Last night, we presented our virtual Holiday Candlelight Concert. One of the pieces on that program was this Carol Suite by longtime ensemble member Jim Bassi, which was commissioned by and dedicated to Dennis Keene Voices of Ascension, and had its world premiere at the 2019 Candlelight Christmas Concert.

Jim’s creative re-imagining of these familiar carols—described as a “Fantasia” by Maestro Keene—makes great use of all of the colors of Ascension’s Manton Memorial Organ. The tradition of organ elaboration upon familiar tunes is a long and rich one dating back at least to the Baroque era. Variations on this idea have been a mainstay of the organ repertoire for nearly as long as there have been notated pieces for organ, and the use of a sung tune with instrumental variations around it includes notable examples from Bach such as “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring.” The use of a recognizable tune presented simply as the core of a polyphonic piece is even older—literally as old as notated polyphony, both of which situate Jim’s gorgeous setting in a rich musical tradition.

I hope that will you enjoy a second listening if you were able to tune in last night (or a third if you were physically present at the 2019 concert). – Wesley Chinn

Join us for our Candlelight Holiday Concert

Streaming live on December 15th at 7 pm

JAMES BASSI Carol Suite

Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director
Daniel Beckwith, organ

Recorded live at the CANDLELIGHT CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Wednesday, December 17, 2019, The Church of the Ascension, New York City
The singers in this performance are represented by the
American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.