parsfan
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Posts posted by parsfan
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Don't have his contact details I'm afraid, Quentin. I just hope that one of our most exciting young executants and improvisers of recent years is not to be lost to directing a choir.
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Yes, I did, Jon. As always, it came straight from the heart. IMHO John Scott is the UK's most outstanding organist and on a world-class scale he's right there at the top.
Agree wholeheartedly. His recital at St Paul's a few years back that included 'Ad Nos' was the best recital that I have ever attended. I wonder if he will be invited to re-open the St Paul's organ after irs refurbishment?
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I see that the Assistant Director of Music post was advertised in last week's 'Church Times'. Any idea where Robert Houssart is moving to?
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I wonder if I can ask about the RAH Organ layout? Is all the organ behind the case, or is some located at gallery level behind the half dozen or so black panels?
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Not sure what is happening here !! IT already is de facto organist and Ian Wells does the lions share of choral conducting. It may well be that they are seeking to raise the choral singing to a new level. When I went to an Evensong in May, the level of singing was no more than adequate and the discipline within the choir was poor. IT must be the Cathedral's longest serving employee. They may wish to recast the Music Dept without the influence of such a big personality.
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Yes, the curse of the inflated biography does make me laugh. Thankfully, it does not seem to have taken a grip in the world of the Organ and it is still the exception rather than the rule. When it does occur it tends to be driven by a desire to make the subject seem more an artist/man of letters rather than just a mere organist. This type of biography also expresses a zeal to push the boundaries of the hitherto stade world of organ music. If only those who promote themselves in this way could understand how pompous and puffed up it is they might revert to letting us know where they were educated, who were their teachers areand what posts they hold/have held.
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I understand why you would care, but I wouldn't cry for the status of improvisation in this country yet.
Twenty years ago things were much, much worse. We now have recognised leaders in this field actually here in the (hide-bound and self-conscious) U.K.! Several institutions run proper classes, helpful practitioners regularly share their tips via in-depth articles in magazines and there is a smallish (but growing) number of artists who regularly exhibit these skills in what might be termed 'the French manner' i.e. finishing off a programme with a serious improv.
Think back only a few years: The St.Alban's judges have sometimes not awarded first prize in the playing contest (always their major draw). Did this mean that all playing (world-wide) was at a terminally low ebb that year? No - it was just the way that that particular cookie crumbled.
I think there is a tension in having an improvisation prize at St Alban's. Unless there is a competitor with rare talent and flair, it is unlikely that any of the competitors will have reached the stage of being a competent improviser. I think it was Pierce Piecemaille who said that it takes 15 years of hard work and practice to become a good improviser. Maybe St Albans should stick with the playing comp.
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That's the one!
Portsmouth Town Hall !
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Sorry you can't make FJ's recital, its a landmark year for him this year as he turns 90 in October. If you can make it to mine then great, if not - you won't miss out on much I'm sure. Might see you tonight then!
Gosh, thank you very much! I'd forgotten about that recording! Was only of a humble age of 20 when I made that I think. The Langlais is a very exciting piece which I don't think many people will know. Its nothing like anything else he wrote, infact it sounds like Messiaen.
I've only just noticed that all the 'home team' are all playing 5 pieces - random coincidence!
Interesting Wood piece in JSW's recital. Never come across it before. Can't imagine that CW would be very adventurous in hs writing for organ.
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At a recent Evensong at Liverpool Cathedral, just after we had said the Creed, the Lay Clerk acting as cantor intoned 'O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us' !
I have had one instance of where an organist has played one more verse that contained in the Hymn. That and playing one less verse must be one of the more common errors !
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We don't seem to have seen much of Ms Bate on the recital scene in recent years. At one time she was quite prominent. Her recordings of Messiaen at Beauvais are excellent.
I did see her in the audience at a recent Sunday afternoon recital at Westminster Cathedral. I wonder if she has other priorities these days?
