Eugene Thayer (1838-1889), a contemporary of Dudley Buck and John
Knowles Paine, was one of the early American organ virtuosi who composed
many works for the organ. An offertoire (French for offertory) is a musical
composition designed to be played during the procession with the bread and
wine during the Mass. It became the time when an organist could play music
with the greatest contrasts in styles and dynamics during the liturgy.
This first setting of three offertoires was
written before Thayer travelled to Europe to study there. He played them on
the IV/108 Walcker, Op 200 (1862) in the Boston Music Hall, now in
Methuen.
Their harmonic simplicity and use of single solo stops to great effect is
pure American sensibility of the time. The three pieces of his opus 5 are
Grande
Offertoire de Concert,
La Priére, Offertoire for Bassoon,
and
La
Méditation, Offertoire for Vox Humana.
(See the
Three Offertoires from
1870.) Where else will you find
pieces for solo vox humana or solo bassoon? The Walcker had magnificent solo
stops. These pieces are moderately simple.