ajt

Thanks for this! I have the Hill/Parfitt book, and found it excellent. Obviously, combined with singing lessons, this helps greatly with training youngsters. Your suggestion about approaching someone locally to see how they handle things is an excellent idea, I did observe a couple of rehearsals at Lichfield when I was teaching there, but at the time wasn't particularly aware of how much I didn't know - I shall have to approach the same gentleman again... Different cathedral now, of course I worry, though, that this is skill that is dying out, and there is no opportunity for people to learn it. As you say, the RSCM (don't get me started - I'm on the local committee, and agree with your comments) should be the institution to do this, but doesn't. The Voice for Life choir trainer's manual is quite good but, as with any book, it's just a collection of words - turning them into practical use, and making sure that those words have been interpreted properly, is a very important thing; if we choir trainers don't teach children to sing properly, then we have failed both ourselves and the children.

Thanks for the response! A good ear and instinct I agree with, but surely there's something more than that in actually teaching boys to sing, and, more importantly, sing in the way that you want them to, and that will stand them in good stead for later in life? John Bertalot's books, if you can get past the way they're written, seem to convey some of this, but I wondered what other resources are out there that the more experienced folks, such as yourself and Stephen Farr know of...

What resources are out there to help people train youth choirs, particularly boys? I often feel that I'm bumbling along, hoping that I'm doing things right... I rather feel that most of the choral tradition in this country relies on experience rather than teaching - i.e. the more successful trainers have come up through the cathedral/collegiate tradition. I'm fortunate enough to have started off that way, but never had the reinforcement that would have come with being organ scholar or assistant at an establishment that had a treble line...

Yes, I was, but I was having a conscience attack about being rude about someone else's playing - probably because I'd just heard a recording of myself! I'm cured now

Wuss. I'm still writing code, and I'm due up at 6.30, followed by a 60 mile drive... (a short hop for our American colleagues!)

Romsey Abbey would be a good test, I think.

Yes, I agree with you - I don't think the guy is talentless, just tasteless. At least, to my stuffy British ear.

Seriously, I think you make a good point. It's not as though this board has closed membership, and there aren't many organ fora in existence. How long before Mr Nobile does actually find this board, and how would this thread come across? As you say - whether in seriousness or in jest, I can't tell - like a bunch of elitest snobs. For once, I can understand some of stevec_whatsisname's vitriol directed towards ivory tower British organ snobs (and I'm not trying to be rude about anyone on here, I include myself in this label, despite not being a very good organist!).

Yes, you're right. I'm having a conscience debate about it. As I said in an earlier post - not to my taste, but to each their own. I would hate for Mr Nobile to find this thread, and to think that we're decrying his talents ; he's clearly not without talent, just his style of playing doesn't fit with what I would choose to listen to.

I'm looking for the Bollocks "smiley", but can't find it. I think that's a serious omission on any UK hosted message board.

Oh God, I take it all back. WTF is a Fusician? From the bio page: "Arty is a Fusician, fusing the genres of art, architecture, literature, theater, and music in one unique and startling whole. He bursts upon the stage ....."

Yup, had a similar experience, but refreshed the page, and it worked. I think it's Flash buffering the video.

Thinking about this, I think it's remarkably unfair, even snobbish of me to criticise this chap - his style of playing may not be to my taste, but each to their own. God, I hate it when I get a conscience attack!

There's: Widor (At least I think that's what it's supposed to be): http://www.nobile.com/sound/Toccata_Sym_V_Widor.MP3 I must see if his postal address is online, then I can send him the Colin Hand, Widor's Toccata made Playable And *that* video - http://www.nobile.com/html/video.html

2 things bother me about this recording... 1. I couldn't play any better. 2. I have the sense not to play like that in public No 1 is personally worrying in that my organ skills are so poor. No 2 bothers me because I would expect that someone who is trying to make a name for themselves (or has made a name in the US?) as an organist would show the same restraint and sense of realism about their own abilities as I do.

AhHa! The signature works

Mine's just hit its 50th birthday, and is still going, but definitely showing its age.

That has been my experience also, particularly when the girls are that little bit older that the boys. However, I don't think many of us in the Parish Church arena are in the luxurious state of having a pseudo-cathedral setup such as you have - if had separated out my trebles to sing as boys and girls choirs, I'd have had 4 + 6 respectively... But, maybe training them separately and running them as single sex treble lines might have recruitment benefits - as pcnd mentions, there is a lot of peer ridicule associated with boys singing in a choir, and anything we can do to minimise that has got to be a good thing...

You should be able to edit your post - click on the edit button. But I guess you've already done that bit. Don't think you can delete a post though.

And having successfully dragged the "tone" of this discussion down to the gutter... Back to the subject of choral tone... Being a parish church organist, I have to take whatever children I can find, so I have had in the past a mixed treble line, something which I plan to build up again in my new place. What are people's thoughts on training girls and boys together?

I was once conducting a university choir doing, amongst other things, the Ave Verum, on live radio (only local radio). I gave the upbeat to the accompaniment of a very resonant burp from a certain bass, who then apologised loudly to his neighbour for the pervading stench of curry....

By whom? Must be a pretty good choir if they're worried about tuning imperfections against a mixture/mutation!

Phew. I can never keep up with all you clever types. Was a silly question, I know, but my brain stops working when I go to work.

Presumably all you're doing is adding the harmonics that would normally be present if using a 32, which tricks the ear into hearing the fundamental note that doesn't really exist?

And on-sabatical chairman of the Winchester RSCM, assuming you mean Gary Philbrick...