FRANK MORANA
AmerOrganist 33/2

This work is an homage of a very specific sort, one that may

not necessarily sit well with the more "sophisticated" concert

listener: it is a careful stylistic imitation from Franck's

Trois Chorals. Although the composer here originally set

out only to adapt the style of Franck, he ultimately came to

adopt the style of Franck, and the finished product falls

within Franck's stylistic parameters almost absolutely. This

approach to composition would have raised no eyebrows in the

18th century, since the artistic line between imitation and

inspiration was not then so sharply drawn. But with the

"cult of creativity" that followed in the 19th and 20th

centuries, this kind of pure craftsmanship became more

associated with the academic realm, and less associated

with the artistic realm. Still, there is much that is

profoundly interesting and instructive in this work,

and Hendrie's understanding of the style of Franck is a

challenge on many fronts. Has he successfully created a

Franck "Fourth Choral?" Well, for one thing, in the very

opening, Hendrie moves from the key of C minor to that of A

minor within just a few measures, and it is doubtful whether

Franck would have conceived his exposition thus. For

another, each section of Hendrie's work begins and ends on

or around the tonic, but this is not consistent with

Franck's own approach to large-scaled forms. But the more

salient point here is that, if one possesses the

fluency to execute Franck's works, then one should also

possess the fluency to appraise Franck's style, and

in this respect, Hendrie's piece can be wholeheartedly

embraced as a valuable lesson in stylistic awareness.