Four Spencer Pieces

Four Spencer Pieces were commissioned by Maidenhead Music Society and first performed by Huw Watkins in Cookham Church in 2001. Framed by a tranquil Prelude and Postlude, there are four pieces each named after a painting by Stanley Spencer.  Shipbuilding on the Clyde is fast, rhythmically intricate and energetic. The juxtaposition of different ideas in the music reflects the level of detail in the painting. The Crucifixion is short, fast and violent. The hammering of nails is the inspiration for much of the musical material. The longest movement, The Resurrection of Soldiers, begins with a very slow prelude which gives way to an intense fugue. The movement ends with a return to the tolling repeated notes of the opening prelude. Separating Fighting Swans is a scherzo and finale combined. The lively outer sections enclose a more peaceful central passage.