nachthorn
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Posts posted by nachthorn
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Slightly obscure request... can anyone point me towards a recording or score of William Denis Browne's Mag and Nunc in A? Fans of English song might be familiar with Browne's (IMHO exquisite) contributions to the genre, but I can't find anything on his only liturgical contribution. Many thanks in advance.
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Thanks for the replies. I think spray starch is probably the key to future success! OC/RAC - are buttons as practical as velcro, or do the younger kids need theirs doing for them?
David: two choirs of fifteen, plus a few spares in the various sizes (ruffs, not choristers!).
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Silly topic - apologies in advance. I'm about to buy about forty new ruffs to replace a load of tattered relics of yesteryear. There is a noticeable spread in cost between the three UK suppliers I've found who do something suitable (Vanpoulles, Croft Design and Watts - for our purposes, Wippells and J&M Sewing don't). Does anyone have recent knowledge of buying ruffs from any of these, or other, suppliers, and can anyone shed light on why the most expensive is 50% more than the cheapest for what appears to be exactly the same thing? PMs are fine if we need to avoid discussing said suppliers in public! All info gratefully received.
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"Christianly"?
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Dear me! I didn't know that. Is that a fairly recent development? It's worrying how much it takes to build and maintain a decent tradition of worship and how little it takes to mess it up.
Something that happens too often for comfort, too. When I was in Birmingham, I was assistant in a parish church near the university. The highly qualified and experienced director of music left after seven years in-post, and the vicar replaced him (without advertising the vacancy) with a person recommended by the diocesan music advisor who was neither qualified or experienced. The choir went from Sweelinck's Hodie Christus natus est to singing ditties by Margaret Rizza almost overnight, and rather inevitably imploded within a few months. Very sad, but not an isolated case.
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Also Bridgetown (Totnes) has been ministrated to by a gentlemen who is neither too loud nor too soft.
Took me a moment... a shame that the instrument may have spoiled, though - I found it to be a proper eye-opener. Vox may still remember having to drag me away... -
I found it quite fascinating, in a fairly horrible way, I must admit.
There's a merry-go-round in Plymouth city centre with a player organ that sounds just like this recording.
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I was very fortunate to play it after the dedication service a few weeks ago. Sadly the reeds and mixtures hadn't been finished and weren't available, but I found it very pleasant to play and listen to, although rather exacting in terms of accuracy - it was very easy to smudge notes. It's certainly not built to accompany Victorian choral repertoire, but will be a superb teaching and learning instrument as Ian envisaged. I think Odiham really have earned the instrument by virtue of their tireless fund-raising, and the whole project has demonstrated the high regard in which Ian Ledsham was (and still is) held - he was a superb musician and inspired so many others to pursue and enjoy music too. Needless to say, I knew Ian well too - I was his last organ scholar at Birmingham and worked very closely with him until his tragic death. He would have liked the instrument!
The spec is:
[Pedal]
Bourdon 16'
Principal 8'
Bass Flute 8'
Trombone 16'
[Great]
Open Diapason 8'
Stop Diapason 8'
Principal 4'
Flute 4'
Twelfth 2 2/3'
Fifteenth 2'
Sesquialtra III
Mixture II
Cornet V
Trumpet 8'
[swell]
Open Diapason 8'
Stop Diapason 8'
Dulciana 8'
Principal 4'
Fifteenth 2'
Cornet II
Hautboy 8'
Trumpet 8'
Usual couplers, balanced swell pedal, combination pedals, mild well-tempered tuning.
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In fact, I am just back from visiting another Plymouth organ that's due for the chop. The church of St Philips', Weston Mill, is to be bulldozed, probably about next May.
This is quite alarming, not because I know much about St. Philip's, but because it's just one more of many church buildings that have bitten the dust in Plymouth in the last decade - more, I suspect, than were lost in 1939-45. Off the top of my head, this includes St. Mark in Ford, St. Aidan in Ernesettle, St. Chad in Whitleigh, St. Boniface in St. Budeaux, St. Thomas in Keyham, St. Paul in Efford, and both St. Barnabas and St. Michael in Stoke. Each parish may have its reasons for (in most cases) selling part of the land and building a multi-function parish hall/lounge church on the remainder - in some cases, structural problems; in others simply a lack of funds and bums on pews - and I don't think any of them were renowned for their music. However, each of these churches had a pipe organ of some sort, and few of their replacements have, or ever will. This trend is looking decidedly bleak.
