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sjf1967

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Posts posted by sjf1967

    Memorial music - (1) Holocaust Memorial Day & (2) ANZAC Day

    in Organ Music

    Posted

    Not sure there has been any advance on this from Peter Williams - whose answer is that there is no clear answer. He suggests an 'ideal' note, or a French allusion to ravalement pedalboards, or that it was written for harpsichord with the lowest C# tuned down a tone (pedals are not necessary for the central section, which can be managed completely manualiter). And it's not unique - the note appears in copies of BWV 564 and 566. And ultimately in the absence of an autograph, who knows whether Bach wrote it? One copyist puts it up an octave.

    In Dulci Jubilo BWV 608

    in Organ Music

    Posted

    The whole question of what the pedal should play is very much open to individual interpretation  - there's no autograph and the only two copies (Preller and Kittel, both quite a bit later than the date of composition suggested by the idiom of the piece) make no stipulation about what they play (although they are needed unless some chords are respaced in places). The earlier, shorter 729a is similarly unspecific (here the chorale is figured, not written out). The NBA has no pedal indication at all, the BG just (con Ped.), on who knows what authority. New Breitkopf suggests pedal for the first two chorale phrases, and then not until b39 to end. The 3-stave notation we're now familiar with is I suspect very much a development of the Novello editions. So a range of solutions is certainly acceptable. One possible system is just to use the pedal where you really need to, where the tune appears in fuller harmonised textures. Registration - possibly plenum, or a smaller chorus, but I've heard it done very beautifully on a single 8 principal.

    Gloucester Cathedral

    in General discussion

    Posted

    No, I'm not joking in any shape or form, it's the real scheme - the firm is hardly likely to publish a comedy version on its own website. I'm going to wait until I've heard/played it before deciding what I think. Only 3 years to wait, it'll fly past.

    Advent organ music

    in Organ Music

    Posted · Edited by sjf1967
    typo

    11 hours ago, wolsey said:

    Piet Kee's Fantasia on Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Sleepers, wake) is a possibility. It was originally published as one of Two Pieces by Hinrichsen (H810b), now Edition Peters.  It's long been out of print, but it looks as if it can be purchased again from abroad. In addition, libraries may have it on their shelves.  If you can get hold of Volume 1 of Choralvorspiele für Orgel zum Gotteslob (Carus catalogue no. 18.202), Kai Schreiber's bluesy chorale prelude Herr, send herab uns deinen Sohn is effective. A redacted preview is viewable on page 19 of the document here.

    which reminds me - anything useful in the Helmut Walcha chorale preludes?

    Appointments 2

    in General discussion

    Posted

    On 23/10/2023 at 11:38, Rowland Wateridge said:

    Announced yesterday on a legal blog I read, apparently quoting the Church Times, it is proposed that the Cathedral and College whilst remaining (uniquely) a joint foundation will have separate heads.  These proposals have been put forward and recommended by Dominic Grieve KC in his report and review of Christ Church’s internal governance.

    The Dean of Christ Church will cease to be the overall head of the foundation and will have a role more akin to a conventional Cathedral Dean, and the College will have a new ‘Head of House’ with no jurisdiction in the Cathedral.  The two bodies will, in effect, be separate under the same roof.

    However, under the existing Statutes the organist and the choral foundation ‘belong’ to the Cathedral, and that is to continue under the proposed scheme.  The organist has concurrently been a Fellow of Christ Church with a role in the College, and I can’t see why that should not continue under the new arrangements.  

    But this is all at the proposal stage, and the C of E and the University of Oxford are also stakeholders.  The Governing Body of Christ Church has accepted the proposals in principle and are consulting their graduate members.

     

    Does the cathedral have an endowment separate from the college? I can't see how this is going to work financially, but I'm sure they already thought of that.

