Cooman: Plymouth Soundings, Op. 1339

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Description

The American organist-composer Carson Cooman found old organ music by British composer Clive Jenkins in a second hand shop on a visit to London, liked it and later had it republished in the USA. Carson is organist-composer at the Memorial Church at Harvard University just up the coast from Plymouth Massachusetts. Plymouth Devon, UK is Clive's birthplace and the final starting point for the Pilgrim Fathers' epic voyage, so it seemed fitting for Clive to suggest joint premieres in 2020 - and publication of Carson's work in the UK. Plymouth Soundings (2019) , like Clive Jenkins' Four Mayflower Portraits (GM285) , was composed for the Mayflower 400 celebrations (commemorating the voyage of the ship Mayflower in 1620 from Plymouth, England to establish Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts). This festive work is dedicated to Clive Jenkins and Richard Line (originators of this project from Plymouth, England) and to Michael Eaton (organist at Church of the Pilgrimage, Plymouth, Massachusetts). The piece is a free fantasy on motives from psalm tunes found in the Ainsworth Psalter. This psalter, published in Amsterdam in 1612, was brought by the Pilgrims on their voyage. The collection proved seminal in the development of future American psalters and hymnody.

Promoted and supported by Plymouth Culture, Plymouth Music Accord and Plymouth & District Organists' Association as part of Mayflower 400 with funding from the Mayflower 400 Cultural Fund, two West Country organists, Richard Line and Dr Sean Sweeney perform the pieces in recitals around the UK and Carson Cooman performs them in Boston Massachusetts.

Duration 5½ minutes