Martin Cooke
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Posts posted by Martin Cooke
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I have noted from the St Paul's Cathedral website that Tim Harper, (Organ Scholar) has been appointed Assistant to the Director of Music at St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham. There is a young chap - ex-Organ Scholar of St John's, Cambridge - also due to take up the Assistant post at Chichester next month to take over from Simon Lawford who has been holding the fort.
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Two suitable new discoveries for me in the last few days - Prelude Funebre by Guy Ropartz - (his third Meditation would also be eminently appropriate for a funeral) - and then the 2nd movt of Bach's E minor Trio Sonata. I am appalled that I have only just discovered it - I found a Youtube (or similar) example of this being played by someone called Bernadette at St John the Divine, NY. It's a super movement. I would also add Prelude, Fugue and Variation by Cesar Franck - this could make a good concluding piece.
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I suppose I've been playing long enough to know pretty well what I'm doing in Bach Preludes and Fugues - I suspect I picked up habits from my Novello scores - but I am more and more keen to know that what I do is sound scholastically and although I listen carefully to different interpretations by downloading to my ipod, I wonder what there is in print these days that points in the right direction. Is it Peter Williams' book that I want, or is there something else out there?
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Hmm. Did anyone else feel that the chant really didn't do anything for the psalm?
I agree - I tried to work out why psalm and chant were paired in the context and indeed the purpose of the chant 'doing what it did' musically....but in the end did not managed to!
A
Come on - we all know - the chant was ghastly. No accounting for taste.
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I'm currently looking into settings for Common Worship Communion.
(Those of you who know where I'm DoM, please don't be alarmed - BCP isn't going anywhere!)
Does anyone have experience of Richard Shephard's Addington Service, reference to that seems to pop up all over the place. A scan of a couple of pages to look at would be even better...
And, what else is out there?
I'm particularly thinking of 'congregation friendly' which at the same time gives the choir something interesting to do.
Over to you!
P.
Well... I used to use a Festal or Festival Eucharist by Noel Rawsthorne and also one in D major by Martin How - both were RSCM publications - there was also a Norfolk setting by How which a modern day Merbecke. If I were playing regularly in church now I would return to these happily - all three are good sing alongs but were written for Rite A rather than Common Worship. Most things by Shephard are excellent!
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7th Evening, Ps 37 Vs 37 - Organist tacet. Now there's word-painting.
Come on then - spare us having to rush to find our psalters...
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I wonder how many people on the board know that Dr Francis Jackson had memorised the entire words of the psalter!
That may explain the sheer magic of his psalm accompaniment, which set a standard at York which JSW and others continued.
That's professionalism!
MM
No, I'm not in the least bit surprised - how many years was he doing it for? I am sure that most cathedral organists using the same pointing over a number of years would be able to make a similar claim - not that they would wish to play for evensong without the psalter in front of them. I think the first part of the original question on psalm accompaniment bear some relevance to the question I posed a while ago about last verse reharmonisation of hymn tunes. The sorts of things that the masters of both these arts get up to require a thorough knowledge of harmony and a wonderful ear. One tip regarding registration that I picked up from spending a few years in the loft at Chichester in John Birch's time, was to leave a verse or two unaccompanied to gather ones wits (and stops) for the next onslaught.
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Lately I have found myself playing for a lot of funerals. Strangely, considering I'm not so very far away from my own, this is completely new territory for me as I never had to do it in any of my previous incarnations. I'm just wondering what sort of things you all play for voluntaries when you have a free choice, most particularly at the end. How funereal a tone is appropriate these days? I assume (and would hope) that the traditional Chopin and Handel warhorses are right out.
I ask because the other day I played the coffin out to Howells's Sarabande in modo elegiaco and it nearly had me in floods of tears, so God knows what it did to the bereaved!
Well, I have to say that I wouldn't play that piece at the end of a funeral. I can't help feeling that if the family and friends are listening at all to the music, unless they were Howells lovers, I would play something more melodic. I think quite a bit of this depends upon the size of the church and how close the organ is to the congregation. I haven't played for a funeral for a long time but if I were playing for one today, I would take along...
Bridge - Adagio in E
Whitlock - Folk Tune
Bach - Dorian Fugue, Novello vol 18 - Herzlich, Erbarm, Orgelbuchlein - several obvious pieces, Novello vol 2 - Canzona
Pachelbel - Ciancona in D minor
Rheinberger - Sonata 11 - Cantilena
Tchaikovsky - Andante Cantabile
Elgar - Nimrod (Harris)
Ireland - Sursam Corda
Little Organ Book in memory of Parry
Franck - Prelude, Fugue and Variation
Rawsthorne - Abide with me,
Nothing startlingly original here!
