DaveHarries

Hi all, Anyone else listening to BBC Radio 3's "Christmas Around Europe" today? Usual fabulous music. Current hour (6pm - 7pm) is from the German Church in Stockholm (Sweden) and the last hour until 8pm is from Nuremburg. The Sweden hour, however, is containing some passages on the church's elaborately decorated organ and is, as has all the music I have heard this afternoon, well worth a listen. Dave

Hi all, Not sure how organ relevant this is but the email update that came my way from Classical Music magazine reports that the composer Jonathan Harvey has died at the age of 73.. Dave

Michael, I know well the irritations of getting no interviews or responses from applications. I don't work in the music field but during my last period of unemployment I sent off more than 100 applications out of which I didn't even get 5 interviews! I wish you the very best of luck with your jobseeking efforts: I hope you will get something nice and that you won't have to wait too long for it. Dave

I see that Christopher Bowers-Broadbent (Organist of the West London Synagogue and also Organist & Choirmaster of Gray's Inn) has been appointed a Fellow of the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn. [The Times, Saturday 01-Sep-2012, Page 102]. HTIOI, Dave

Thoroughly enjoyed the service at Norwich on Sunday: setting was "Messe Solenelle" by Vierne with the motet being Vierne's "Tantum Ergo". The service was one of the more enjoyable parts of a weekend that, unfortunately, can otherwise only be described as ... er .... c**p (sorry for using that word: anything else wouldn't do justice if you knew the reason). Dave

Morning all, I plan on a trip to East Anglia this weekend coming (11th / 12th August) to do some railway-related photos. I hope to overnight at a location which will give me time on the Sunday morning to get to the morning Eucharist at Norwich.Cathedral. I will be travelling by car. Where is the best place to park in Norwich in order to easily reach the cathedral and, if applicable, how much does the parking cost? Thanks. Dave

Hi all, I thought this quote might amuse: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - At the time of the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1980 my mother used gleefully to herself as 'the wrong Lady Diana'. Here is a letter from a far more unfortunate namesake, the wrong Franz Schubert (1768 - 1824), a composer of church music at the court of Saxony. It was addressed to Messrs Breitkopf and Härtel, the Leipzig music publishers, who had inadvertently returned to him the right Franz Schubert's manuscript of Erlkönig: Dresden, 18 April 1817 Dear Friend, [.....] I must also inform you that some ten days ago I received your esteemed letter with which you enclosed the manuscript of Goethe's Erlkönig, alleged to have been set by me. With the greatest astonishment I beg to assure you that I never composed this cantata. I shall retain it in my possession in order to find out if possible who was so ill-mannered as to send you such trash; and who is the fellow who has taken my name in vain [.....] Your most obliged friend and brother Franz Schubert His Majesty's Composer of Sacred Music - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (Quoted in "Still More Christmas Crackers, 1990 - 1999" by John Julius Norwich, 2000) Anyone else know of any similarly funny mess-ups? Dave

Hi all, For those musicians among us who have cats as pets, I thought this might serve to entertain: I can't help wondering what it might have been like if the second cat had righted the metronome and it had come back faster. Dave

Apologies for taking this thread partly off-topic but it sounds like another appointment will already have to be made at St. Mungo's Cahtedral, Glasgow: Ian Simcock's appointment there seems to have come to an abrupt end according to a report in today's edition of the Daily Telegraph. I was unaware of this until my Mum, who reads the paper, pointed it out: http://www.telegraph...he-singers.html Dave

Just a passing thought: in the clip of the St. Pauls Choir, at around the 3:56 mark, the Duke seems to not to someone in the crowd and then looks to be saying something. In light of the Duke of Edinburgh's reputation for occasionally putting his foot in it (verbally), it is not too hard to wonder what he is saying... Dave

Although it looks as if the members have lost interest in this thread, here is a good one. This is Ben van Oosten playing the Allegro from CM Widor's 6th SYmphony on the ACC organ of St. Ouen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtA_6lIhKWY&feature=related Also, while I accept that Royal Weddings are not to everyone's interest, does anyone have an idea what the first, second and last pieces of music are in this clip? Some great music. Thanks. Dave

That made me laugh. Churchmouse should have that for her next book, if she does another one. Dave

I hope I won't be the only person to say this, but a posthumous Happy Birthday to him. Dave

Ooops. Misread the post. Will be interesting to see who replaces George as no. 3 at Worcester. Dave

