Advent Calendar 13: Andrew Fletcher: Infant Holy, Infant Lowly

Andrew Fletcher (b.1950) was educated in Birmingham, England and at Keble College, Oxford, where he was organ scholar. He was Director of Music at St Mary's, Warwick for 8 years and has been a regular recitalist in some of Britain's major cathedrals and minsters.
This piece is based on the traditional Polish carol 'Wzlobie Lezy' (In The Manger He Lies) and the carol’s melody refers to the coronation polonaise of the Polish king, Władysław IV Waza. The translation into English of the title comes from Edith Reed (1885-1933), a British musician and playwright, who found the carol in the hymnal 'Spiewniczek Piesni Koscieline' (published in 1908), though the song itself may date back as far as the thirteenth century.
Andrew Fletcher's piece begins with gently pulsing quavers in thirds in the right hand before the tune appears on a soft reed stop. The dreamy, meditative mood of the music conveys the Christ child sleeping peacefully and the awe and wonder experienced by the onlookers.
Sample set: Landau from Piotr Grabowksi (via Hauptwerk)

[@grahamtwist]

A gorgeous setting of this lovely Polish carol by Andrew Fletcher and your performance on the Steinmeyer Organ sample set is beautifully poetic: bravo, Paul!

[@paulswindenmusic]

Thanks so much, Graham!

[@BrooksLehnig]

Lucky 13 brings a seasonal favorite, with a tricky balance between the melody and accompaniment to which you used the Landau sample with great effectiveness. Lovely, Paul!

[@paulswindenmusic]

Thanks, Brooks! I did ponder quite a bit about registration choices for this one but settled on a soft reed with a bit of added twinkle for the melody!

[@pianothingsmusic]

This feels holy and humble ✨

[@paulswindenmusic]

Definitely! Thanks for listening, Cornelia.