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Pierre Pincemaille who is one of the today best improviser expresses his opinion as follows (clumsy translation from his website www.pierrepincemaille.com): "The Art of the Improvisation lies in a question: how to exploit a theme - either selected, or imposed? This question calls immediately another one: why, to the listening of an improvisation, one is too often condemned to hear at its beginning only one quotation of the theme (even roughly harmonized ); another with the peroration (of an air to say: You see! I have been able to use it! …) ; and between the two: nothing more ? Nothing more… except a laborious verbiage resulting in a deep trouble of the audience of which the author is not even conscious. It is thus necessary to know to develop the theme while taking advantage of all its resources: such melody contour, such rhythmic cell being used as ingredients.
That requires a control of the musical Forms, a very good registration by the knowledge of the resources of the instrument (and the complete exploitation of the various timbres), finally and especially, a very solid experience in musical Writing - Harmony, Contrepoint and Fugue: any improviser reaches the top of his art when he is able to carry out with the keyboard an as well organized work as that he could have written on paper. Still it is necessary for him to be able to write it…"
Another important piece of advice is to make sure that you are given a decent theme. Latry's recent RAH impro was marred by one of the two themes being 'The British Grenadiers'. Last year Peter Wright inflicted 'London Bridge is falling down' on Hakim at Southwark. If improvisation is to be taken seriously, we just need to give executants a single gregorian theme; otherwise we are treating it as a musical party trick.
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Interesting - so Clare Stevens is a 'lurker', here.
(See Classical Music magazine, 26th May, page 9.)
Has anyone else also noticed the slightly oblique announcement to the effect that Stephen Farr is leaving Guildford Cathedral to become Director of Music at St. Paul's, Knightsbridge? (This appeared in another recent issue of the same publication.)
Maybe something to do with his wife's singing career being London based?
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This is news - are you certain that this was by Cochereau? I an familiar with many of his recorded improvisations*; I also possess copies of ,ost of those which have been transcribed (not all of which are published). Aside from the fact that I would not personally describe any of his improvisations as 'vulgar', I do not recall that he quited Jingle Bells in any of them.
* To the best of my knowledge, this includes all which have been commercially released, either in the form of an LP or a CD.
Yes, fairly certain that it was Cocherau, tho the theme quoted-tongue in cheek-might have been some other popular Christmas ditty. It was certainly gutsy. The TM was used and the piece finished on full organ. JSW will know. That, Haec Dies and the Symphony seem to be the PC works in JSW's repertoire.
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I suggest parsfan attends a larger Sunday service. The Tuba is much less likely to be used when the service is in the Quire since it faces in the opposite direction. Actually, his best bet might be to contact Richard McVeigh, member of this forum by e-mail! Actually, all the music staff are very friendly and I'm sure something can be arranged.
The York Minster Tuba is a sound unlike (virtually) any other. It is only border-line musical IMHO...but, as they say
'whatever turns you on!'
Thanks. I have heard it. The last time was when JSW played Franck's 'Finale' And before that in some vulgar Cocherau piece before Christmas that quoted 'Jingle Bells'. I have some sympathy with those who think the York TM unmusical. Its not like the Chamade stops at St Paul's and St John the Divine. Or the Trompette Militaire at Liverpool. The tone is too loud, forceful and 'fat' to be used in pieces such as the Gigout.
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I think Simon Preston's 'Tocatta' alludes to the Simpson's theme tune. Sarah Baldock might know. She has it in her repertoire.
Grateful to see the photos of the York TM. Would be even more grateful to hear it. Despite attending abt six Saturday Evensongs a year, its abt two years since I have heard it used in the voluntary. I thought that it might be used at the end of Elgar's Imperial March. But sadly not.
While chuntering on abt Saturday's Evensong at York, can anyone explain why choirs still sing 'Day in B flat'. The Mag is particularly wretched !
