Malcolm Kemp

Agreed but congregations absolutely love it - as they so the marches of Scotson Clark! Malcolm

Yes - there are two fine three manual organs dating from the Victorian era in Brighton - a Bevington and a Hill - both in very resonant churches and good organ chambers but both have unnecessarily and exceptionally heavy and uneven tracker actions which render playing a large chunk of the standard repertiore almost impossible. On both the touch - and depth of touch - is uneven throughout and inter manual coupling is a nightmare. Malcolm

I rarely find the time or the courage to watch Songs of Praise by when I did watch it recently - I certainly watched on Remembrance Sunday and possibly on one other occasion since then - I thought all the hymns were far too fast. I know that hymns and tempi of hymns is a contentious topic anywhere but I felt that there was a deliberate policy of going as fast as possible to get as many hymns as possible into the allotted time. I can remember years ago that the whole programme was done from one church (it was once done from St Peter's Brighton with Eric Spencer playing and Christopher Moore conducting) and nearly all of it was hymn singing without all the interviews of local people that you get now. It depends what the BBC sees as the purpose of the programme but, speaking for myself, I find jumping from church to church, assorted carefully choreographed choirs arrayed in empty churches, theatrical lighting effects, interviews with people about how they found God and compering from Aled Jones all utterly off-putting. But then I'm a grumpy old man anyway. Malcolm

Over the years I have taught a number of older beginners at the organ whose main aim has been to play hymns decently and be able to cope fairly well with a simple Sunday morning Mass - perhaps Gregory Murray and four well known hymns. Most of them have worked long and hard at this. One was not helped by her priest-in-charge constantly telling her, in front of the congregation, to go faster. I knew this priest and told him if he did it to her again I would hit him! These people need every encouragement and I have found that often what they lack is not talent but confidence and an understanding of how to make best use of practice time. Many people who can play fancy, difficult voluntaries to a good standard have never acquired an ability to play hymns well. There are many experienced, well qualified and previously devoted, hard working organists providing parish church music to a professional standard who now, for various reasons, are no longer prepared to do this. Somewhat relucantly, I joined that merry band at the end of May last year. I find that by doing freelance work I am better treated and better paid and at the same time I avoid the irritation of worship committees, PCCs, know-all church officers and endless admin/secretarial duties. This month, as a freelance, I have earned more than twice what I would have got had I still been doing a regular church job and there has been no aggro attached to it. Yes, I greatly miss running a choir, but in this area there are few churches that either have or want traditional choirs. I have often wondered why some smaller churches - especially in remote rural areas - insist on having a poor quality organ, or something that purports to be like an organ (harmonium, for example) when there may well be a more than capable pianist in the congregation who would be happier, and more effective, playing a decent piano. An "organ sound" is not essential to music in worship and never has been. Malcolm

So sorry to hear about the death of Quentin's brother. As a matter of interest, I gather that the drum kit is played by a young man who was an enthusiastic member of St Peter's (traditional Anglican) choir in the days of weekly choral Evensong and whose mother, a local singing teacher, sings regularly in the choir at one of the extreme Anglo Catholic churches in central Brighton. There was a rumour going around that blue asbestos had been found in the organ chamber but I suspect that may have been untrue. It is good to hear that the HTB people are aware of the need to preserve and look after the organ. I just hope they soon do something about the outside of the building. At present motorists driving into Brighton from either of the two main roads from north are confronted by a depressing looking church, fenced off almost all round and showing large signs "beware falling masonry". Hardly a good advert for the C-of-E although at least there are now large banners proclaiming the Alpha Course! There are a number of reasons - going back several decades - why St Peter's was allowed to fall into this state of disrepair but these are inappropriate for airing on a public website. As I've said before, privately, the next time Quentin is in Brighton - hopefully under happier circumstances - he is very welcome to visit me to try my latest large musical toy. It seems like hundreds of years since we last met! Malcolm

I just managed to hear part of the interval talk and found that very interesting. Malcolm

Some years ago one very occasional contributor to this forum (Ron Bayfield) produced a hymn tune called "Mongrel" for use at the end of a spoof-Oratorio about traffic wardens. The first half of the tune was the first half of "Aurelia" and the second half was the second half of "Ewing" (obviously, both in the same key). It was interesting how few people realised what was happening. From memory, other items in this oratorio included He blocketh up the mews See how he waits outside our gates and gets in everyone's way In all the roads we search for cars, ever unperceived, never understood What is that to us, see thou to that (Vittoria) Say, where is he gone, the man who was here, for he has parked his car Could I not park my car one brief hour? You get the general drift. It only worked, of course, when sung to an audience of people who were familiar with the original pieces. Malcolm

