AJJ

Hi Tim! Not exactly similar but the church with the nicest organ near me will not allow anyone who is not one of the (few) registered keyholders to practise locked in the church. if I want to go in (the church is mostly locked) I have to do so when the resident organist is doing her filing in the vestry or suchlike - she is a good friend of ours so would actully go in if I wanted to play. Apparently their insurance is reduced if this is the state of affairs. This is one reason for my getting an organ at home! Alastair

This was taken from the website of Norwich Cathedral: MUSIC DEPARTMENT Exciting changes are in prospect for the Music Department from September, the beginning of the new Choir Year.................................... Our review started with David Dunnett's suggestion that he become Cathedral Organist in reality instead of just in title. He felt he would like to concentrate more on playing the organ and less on training and directing our choirs. If we were to agree to David's suggestion, we would be well provided for in the organ department with a Cathedral Organist of international repute and an excellent Organ Scholar in the person of Ben Giddens. Clearly, what we would need to look for in these new circumstances was not a simple replacement for Julian (- Thomas - the departing Assistant Organist) but a specialist choir trainer - not primarily an organist but possessing the specialist skills to train and direct our choir - boys, girls and men - to the high standard to which we have grown accustomed. Another new element, coming at an uncannily appropriate moment for our review, is the Government's new initiative to promote singing in schools by encouraging partnerships between cathedrals and local education authorities. The scheme, which is well funded by the Government, is administered by the Choir Schools Association of which our own Norwich School is a member. In conjunction with Norwich School we can use the Government funding for a musical outreach programme which we hope will have a number of benefits. First, it should help rekindle a desire to sing amongst the children of our local primary schools - we can send out groups of choristers (boys and girls) to encourage this. Secondly, it will help us with recruitment of potential choristers and raise the profile of cathedral music in the community. Thirdly, the funding will help with improving the financial provision we are able to make for our choir members. So instead of advertising for a new Assistant Organist, the Chapter decided to look for a Master of the Music among those for whom organ playing was not necessarily a priority, and to shape the job description and word the advertisement appropriately. An enthusiasm for the Singing in Schools initiative and a background in musical education was an important quality we needed to look for. Somewhat to my surprise we had an enormous response - a huge number of enquiries resulted in nearly forty applications. With the invaluable assistance of David Hill, Director of Music at St John's College, Cambridge, we were able to draw up a short-list of four, highly-qualified candidates; three from England and one from the United States of America. The interviews were fascinating, interesting and problematic - how were we to decide between four candidates of great ability? The auditions were even more illuminating: we invited all four candidates in turn to take a twenty minute rehearsal with the boys and then with the girls and men together. Our decision made, it is thus with great pleasure that we are able to announce the appointment of David Lowe, as Master of the Music, from 1 September. David was a Choral Scholar at King's College, Cambridge, from 1976 to 1979, a Lay Clerk at St George's, Windsor, from 1980 to 1992 and, since 1994, has been Professor of Singing at the Royal Academy of Music. He is a cornerstone of the choral establishment in Cambridge, conducting the University Chamber Choir and training choral scholars at King's, St John's, Trinity, Clare and Caius Colleges. He regularly teaches on the prestigious Eton Choral courses and maintains links as a regular choral manager for such conductors as Simon Rattle, Roger Norrington, Mark Elder and Richard Hickox. Coming to us here at Norwich will allow him to realise his greatest ambition which is to work within the English cathedral music tradition at shaping, training and directing a choir of his own. His commitment to music education is infectious and we know he will work with the new Singing in Schools initiative to its very great advantage in this part of East Anglia. It makes interesting reading! AJJ

Nice one pc - you haven't by any chance been doing a stint at Southwark Cathedral recently have you? The above is looking distictly TC Lewis!! All you need is a few Lieblichs..... AJJ

Is there a recording available? - I've heard such good things about the instrument but not actually ever heard it. AJJ

I could live with the above - except the lack of a Swell OD. This organ looks familiar - isn't it in a rather nice red and gold case on the west gallery of a large Victorian Gothic establishment in the West Midlands? AJJ

The first organ LP I ever bought was a sort of compliation including Francis Jackson playing the Cocker at York, Ralph Downes (?) playing some Buxtehude from the RFH and other things that I can't remember now. The cover I seem to remember was an 'arty' picture of the case at Westminster Abbey. The LP eventually wore out through continual playing but I remember still the rather uneven honking of the York Tuba Mirabilis and the point just before the final 'recap.' when Jackson pulled out the 32' reed. - I'd never heard anything like it. Great stuff! AJJ Does anyone else remember this record & what else was on it?

