Musical contribution - August 2014

Cornet Voluntary, Henry Heron (1730-1795)

We do not know very much about Henry Heron. He was organist at the St. Magnus, London Bridge from 1745 probably until 1795, the year when he died. A number of his works were already published in 1765. This composer is frequently mentioned in the same breath as his contemporaries, such as Walond, Boyce and Stanley.

The voluntary was a popular type of music during the Baroque period, not least thanks to the well-known Trumpet Voluntary by J. Clarke. During a Trumpet Voluntary, the trumpet was often alternated by the cornet. Later, the cornet gained an independent position.

Our Cornet Voluntary consists of 2 parts: a solemn brief introduction and the actual voluntary. The first part has a calm, majestic tempo. A beautiful Diapason 8 resounds gloriously during these first 21 beats. The cornet is only used during the second part.

For the Dutch organists amongst us: we are familiar with the cornet mainly as a leading voice and in particular with the harmony. This is why it is often 5 voices. At the time when these works were composed, the English cornets probably sounded a bit thinner. For this reason, I have chosen the combination: 8, 4, 3, 2 and a third.

Apart from Händel, this is the first time that we are offering something from the English Baroque period. It gave me great pleasure to become acquainted with this composer. I hope you feel the same.

With kind regards,

André van Vliet