DQB123

Some of these recent broadcasts of Songs of Praise have been pretty dull, and yesterday's from Thaxted was luke warm to say the least. However there was one moment of interest for me and that was film of the famous(?) Red Vicar, Conrad Noel at the High Altar. What was the organ music accompanying the film? None other than the Reubke! Such fun, and VERY impressive. (shame about the hymn singing!) There are lots of organ pipes in that church, but there was no console shot - perhaps the filthy-dirty keys shown in the previous week's broadcast from St Sepulchre-without-Newgate, London, put them off for life. It kind of puts one in mind of a conscientious mother's warning to wear clean underwear lest you should be knocked down by a bus. In this case, dear organist, remember to clean your keys lest the BBC should arrive to record Songs of Praise.

I recently visited our Cathedral where there is a Hill organ rebuilt (described as "disastrously") by a well-known firm in Yorkshire. Many of us helped with the fund-raising and "buy a pipe" appeals to get the thing installed, in place of the perfectly respectable (and vastly more successful) 1966 HNB job that was there previously. The "new" organ has a solo box (newly installed) which effectively blocks the sound from getting much further than the chancel arch. I was particularly unlucky that day... as clergy seating was in the chancel immediately opposite the organ. Without a word of a lie there were two sounds in use that day. Full organ+tuba (octave) and full organ without the tuba. It was ear-shattering and I went home with a distinct ringing in my head. Midway through the service a young harpist had to accompany a hymn to "The Ash Grove". She played the introduction very beautifully, and, come the first verse, the organ - full minus tubas came crashing in. The gal and her harp were washed away in a tidal wave of noise.... The Cathedral was not full on this occasion. And I was not impressed.

So who played the organ today at HTH?

Since this subject (brought up a few weeks ago) produced one of the largest responses to date on the Mander forum, and even produced a response from one of the trustees, I wonder if the matters raised have been brought to committee, and if there is to be any positive response from the RCO -- or do they hope that the subject has died and therefore gone away?

Strange as it may seem, there are some of us clergy who long for a church with a decent musical tradition, and to revel in music played on a first class organ by a tip-top organist.... But somehow those jobs seem to be being filled by clergy who don't. How do we explain this?

Tsk tsk.....

Yeah... that's right folks.... it's all about money.... Hey we need a new pipe organ for the organist to play for a couple of hours a week, and guess what... the organ builder is going to build it for free; Oh, and yippee.... the organist is going to play it for free. Oh and by the way, British Gas is going to give us our supply for free and Scottish Power, the same. What's that about the leaky roof? Oh the Vicar's wages? S/he can do it for free too--- after all s/he doesn't pay any bills does s/he... C'mon.... if you think that the church is really all about money, then you must be living on another planet to the rest of us!

I found that the very best way to deal with people who come up to the console for a full length chat during the voluntary is to appoint a chorister as page turner-overer and console guard. If anyone gets past the chorister, it is he who gets into trouble after the voluntary has finished. IT WORKS A TREAT!!!! One person did get past him, and I heard him pleadingly tell the offender "He doesn't like it when people talk to him during the voluntary...." That day he didn't get a telling off :angry:

I used to play the fairly late (1950s) Compton at St David's Cathedral in Cardiff in my University days. (sumptuous acoustics) I did once go into St Peter's but cannot for the life of me remember the organ there? Please remind me....

So Santa's paying huh? Then I'd like him to upgrade my Wyvern Toccata III to a nice juicy four manual Wyvern Concerto! (but then, he's still getting over the shock of the cost of the Toccata III !)

It is odd that we see all this organ activity and (I would imagine) considerable financial outlay on the Makin at Inverness, and then the Dean is talking in his letter of financial uncertainties. I'm very sad to note that insecure finances have put paid to what by all accounts was a lively and exciting and first class music programme. :angry:

Message deleted.

At last! Profound wisdom.... (mouth open to receive mince (or mice) pies and mulled wine). After all, which is more important, voluntary or refreshments (presumably free because it's Christmas??) PS... nice touch, the silver tray n'est pas??? PPS... why couldn't the page turner grab some mince pies and mulled wine for you? Pretty useless bloke otherwise.... Have you not got one of those useful places at the foot of the stop jamb to place them on until the final chord of the Carillon de Vestmeenstair?

