Postlude on a Ground. Herbert Murrill

English music today from the mid 20th composer, Herbert Murrill. Born in 1909 , His life was cut tragically short, dying from Cancer in 1952. During his relatively short career, his work was quite extensive and varied having studied with luminaries of the time including York Bowen, Stanley Marchant and William Harris. Vaughan Williams was impressed by his compositional skill and they became friends. He worked in various roles for the BBC from 1936. Of his output in various genre , today he is chiefly remembered for his Evening Canticles (Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis) in E and his rather short organ piece 'Carillon'. Today's piece, 'Postlude on a Ground' is from an Oxford University album published in 1949 'A Book of Simple Organ Voluntaries' comprising 6 pieces written by some big names of the era, George Oldroyd, Herbert Sumsion, Henry G. Ley, Harold Darke, Henry Coleman and, of course, Herbert Murrill. I think , in the title, the term 'simple' refers more to their structure than an absence of technical demands. A 'ground' is a piece built on a repeating bass theme, rather in the style of a Passacaglia or Chaconne, in which the theme is first stated and then remains present throughout. In this piece , in common with other examples of the form, it transfers to parts other than the bass, first to the tenor register, then soprano and returning to tenor and bass. In E minor at the start, it ends in E major with three statements of the 'ground' in the pedal. Played on Hauptwerk with the Friesach , Austria, sample set.