Some can't play the instrument - but that doesn't stop them building great instruments either! AJJ

I'd be interested - diary permitting. AJJ

The Mander firm would never allow a small organ to look anything like so utilitarian these days. I find it most curious that someone so affluent as CC, with such high standards on subjects like vintage cars and antique clocks, with a family business dealing in antiques and expensive real estate could have as his prize posession a purpose-built organ that looked more like a cross between a rowing machine and cycle rack than a musical instrument. Wasn't it something to do with where he had it installed? - space available etc. Does anyone know where it is now? AJJ

Just back from France - I'd be interested whenever - please keep me posted. AJJ

Mind you there is a large maritime city down this way where they talk like that too. I am a Londoner but when I taught there the kids all thought I came from somewhere much further up north. AJJ

Ditto the recordings by Peter King from Bath Abbey from Regent - good repertoire - exciting sound! AJJ

And that of his wife and 'Assistant' - Hazel Davies. AJJ

Good stuff - I wonder where he is playing as Leeds Cathedral at present has a Phoenix. AJJ

I have heard stories like this so many times - it really can put one off getting involved in the first place. It's only when one works in a good and supportive set up where one's services are valued etc. that one realises how lucky one is! The trouble is there only needs to be a change of incumbent or warden............ AJJ

Drop Maureen McAllister and Robin Jackson a line. AJJ

Does anyone know a decent recording? - I've got Jean Guillou in the USA on the Meyerson Hall Fisk - good sound but a bit of an idiosyncratic interpretation. AJJ

They know what you are doing week in, week out by the standard of the choir and organ playing etc. so I can not quite see how the 'once a year' bit figures anyway. As Nigel A states, Performance Management is part of an ongoing and two way process not just a stick to beat with. I am visited at least once a year by my line manager here at school (it's part of my contract etc.) - we then meet and discuss, I have my chance to feed back and the whole thing ends with a choice of nice courses to go on etc. In the same way I visit members of my department. If it started up where I play I would retreat to the congregation I think! AJJ

This is interesting - I had not come across it before. Next time we are over that way (apart from heading for the ferry!) I shall try and get a look. Thanks. Voluntary for tomorrow sorted - thanks VH! AJJ

I think Skellern has something to do with the music in a village church somewhere in Cornwall - there was a slot on a news programme some years a go about a Christmas piece he was doing wth the choir. 'Cant't recall where though. AJJ

I play this instrument a couple of times a year for services - most of the rest of the time the regular musician uses a piano. http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N18290 The organ works but is in a bit of a dire state and the parish is aware of its value etc. - it was built 'as a piece' with the building and furnishings etc. As can be seen from the NPOR entry at least two reputable builders have reported on it and BIOS has visited and endowed a certificate. What I can't work out is what would have been played on it 'repertoire wise' - would it have just been put in as a hymn machine or would there have been specific music that would have worked with the odd collection of TC stops, pedal permutations etc.in mind? Any thoughts? AJJ

Hmm - it all sounds a bit familiar. I never actually did services there though - more often than not sang/played at South Stoneham along with their now present incumbent. Then (late 70s) they had large choir with a good and varied repertoire. The DOM then was another undergrad. who later ended up at Buckfast Abbey and I think is still around there. AJJ Sorry - we're off topic again!

My account was from JB so probably he had the best seat! (a good player though - 'best of luck in the new place - what are they doing at StMs? AJJ

This takes me back to many a happy hour as an undergraduate experimenting with the weird and wonderous noises on this machine. Quite a lot of my music still has the registration marked in. A predecessor of yours played all six trio sonatas in one concert and by all accounts it sounded really quite acceptable! AJJ

I think it was Peter Hurford who once said/wrote that one should use ones ears first and 'stock' registration second when playing the organ. AJJ