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Malcolm Kemp

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Everything posted by Malcolm Kemp

  1. Musing Muso - Do give nice Mr 5584 some credit for his honesty and humility. It isn't difficult - in fact it's extremely easy - to think of some organists (present company excepted, of course) who really believe they ARE experts on everything. Malcolm
  2. According to John Henderson's Directory of Composers for Organ there is a "Communion" by Kitson published by Stainer & Bell in 1925 There's also "Six Choral Preludes on well known hymns" dated 1924 and published by S&B but the names of the tunes are not listed. Also Two preludes (Merton and St Columba) 1928 by S&B. There's a Prelude on the tune "Irish" 1925 (Cramer). There is nothing listed which corresponds exactly to the title you give. Malcolm
  3. Try contacting Dr John Henderson at the RSCM or Richard Barnes of Cathedral Music (01243 379968). If anyone can help you one of them will. Both have incredible knowledge of their subject and access to enormous resources. Try Richard first and mention my name. Good luck. Malcolm
  4. The following is an extract (written by the vicar) from this week's on-line notice sheet of All Saints' Margaret Street: After nearly 10 years at All Saints, Paul Brough now wishes to have the freedom to explore new opportunities in his increasingly busy professional career. Paul has contributed a major amount in improving the music tradition at All Saints and we are deeply grateful for all he has achieved. We give thanks for all that he has given and look forward to the coming months. We will announce at a later date details of opportunities to pay a fuller tribute to Paul's work here. We are grateful that Paul has given us such a long period of notice, leaving at the end of April 2013. The search for a replacement will begin after the summer holidays, and our intention is that the new Director of Music will be in post as soon as Paul leaves.
  5. Why not send Ian Ball a PM. He may be able to point you in the right direction, perhaps putting you in contact with someone (perhaps one of his work colleagues) who is an expert in what seems to be a complicated field.
  6. Th only way to get a definitive answer is to get advice from a legal practitioner, with a licence to practice, who is an expert in copyright law. If Lawrence belongs to an organistation like the Musicians' Union, the Incorporated Society of musicians or a similar organisation in the USA they will be able to get definite advice, quickly and free of charge, from an expert in that field. When I needed help on a personal tax matter a few years ago the ISM arranged for a top London accountant to ring me back with an answer to my query within an hour of my initial enquiry. Malcolm
  7. Monday 6th August 1pm in St Saviour's Eastbourne Organ recital by Malcolm Kemp Admission Free; light refreshments afterwards Programme - J S Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in c minor Durufle Prelude and Fugue on ALAIN Vaughan Williams Prelude on Rhosymedre Franck Chorale No 1 in Emajor
  8. Have a look at Latin Motets, a performing edition by Colin Mawby, Book Two, pages 46-47. Published by Kevin Mayhew. ISBM 1-84417-463-8 If that book is out of print please send me a PM and I'll see what I can do to help. I also have a rather old copy of the (morning Mass based) liturgy of Holy Week by R R Terry which is published by Cary. I suspect Banks still have this. Somewhere I have a CD-Rom of their complete archive catalogue and they will send you one free if you ask them. Mine may well be out of date now. Malcolm
  9. Swapping hands round is always a possibility I consider in particularly tricky passages. Peter Wright was quite keen on this when I was having lessons with him a few years back and it can make passages much more manageable. Malcolm
  10. Yes it is indeed the Durufle. I find it necessary to identify, isolate and concentrate on the most difficult bits and, of course, what I find difficult may not be the same as everyone else. It is a wonderfully satisfying piece to work on and play. Like the Toccata, by its very technical difficulties and the need to know it very thoroughly, I find I enjoy both the musical and technical challenges and then also find that overcoming those challenges makes learning and playing other pieces so much easier and more rewarding. My motto is that time spent working on the organ music of Durufle is time well spent! Pop down to St Saviour's Eastbourne on Monday 6th August at 1pm if you can. I'm giving a recital there then and am including the Durufle P&F on Alain unless it gets played in the previous recital by someone else. Malcolm
  11. Thanks to all of you who have turned my original enquiry into such a fascinating, wide and informative debate. I hope we have now convinced my friend that he should not play B double flats throughout the bar in question. While I haven't actually played the piece for several years now (it was once in my very regular repertoire) one of my current party/recital pieces is one that quotes Litanies. This is a personal thing but I find increasingly that prayer works best when I listen rather than indulge in frenzied words! Nevertheless, I still find this a very exciting and worthwhile piece both to hear and play. I must start playing it again! Malcolm
  12. I have to confess that I have always taken the double flats as referring only to that one octave chord at the start of the bar and have played single flats for the rest of the bar. I was turning for someone playing this piece erlier today and he played double flats throughout saying it seemed more logical to him (a highly qualified practical and academic musician) and hr thought this made it sound more modal. To my ears I was sure I'd never heard it with B double flats throughout before. Like Vox H, I'm very willing to be proved wrong on this and am very interested to hear what the majority of our friends on this forum do. The player concerned is also keen to know what others think. Malcolm
  13. A discussion ensued between two friends over the "Delcamato - Vivacissimo" bar - the final bar of the third page from the end. There is a pause on the high octave double Bflat. Question: In the following descending octave runs do you play Bflats or B double flats? Malcolm
  14. Someone who was head chorister there just over 40 years ago, and now lives in another part of southern England, went to a service in Truro cathedral a few weeks ago and says te choir is now inifinitely better than he's ever heard it before. Malcolm
  15. There once was a cleric with surname of Fiddle Receiving his doctor's degree Said "I really don't mind being called Dr Fiddle But not Dr Fiddle DD. Malcolm PS - Sorry!
