Richard Fairhurst

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.

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.

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...

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.

Both Sleigh Ride and Carol of the Bells from the Christmas 2 volume.

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.

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...)

So it is! I have Laudate on the shelf and had never spotted that. Thank you.

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'.

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.

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.)

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.

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...)

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...)

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...

The others appear to be available from Presto: https://www.prestomusic.com/sheet-music/composers/37384--boulay-josephine

Just got a copy of this (from Amazon, after giving up on Blackwells ever having it in stock). I played Michael Bedford's Liebster Jesu this morning - a lovely, gentle piece. It does seem to have more American material than the earlier volumes, and of the "British tunes", a fair few aren't ones we sing regularly at our church. That said, on a quick play-through, David Bednall's Hyfrydol is striking, Malcolm Archer's All for Jesus is enjoyably rumbustious, and Kerensa Briggs's Gibbons Song 46 has an intriguing C20th French air to it. I like the look of Phillip Cooke's two pieces, too, though I worry that the sustained note clusters may not work too well on a digital organ. The introduction describes this volume as "the first in the series to address general, non-seasonal needs" so hopefully there'll be more.

Bédard's Christmas pieces are lots of fun, particularly the 'Il est né' toccata: https://www.rscmshop.com/books/N0981/bedard-organ-works-for-christmas

There's a fine arrangement of Ora Labora in the "Love Divine" hymn-anthem booklet published by the Church Music Society and OUP - we sang it for Harvest last week. It also includes Maurice Bevan's wonderful Corvedale ("There's a wideness...") and a Howells rarity, so a good buy all round, plus a (to my mind slightly unconvincing) Francis Jackson hymn. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/love-divine-9780193953697?cc=gb&lang=en&

Maybe upload them to IMSLP, copyright permitting? It's the go-to site for out-of-copyright sheet music downloads, and would probably reach a much wider audience.

There's a Prelude Solennel on Abebooks for £10...

I once ate at a pub whose menu offered a selection of "Pennines". It took me a while to work out what they meant.

I've always thought the Hereford solution rather brilliant: there's no admission charge for the cathedral, but there is for the Mappa Mundi. Everyone visiting for tourist purposes wants to see the Mappa Mundi so happily pays up, whereas those visiting a place of worship aren't asked to pay. Sadly not every cathedral has an additional world-class tourist attraction within its bounds...

I'm presuming from your reference to "various book-selling websites" that you've seen the (expensive!) copy currently listed on Abebooks?

The Bednall Evocation is lovely - I picked that up at the start of Advent and had a few appreciative comments after playing it one Sunday. I recently found the 'Freiburger Orgelbuch 2' in Blackwells. It's an album of some 86 pieces over 200 pages, from the 15th century to the present day, and with composers from Germany to the US. Most of all it's very well-chosen - there have been several times where I've picked over something and thought "wow, that's interesting". (This sort of album does tend to have either old warhorses or rightfully obscure pieces mostly chosen for their out-of-copyright status, but this is far from that.) It comes with a CD of 30 of the pieces. Not particularly cheap at £37ish, but worth it I think. Contents list etc.: https://www.carus-verlag.com/en/choir/new-releases/organ-music/freiburger-orgelbuch-2-music-for-worship-concert-use-and-teaching.html