    Anyone know the name of this piece? Is it available?

    in Organ Music

    Posted

    4 hours ago, John Furse said:

    Sir James has composed a surprising amount of organ music. This only became apparent to me after I had the privilege of being the page-turner for a couple of recordings on this CD [Freak out | Extraordinary music for organ - Regent Records (regent-records.co.uk)] – including the MacMillan. The ‘Rouault’ is a fascinating, kaleidoscopic work which, to me, seems to require an organist equipped with four arms.

    sjf1967 will, of course, know this, as he recorded it on his wonderful (Apple-linked above) CD [James MacMillan: Organ Works | RES10266 – Resonus Classics & Inventa Records], which I purchased after my trip to Suffolk. Some of these pieces need  to be listened to several times for their qualities to become manifest.

    Until my visit, I had somehow not managed to hear the fabulous Holbrook Grand Organ [NPOR | N00981], despite having lived some twenty miles away. This vast, gorgeous, basilica-esque Chapel (with a second organ in the Choir area) has a reverberation period which rivals St Paul’s Cathedral. If at all possible, I would urge members to make a pilgrimage.

    I'm glad you liked it! Yes, the Rouault is pretty taxing, but worth the effort in every way - as I think is all JM's organ music (some of which is not at all difficult). As you probably know there's also an extraordinary concerto - A Scotch Bestiary  - written for the opening of the Walt Disney Hall organ in 2004. I've done it twice, and I think there are still only three people in the world who've played it....needs a HUGE orchestra which is probably why it only gets very rare outings. There's just one recording, conducted by the composer. We couldn't afford to record it again for the organ works disc....

    Advent organ music

    in Organ Music

    Posted

    Just now, sjf1967 said:

    The Cecilia McDowall Advent Antiphons are very much worth a look, and not hugely difficult (two are down for ARCO in the current syllabus). There's also a set by Nico Muhly but they have some more taxing moments. The Leighton Helmsley piece is harder than it looks, I think.... he also wrote a stand-alone Veni Redemptor Fantasy, but it's pretty difficult. Hakim Sinfonia in honorem John the B is concise and effective, and there's also a three-mvt piece called Canticum based on Advent plainsongs. I'm pretty sure there's a short Reger Wachet Auf CP in one of the collections: Vol 1 of the Karg-Elert Op 65 is Advent and Christmas based. Little partita by Anton Heiller on Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland. The short Dupre CPs might have some useful things, but they tend to be short of course. The OUP hymn prelude series has an Advent volume, I'm pretty sure. And you may still be able to get hold of the Novello Festal Voluntaries Advent/Xmas volume if you're lucky - can't remember what's in it though.

    Also a very good Distler Nun komm Partita....

    Advent organ music

    in Organ Music

    Posted

    The Cecilia McDowall Advent Antiphons are very much worth a look, and not hugely difficult (two are down for ARCO in the current syllabus). There's also a set by Nico Muhly but they have some more taxing moments. The Leighton Helmsley piece is harder than it looks, I think.... he also wrote a stand-alone Veni Redemptor Fantasy, but it's pretty difficult. Hakim Sinfonia in honorem John the B is concise and effective, and there's also a three-mvt piece called Canticum based on Advent plainsongs. I'm pretty sure there's a short Reger Wachet Auf CP in one of the collections: Vol 1 of the Karg-Elert Op 65 is Advent and Christmas based. Little partita by Anton Heiller on Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland. The short Dupre CPs might have some useful things, but they tend to be short of course. The OUP hymn prelude series has an Advent volume, I'm pretty sure. And you may still be able to get hold of the Novello Festal Voluntaries Advent/Xmas volume if you're lucky - can't remember what's in it though.

    Chamber organ recordings

    in Organ Music

    Posted

    On 20/09/2023 at 23:07, peterdoughty said:

    That's a really superb disc, and likely to be a firm favourite in anyone's collection soon after they've bought it. It was for me anyway. I'm very eager to hear that Byrd now.

