A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Voluntary

by Walter Parratt

VOLUNTARY. The name given to the pieces of organ-music played before, during, and after Divine Service; and possibly derived from the fact that from their not forming a part of the regular service, it was optional with the organist to play them or not. These took the form of highly embellished versions of Hymn-tunes, Diapason piece, Trumpet voluntary, Introduction, and fugue, Cornet voluntary, with half-comic 'ecchoes' on the 'Swelling Organ.' The voluntary proper flourished chiefly between 1720 and 1830. Croft, Greene, Boyce, Keeble, Battishill, Kelway, Beckwith, Bennet, S. Wesley, Russell, and T. Adams were all writers of voluntaries. Many of their compositions have a tranquil grace which is not unpleasing, but they are too small in plan and too artless in execution to make themselves heard against 19th century bustle. Those by Russell ought not so to die. They are almost in suite-form and generally contain a melodious fugue with clever modulation and climax. Handel's airs and choruses (not always sacred by the way—'Wretched Lovers' being a great favourite), scraps of symphonies and quartets, even songs without words, gradually crowded out this gentle music, not always to the advantage of art. Now again better taste seems to have brought in real organ works. Not to mention the greatest composers, Wesley, Smart, Hopkins, Best, and a large number of good German writers, have been encouraged to write suitable music. Some day we may hope to hear the best of all—John Sebastian Bach's wonderful settings of the Chorale.

[ W. Pa. ]