EXULTATE
Organ Music of
Daniel E. Gawthrop
MARY MOZELLE
at the Organ of the
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY CHAPEL

The American Organist - December 2008         James Hildreth                           

EXULTATE: ORGAN MUSIC OF DANIEL E. GAWTHROP. Mary Mozelle, organist. IV/137 organ of the Princeton University Chapel, Princeton, J.J. (E.M. Skinner, 1928, rebuilt by Aeolian-Skinner, 1954-56, rebuilt by Mander Organs, 1991). MSR Classics MS 1185. A leading American composer of choral and orchestral music, Daniel E. Gawthrop has also produced a considerable number of organ works that are appealing to performer and listener alike.  In general, Gawthrop’s music is optimistic, possessing a quintessential American spirit.  While driving rhythms are a frequent feature, he employs a wide variety of rhythmic and melodic devices, creating continual interest.  His harmonies, rooted in tonality, are diverse in their broad array of coloring.  Some pieces are simple and technically undemanding; others are complex and virtuosic.  Mary Mozelle, former associate organist at National PresbyterianChurch in Washington, D.C., and presenter of the program, The Sights and Sounds of the Pipe Organ, performs this first commercial recording dedicated to Gawthrop’s organ works with conviction, insight, energy, and technical mastery.  Works include Exultate, Sketchbook Three, Caprice, Nocturne, Toccata Brevis, Partita on Hyfrydol, and Chorale. Some salient moments occur in Sketchbook One, with an homage to Alain (“Incantation”) and the “Passacaglia,” in which the composer humorously thumbs his nose at the time-honored form with a funky theme in 4/4 and an incredible array of variations that at one point juxtapose “O God, our help” and “Camptown Races.”  O Jerusalem—A Symphony for Organ is a four-movement work inspired by quotations from Isaiah.  Quasi-Jewish melodies and rhythms create an exotic, powerful effect.  The instrument, though quite different now than in its original conception, is magnificent, its many colors and brilliant ensemble well suited to the repertoire.  Its clarity and presence are well captured within the reverberant ambience of the space.  This recording is an excellent introduction and overview of Gawthrop’s organ music, some of which should be in every organist’s library.  

American Record Guide ~ July/August 2007                                                       
"[Gawthrop] has produced a substantial body of work for the [organ]...Gawthrop's writing for the organ is always effective...Its style is conservative and eclectic...[Mary Mozelle's] performances leave nothing to be desired in technical polish and control, while the recorded sound captures the warmth and clarity of the instrument."

Steven Ritter, All Music Guide ~ September 2007

"This is the world premiere CD dedicated to [Gawthrop's] music and it is largely successful. The very familiar Welsh tune Hyfrydol is given the King’s treatment in the animated and beautifully constructed five-movement Partita. Another highlight is certainly the Jerusalem Symphony, its four movements titled by quotes from the book of Isaiah that serve as the inspiration for the tone of the individual pieces...other works are fairly short one movement entities that have a unique and enclosed tonal message. I enjoyed them all very much...a 1928 Skinner instrument that has been virtually redone over the years, is a broad and robust instrument fully worthy of the type of registrations that Gawthrop desires... Mary Mozelle does everything humanly possible to take advantage of the space [in Princeton University Chapel]...Gawthrop’s music is worth investigating, and this is now the primary place to do so."