Andy
-
Posts
67 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Andy
-
-
I occasionally do recitals at my church. Unbeknown to me an urn was gently coming to the boil during one of of these. Fortunately the Brindley and Foster that I play is high up on the north chancel wall and so I could only hear the church heating system. A couple of musicians in the audience threatened to commit a very un-Christian act involving the urn and the tea lady which resulted in the urn being turned off.
-
Andrew, is it still the 2 manual Brindley & Foster? I played there for a year or so in the early 80s.
It certainly is. If you feel the urge to play it again, let me know.
-
I've also been in the fire service for the last 24 years
..which came in handy on Sunday morning when the blower motor burnt out.
-
the organ has unfortunately has been ciphering due to damage done by a previous director of music to the church
more detail please?
-
It's (sometimes)worth lending half an ear to the sermon. The clergy are fond of dropping in quotes from well known hymns, which can be a good stepping off point for an improvised voluntary, either during the Eucharist or as a Sortie
Has anyone changed their minds during a service and played a different voluntary on the strength of something heard/seen/done during the service ?
H
One late summer Sunday morning we had a visiting preacher who delivered a fiery 'hell and damnation' - type address. The effect of this was helped immeasurably by one of the biggest electrical storms for some years. The Boellman Toccata commenced in my head. I thought I'd supressed the urge and that good taste would prevail but the storm resumed just before the end of the service....
-
Andrew Chadney, currently organist at St Stephen's, Norbury with Thornton Heath, London SW16. Like some previous contributors I learnt organ and piano at school and have had a rekindling of interest since hitting 30 (I'm now 46) and have lessons with Gerard Brooks.
I've also been in the fire service for the last 24 years and have yet to meet a fellow firefighting organist. Does anyone on this board know of any others?
-
[
I started wondering who we'd call the one hit wonders of the organ world. Julius Reubke and his Sonata on the 94th Psalm immediately spring to mind - I gather he wrote another piece for organ, but it's certainly not standard repertoire material.
What others would we put on the list?
Rgds,
MJF
It wasn't entirely his fault though.
-
The arrangement of the opening movement of no.3 turned out to be quite acceptable and, by an amazing coincidence, I have had it requested for another wedding.
-
I play in a multi-cultural urban area and have, several times, been to churches where not even the congregation are there at start time. The wedding may be 45 - 60 minutes late starting. One vicar used to charge a deposit which was non-refundable if start time was delayed more than 30 mins - I got two double fees from him which made it a lot less painful.
I tend to go out for a cigarette after 20 mins.
-
This reminds me (as if I need any reminding) just why I hate weddings somuch. People just don't think, do they? Probably the best thing would be to arrange it for organ and clavinova.
I don't know of an organ-only arrangement, but I would have thought you could get away reasonably well with just playing the organ part and filling in the orchestral ritornelli?
I have been asked for a movement from Brandenburg 3. I informed the bride that I was not aware of an organ arrangement, but she quickly countered with, 'Don't worry, I've downloaded a piano arrangement'
-
-
After about 9 years my congregation and Rector are only now getting used to the fact that I play mostly faster than the other rota organists. I am unapologetic about this - I feel that I am employed for my musical, liturgical and interprative skills and if the congregation think I am going too fast then maybe they could sing at their own pace without an organ at all - if they do not feel that this is appropriate then ultimately maybe I am not the organist for them!! Mercifully the Rector is an acomplished musician, he and I can share a joke about speeds etc. and the congregation and choir are appreciative of what I do - seemingly anyway! Seriously though - I see my musical role in the service to lead the congregation musically in an appropriate way for the liturgy - sometimes a democracy is appropriate but equally so sometimes is a dictatorship! The market around here is such that for all those who are not appreciative there are many more who do value one's efforts - at whatever speed.
AJJ
PS And if they want something slow for a meaningful reason they can ask - and more often than not they get what they want!
I have found that you can't please everyone. I have altered tempi in the past when alerted to the needs of 'the congregation' only to find out that many other members were quite happy with things as they were. A victory for the vocal minority.
-
I first heard this work at the youthful age of 12 on a recording by Richard Seal playing the Willis at Salisbury Cathedral (the Meridian label I think). For good or bad, it set the seal on the way I like the 'piece' to be played. Straightforward opening section played quickly on flutes, central section (measured pace, e.g. like opening of Elgar Sonata in G) beginning with near full organ with pedal reed then scaling down to Great to Mixtures and Swell box shut, then when music starts to go up the scale towards the end of the central section, pedal reed on and swell box gradually opened till you get to full organ on the diminished seventh, and final section fast on full organ, tubas added for the final few bars.
The writing is so majestic that players who use twee registrations for anything other than the opening section to me just don't seem to get the point of the work.
Swell box!!! Isn't this heresy? Please help, confused amateur floundering.
-
Good grief! Are you sure?
I have no idea whether or not there is any substance to this rumour, but I would be interested to hear the result.
I wonder if it had a descant....
https://www.boosey.com/pages/shop/product_d...sp?id=599329&a=
-
Is it just me that uses sermon time to pick the hymns to play during communion, 'cos I'm too disorganised to do it beforehand?
If we're in Common Worship mode, the Peace is just the right opportunity to hand round slips of paper with the numbers on.
It's all very well for clergy to say we should be better prepared. I have a full-time job. On top of that the boss and her new assistant (who insists on talking while I'm still finishing) often have themes for services but don't feel it necessary to let me in on the secret. Also the size of our congregation is very variable so the amount of music required during the communion is necessarily decided at the time.
I have dim memories of playing various Beaumont hymns on an ancient organ in a small Norfolk village each day for a week at the daily assembly of a church-run holiday club. Even at the age of 15 I hated all of them. Although I refused to play Hatherthorp Castle for my previous boss, I was still unable to escape 'Camberwell'! - vying for the crown of 'worst hymn tune ever' with Living Lord. (IMHO, of course)
How about 'If I was a wriggly worm' for the most ludicrous and inappropriate (Our boss's assistant wanted it as an Offertory hymn recently)
-
Wear your anorak with pride.thanks for that Tony, I have the sky+ system, so I will have to put it throgh the hi fi, trouble is the mrs ain't into classical music especially if it has more than one keyboard and 9000 plus pipes (and she calls me an anorak) so I will have to keep the volume down
I don't know of an organ-only arrangement, but I would have thought you could get away reasonably well with just playing the organ part and filling in the orchestral ritornelli?
The World's Worst Hymns
in General discussion
Posted
I like the sound of a 'PA mute'.