Martin
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In New York, your best bet would be the Juilliard Bookstore. The biggest sheet music seller in the city went out of business about a year ago, unfortunately. The Juilliard store is OK. If you are looking for specific titles, you may wish to email them to put copies on hold first.
Just thought some of you may be interested in a follow up on this. I contacted the AGO (American Guild of Organists) to see what suggestions they had and the answer came back that there are no stores in New York that sell organ sheet music. And there was me feeling irritated, in Bath yesterday, to see how stock has diminished and not been replaced in Milsoms. We can't have our cake and eat it, I suppose - except in York, perhaps. And even if you order from a publisher you don't know what you're going to get. I ordered the Howells piece that was reviewed in OR - sorry forgotten the details - but it was Novello, and when it came it had spiral binding and was just a single print off. I suppose that's progress?!
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We will be in New York and Boston in the summer and I shall be wanting to find some shops that sell sheet organ and choral music. Can anyone point me in the right direction in either city, please?
Martin
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I am sure that board members will come in all shapes and sizes in terms of what I'm about to mention - I want to develop my ability and fluency in the art of traditional improvisation and also in re-harmonization for occasional last verses. I'm a pretty experienced player and can fill in pretty competently and can also work up a last verse through forward planning but can't do much with these "on the spot" as it were. I'm not quite clear what it is I need to work on. I presume I need a much more advanced understanding of harmony - should I be looking to study this on paper or at the keyboard? I must have missed out on doing this in any depth (nothing much post A-level) but it would be good to catch up. I hear people doing things that sound exquisite - what is it that they have studied and what resources do I need? Do I actually need a teacher for this, perhaps?
Many thanks in anticipation of some thoughts on this.
Martin.
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"Fanfare for KBL (1990) was the composer's last organ work, and is recorded here for the first time. It's dedicated to K. Barry Lyndon, who was Registrar of the Royal College of Organists at the time, and designed as an introduction to the third piece, Toccata Giocosa (1967)."
Taken from http://www.clofo.com/Newsletters/C090312.htm
Graham
It's rather good, isn't it! I've popped it on my ipod. Is it available from anywhere does anyone know? - (except from Richard Lea, presumably)
Martin
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Please forgive the slightly off-topic post, as the piece in question is unaccompanied, and therefore not strictly organ-related.
I'm trying to get my head round the (to me, at least) weird text of this piece which we sang today ("Him holy, in him abide...").
I must confess that "Him holy" reminds me of "Me Tarzan, you Jane", or the sort of speech attributed to Red Indians (sorry - Native Americans) in our childhood comic strips.
Does anyone have a translation (into compehensible English) of this text?
Sorry - not a reply but aren't there some words that go, "Him the holy, Him the strong." What do they come from, then?
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Sounds typical of modern stuff written for CofE liturgy. Seeing that it's apparently written by Mr Bean then perhaps you're not supposed to get your head round it. It's almost akin to text-speak.
This is Douglas Jeyes Lendrum Bean. He was a Minor Canon of St Paul's Cathedral when I was a chorister there - probably around 1967-72/73 and I believe he had been a Minor Canon at St George's, Windsor Castle, at some point prior to his appointment at St Paul's - hence the connection with Wm Harris. Not sure if he is still alive - he would be well over 80 if he were.
Martin.
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Thank you, drd; I will look into those right away. I guess I can cross off my list the (PDQ) Bach "Sonata for Viola Four Hands and Harpsichord." Whew! --Justin
I think there are all sorts of possibilities. Cantilene from Rheinberger 11; Some of the Harvey Grace Bach Cantata movement transcriptions - there's a famous one in F major with a low (LH) solo line - sorry can't remember the title, but I could e-copy it to you if you wish. Have you got the blue OUP Music for Funerals album? - another piece in here transcribed by CH Trevor - E flat major; Some of those lyrical numbers from the Kevin Mayhew range might also work - Malcolm Archer, Noel Rawsthorne, et al - obviously by just giving the tune to the viola. It will all take a bit of jiggling about and writing out for the viola, of course. Have you got the OUP Wedding Music album - ed Robert Gower or is it the Ceremonial Music one he edited - in there another well known piece in E flat 6/8 - tune against lilting chords - easily adaptable. Bach - Erbarm dich mein O Herr Gott - Novello Volume 18 and also Herzlich thut mich verlangen from the same album. You could do a lot worse, if you live near a music shop, of having a thumb through the Associated Board music for Viola grade 4 upwards (it doesn't need to be difficult to be effective) in case there are any good slow movements from, say, Handel, that could be adapted for organ accompaniment. What about a Flor Peeters slow movement from one of the suites - or even the Aria?
