Jump to content
Mander Organ Builders Forum

robinwgc

Members
  • Posts

    40
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by robinwgc

  1. There is a bar in this piece that has always sounded odd to me, but it has only just dawned on me that it might be due to a misprint.

     

    The bar in question is on page 7, at the end of the second system. This is the fourth bar of the accelerando on the swell. As printed, we have a second inversion chord of E flat major with an added major seventh. The D natural in the left hand sounds unusually dissonant and I am wondering whether it should be a D flat. D flat, or its enharmonic equivalent C sharp, is the common anchor point for the chords throughout the previous three bars and it would make sense for it to continue to be so; the music is heading for a chord of A flat, so what is the point of introducing a D natural? The D and B flat in this fourth bar coalesce onto a middle C at the start of the next system, so isn't a D flat much more likely? Thus a D flat would be entirely logical, whereas the printed D natural has no logic to it at all.

     

    I don't think the manuscript of this piece exists any more (I think the MSS of the Six Pieces were retained by Novello), but even if it confirmed the D natural I think I might still put it down to an oversight on Howells's part - unless anyone knows differently.

     

    Any thoughts?

     

    I've been looking at the Paean again as it's my final voluntary next Sunday (October 17 being Howells's birthday). I have alternatives pencilled in at two places following a letter or article I read some years ago in Organists' Review I think. They are the D flat mentioned above, and in the pedal in the first bar of the final system of the fourth page a jump down of a ninth G to F (like the A to G in the next bar). I then remembered that although I play the piece from the single copy Novello edition I have it in a collection - The Modern Anthology (Part Two) compiled and edited by David McK. Williams.

    The Foreward (sic) to the second edition (1972) starts . . .

    "This anthology first appeared as a one volume collection (1949). In re-issuing this work, it has been thought best to divide the original book into two parts to make it less cumbersome for all concerned."

    I assume my 1972 printing is the same as in the 1949 one volume edition. The Anthology was published by the H. W. Gray Co. in the USA. 1949 is also the copyright date on the Novello edition.

    Both the Gray and Novello editions have the same number of pages and the same number of bars on each page, but are clearly not from the same plates - a couple of examples . . .

    1) page 1 line 2 bar 2 right hand (Gray) the quaver is beamed with the last 4 semiquavers of bar 1; (Novello) bar 2 starts with the quaver and 2 semiquavers beamed

    2) page 4 line 1 left hand (Gray) bars 1 - 3 in bass clef bar 4 in treble clef; (Novello) all in bass clef

    These differences don't affect the notes played, but I did find just two differences in the notes - the two alternatives I'd pencilled in are what is printed in the H. W. Gray edition!!

     

    RAC

  2. I was in this situation earlier this year, I played . . .

    Preludes

    Adagio in E - Frank Bridge

    Aria - Paul Manz

    Cloches - Marcel Fournier

    Adagio (Suite for Organ) - Malcolm Archer

    Psalm Prelude Set 1 no.1 - Herbert Howells

    The Peace may be exchanged (Rubrics) - Dan Locklair

    Adagio - Percy Whitlock

    and Postludes

    Grand Choeur in G - Théodore Salomé

    and finally, yes!

    Carillon-Sortie - Henri Mulet

     

    RAC

  3. Can anyone help with Spanish music please. I am trying to find out where I can get sheet music for organ by Nemesio Otaño (1880 - 1956). I've just heard some of his work and am anxious to try and track down the dots.

     

    Hector

     

    John Henderson's Directory of Composers for Organ (2005) lists several anthologies edited by Otaño, some including work(s) by him, he then says that vol. 5 of his Complete Works is devoted to his organ works.

    He lists over 20 works dating from 1914 to 1944 in addition to some he'd already mentioned as being in particular anthologies.

