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

56Section B’The Crashaw text of Section B’ presents a loving appeal to the Lord for his awaited “longday” to come, while Finzi’s musical setting incorporates reaching gestures, an undulatingaccompaniment reminiscent of lapping ocean waves, subdued dynamics and extendeddiminuendos which together effectively portray, not an arrival, but rather a long fading awayuntil that which is most longed for is yet out of reach.Structurally, as Section C’ did not include full returns of all previously associated themes,so also Section B’ contains segments and inferences of Section B elements. The paralleling of B’and B however remains structurally and referentially intact.While at first glance the thematic materials comprising the majority of B’ appearunrelated to any previous sections of the anthem, a closer examination reveals not only motivicsimilarities, but direct restatements of Section B materials. The primary connecting elementbetween B’ and B is the scalar movement of the organ pedal, a direct reference to the originalmarch comprising theme d, and most particularly theme c in its quarter-note motion and limitedrise and fall (see Figure 6). Following the “Come love! Come Lord!” invitation from the sopranoand alto voices Finzi presents us with the rising soprano figure “and that long day” at measure144, and again at measure 148 by the tenors and basses. This ascending melodic third followedby the upward leap of a sixth, is also a thematic return, being first introduced with the text “O letthat love” in the original B march, and in the identical key at measure 43 (see Figure 37).The distantly beckoning rising third on “come away” has been previously examined in itsrhythmic relation to the “Pelican” motive. However this exact figure also maintains aninteresting independent identity outside of Lo, the Full Final Sacrifice, having previously