"History, Analysis and Performance Considerations of Gerald Finzi's ...

47Arriving at the word “love” at measure 114, the choir decisively cadences the “Rise”theme in D major while the organ provides three of its own final echoes of the “sovereignsubject” motive, its own harmonic resolution delayed until the second beat of measure 115 (seeFigure 30). The dramatic build-up to the organ’s harmonic arrival in D major is short-livedhowever, as the inclusion of C♮ in its scale flourish into measure 116 clarifies the key area as atemporary tonicization only, the entire cadential gesture simply functioning as the dominant of Gmajor. The reduction of themes h (“Help, Lord”) and i (“Rise, Royal Sion”) indicates a subtledownward shift in the background line from B to A, the precursor to the return of G in measure116 (see Figure 31).With a return to the initial key of “Rise, Royal Sion,” the new celebratory text, “Lo, theBread of Life” (theme j) is set with open voicing and fanfare-like declamatory rhythms. Thismoment is literally pivotal, the climax of the work having been previously reached at “Thissovereign subject,” it is from this point on that the anthem arch begins the return back on itself.While themes i and j are not palindromic in a strict thematic sense, they are in so larger aestheticand structural context. Each one celebratory, each a distinct statement of praise, each a parallelof one another, “Rise, Royal Sion” marks the conclusion of the arch-rise, while “Lo, the Bread ofLife” marks the commencement of its descent.As “This sovereign subject” included a strong, two-measure cadential fanfare on theword “love,” so also “This day’s triumphant text” provokes a parallel two-measure organexclamation on the word “praise” at measures 119-120, another indication that the work hasbegun its reverse recapitulation. As examined previously, Finzi’s use of changing meter andmusic students are expected in their paperwork to give the correct note values to a few lines of verse. This is no badexercise, but there is no greater fallacy than to imagine that a detailed note-for-note accentuation, following the riseand fall of natural speech, can in itself make good song. Even ordinary recitative can be alive or dead, and so toowith syllabic song. Here the composer may be full of respect for the poet, but nothing will redeem his setting if ithas not got something beyond that.” Finzi, III.