A STATE FUNERAL

BASIL RAMSEY listens to music for Lord Nelson

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The Church of England's Burial Service was embodied in the Office of Evensong for the ceremony at St Paul's, and this inspired decision gave music a splendid place in the proceedings. The list of composers was impeccable for the time: Purcell, Handel, Croft, Attwood, Greene, and Haydn for the closing Te Deum [listen - track 31, 00:20 - 01:10]. Yet again, one of those unexpected twists of fortune gave Thomas Attwood - the only English composer to have received some tuition from Mozart - the chance to write a noble Dirge for the organ as the coffin was returned to the catafalque under the dome [listen - track 23, 0000 - 0100]. Its simplicity is not from weakness but from a power of creativity uplifting simple things. By the same token, Purcell's sublime simplicity in the following Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts inhabits much the same dimension.

Whilst the shattering acoustic of Wren's masterpiece is overwhelming and almost unique, the decision to use the resources of Portsmouth Cathedral for this recording links the relevance of the naval seaport that still houses Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, and provides an easier ambience for recording. It is not every day that one of England's smaller cathedrals has the opportunity to participate in bringing to our ears such an historic occasion as this. They sing with relish, and understanding, and only the busy part-writing towards the end of Haydn's Te Deum appears ready to swallow the trebles.

To listen to the aural illustrations in this review, you may need to download RealNetworks' realplayer G2.