A Musical Journey

Dr. Seung-Hee Cho at Richards Fowkes Organ in Christ Church in New Brunswick, NJ

Dr. Seung-Hee Cho, Richards Fowkes Organ at Christ Church in New Brunswick, NJ

Dr. Seung-Hee Cho, Richards Fowkes Organ at Christ Church in New Brunswick, NJ Sowerby was a fabulous organist and a Pulitzer prize composer. He dedicated Prelude on ‘Land of Rest’ to Richard Wayne Dirken, his colleague organist. The piece is based on a traditional American folk melody and you can often hear this familiar tune “Land of Rest” in the Episcopal Hymnal 1982, # 620 “Jerusalem, my happy home.” The tune is often stated in duets with a measure apart and accompaniment materials have many fourths chords which are a natural influence of folk music. It reaches the climax(ff) in the middle of the piece and all four voices (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) state the melody two beats away. And then it comes back softer and calming as it was in the beginning. which seems to reflect well on "Land of Rest" as the tune indicates.

Dr. Seung-Hee Cho plays on Richards Fowkes Organ (2002) at Christ Church New Brunswick

Dr. Seung-Hee Cho on Richards-Fowkes' Organ( 2002) at Christ Church New Brunswick

Dr. Seung-Hee Cho plays on Richards Fowkes Organ (2002) at Christ Church New Brunswick, NJ.