Over the years I've tried all sorts of combinationsof tunes for the O Salutaris and Tantum Ergo at Benediction. Once, consideration was given to setting the O Salutaris to "We'll gather lilacs" but we all quickly decided that it really didn't work. If you ever go to St Mary's Bourne Street (Anglican) for their Sunday evening in the Octave of Corpus Christi jamboree (occasionally advertised as the most spectacular show in the West End) - and possibly on some other "big" occasions during the year - you will find choir and congregation heartily singing the O Salutaris in Latin (mostly from memory) to an adapted version of Parry's Jerusalem with a loud organ improvisation mid-way. Tasteless and exceedingly vulgar yes, but it works and is enormous fun. Only problem is that nobody ever really sings the Amen. The firsdt time I experienced this I whispered to the friends either side of me "This isn't going to work" but I was wrong! Malcolm

"Through the night of doubt and sorrow" to the Z-Cars theme. It works. Malcolm

Whenever I am asked to play "Love Divine" at my local crematorium I enquire what tune they want and invariably they say "the well known one". When pressed further on this point it very much more often than not turns out to be Blaenwern that they want, rather than the Stainer tune which is rarely requested. Strange how fashions change; I personally prefer Blaenwern. With "The King of Love" they almost invariably want Dominus Regit rather than St Columba. Fortunately I never get asked for "Praise to the holiest" which has abut 5 equally well-known and equally fine tunes. My choice would be "Billing" by Sir Richard Terry but I suppose you would expect me to say that! Malcolm

The console looks beautiful. Thanks, Ben, for all the updates. Malcolm

My uncle used to make wirelesses as a hobby in the 1940s and 1950s. My aunt used to comment that "wireless" was one of the most inappropriate names she could think of for these contraptions! If he had lived in the age of the microchip my uncle would have had more time to spend drinking Brickwood's ales in the local pubs of rural West Sussex. Malcolm

A priest for whom I often play the organ at funerals at his church and at the crematorium - one I first knew over 45 years ago (we are of a similar age) and who was brought up in an extreme Anglo Catholic tradition - usually says at funerals that nobody would willingly destroy a beautiful work of art and that likewise God made us all as beautiful works of art and he would not willingly destroy us (his own beautiful works of art) or condem us to eternal damnation. I rather like that analogy. There has recently been lengthy discussion about hymns and choice of hymns on another discussion board (similar to this) under an utterly pathetic and silly heading "disorganised clergy - how do you solve a problem like a Vicar?" I am not a member of that forum and have no intention of becoming a member but it does demonstrate how hymns can become a serious cause of strife and totally un-Christian behaviour on all sides - including people who regard themselves as traditionalists as well as those who instantly want to change everything. It makes me very cross. Very cross indeed. That said, I am not sure what all this theology has to do with pipe organs apart from the fact that the tunes are often played on them! Malcolm

One of the problems with Townend hymns (and I gather he lives, or used to live, very near me) is singability. In June 2007 I attended the ordination (sorry, the Making) of Deacons in another diocese. The cathedral concerned has serious logistical and (even worse) acoustic problems and it was full of congregations from churches all over the place plus friends/relations of the candidates. One of the hymns was by Stuart Townend and very few people knew it. Even though the melody was printed in the service booklet the "singing" of this hymn was an absolute disaster. Perhaps not the best choice for such a service. My observations and experience over the years suggest that young people - teenagers with hormones flying all over the place especially - need something more emotional than middle stump parish church Anglicanism can offer. This is why they tend to gravitate to the two extremes of churchmanship and where they can sing stuff from Mission Praise &c., on the one hand or (as I did) "Ave Maria, O Maiden O Mother" and "To Jesus' Heart all burning" on the other. It is not without significance that there is a great similarity between the contents of (mainly Protestant) Mission Praise and (mainly Catholic) Celebration Hymnal. A certain kind of young person is drawn to Parish church/Cathedral style worship (and we should be very grteful that they are) but to attract them the music, liturgy and preaching all need to be of a very high calibre and I suspect that this is quite rare in parish churches. Personally I think most service have far too many hymns and that they interrupt the liturgical flow of Eucharistic services. They also, almost certainly, cause more upset and argument in churches than anything else. Malcolm