  16. Stanley Houlgate died in hospital at 7.10 this morning, having had a stroke on Thursday. He was born in Kentish Town, north London, on 21st February 1912 but moved to Brighton when still young enough to become a choirboy at St Mary's Rock Gardens, Brighton, where the choirmaster was Samuel Baker in whose memory ARCO and FRCO prizes are now awarded. Stan eventually learnt to play the organ under Baker's instruction and he became organist successively in churches in Woodmancote, Steyning, Portslade and Brighton. For many years he was organist of St Anne's Brighton, where I was one of his choirboys for about five years, and when the future of St Anne's became uncertain he "returned home" to become organist of his beloved St Mary's where he stayed for many more years, resigning when he was well into his late nineties. A number of us attended his most enjoyable 100th birthday party in February this year. His son, David Houlgate, who cared for his father so devotedly in his old age, is well known in the field of electronics, and especially in electronic an digital organs, and our sympathy is extended to both David and his friend Fr Michael Maine. Malcolm
  17. No, I haven't had opportunity to study the Pawel Jura edition. the Barenreiter is the finest edition I've eprsonally come across so far. Perhaps I should have been more specific. Sorry! Malcolm
  18. The best edition for playing the Faure Requiem on the organ, without orchestral instruments accompanying, is the Barenreiter which sets it out clearly and logically over three staves. Malcolm
  19. I remember when he was organ scholar at Chichester if I'm thinking along the right lines.
  20. Douglas - Many thanks. I plead senility. Post now corrected. Malcolm
  21. According to an Organists' Review posting on Facebook today the funeral service (presumably a Requiem Mass) is at All Saints Margaret Street, near Oxford Circus and quite a small church so far as seating capacity is concerned, at 6.30pm on Tuesday 15th May. He was organist there before moving to Chichester in 1958 and the current music team, under Paul Brough, can be guaranteed to give him superb music at his funeral. Malcolm
  22. This lunch time Peter Wright gave an absolutely superb organ recital in Chichester Cathedral and, as a great friend of John Birch, he prefaced his recital with a few very well chosen words and, with Sarah Baldock's permission, dedicated the recital to the memory of John Birch. Obviously, this recital had been arranged a long time ago but it was appropriate that this week's recital was given by a friend of JAB who was able to speak so fondly of him. What was not so enjoyable - but absolutely typical of the stuffy, unwelcoming ethos which still semes to prevail in Chichester cathedral - was a conversation which happened further along the row in which I was sitting. An elderly gentleman was about to sit on a seat when an even more elderly lady - almost late for the recital - hurried in and told him in no uncertain terms "I always sit on this seat, even on Sundays". Shortly after this the man left. Fortunately I can't imagine this kind of thing happening these days anywhere apart from Chichester but it really isn't helpful. Malcolm
  23. One of the great teachers of choir training in the USA relates how his mentor observed him taking a choral rehearsal as a preparation for his Master's degree. Afterwards she called him into her room and called him a liar. This shocked him and he asked her what she meant. She then explained that the rehearsal had been all about him and not about the music they were rehearsing. I have said this before and I shall carry on saying it; every musician should read The Musician's Soul by James jordan (GIA). It is a short and very readable book but it has had a profound effect on me. Malcolm
  24. I think Common Praise is by far the best hymn book for almost any mainstream C of E parish. Superb and catering for most degrees of churchmanship. If you want Office Hymns, Propers etc., you need the OLD English hymnal which is far more comprehensive than NEH and has better plainchant accompaniments. If you are very Anglo Catholic then The Catholic Hymn Book which Paddy Russill edited for the London Oratory is extremely good and it is still possible to pick up second hand copies of the old and trusty Mirfield Mission Hymn Book. I would avoid any books published by certain firms I will not mention here. Malcolm
  25. Thanks, folks, that's just what I wanted. Malcolm
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