Various - Wings of a Dove: Original 1927-1938 Recordings [CD]

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MASTER ERNEST LOUGH& The Choir of the Temple Church, London'Wings of a Dove' Original 1927-1938 RecordingsWhile the clarity and precision of his treblevoice may have braved the rigours of earlyelectrical recording to make him a legend in hisown lifetime, Ernest Lough may in retrospect beregarded as an exemplar of a lost traditionwhose vocal virtues were (by his ownacknowledgement) not so much unique as akinto accepted standards. Circumstancesconspired to create the world's most famousboy soprano, and in later years Lough was notshy to admit that at the time of the firstrecording of O For The Wings Of A Dove hewas chosen in preference to two other regularsoloists simply because the choral directorthought he was in the best voice on thatparticular day.When Ernest Arthur Lough was born inLondon, on 11 November 1911, the 'choralrevival' initiated in the 1840s had undergone itsprotracted Victorian re-establishment. As a childhe sang in the choir of St. Peter's, Forest Gateand later auditioned, unsuccessfully, forSouthwark Cathedral, where his uncle Albertwas a chorister. Albert, however, had a greaterconfidence in young Ernest's talent andintroduced him instead to the Australian-bornorganist George Thalben-Ball (1896-1987), whohad recently assumed choral directorship of theTemple Church on the resignation of Sir HenryWalford Davies (1869-1941) its long-standingchoral reformer and organist. Ball took himunder his wing and in January 1924, with achoral scholarship to the City of London School(prerequisite to all Temple choristers) Erneststarted a 'new life as a very small, Eton-suitedprobationer' and soon, by dint of age as muchas of voice (at twelve he was the eldest) foundhimself elevated to principal treble soloist ofthe Temple Choir.Technical difficulties had frustrated earlyattempts to record the Temple Choir acoustically(in December 1922 and February 1924) whichhad had to be discarded, but by early 1927, aftertwo years' experience with the new processesof electrical recording and having during 1926successfully captured fragments by relay of'live' performances at Covent Garden and theThree Choirs Festival, HMV were venturing tooutside locations, armed with mobile recordingvans and landlines. At Temple the firstsuccessful results, of small works by WalfordDavies and Ball,were obtained via a van parkedin adjacent King's Bench Wharf and, following afew initially unnerving interruptions, these toowere adjudged suitable for issue, on HMV'splum label B 2439 (Tracks 2 & 3). On theseLough's voice is clearly discernible from thoseof his colleagues.After his oratorios easily the most popularof Mendelssohn's choral works, Hear MyPrayer; O For The Wings Of A Dove, a 'hymnfor soprano, Chorus and Organ' dates from1844. An eventual million-seller in its variousre-issues, during the first six months followingits release the original Lough recording of thepiece (for which, it was reported, the boysoprano had stood on two bibles for greaterproximity to the microphon

Hear My Prayer/O For The Wings Of A Dove

O Filii Et Filae

Lift Up Your Hearts - King Of Glory

I Waited for the Lord

O Come Everyone That Thirsteth

Hear Ye, Israel From Elijah

I know that my Redeemer liveth From Messiah

Hark! Hark! The Lark

Who Is Sylvia?

Hear My Prayer; O For The Wings Of A Dove

Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes

Nursery Rhymes

Coronach

Come Away Death

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Abide With Me