In the context of research I am due to undertake for a booklet I have promised to write for the Anglo Catholic History Society (history of All Souls' Church Brighton) I have been told that complete sets of Crockfords can be found in the Lambeth Palace library and also owned by Michael Farrer (founder member of the ACHS) who now lives in the infirmary of Charterhouse (in Clerkenwell). No doubt there are other complete sets. I have three quite old editions but nothing as old as you require. Malcolm

I have a (commercially made and issued) cassette recording of the choir of St Mary's Bourne Street (in the days when Shane Fletcher was still D-of-M) on which they sing "Love Divine" to the tune of "Fairest Isle". Surely there is no higher authority anywhere on the right way of doing things than St Mary's Bourne Street? Malcolm

I started buying vinyl LPs again about four years ago and bought the necessary equipment to play them on. Some of the Dupre recordings (especially playing Widor and Franck) are superb. I quickly realised that we were all duped when CDs first came upon the scene. In many cases the sound quality on vinyl is extremely good. Not only have I bought them on e-Bay; there is a shop selling them (albeit slightly overpriced) just round the corner from Brighton station and I've picked up some good items - choral, organ and other genres - in there. Malcolm

I played Sonata No 8 in a recital a few years ago and enjoyed doing so. However, I think it works better in the symphony version. I have Ian Tracey's recording and agree that it s very good. Malcolm

Copies of the Langlais piece are considered difficult to obtain in this country. It is a good piece and copies can be otained easily and quickly on-line from http://www.crescendomusicpubs.com.au/ at 15 Australian dollars. This firm specialises in making available choral and organ music which is othewise unavailable and the catalogue is well worth perusing. Malcolm

Nigel makes a very good point about the advantages going back to mediaeval use of parish churches (as he says, often the biggest building in the parish). I heard Sir Roy Strong say just that in a lecture he gave two years ago in Brighton's finest church architecturally (St Michael's) and which also happens to be amongst the top 100 in Simon Jenkins' book 1,000 best churches. I also have a book by Sir Roy strong where he makes the same comment. I can't find the book to give its title at the moment because all my books are stacked up ready for the decorator tomorrow! The added, side effect of this is that by using church buildings for appropriate secular purposes you help to ensure that the place is better maintained and, more importantly these days, it can give the church very valuable and necessary extra income to help them pay their way. If you use your church for 2 or even 3 services on a Sunday and perhaps one in the week and keep it locked and unused the rest of the time your church is unlikely to survive. Let outsiders hire the church for a reasonable fee at other times and the likelihood is that is will survive. It also gets people in the building for the first time; they might just come again for a service! You may even find your pipe organ being used and appreciated by more people in more contexts. Malcolm

David Hill's arrangement of Bethlehem Down is on page 20 of "Noel! 2" published by Novello. The notes say it combines Warlock's own two versions and that every note is by Warlock. Whilst I currently do not have a church post so do not really have to worry about such things, it is a strange irony that I only became aware of two new carol books after Christmas. One was "Noel! 2" and the other was "Christmas At Kings College". Both are published by novello. I immediately ordered both from Musicroom and they arrived almost by return of post. Both have very useful and interesting content. Well worth buying. Malcolm

I know the proposals for the pipe organ in Keble Chapel have been discussed here before although I haven't had time to find the link (and I'm not very good at hyper-links anyway). At one stage there was a possibility of the 4 manual Willis/HN&B from Brighton Parish Church going there but for various reasons that fell through. Malcolm

No, you are not alone in thinking A Spotless Rose was rather loud. How I longed for the John Birch Chichester sound, taste and control of the 1970s. Malcolm

There is a very ancient Hope Jones console on display to the right of the sanctuary (as you face east) near the door to the vestry. It was still there a couple of years ago and I remember being taken to see it in the mid-1960s by my then organ teacher (George Austin) who had been an articled pupil of Atkins at Worcester and had learnt on the Hope Jones there. Malcolm

I have had to play the descant to "While Shepherds watch'd" in CFC Book 2 for two years running now and I just don't like it. It seems contrived and I also find that choirs prefer the Alan Gray version. Malcolm