March 11, 2021--Prelude on Beech Spring by Wayne Wold

Today's work is a piece I have played for several years now during the Lenten season--Wayne Wold's Prelude on Beech Spring. There is a companion piece to this which I hope to record next week. The piece is based on a hymn tune sometimes sung to the words Wash O God, Our Sons and Daughters. It falls into three parts. The first is a somewhat improvisatory section based on the hymn played by a 4' flute and adding in some flourishes and blue notes for good measure. This section ends and the strings enter, building up a cluster chord of five diatonic notes on the manual over a sustained pedal and a second pedal moving up stepwise. The main tune is heard in this section played by the principal. The third section has the tune return to the 4' flute over sustained strings.