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I even wondered if those documents were a spoof, but looking at the man's site, I suppose not.
Likewise. There seems to be a great deal of bitterness in the writing, and far too many exclamation marks for comfort - I get the impression that the author isn't exactly an unbiased observer.
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Absolutely! It is an inspirational register and reflects great credit on all who were associated with it.
Fair enough! The Auckland instrument sounds excellent, btw.
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Henry III did NOT ever claim it as his own work.
It was ordered from Gottfried as he's heard a similar one while in the US in 1928. When it arrived, unfortunately they'd supplied it fully 'fitted up' so he had the metalshop strip it out and re-fit it with Willis shallots and it was voiced by the Ferndale Road staff. I've heard Henry III bashers say that he just got it and put it into the organ: I don't really think that that was the way he worked!!
DW (from Auckland)
I would have thought that DW would know as much about this as anyone, but for the sake of discussion, there is at least one other 'take' on the story, for instance this from the Organ Recitals website (http://www.organrecitals.com/stpauls.php):
"The Tuba organ's new stop, the Trompette Militaire, was to become, arguably, the instrument's most famous voice. It was donated by Henry Willis III who, essentially, sought to give the impression that it was of his own making. In fact, he acquired the stop from the American firm of Anton Gottfried, having been previously introduced to it by Emerson Richards, the designer of the mammoth organ in the Atlantic City Convention Hall... Willis said that, when the pipes arrived, he threw away the tone-producing components (i.e. shallot, tongue, etc.) and replaced them with his own but, actually, he did no such thing. The fact of the matter is that he made no changes whatsoever to the stop, although he did have the Gottfried stamp on the block of the bottom C pipe scratched out!"
The author of the article doesn't cite any sources that I can see.
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It looks like an excellent instrument on paper. Forgiving the odd Spitz Flute though, it does seem odd that the Great, Choir and Pedal are English (at least in name) and the Swell looks entirely French. Trumpet and Trompette stops in the same instrument? You can't drop a French-school Récit into an otherwise-English instrument and expect it to work musically, so why give that impression?
That said, of course, I doubt it would make any difference to players who will follow their ears in any case, and it's not going to make any difference to the sound which I hope will be as musical and engaging as the design suggests.
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My copy arrived this morning, and I'm bowled over by the sheer musicianship. A better person than I can probably do a good review (and at a better time than 1am!) but I'd recommend this CD to anyone.
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I recently played a Bach prelude (no fugue - too long) and a lyrical Vierne movement for a short audition for a parish church ADoM job. I wanted to show contrasting styles and techniques. Neither piece particularly suited the instrument, which is an early 20th century Harrison, but I certainly didn't intend to play Parry and Whitlock every week if I got the job*, and I figured that if being able to make it sound roughly convincing in less well suited repertoire would be a point in my favour. In any case, I also had to accompany an Anglican choral setting and some other similar music, so I wanted to provide a contrast with that.
I've never auditioned someone on the organ, but I would guess that your pieces should be chosen to demonstrate as many diverse skills as possible, both technical and interpretative. Bach seems to be de rigeur for this reason and others, so I would think that any other works should contrast stylistically and demonstrate any skills not shown in the Bach (colourful registrational changes, legato playing etc.).
(*I got the job.)
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I feel that we have learned a very great deal about vocal health in the past 10 years, let alone 25, and both adults and children are pushed a very great deal harder than they were, but usually for shorter 'careers' - the days of boys going on until they're 15 whether their voices have held up or not are long gone. There may be some validity in the belief that standards generally have improved across the parts. (For an example, you only have to look at the choral writing of people like Heathcote Statham to realise that he couldn't rely on his altos to have a decent sound above middle G, so he used to miss them out when everyone else was in unison.) Routine repertoire by Kelly, Tippett, Britten, Chilcott et al is, frankly, harder to sing well than Walmisley in B minor. More cathedrals employ singing specialists like Hilary Jones and Jenevora Williams to get more out of the people they've got. I think it's time to accept that discreet hydration is a necessity, but that's just me.
Mrs. N, who trained as a singer at the RWCMD and TCL (and therefore knows rather more than I about this sort of thing) tells me that water is highly desirable while singing because (1) it lubricates some very delicate tissues which are being worked hard, and (2) the swallowing action helps to relax the muscles. This makes sense to me - it's not essential but shows good custodianship of the voice.
