Freda Swain: Breathe on Me, Breath of God: for SATB choir and organ

This critical edition of ‘Breathe on Me, Breath of God’ by Freda Swain (1902-1985) makes this work available for performance for the first time. The piece is a setting of a hymn with words by Edwin Hatch (1835-1899), which Swain found in Hymns Ancient and Modern. In 1968, she composed a version for choir and organ but later she decided that it would work well with an orchestral accompaniment. In her orchestrated version, Swain omits the two-bar “Amen” cadence, which originally closed her piece, but otherwise retained the rest of the structure. She also added the following note: ‘For special occasions, or where a full choir permits, it is suggested that four soloists should sing Verse 2 pianissimo (sic.) and that the descant should be used in the last verse.’ In her other choral works, Swain makes it clear that a semi-chorus is a suitable alternative to soloists is such a choral texture. It is, therefore, reasonable to use a small number of voices to cover each solo line in verse two. Furthermore, the descant may be performed as a solo or by a group of sopranos or trebles. Verse two should ideally be performed unaccompanied but Swain was ever practical and would not have objected to organ “shadowing” of the solos or indeed to the whole thing being sung by unison chorus with the organ alone providing harmony.

Perhaps because of the flexibility of Swain’s setting, ‘Breathe on Me’ was one of the most frequently performed of Swain’s works during her lifetime. Notes on the cover of her manuscript indicate that it was performed at Holy Sepulchres, High Holborn (‘the musicians’ church’) in 1969. It was subsequently performed in Ireland and Wales, and it then found its way to the US, where it was published. Swain most likely wrote her orchestral version for a performance in Aberystwyth. The fact that the piece was included (in the organ version) in the funeral service for her husband in 1969 and, years later (in 1984) at a memorial service for a close friend, Brian Luke Brason, shows that it was deeply meaningful to Swain. It is, therefore, important to try to convey the emotional depth of Swain’s setting but, at the same time, the simplicity of the strophic hymn quality must not be compromised. Each verse should flow into the next without hiatus, but that is especially important between the last two verses where the crescendo must join the two without a breath impeding the effect. This edition of the version for choir and organ is based on a manuscript vocal score and organ parts in the collection of Swain manuscripts now in the possession of the Swiss pianist Timon Altwegg.

These sources were cross-referenced with a manuscript score of the orchestral version. Swain’s manuscripts are clear and precise and little editing was required beyond ensuring consistency. Swain paired up the voice parts over two staffs but, for ease of reading, in this edition each of the vocal lines has been given its own staff. The choir and organ version manuscripts indicate a tempo of Moderato but Swain clearly marks her orchestral score Andante. It is best, therefore, for conductors to avoid adopting too fast or too slow a tempo. A crotchet tempo of c.80bpm is probably about right.