The influence of Plainsong in the choral music of Healey Willan

Plainsong quotations are found in numerous choral works of British composers of the late 19th and early 20th century and continue to have a profound influence on the works of contemporary British composers. Vaughan Williams, Stanford, Holst, Elgar, Britten, Rutter, Tavener, and Mealor all show signs of “looking back” on the plainsong traditions of the British and continental forbearers. It stands to reason, then, that Healey Willan, a composer whose life makes him a contemporary of several of the aforementioned titans of the age, should show signs of the same influence. Passages in his compositions, notably his sacred choral compositions, reflect plainsong’s influence. This document’s purpose is to examine a specific set of Willan’s sacred choral works: his missa brevi, liturgical motets, and one choral setting of responsaries for the offices of Tenebrae. Each of these genres is used to present the wide ranging influence of plainsong as a compositional consideration. An analysis of metric, harmonic, melodic, and textual techniques that exhibit plainsong characteristics is undertaken for each selected work. The study concludes that Willan’s work is strongly influenced by plainsong through the use of varied compositional methods. It demonstrates use of these methods across all genres, identifies a specific period of Willan’s life where these techniques come to the forefront, and suggests areas of further study.