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Stefans Grové: Song of an Old Woman in her Hut at Dawn (from Afrika Hymnus I)

The second movement of ‘Afrika Hymnus I’ for organ by Stefans Grové (1922–2014), ‘Song of an Old Woman in her Hut at Dawn’ paints a stunningly evocative picture of nature: at the break of dawn, a gathering of birds make their calls, carefully transcribed to be as accurate as possible, in counterpoint to the woman of the title's pensive song. According to the composer, it is based on a ‘Xhosa woman's song of a mourning nature’. Throughout the movement, a very soft cluster-like chord in the left hand represents the environment - the background murmur or 'buzz' found in nature. The woman accompanies herself on a musical bow - an instrument typical of South African indigenous cultures, usually comprising a single string that is struck with a thin stick - and a small drum (represented by the repeated B-flat in the pedal part). The accompanying chord stretches into the middle section, where the bird calls signify the breaking of dawn, each bird species named in the score. The ‘song’ reappears in the pedal part while the bird calls continue. The final section sees a brief return to the opening texture, with the last of the bird calls (a red-chested cuckoo – ‘Piet-my-vrou’ in Afrikaans) occasionally interrupting, then repeating and fading away towards the end. Taken from the album where I play the complete Afrika Hymnus cycle – Afrika Hymnus I, II and III – at St Albans Cathedral.