MORESTEAD

Composer: Sydney Watson

Sydney Watson (b. Manchester, England, 1903; d. Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, 1991) composed MORESTEAD, which is considered one of his best tunes. Its initial "rocket" motif, its melodic contour, and its "walking" bass are a fine match for Bayly's text. Intended for unison singing at two beats (not four) per measure, this tune has an active pedal part for organists with two feet! Save your bright mixtures or colorful reeds for stanza 3, and sing that stanza at a slightly slower pace than the first two.

MORESTEAD was published in the British Hymns far Church and School (1964) as a setting for Henry M. Butler's "Lift Up Your Hearts." The tune is named after a village in Hampshire, England, just southeast of Winchester, where Watson often rode his bicycle.

Educated at the Royal College of Music in London, Keble College, and Oxford University, Watson had a distinguished career in music education and church music. Organist at New College, Oxford, from 1933 to 1938, he also taught music at Winchester College (1938-1946) and at Eaton (1946-1955). Later Watson was conductor of the Oxford Bach Choir and Orchestra and organist at Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford (1955-1970).

--Psalter Hymnal Handbook, 1988

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