Jump to content
Mander Organ Builders Forum

Richard Fairhurst

Members
  • Posts

    172
  • Joined

  • Last visited

About Richard Fairhurst

  • Birthday 05/09/1974

Contact Methods

  • Website URL
    http://www.systemeD.net/blog/
  • ICQ
    0

Profile Information

  • Location
    Charlbury, Oxfordshire
  • Interests
    Organist, St Mary's, Charlbury, Oxfordshire.

Recent Profile Visitors

5,706 profile views

Richard Fairhurst's Achievements

Member

Member (2/3)

0

Reputation

  1. Another 2023 OUP organ book: "The Pipe Organ - A Composer's Guide" https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-pipe-organ-9780197645291?cc=gb&lang=en& Absolutely fascinating even for those of us who don't compose - it explains clearly and succinctly what works (and what doesn't), looks into various different schools of composition, and is liberally illustrated with examples. I'm very much enjoying going through it.
  2. The interim appointment at Christ Church is, of course, Stephen Darlington (until July). I think the advert for a permanent post is waiting on a decision as to what that post will actually entail, as alluded upthread.
  3. I think that's spot on. When we were replacing the Makin organ, a few people said "It didn't last very long, did it?". I pointed out that it was a computer at heart and asked how many people were still using their Amstrad word-processor computer from the early 90s. You can guess the answer...
  4. It did! We got a Wyvern/Phoenix two-manual to replace it, which continues to do sterling service. The Wyverns were the stand-out instruments from all those we tried and I continue to be very happy with it. At the time Hauptwerk technology was in its infancy and on balance we didn't really think we could go for something untested; things have changed now of course.
  5. Both Sleigh Ride and Carol of the Bells from the Christmas 2 volume.
  6. I guess there needs to be some differentiation between the "new" Ancient & Modern, which I think includes all of the above, and the Revised English Hymnal - especially now they have the same parent company.
  7. There were half a dozen copies in Blackwells yesterday. (I didn't buy one as I have a feeling I may get one for Christmas...)
  8. So it is! I have Laudate on the shelf and had never spotted that. Thank you.
  9. It was in 'New English Praise' too - one of a handful of rather splendid tunes first selected for that volume. Tertius Noble's 'Ora Labora' ("Come, labour on") is another, and Maurice Bevan's 'Corvedale'.
  10. They're "Norfolk" to "With wonder, Lord, we see your works"; and "In manus tuas" to "This world, my God, is held within your hand". Neither published elsewhere as far as I know. Published Howells hymn tunes are: 'Michael' obviously - there's a Howells-written descant in English Praise 'Love Divine' (Church Music Society booklet, still in print) 'St Briavels' (1925 edition of Songs of Praise; scans exist online) 'Severn' (1931 edition of Songs of Praise, replaced St Briavels; scans exist online) 'Salisbury' (NEH, REH, Hymns for Church and School 1962) 'Sancta civitas' (AMNS, REH, Hymns for Church and School 1962) 'Erwin' (Cambridge Hymnal, may be available as a custom offprint) 'Kensington' (REH, Methodist Hymns & Songs, may be available as a custom offprint) 'In manus tuas' (NCH) 'Norfolk' (NCH) 'Twigworth' (Hymns for Church and School 1962, Methodist Hymns & Songs, may be available as a custom offprint) 'Newnham' (REH, Hymns for Church and School 1962, Rejoice in the Lord) There are apparently half a dozen unpublished tunes. I've seen a couple of them which are not massively interesting other than for the completist (guilty as charged). There's a list at page 126 of http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/2860/1/2860_945.pdf.
  11. Here you go. It's otherwise out-of-print as far as I can tell. (If you can find a full music edition of NCH I would strongly recommend it. Like the Cambridge Hymnal from the same era, it's an attempt to do something "properly musical" while still appealing to the congregation. It seems a shame that modern hymn books have become rather conservative musically - perhaps best exemplified by NEH/REH compared to the culture shock of the original English Hymnal.)
  12. The original contents list, still on the REH website, had "God, your glory we have seen" which is sung to a rather striking tune by Langlais - it's in the 70s New Catholic Hymnal which is full of neglected wonders (including "In manas tuas", probably my favourite Howells hymn tune; and Michael Dawney's "Felinfoel", for "See, Christ was wounded for our sake"). But unfortunately it doesn't seem to have made it into the final REH selection.
  13. Five Howells hymn tunes in the index, including some real rarities. The Langlais appears to have gone, sadly. (But what's with mangling the last couplet of "Hark, what a sound" in the sampler? The dread hand of "Editors" strikes again...)
  14. Seven years does seem an awfully long time given that there's only 185 new items compared to NEH. That's a fortnight to edit each hymn. (Yes, I know the selection will have taken a long time too, but still...)
  15. Blackwells' organ section was much reduced when they moved from the separate music shop into the main bookshop, and has since been reduced further. It's good for choral music and for obvious repertoire, but there are few pleasant surprises these days. Antiques on High, a short walk away on the High Street, has an excellent second-hand music room run by Austin Sherlaw-Johnson - right at the back of the shop. Give yourself an hour to look through it. He had an outpost in the Malvern Bookshop a while back but I'm not sure if it's still going. Hancock & Monks on Broad Street in Hay-on-Wye is good - I picked up a Music Sales sampler of about 20 evensong settings in one volume for £15 a couple of years ago, which I thought was an absolute bargain. Archive Bookstore in Marylebone is a real timewarp but absolutely full of treasures. And you'd be surprised what you can find in an Oxfam bookshop sometimes...
×
×
  • Create New...