    Complete Works vol. 5 was published by Ediciones Mesajero of Bilbao in 1966 and is available through Editorial Alpuerto of Madrid (Tel: +34 91 547 01 90 Fax: +34 91 542 51 21

    e-mail editorialalpuerto@eresmas.com)

     

    RAC

  4. =====================

     

     

    This I know, and from the dim, distant past, I seem to recall that Wimpenny the younger was in the choir at Leeds PC as a boy chorister.

     

    I may be completely wrong of course. :o

     

    MM

     

    From a 2009 recital programme . . .

     

    Tom Winpenny took up the post of Assistant Master of the Music at St Albans Cathedral in September 2008, where his duties include accompanying the daily choral services and assisting in the training of the Cathedral choristers. He also directs the Abbey Girls Choir and the Abbey Singers. Previously, he was Sub-Organist at St Paul's Cathedral, and during this time, he performed with the Cathedral Choir at the American Guild of Organists National Convention, performed in Mahler's Symphony no. 8 with Valery Gergiev and the LSO, and played for many great state occasions. He has also broadcast regularly on BBC Radio 2, 3 and 4.

     

    He began organ lessons under John Scott Whiteley while a chorister at York Minster, and continued as a Music Scholar at Eton College under Alastair Sampson. After holding the post of Organ Scholar at Worcester Cathedral and then St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, he was for three years Organ Scholar at King's College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a degree in music. With the Choir of King's College, he gave concerts in the USA, Hong Kong and throughout Europe, in addition to appearing as their accompanist on CD releases on EMI Classics, including music by Purcell and Rutter and discs of contemporary Christmas carols and music for boys' voices. He has also taken part in the first performance of works by Sir John Tavener, Judith Bingham, Jonathan Dove, David Bednall and Sir David Willcocks, and commissioned an organ work from Francis Pott to conclude the 2005 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King's. He has studied with Thomas Trotter and Johannes Geffert, and won First Prize and the Audience Prize at the 2008 Miami International Organ Competition.

  5. I think maybe the 32' is now in St George's Cathedral Capetown.

     

    A

     

    The St George's Cathedral, Cape Town, website has information about the organ at http://www.stgeorgescathedral.com/sermons/hillorgan.html

     

    When E H Lemare was appointed to St Margaret's, Westminster, he found the existing organ, which had been rebuilt by Hill in 1868 and enlarged in 1883, didn't suit his repertoire of orchestral transcriptions and in 1897 Walker's built a new organ.

     

    "It is at this point that the connection with St George's Cathedral, Cape Town begins.

     

    The Hill organ was bought by a Mr W. H. Baxter of Harrogate, a maker of stone-breaking machinery in Leeds who had extensive business connections in South Africa. He had originally intended the instrument to be erected in a church, for which, however, it was found to be too large, and so it was temporarily erected in the west end of St Barnabas Church, Holbeck in Leeds. When in 1902 Mr Baxter happened to read in the newspapers that a new Anglican Cathedral was being built in Cape Town, he decided that the gift of the organ would be a way of showing some tangible appreciation of the considerable profits he had derived from that part of the world. He accordingly wrote to the Bishop of London making the offer, which was enthusiastically accepted. Mr Baxter showed even further generosity by paying for the rebuilding and enlarging of the organ (with Sir George Martin (1844-1916), the organist of St Paul's Cathedral acting as adviser). In addition, a number of additional pedal stops and a solo organ were added as well as a new console and new action chests, making a total cost of something like £3000. He also paid all the shipping charges to Cape Town and for the re-erection of the organ in St George's Cathedral, leaving the Cathedral authorities to purchase only the electric blowing apparatus, which cost a mere £300."

     

    "In the seventies two interesting additions were made to the instrument. The first was in 1973 when St Mary's, Nottingham, disposed of its 1914 Walker organ. St George's bought the 32/19/8 pedal reed unit, the principal reason being to add a 32-foot to the existing pedal department. As such, it fulfils its function admirably, although the 16 and 8-foot pitches are less successful, mainly because the voicing of the Walker pipes is so very different from that of the Hill reeds, being somewhat bland in comparison."