    On the subject of Byrd, there's also this capacious box set from Davitt Moroney on Hyperion, now download only, which contains his organ music: https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDS44461/7

    Chandos produced an old favourite CD of mine of Blow, Gibbons, Clarke, Croft, Locke and Purcell, recorded on the Dallam organ of Guimiliau back in the early 1990s. (Edit: not a chamber organ though!) It's download only now: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8035082--organ-music-robert-woolley

     

    There's a taster of the new Byrd disc here - Byrd 'O quam gloriosum est regnum': II. Secunda pars 🎶 https://orcd.co/8or9gve

    Chamber organ recordings

    in Organ Music

    Posted

    11 hours ago, peterdoughty said:

    That's a really superb disc, and likely to be a firm favourite in anyone's collection soon after they've bought it. It was for me anyway. I'm very eager to hear that Byrd now.

    On the subject of Byrd, there's also this capacious box set from Davitt Moroney on Hyperion, now download only, which contains his organ music: https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDS44461/7

    Chandos produced an old favourite CD of mine of Blow, Gibbons, Clarke, Croft, Locke and Purcell, recorded on the Dallam organ of Guimiliau back in the early 1990s. (Edit: not a chamber organ though!) It's download only now: https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8035082--organ-music-robert-woolley

     

    Thanks! I'm really glad you liked it so much - it was a very enjoyable project and the T and B is a wonderful thing. Not really a chamber organ, but there's also a disc of Kenneth Gilbert doing 17th C English on the Dallam; I may still have a copy. I hope so, because it's going for about $250 secondhand on EBay...

    Alain Litanies

    in Organ Music

    Posted

    'Authority' in Alain can be a fluid thing... In the sense that he notated (or is known to have given explicit written permission for) any cuts, in any of the known sources, the answer is no. But there are quite a few things enshrined in the pre-2001 Leduc editions that are based on MCA's recollection of his own playing habits or his verbally expressed preferences, and it's hard to argue with that. Litanies is a bit of a special case, because the piece was put into a final, definitive form by JA for publication.

    Alain Litanies

    in Organ Music

    Posted

    I don't think there's a version published which has this cut. It's one of the few works that JA prepared for publication, and he provided a very precise MS for the engraver which does not omit the passages in question. It's possible that: a) MCA had her brother's authority to abbreviate, but this was never enshrined in print, b) she had a memory lapse in the recording (unikely), or c) there were problems managing the necessary registration change with no assistant on this instrument (some earlier registration changes aren't observed in the recording, probably for the same reason). If you can track down the 'Critical Notes' Leduc published alongside the 2001-2003 version of the Alain edition, there might be info there; from memory, they don't mention a cut at this point in any of the several MSS of the piece. I've never heard anyone else make a cut here.

    Organ experiences

    in General discussion

    Posted

    And your friend can contact me via the All Saints Margaret St office = office@asms.uk - we may be able to arrange a spin on the (extraordinarily fine, cathedral-sized 4 man) H and H for him, church diary allowing. Best wishes, Stephen Farr

    Worcester Cathedral.

    in General discussion

    Posted

    I went from playing 8 services a week, with two voluntaries at each, to playing, at most, once a week on a Sunday evening when I became a DoM. I made very sure to keep playing as much as possible outside the cathedral, solo and ensemble/continuo - for the sake of my musical self-esteem and sanity, and because otherwise I would have wasted 20 years of my life. I sometimes had to 'keep the shop open solo' when circumstances dictated, but I remember David Hill saying that he never felt you could do both things as well as you'd like in the same service, and I think he was right.

    New Year's Honours

    in General discussion

    Posted

    I think it's overseeing the music at a Coronation which is by convention the crucial thing as far as knighthoods for Abbey organists go. And there's nothing to stop James O'Donnell receiving another honour at a later stage-  but I'd be surprised if he's all that bothered, to be honest.

    Appointments 2

    in General discussion

    Posted

    Well... beautiful liturgy, a wonderful building, experienced and committed adult professional singers, no undergraduate flakiness in terms of attendance and reliability, no annual angst when your organ scholar doesn't make their A Level grades, freedom to pursue other activities as and when you like, the absence of college politics.....Oxbridge DoM jobs are not the glamorous things they might appear to be, for all the glossy accoutrements that come with them.

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