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Sounds For the Sanctuary: The Sacred Choral Music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Through a Creative Liturgical Lens

Sacred Music Output as an adolescent lad of fifteen years old. To be fair, the
Historian Jeffrey Green offers an enlightening inves- output of his anthems is a result of, or at least coin-
tigative article—of which an expanded version later cides with, his time and study at the Royal College of
appears in his book, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, A Musical Music. Undoubtedly, his mentorship by Charles Villers
Life—about the early years of Coleridge-Taylor, which Stanford and probable fraternization with the likes of
includes information on his father, Dr. Daniel Peter Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gustav Holst likely con-
Hughes Taylor, whom Samuel never met. Interesting- tributed to his formal composition of church/sacred
ly enough, Green notes that an obituary in the Brit- music. Consequently, it is worth noting that as a church
ish Medical Journal shared news about Samuel’s father musician, Coleridge-Taylor made more of his lasting
and his passing, asserting Dr. Taylor’s paternal rela- (or would-be) contribution as a composer rather than
tionship to this famed “writer of sacred music and the an organist or choirmaster, albeit also a conductor.
author of ‘Hiawatha.’” While it is commonplace to Choral music practitioner and Coleridge-Tay-
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laud Coleridge-Taylor for his cantata, Hiawatha’s Wed- lor specialist Zanaida Noelle Robles summarizes
ding Feast, it appears that the composer was also rea- Coleridge-Taylor’s anthems in her dissertation, par-
sonably well known, at least for a time, on account of ticularly suggesting a corpus reading. In doing so, Ro-
his sacred music. This notoriety is corroborated by the bles elucidates broader revelations that may illuminate
fact that prominent music publisher Novello printed some aspect of Coleridge-Taylor’s greater call, thus
Coleridge-Taylor’s anthems, all of which were pub- pointing more steadily to the significance of his sacred
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lished within a span of ten years beginning in 1891, choral compositions. Reading his first anthem, In Thee,
with four more in the subsequent year. This renders his O Lord, as a statement of faith in his abilities to com-
first published anthem at the age of sixteen and his last pose, Robles suggests a potential spiritual significance
at twenty-six, though his sacred cantata, The Atonement, of Coleridge-Taylor’s complete body of anthems, re-
was published by Novello when Coleridge-Taylor was garding his final anthem, What Thou Hast Given Me,
twenty-eight. Lord, Here I Tender, as a statement of resignation. Fur-
Coleridge-Taylor’s output of sacred choral music is ther, Robles also notes that Christian faith may not
small; it is, however, peculiar that his works have fallen necessarily be an absolute for Coleridge-Taylor, though
into disuse considering his prowess and popularity, and the indelible influence of English sacred choral tradi-
especially in light of Britain’s quest for its distinctive tion is without question.
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musical identity and contribution. (This author notes Robles’s argument is entirely plausible, particular-
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that Coleridge-Taylor’s harmony instructor, Charles ly related to faith commitment on Coleridge-Taylor’s
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Wood, is remembered only for a handful of anthems. ) part. Amid the influence of Coleridge-Taylor’s activity
Coleridge-Taylor was an active church musician in church music making, very little information (com-
throughout his youth. Green notes that Coleridge was paratively) is typically discussed regarding his faith rear-
a frequent soloist with the church choir, and by age ten, ing in relationship to the church, let alone a profession
Coleridge-Taylor was performing not only in church of faith—in this case, Christian. Nevertheless, biogra-
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but also in school. His ecclesiastical affiliation boasts pher Geoffrey Self notes that Coleridge-Taylor had a
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both Presbyterianism and Anglicanism, but he was ex- real but simple faith. On what basis does Self make
ceedingly active in and formed during his time with the that claim? It is somewhat unclear and without explica-
latter. Green notes that the “substantial inheritance of tion. Self mentions Coleridge-Taylor’s faith to contrast
choral music possessed by the Anglicans was an import- the composer against Delius, Vaughan Williams, and
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ant experience in the young composer’s education.” Elgar, all of whom had significant roles with the Three
Despite the influence of the church on Coleridge-Tay- Choirs Festival, even amid questions about their faith
lor’s musical development, much of the history sur- or lack thereof, in the years following Coleridge-Tay-
rounding his musical trajectory places a fair amount lor’s unsuccessful premiere of The Atonement. To con-
of emphasis on his time at the Royal College of Music textualize, the question of faith is relevant given that

8 CHORAL JOURNAL June/July 2025 Volume 65 Number 9