Hope that's some help - happy to copy you the first mentioned Bach items if you wish but you must let me know today (and send me an email address) as I will be parted from my organ music for a week once half term arrives on Saturday!
POSTSCRIPT:
Eek!!! Sorry!... I've just re-read your opening post and realise it's a WEDDING you're playing for - I've blundered on here thinking it was a funeral!! Well, several of these suggestions would do - not the Bach transcriptions or chorale preludes, but the piece in 6/8, the Rheinberger, some Archer or Rawsthorne, the Peeters - I'd deffo look in the Associated Board stuff but probably for a couple of quick movements instead of the slow ones. What about the well known Bach transcriptions - Jesi Joy, Subdue us by thy goodness, Sheep may safely graze, Air on a G string - all in OUP Wedding or Ceremonial Music albums. All the best and sorry to have muddled things!
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At last! A month after SV's death, The Times has finally gotten around to running an obit.
Does anyone play any of Stanley Vann's music? I've got a few things that I had from Barry Brunton - (where DID he get to?) - but although I reappraise them when I'm going through my stuff from time to time, I somehow never fancy them.
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I have the Lemare arrangement, its in the Elgar/German Volume. Allegro music got me the volume in pretty quick time. Did I recall correctly that there was a William McVicker arrangement from B and H realeased in the last couple of years?
I'm pretty sure that William McVicar (sorry if that's the wrong spelling) has published an arrangement of all of them - possibly by Banks? Sorry - can't go and look now, but I'll check when I am next in the right building if no-one else has solved this for you.
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Has a new organist/DoM been appointed or announced at Wakefield has anyone heard? I was slightly surprised to see that the assistant has been appointed acting organist when they've know for so long that JB would be leaving.
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Individual his humour obviously was. I've been contemplating a donkey looking over a white-washed wall, and wondering how that might sound.
MM
Mmm... don't ask. However, a few pieces come to mind for after Saturday evensong...
Mushel - Toccata
Myron Roberts - Hommage to Perotin - does anyone play this these days
Vierne - usual suspects (C de L, C de W, Final from No 1)
Jacob - Festal Flourish
A wheeze that a couple of us pulled on the organists one weekend involved Harry Gabb playing the Toccata and Fugue in D minor after Saturday evensong. So far so good, but we also persuaded Christopher Herrick to play it the following day after the 11.30 Eucharist. Then, poor Christopher Dearnley fell foul of our sense of humour and played it after the 3.15 Evensong that afternoon and got the full wrath of the Dean for his troubles!
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I too was a chorister under Harry Gabb, but at the Chapel Royal rather than St Paul's. He had the reputation of being a good choir master, but I think I was probably too young and inexperienced to really know. He certainly had a very individual sense of humour.
John
One Saturday afternoon, he told me that I sounded like a donkey looking over a whitewashed wall!
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Does anyone have any reminiscences of Harry Gabb? Hearing him play? What did he play? Lessons with him? What did you learn with him? Recitals, etc? I'm just getting going at Karg-Elert's Pax Vobiscum which was a "Gabb piece." There must be dozens of people out there who learned with him at Trinity - I'd be very interested to hear what pieces he encouraged people to learn and play. I only knew him as a chorister - he wasn't very inspiring as as choirmaster, but made up for it to some extent with his sense of humour, exciting use of the St Paul's organ, and stimulating final verses.
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Richard Seal was 74 last December.
The others of this generation are Ernest 'John' Warrell, and - of course - Sir David Willcocks.
John Birch?
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Enjoy!
Hector
Thanks Hector - but could only find one set of piece by Haag in the 9 pages of organ music. Can one see more on line somehow?
Martin.
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Who are the publishers of all this interesting stuff? Is there a link?
Many thanks
Martin.
Sorry - Have now found the link to Gehrmans Musikforlag but they don't seem to cover Gustav Haag. Whence is his music available?
Many thanks
Martin
Housekeeping Query
in Nuts and bolts
Posted
What an extraordinary topic! If there is any space around the console, and if there any gap between the frame of the pedal board and the floor, how about one of those long cobweb brushes and go in from the side?