to her. ‘If issued as a pop disc Ave Maria would probably make the top ten’ wrote The Gramophone when this recording was first issued.

The English ‘cathedral’ tradition is defined by the sound and musicianship of choristers: in New College’s case boys aged between 9 and 13. In the space of four years, these children become remarkably proficient musicians. Indeed, we might be forgiven for thinking of them solely as musicians, such is their achievement. But they are both children and musicians. And this recording celebrates their musical and vocal prowess in a ‘snapshot’ year. A mixture of solo and ensemble items surveys a wide repertory from Tallis to Jehan Alain. This recording has a fascinating documentary value, but is much more than that: it is an anthology of wonderful choral works whose musical presentation is given even greater depth by the very special qualities of boys’ voices.