Left to right: Kevin Matheson, Kenyon Scott, William Plail, and Bryan Matheson
By Susan Paynter
Pipes and more pipes! One week before St. Patrick’s Day, the Chatham Concert Series’ Season Finale -- of chamber music concerts hosted by Emmanuel -- was a spirited tribute to St. Patrick.
On Friday evening, March 9, a crowd of 86, many in green, turned out to hear former Emmanuel Organist Kenyon Scott and Bagpiper William Plail salute the Irish saint with a Celtic-themed program.
In his opening remarks, the series’ Artistic Director Kevin Matheson graciously thanked Emmanuel for hosting the series, to the applause of music-lovers in attendance.
The wonderful acoustics of our church make it an ideal venue for the chamber music series which is dedicated to bringing classical music to the community and, when possible, giving valuable performance experience to young music students who often are invited to play one piece. While no students played at this concert, we were all charmed to see their developing skills at previous concerts.
Billed as “A St. Patrick’s Day Prelude,” the season finale showcased the roots of much of our musical heritage. Mr. Plail, on the pipes, played enduring favorites such as “Danny Boy,” “Endearing Young Charms,” “The Wearing of the Green,” and “Let Erin Remember.” He brought us airs, reels, marches, jigs and quicksteps.
At one point, Plail apologized for having to stop the program to retune his bagpipes. The audience, though, was fascinated by the acrobatics involved. “It looks like he’s wrestling a giant tarantula on his back!” one attendee exclaimed.
Mr. Scott, feeling at home on Emmanuel’s modified Hamill pipe organ, joined forces with Mr. Plail to treat us to a unique expression of the wonderful old Welch tune, “Hyfrydol.” While the title was unfamiliar to many, the music wasn’t as several well-known hymns, including “Alleluia Sing to Jesus” have been set to the tune.
Scott played two Irish/Celtic hymn tune voluntaries, and crossed into the English tradition for Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Sine Nomine,” associated with the hymn “For All the Saints,” which naturally includes St. Patrick.
The organ portion of the program also included secular, sometimes rollicking Scots pieces for the organ, and the “Organ Estampie,” which clearly evoked its medieval origin.
As a lover of Virginia history, Kenyon Scott also highlighted Virginia’s Celtic heritage, including in his program several fiddle tunes from colonial-era Buckingham County, arranged for the organ.
Few know our organ as well as Kenyon Scott, and he chose to play J.S. Bach’s “Little Prelude and Fugue in G Major” to showcase the Hamill’s modified pedal board. It was fun to watch him “dance” his way through this short piece, giving the pedal board a real work out.
At program’s end, many audience members approached the two musicians with questions and thanks. Kenyon Scott was seen going over the intricacies of our organ with Sally Ford, Emmanuel’s newly hired organist, while William Plail explained how bagpipes work and the ins-and-outs of his traditional Highland garb.
William Plail lives in Amherst. He’s a woodworker in addition to his musical avocation as a pipe soloist, a member of Roanoke’s Warpipe and local pipe-and-drum bands in Charlottesville and Lynchburg. He is a composer of bagpipe tunes and a prolific arranger of traditional carols and hymns for the pipes.
Kenyon Scott is a native of Pittsylvania County, principal of Gretna High School, and lives with his family on their farm east of Gretna. He has studied music since age five and accepted his first position as church organist at 14. He served 15 years as organist and choirmaster at Emmanuel and now serves Danville’s West Main Baptist Church.