Well we still haven't heard if this unfortunate dear organist ever got a mince pie and mulled wine. Surely they must have appreciated his offering or else a mince pie and mulled wine would not have been offered... Shame on you!!!! Such unkindness in response to a kindness.... After all most people (clergy included) couldn't give a monkey's about organ playing after services - especially when refreshments are concerned!

So... ermmm.... were there any mince pies left? Q

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........................

I think that the issue here is that many of those things that seem to pass as hymns didn't seem to start out as such. Wasn't "How Great Thou Art" introduced at a Billy Graham Crusade (Haringay? or earlier) as a solo (sung by Bev Shea) with a choir joining in with the chorus? To me it makes far more sense when sung that way. I am sure that The Old Rugged Cross is more a song than a hymn - I don't like it very much, and I am sure that the good Lord JC would have his own thoughts as to whether the Old Rugged Cross was an item to be cherished!! Had I experienced an old rugged cross in the same way as he did, it would perhaps be the last thing I would want to cherish or even see again! Light up the Fire was a pop song in the 70s by a group called Parchment wasn't it? So how on earth it found its way into the hymnal I know not....

And all God's people said.... WOW!!!

Returning to the Chester Precentor job.... there was an invite to go to meet with the Dean on an "informal basis", which I did. I questioned this matter of vision and the music to find out precisely what the question meant. He observed that there were two/three choirs - the main one of boys/girls and men and the Voluntary Choir which is essentially equivalent to a Parish Church choir. The Cathedral Choir sing Evensong at 3pm and the Voluntary Choir sing... ermm.... Evensong at 6pm. Giving that example the Dean asked if there was a need to sing Evensong twice on a Sunday. Perhaps one could think of an alternative Sunday Evening Service for the Voluntary Choir. (It was at that point that I heard an echo of the angry buzzing of hornets ). The guy who got the job did in fact introduce youth services, taize stuff, etc etc, and guess what?? The Voluntary Choir members were hurt when they were told that their well-attended evensong would no longer be the norm... But .... I am thankful to say that they were not hurt by me! Dr Francis Jackson once told me that the big problem with the Church these days is the attitude that exists of "if it works.... change it!"

Maybe this is it. Could it be that the RCO exists for sturdenty types? After all they get a discounted membership and other benefits denied to those of us in the real world....

Ahhh... the Anglican hornet's nest.... how easy it is to put one's foot in it. PCCs say they want a priest with leadership qualities, but really they don't. What they want is someone who they can lead by the nose into doing the impossible for the ungrateful. I reckon that many clergy wouldn't put their proverbial foot into the hornet's nest if those responsible for appointments would simply tell the truth. We are a happy congregation. If you don't like what we do, then DON'T COME HERE(!!!!) should be what they say. Instead, very frequently new clergy are faced with what is essentially a pack of lies. When I sent off for the Application Form to be Precentor at Chester, I was surprised to see a question, "What is your vision for the music of the cathedral??" Hmm... I was suspicious of that question (not without good cause), since I thought that it is the job of the Director of Music to have vision for the music --- not the Precentor.... (so was the form telling another lie?) On the strength of that Application Form, I did not apply for the job. (Hornet's nest if ever there was one!)

My feeling about Torch at the cinema organ is that one tires of it after a while. Though it is always pleasant to come back to after a good break! What he said about his own playing is very enlightening. Apparently he felt that he could have done so much better. I often wonder what he would have achieved with today's modern consoles, midi etc etc....

Sorry to be pendantic, but isn't is R R Terry not C S Terry?? (Richard Runciman Terry - who wrote that tune to Praise to the Holiest in the height - can't remember the name of it - but it's a good tune!)

(fart...)

Why do people always have to lead these discussions off at stupid tangents? Maybe the issues don't matter to some people, but to others they are of the greatest professional importance. If this thread is constantly hijacked then it will be little wonder if people at the RCO take no notice.