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Yes, it would not have hurt to have given FJ a K. While GTB got it for service to the Temple, FJ has been active on a number of fronts. Organist, author and composer. We will not see his like again. Also both he and Willcocks had 'a good war'.
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I wish TT's programme had been a tad more interesting. I like a transcription in a recital but I would have welcomed a large scale serious piece written for organ rather than the Carmen suite.
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Soloing the tune on the Tuba(s) has been a Liverpool tradition for a long time, and it does work, doesn't it.
I believe that Goss Custard in the early days developed a way of using the various parts of the Liverpool organ to give parts of the congregation a "boost" when necessary.
At St Paul's, Huw Williams will, on occassions, solo a tune on the Dome Trompette Militaire. This works too !
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Yes, Ken Naylor's 'Coe Fen' must be regarded as one of the great contemporary hymn tunes. Its stately Broad sweeping melody is not difficult to master and has been used at York Minster for donkey's years.
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Pardon me, but: At the name of Jesus ever'y knee shall bow; how is "vulgar" appropriate to these words?
I think the problem is with the hymn rather than the tunes. When you read the Phillipians passage, which is one of the great theological statements of the NT, and then you compare it to the hymn you realise that we are ill-served by a hymn which is wordy and commences with words which should occur at the end.
None of the tunes are inspiring and Camberwell is just plain silly. While not a hymn, the song of Humility by-I think-Bill Ives is a sensitive setting of the Phillipians passage.
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Sadly not, as that one's inaccessible these days and hasn't been played for some years. Then again, that one's a Christie rather than a Wurlitzer!
S
The Opera House, Blackpool Wurlitzer is a beauty. The last instrument to be installed in the UK by the Company, it has one of the few Tibia Plena ranks in this country. Robert Wolfe recorded an album in the early 80s and this does the instrument justice. A completely different beast from the Tower instrument , the console if often inaccessible due to the band arrangements for summer shows.
One Wurlitzer that now lives and breathes again is located at the Granda Tooting. Len Rawle raised 40k to access the console and install a lift. He spent the winter refurbishing the pipe work. It was 'opened' on April 29 and Richard Hills-who has a FRCO-will be giving a concert on June 24 at Noon.
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I think one should not forget that the job of conveying the meaning of the words falls primarily on the choir, not the organist.* The organist's job is to enhance the choir. With the above text it would be easy to try too hard. Personally, if I wanted to word-paint it, I would opt for subtlety by usduing descants rather than wholesale changes of stops: a flute or other smooth sound for the accompaniment, with the second quarter featuring a tenor-register solo on a suitable reed (box shut, probably). The fourth quarter could be similar, but perhaps with a different reed, or perhaps the organ might have a Sesquialtera or other incisive colour which you could use in a treble-register descant.
* Of course I'm assuming a cathedral-type set-up here, but I've just realised that you might have congregational singing in mind, which would call for a different solution!
Descants are best if they are used sparingly. JSW at York and Ian Tracey at Liverpool are masters of this art. Saying that I think that JSW is more conservative than he was, say, 15-20 years ago. Agree with the point of the Choir's role in conveying the meaning. Some choirs seem to raise psalm singing to another level while with others it comes across as pedestrian.
Other techniques that I like is trebles/sopranos singing two verses on their own followed by the men singing two verses on their own. Then there are the magnificent unison verses at the end of each book of the psalms.
One other feature that makes York distinctive is the accompaniment is continuos. An enhancement in my view.
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Rumour has it that one, possibly two, of the 'qualified' cathedral organists who applied subsequently withdrew their applications.
JS
I suppose the downside of the Carwood and Patrington appointments is that there is no backfilling and opportunities have not been created for experienced assistants to obtain their first cathedral post.
Gloucester Cathedral
in General discussion
Posted
Its a shame that Ian is no longer part of the cathedral world. I recall him as assistant at Bristol and he is an accomplished performer and no mean improviser. Some of his fanfares after the reading of the Gospel, at the Sung Eucharist, were astonishing.