Interesting. Where has Christopher A. gone from Worcester? Dave

I have never heard CC in action and I agree that the RAH organ should have a better airing than it gets. BBC Radio 3 will be the broadcast channel and I believe that all 3 are to be broadcast. May be wrong with that though. Dave

Hi all, Just looked through the schedule of the 2012 Proms season. The organ does not feature this year until fairly late in the season, which is a pity. What does feature sounds like it could be quite good and also it is better than no organ at all, of course. Saturday 01st September, 4pm, Prom 66 Cameron Carpenter - organ JS Bach - Prelude & Fugue in E flat Major (BWV552, St. Anne) (arr. Schoenberg / C. Carpenter) JS Bach - Choral Prelude on 'Nun freut euch, lieben Christen' (BWV734) (arr. Buson / C. Carpenter) JS Bach - Partita no. 3 in E major for solo violin (BWV1006) (excerpt) (arr. C. Carpenter) C. Carpenter - Improvisation on B.A.C.H JS Bach - Toccata and Fugue in F major (BWV540) JS Bach - Prelude and Fugue in A major (BWV536) Sunday 02nd September, 4pm, Prom 68 Cameron Carpenter - organ Carpenter - Improvisation on the Bourée from Cello Suite No. 3 in C Major, BWV1009 JS Bach - Fantasia & Fugue in G Minor JS Bach - Prelude & Fugue no. 15 in G Major (BWV860) Bach / Mahler - Syncretic Prelude & Fugue in D Major (arr. Carpenter) Monday 03rd September, 7:30pm, Prom 70 Desert Island Discs 70th Anniversary Prom Features past castaways from the BBC Radio 4 series. JS Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D minor (BWV565) is among the music choices. Wayne Marshall - organ Away from the organ, proms 38, 40, 59 & 74 will be on my listening agenda. As a side note, Prom 53 (1612 Italian Vespers) (22nd August) sounds like it will be really good: it includes a reconstruction of Gabrielli's colossal Magnificat a 20/28 con il 'sicut locutus'. HTIOI, Dave

Another contribution from me. Wolfgang Zerer demonstrating the organ at the Jakobikirche in Lüdingworth, Germany (Antonius Wilde 1599 / Arp Schnitger 1683). Must be a really good organ to play pieces from the likes of Back and Buxteheude on because the sound you hear when playing would be what Bach would have heard on an instrument back in his day. Dave

Just had a news bulletin in my Hotmal inbox from Choir & Organ. It contains the following: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SYBRAND JÜRGEN ZACHARIASSEN HAS DIED Sybrand Jürgen Zachariassen, former director of Danish organ building company Marcussen & Søn, died on 26 February. Born in 1931, he succeeded his father as president of the family firm in 1960, and over the next 30 years the company built large tracker-action instruments in Copenhagen, Linz Cathedral, Lübeck, and the Grote Kerk in Rotterdam, as well as undertaking the restoration of the organs in St Bavo, Haarlem, the Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, Roskilde Cathedral, and Buxtehude´s organ in Sct. Mariae Church, Helsingør. Under his management the firm widened its commissioning base, most notably in the 1980s to Japan and the USA. In 2002 he was succeeded as president by Claudia Zachariassen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Nothing on the website of Marcussen & Son when I checked this evening. Dave

Found this earlier: sounds splendid. It is the choir of St. Pauls Cathedral (London) singing "I Was Glad" on the occasion of the Queen's golden jubilee (1977?). Enjoy. Dave

Dave

Here is the obituary from the Daily Telegraph. Fairly short but nonetheless interesting. http://http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9144254/Heinz-Wunderlich.html Dave

What a diabolical state of affairs at Crystal Cathedral. Lets home the organ isn't allowed to rot. Hopefully the time isn't too far hence when only a miniature handful of people turn up to the services on a regular basis and then hopefully the catholic diocese now running the cathedral will realise the folly of their evil ways. I pray that will happen one day. Long live Crystal Cathedral and long live the Hazel Wright organ but preferably not in the hands of the perpetrators of this coup. Dave

Saw this earlier on the website of St. Thomas Church. I never heard him play but Choir & Organ ran an article a few years back which had a picture of Gerre & Judith Hancock in it. The website of St. Thomas, New York City carries an announcement on its news page: http://www.saintthomaschurch.org/about/news A great shame to loose such a well known musician. RIP. Dave

No I hadn't noticed. But I shouldn't think there are ton-s of them........ Dave