September might mark the start of the academic ‘new year’, but it also signals the final stages of the Royal College of Organists’ ‘Play the Organ Year 2025’, a year-long initiative designed to inspire the whole organ-playing community. If you haven’t yet organized or attended a Play the Organ Year event, it’s not too late to join in!
This November, organists are invited to participate in this year’s Director’s Challenge: a 25-hour livestreamed organ-athon. As part of the event, RSCM director Hugh Morris will perform ‘Ombra mai fù’, better known as ‘Largo’ from Xerxes by G.F. Handel.
Specially commissioned arrangements by Rosemary Field are available in three levels of difficulty, including a manuals-only version, insuring options for all abilities and instrument types, whether you’re playing in a cathedral or on a one-manual organ without pedals. For younger or less experienced players, why not consider a duet sharing the staves of the easiest arrangement?
ARTICULATION, REGISTRATION AND EXPRESSION
In this loving ode to the beauty and shade offered by the plane tree, the choice of tempo is crucial to achieving a sense of line and shape. A metronome mark in the region of 60–64 bpm allows suitable breadth to reflect the Largo character (although this is given as ‘Larghetto’ in the original score). Precise realization of the dotted quaver rhythms also enhances its overall stateliness – it may help to think of subdividing these beats into four semiquavers to ensure accuracy. This is particularly true of the rhythm in bar 45 of the three-stave versions, where reliable coordination of the final quaver and semiquaver will benefit from careful counting.
As a keyboard arrangement of a work from the Baroque era, a non-legato touch with careful simultaneous release of each part, where appropriate, will help to maintain the clarity of texture and rhythm. If using pedals, a toes only approach works best to achieve the required lightly detached articulation with even crotchets.
Registration suggestions are given for each arrangement, where possible allowing for a change of volume and timbre at the vocal entry in bar 15 in each case. If string stops are not available, warm flutes are suitable to create a gentle dynamic overall. However, take care to achieve a clear balance between the parts in the intermediate and advanced versions, where the theme appears in the tenor register.
Bars 15–18 in the advanced setting.
Planning a scheme of fingering will be particularly helpful when playing two parts in one hand, shifting the hand position in between phrases or beats as far as possible. Take plenty of time at the vocal leap in bar 43 and allow this moment generous flexibility and space (the word ‘più’ at bar 44 literally asks for ‘more’).
Bars 43–44 of the advanced setting, originally sung to the words ‘so-a-ve più’. Note also the fermata as we reach F, the highest note of the melody.
Although the text of the vocal melody is not reproduced in Rosemary’s settings, commas in the score indicate phrase ends, and it is worth studying the wording to gain a better understanding of the structure (several versions are available online at cpdl.org). For example, space to breathe is welcome where the text is restated from bar 26. Additional breaths are helpful before the second beat of bar 34 and the third beat of bar 36, which require new emphasis (as indicated by rests in the more advanced arrangements).
Bar 26 of the intermediate setting. The original words are punctuated with a comma after ‘di vegetabile,’ preceding the phrase ‘cara ed amabile’, which begins ‘ca-’ on the third beat of the bar.
The fermata at bar 44 represents the culmination of the aria at the highest note of the melody (this was originally written to be a sung by a castrato, but today notable performances include those by countertenors Andreas Scholl and Philippe Jaroussky). Following the resolution of the chord, enjoy a moment of silence and stillness to create a sense of reflection, before proceeding with the closing eight bars.
While Xerses was an unequivocal failure at the time of its premiere in 1738, it would no doubt have astonished Handel to learn of the widespread popularity of the opening aria almost 300 years on, not least as part of the RSCM’s celebration of Play the Organ Year 2025.