Youtor
George Aitken The Heath
>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=5d9YYH2lvo0
#4 from 'Hampstead Pieces', Op.27 (1928) • ----------------------------------------------- • Phillip Sear plays the final piece from a set by the English pianist, organist, choral director and composer George Aitken (1866–1942). • ----------------------------------------------- • Aitken studied piano with Walter Macfarren and Tobias Matthay, and also composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He took on several organist posts in the London area, and from 1895 to the year of his death, was organist at Hampstead Parish Church. He also taught piano at the Guildhall School of Music from 1904. His most famous work is the song 'Maire, my Girl', which was popularised by John McCormack. • The Hampstead Pieces, besides celebrating Aitken's place of work, also mark John Keats. Each of the pieces is headed by a quotation from him. This one is headed by snippets from Keats's 1816 poem 'I stood tiptoe upon a little hill', which was inspired by a walk on Hampstead Heath: • “I stood tip-toe upon a little hill, • The air was cooling, and so very still, • .......................................................... • I gazed awhile, and felt as light, and free • As though the fanning wings of Mercury • Had played upon my heels ….” • This piece has a rhapsodic quality, which reminds me of the work of Herbert Howells. • “In 1816, Hampstead Heath offered a stark contrast to the growing metropolis of London. Unlike the bustling city centre, the Heath was a vast, windswept expanse of open land. Imagine rolling hills covered in heather and dotted with grazing sheep. The iconic ponds we see today might have been present, but they weren't yet public swimming spots. This wild beauty captured the attention of the famous painter John Constable, who immortalized the Heath in several of his works. However, the Heath's future was uncertain. As London sprawled outwards, developers eyed the land for construction. The fight to preserve this open space for all Londoners was just beginning.. (Gemini, 17/6/24). • Thumbnail image (Keats on the Heath, style of Constable) created with Wombo Dream ( https://rb.gy/ekerq ). • #englishmusic #britishmusic #hampstead • ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • Played by Phillip Sear • http://www.psear.co.uk (Email: [email protected] • WhatsApp: http://wa.me/441444483794 ) TikTok: / pianogems
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