Beati quorum via (No. 3 from Three Latin Motets, Op. 38)
by C. V. Stanford (1852-1924)
Arranged for Solo Piano by Nigel Edmund-Jones
To mark the centenary (29 March 2024) of the death in 1824 of the composer Sir Charles Villers Stanford, this newly-arranged and -engraved version of the sublime choral motet Beati quorum via has been arranged for solo piano. The a cappella setting of the pastoral prayer Beati quorum via (written ca. 1889) is one of his best-known choral works, using instrumental layering techniques to build a sublime, flowing sound. A facsimile copy of the full, 6-page choral work has also been included in this digital-only edition, for pianistic interpretation reference.
The great choral composer, music teacher and conductor Sir Charles Villers Stanford was born in Dublin and was an organ scholar at Queens’ College, Cambridge. He became organist at Trinity College Chapel in Cambridge (1873 to 1892) and conductor of the Cambridge University Musical Society. For 40 years, from 1883, he held the position of Professor of Composition at the newly-founded Royal College of Music in London, where he greatly influenced a long list of British composers including Bliss, Bridge, Coleridge-Taylor, Holst, Howells, Vaughan Williams and Charles Wood. He was also Professor of Music at Cambridge (1888), conductor of the London Bach Choir, The Leeds Philharmonic Society and The Leeds Festival. Stanford is described as a doyen of the liturgical music that is a mainstay of the great Anglican choral tradition in churches and cathedrals to this day. He was knighted in 1901 and is buried in Westminster Abbey.
Beati quorum via integra est,
Qui ambulant in lege Domini.
Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.
[ Psalm 119: 1 ]
Notes: Bars 43 to 50 are very beautiful in a choral arrangement, but perhaps need a little interest added for a piano arrangement. The ossia stave notes provided could be played in addition to the original chords. Feel free to improvise as befits the feel of this beautiful work. Piano players with modern keyboards could experiment with a setting of [Piano + Strings] for an effective legato interpretation.
More info on Stanford: thestanfordsociety.org
Listen to Harry Christophers and The Sixteen singing the original choral piece on Spotify here.
Or watch the exquisite choral group Voces 8 performing the piece on YouTube here.
C. V. Stanford ~ Beati quorum via (arr. for Piano)
Please register your email to access the download file and to receive occasional notifications of future publications. You may unsubscribe at any time from the link at the bottom of any email you receive from Fullscore Publishing. Your instant download link is in the Thank You page of the Checkout process. The same link will be emailed to you and will last for 30 days. After the link expires you may download it again by repeating the original process.
4 pages (14 inc. covers and choral score)
