In the final grand summation I suppose Howells ranks as a minor composer, but he shares several qualities with the masters, among them that of being instantly recognizable. It is partly a matter of finger-prints—the repose and sudden drama the solo organ stop over the choir's quiet chord the arching phrases, the Englishman with a French harmonic accent. There is something else, in the spirit, less susceptible to definition, but call it Anglican ecstasy: and that is a sufficiently rare commodity.
This selection catches it well, first in A Sequence for St Michael, a fine setting of Helen Waddell's translation of a poem by Alcuin of York, celebrating God's soldier, and touched (so Christopher Palmer's authoritative notes suggest) by the death of Howells's son whose name also was Michael. It is a common experience with Howells that the first hearing creates a rather cloudy, structureless impression, and that the form, the bone-structure begins to show through only gradually: I find that so here.
No such trouble, however, with the second choral work, A Hymn for St Cecilia, set to delightful words by Ursula Vaughan Williams. The lines are drawn with remarkable firmness, as they are in the Evening Service settings written for New College in 1953. Compared with the Collegium Regale and Gloucester services this is simple, but (great gift) never obvious. The settings are also very expertly designed for the building and the organ. The solos, some of them transcribed from clavichord pieces, have a similar aptness. De la Mare's Pavane, which was written for the poet and played at his funeral, is a quiet, companionable piece; Walton's Toye is brilliantly effective in rhythm and registration, and was transcribed with this recording in mind.
Edward Higginbottom plays the solos, David Burchell accompanies the choir: both do excellent work, though I wondered once or twice whether the tuner ought to have made another tour of the reeds. The choir sing splendidly, with firm tone, decisive attack and sensitive shading. Recorded sound is well balanced, as is the programme itself we look forward to a second volume.'