     

    "Yet another interesting addition took place in 1975 when the swell 4 flute was bought from Trinity College, Cambridge, when the Harrison and Harrison organ was replaced by the present Metzler."

     

    One thing the Cape Town organ has in common with that of St Francis, Welwyn Garden City, where I have been Organist since 1976, is pipes from the Walker organ of St Mary's. Nottingham, and Harrison & Harrison pipes from a Cambridge College Chapel.

     

    From Nottingham there is a Sesquialtera (2 ranks of theit Swell mixture?) on the Great and a Contra Fagotto 16' now labelled Fagott on the Swell and Pedal.

    The pipes of the Pedal 4' Choral Flute were originally in the 1922 Harrison & Harrison in Trinity Hall Chapel.

    Full details of the St Francis organ can be seen at http://npor.rcm.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?...ec_index=N08025 with information on the pipework following the stop list and accessories.

     

    Innate wrote . . . "This is the only pipe organ I've played when I was told afterwards I was too loud"

     

    The organ certainly has a wide dynamic range , you might say ppp to ffff, and many visitors have found that it needs to be used with discretion!

  6. Hello!

     

    I've been asked to play Elgar P & C no 1 for a wedding in June but I don't have the music at the moment. I found an arrangement by William Stickles on Musicroom.com but was wondering if anyone had experience of this - especially whether it's playable on a fairly small parish church organ? does anyone know of other arrangements that are worth investigating?

     

    Thanks in advance!

     

    Steve

     

    The William McVicker arrangements of Pomp and Circumstance Marches 1 - 5 was published by Boosey & Hawkes in 2004.

    RAC

  7. re posts 2 & 4

    The credits of the BBC 2 Carols from King's

    included . . .

     

    By kind permission

    of the Provost and Scholars of

    King's College, Cambridge

     

    In Memoriam

    The Revd IAN THOMPSON

     

    RAC

  8. The splendid choral evensong today from St. Albans (choir in fine form and didn't the organ sound good too) ended with a Toccata by Simon Preston - I've never come across this piece before. Does anyone here know more please?

     

    A

     

    Ashley Grote played it at Westminster Abbeya in the 1st Annual Festival of New Organ Music.

    http://www.afnom.org/2006/2006_programme.htm

    For every piece in the 5 recitals there is information on duration and how to obtain a score - except the Preston Toccata where there is only the duration. I suspect it is unpublished.

    RAC

  9. I'm visiting Paris for a long weekend later in October and would appreciate any advice on how best to get to play, or at least see at close hand, some good organs there. I'm going with a pupil of Ann Elise Smoot's who is hopefully going to have a lesson with Frederic Blanc at Notre Dame d'Auteil. This organ sounds very impressive on the Naxos CD by Henry Fairs (Durufle). I've heard that the general public can gain access to the organ loft at St Sulpice on Sunday mornings for one of the masses. Does anyone know how accessible other major churches are, or how to get in touch with their organists?

     

    See this recent thread

    http://www.mander-organs.com/discussion/in...?showtopic=2522

    and enjoy your visit!

     

    RAC

  10. Does anyone know who will be succeeding Dr Spedding at Beverley?

     

    DT

    From the Beverley Minster web-site . . .

     

    DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

     

    We are delighted to announce that a new Director of Music has been appointed at Beverley Minster.

     

    Robert Poyser is currently the Director of Music at St Mary's Church, Portsea. As a student at the University of Hull, Robert was an organ scholar here at the Minster, before moving on to York Minster as Organ Scholar and then Chelmsford Cathedral where he was Assistant Director of Music.

     

    Robert is a very talented musician, and will continue the long established heritage of striving for musical excellence in the worship of God here at Beverley Minster.

     

    Robert began his post on the 15th March.

×
×
  • Create New...