WILLIAM NEIL

• Hymns of Faith & Praise

"Neil shows a masterly command of tempos and registrations, and the acoustics of the church are captured effectively, reverberant without excess."

J.F. Weber, Fanfare [May / June 2009]

"CD 1: Hymns of Faith contains 30 hymns arranged under headings relating to much of the Liturgical Year: Advent, Lent, Pentecost, Trinity, Ascension (Easter and other liturgical seasons are passed over.); a final group is titled: Psalms.  The final offering in the Psalms collection is “O Lord You Are My God and King,” Psalm 145:1-14.  As I listened, I was surprised to find that the Psalm was set to the hymn tune “Jerusalem,” which is known to me with a different text that a summer chapel congregation loves, because many of its members went to St. Catherine’s School in Richmond, VA, where it was their alma mater.  I have only recently discovered the tune, after more than 60 years of hymn playing for congregational singing in many different denominations.  While hymn lovers in the general public may not care about hymn tune identification, the large body of professional music directors who might consult a CD of this sort in search of ideas could save a lot of research time if the hymn tune name were given alongside each hymn, as is customary in service bulletins.  “Jerusalem,” with its interludes and bombastic ending, is a little tricky to sight-read and could be overlooked, but, once mastered, it is a joy to play, and shouldn’t be avoided. Neil was having a great time recording it, and he conveyed his enthusiasm to this listener.

The opening strains of Disk 1 are very soft, so it was necessary to raise the volume level of my Bose player to 70 (range: 1 – 99) in order to hear it properly. “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” was beautifully articulated in an introduction by a reed stop, probably the Krummhorn.  When full organ takes over, the volume becomes very high, so in condo or apartment living quarters, one could unfortunately not leave the volume setting at the same level to appreciate the true contrast, as it was heard live in the acoustics of the National Presbyterian Church.

CD 2: Hymns of Praise contains 30 hymns in the following topical groups: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Holy Scripture, Life in Christ, Church Mission, Morning, Evening, and National Songs.  By coincidence, two consecutive groups of hymns crossing the boundaries of these headings, could well be used at a memorial or funeral service.  Beginning with “Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee” through “Be Thou My Vision” could serve as the Prelude.  The following hymn, “Lift High the Cross,” is an exuberant tune for a joyous Postlude in celebration of the life of the departed.  In some cases, guests linger to speak words of condolence to the family, and in that case, the subsequently played hymns through “The day thou gavest, Lord, is over” would be appropriate.

Both CDs feature inspired hymn interpretations by Neil, applying the color and power of the stops available on the 5 keyboards: 4 manuals + pedal board of this outstanding Aeolian Skinner instrument that has 106 ranks and over 6000 pipes. Since arrangements are not credited to another composer, we must assume that the settings with improvisations feature his own."

Classical Voice of New England [May 2009]

"The instrument [at The National Presbyterian Church] is one of the finest creations of the Aeolian-Skinner firm"

The American Organist [September 2005]

WILLIAM NEIL, Organist of the National Symphony Orchestra, is well known for his performances of traditional and contemporary organ music. Prior to his appointment in 2001 as Organist of The National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC he served as Organist of Rockefeller Memorial Chapel at the University of Chicago. He has performed with ensembles like the New York Trumpet Ensemble, Millar Brass Ensemble and Washington Symphonic Brass, and with the National Symphony under the baton of Slatkin, Rostropovich, Siciliani, Hogwood and others. Mr. Neil is the first Washington organist invited to perform on the Charles Fisk Organ at the Meyerson Center in Dallas, Texas. In 2001, he was a featured soloist in the inaugural concerts of the new Casavant Organ at Robert Jacoby Hall with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. Inspired by the teaching of organists Leonard Raver, Arthur Poister and Will Headlee, and harpsichordist Anthony Newman, Mr. Neil has enjoyed a career both onstage and in the classroom, serving on the faculties of George Mason University and The Catholic University of America as organ instructor. Many of his former students hold prominent academic and church music positions in the United States and around the world, and he is featured in recordings on the MSR Classics, Philips Classics, Sony Classical, Naxos, Summit and Newport Classics labels. William Neil was born and raised in Central Pennsylvania and attended Penn State University and Syracuse University. CD1: HYMNS OF FAITH
ADVENT
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus
Savior of the Nations, Come
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence
Sleepers, Wake!

LENT
Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed
Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days
O Love, How Deep
In the Cross of Christ I Glory
What Wondrous Love Is This

PENTECOST
Come, O Spirit, Dwell Among Us
Come, Holy Ghost, Our Souls Inspire

TRINITY
Sovereign Lord of All Creation
Come, Thou Almighty King
Holy, Holy, Holy

CHRIST THE KING: ASCENSION
Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart!
At the Name of Jesus
Rejoice, the Lord is King
Lord, Enthroned in Heavenly Splendor
Blessing and Honor
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name
Crown Him with Many Crowns

PSALMS
As Morning Dawns (Ps. 5)
Out of the Depths (Ps. 130)
When Morning Lights the Eastern Skies (Ps. 143)
O God, Our Help in Ages Past (Ps. 90)
The King of Love My Shepherd Is (Ps. 23)
Your Faithfulness, O Lord, Is Sure (Ps.145: 13-21)
Give Praise to the Lord (Ps. 149)
O Lord, You Are My God and King (Ps.145: 1-13)
 
CD2: HYMNS OF PRAISE
GOD
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
God of the Ages
Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound
Great Is Thy Faithfulness
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

JESUS CHRIST
O Sing a Song of Bethlehem
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee
Fairest Lord Jesus
Of the Father’s Love Begotten
I Danced in the Morning

HOLY SPIRIT
Breathe On Me, Breath of God
Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart

HOLY SCRIPTURE
O Word of God Incarnate
Be Thou My Vision

LIFE IN CHRIST
Lift High the Cross
Precious Lord, Take My Hand
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

CHURCH: MISSION
Lord, Speak to Me, That I May Speak
Christ is Made the Sure Foundation
We All Are One in Mission

MORNING
O Worship the King
All Creatures of Our God and King
Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee

EVENING
Abide with Me
The Day Thou Gavest

NATIONAL SONGS
Eternal Father, Strong to Save
Lift Every Voice and Sing
America - O Beautiful for Spacious Skies
My Country, ‘Tis of Thee
 



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