Rather than reading all sorts of things about the state of the world into it, I don't see any reason why there shouldn't be water in the stalls during a rehearsal providing that it doesn't interfere with the running of the rehearsal AND providing that every grotty half-empty bottle of dubious provenance is taken away at the end. I would draw the line at allowing water bottles to be brought into the stalls during any service, but for aesthetic and practical reasons rather than a view on the sacredness or otherwise of such a thing. St. Edmundsbury (amongst other places) has a water cooler in the song school, which is a better place for it.
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That is all I can find for this year.
There's also Prom 65 on Saturday 3rd September where David Goode plays Michael Berkeley's Organ Concerto with the BBCNOW.
Prom 34 with Thomas Trotter also includes Dupré's Cortège et Litanie, presumably in the version with orchestra (BBCNOW again).
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Jennifer Bate is playing at Christchurch Priory this evening at 7.30pm, admission £6. The programme is:
Prelude and Fugue in C - GEORG BOHM (1661-1733)
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 645) - J. S. BACH (1685-1750)
Prelude and Fugue in D minor (BWV 539) - J. S. BACH (1685-1750)
Fantasie-Impromptu - WALTER G. ALCOCK (1861-1947)
Fantasia and Fugue on B.A.C.H - FRANZ LISZT (1811-1886)
March on a theme of Handel - ALEXANDRE GUILMANT (1837-1911)
Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain - MAURICE DURUFLÉ (1902-1986)
Le Jardin Suspendu - JEHAN ALAIN (1911-1940)
Étude Symphonique - MARCO ENRICO BOSSI (1861-1925)
It promises to be a superb concert. I'd never heard the Alcock Fantaisie-Impromptu before, but I heard Margaret Phillips play it at Westminster Abbey last night, and will hear Jennifer Bate play it tonight. Being one of Alcock's major anniversaries helps, I guess!
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You could also try "Bright the vision that delighted" to the usual tune, but with each line to the following rhythm: dotted-q, sq, dotted-q, sq, cr, cr, m, m. You'd need to tie the two minims at the ends of lines 2 and 4 - or alternatively you could try interpolating a gibbon-like "Oo" after line 2 and an "Oi!" after line 4.
Hopefully not transcribed from recent experience... Caren says she'll never be able to sing that hymn again now.
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Sorry to be so long, but I am passionate about creativity and some of the instruments I have played have inspired me to endless heights, but sadly only three organs by UK builders have ever done this for me.
Hear hear. Who remembers the instruments that can be used for most schools of composition without shining in any? Surely the memorable ones are those that have a total and uncompromising musical integrity, and which fire the creative juices as Nigel says. Even at my relatively lowly level of achievement, I always want an instrument which draws the music out of my fingers and feet and responds with a sound that sends a shiver down my spine, not one that makes me fight it for every uninspiring note. With the cost of instruments so high (although I certainly don't begrudge craftsmen a professional wage) and the relative lack of deep-pocketed benefactors, how many consultants have the courage to find and recommend uncompromisingly-musical instruments as a once-in-a-lifetime investment? What if they don't 'do' Howells?*
(*Insert name of composer as required.)
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Possibly Compton? Having grown up with the system, I appreciate the benefits - and have suffered the pitfalls, when pressing just too hard in a moment of panic. Double touch cancelling on stop keys is similarly useful but dangerous - when adding the Mixture and ending up with that alone. You only do it once!
Possibly HNB? I regularly played a 1967 example with double-touch (square) pistons, and found them quite handy.
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Is inaccuracy of this edition thought to be a problem?
Thanks Paul and Vox. It was only an assumption that one would be needed, based on the number of corrections needed for other Vierne works - the Pieces de Fantaisie, for instance. I haven't performed it yet, so I thought I'd see if someone else had done the hard work first!
Now that I think about it, my Vierne organ scores are published by Lemoine, who perhaps had a different approach to proof-reading than Hamelle.
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Does anyone have, or know where to find, a list of errata/corrections/misprints for the Hamelle/Leduc edition of the Vierne Messe Solennelle?
Assistance gratefully received!
Thanks,
NH
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A very tough act to follow!
Indeed. Very best wishes to Adrian Lucas for the future.
Took me a moment... a shame that the instrument may have spoiled, though - I found it to be a proper eye-opener. Vox may still remember having to drag me away...
William Denis Browne in A
in General discussion
Posted
Thanks for your useful suggestions and interesting info. I hadn't found the published score (now ordered) or the YouTube recording - I'll drop Clare a line and see if they have any plans to record.