Philip

Much as you can criticise pieces like this, it is a very useful one. Short, snappy and cheerful, so makes a decent ending to a service without having to prepare a big postlude. I received a couple of positive comments when I played it on a Sunday morning a few weeks back, and then used it again when we had the Society of Catholic Priests in later that week (they didn't want something long - just something to 'play them out'). If you're talking its relevance to the funeral, I think thats something you'd need to judge, depending on the overall mood of the proceedings.

Ironically, the final two pieces in David Newsholme's recital at the Albert Hall, Nottingham this coming Sunday afternoon! Also featured are Durufle's Suite and BWV 552 (alas, neither are British!). How's that for a plug?! I don't know enough of the pieces being discussed to make a judgement, but the Willan is just brilliant.

I went to Jackson's recital at Derby on Wednesday evening. I'd never heard any of his music before - he played No. 6 through and I have to confess that it didn't do that much for me. Built up to a reasonable finale at the end, perhaps. It wasn't long (20 mins I'd guess) and three movements.

If you have a search back then I'm sure we've had threads on this before. I would certainly recommend the Thorne. I have yet to find a better congregational setting all round - its cheerful, not difficult to pick up but fairly interesting. It is universally liked at our church, and we use it for Christmas and Easter (and the periods that follow) plus other odd festivals. The choir have some descant-type bits which actually add to the setting too - having played it about two weeks for the first time without a choir I thought it sounded quite dull! Dom Gregory Murray's 'New People's Mass' is also a classic for singability, but not for interest. There is some harmony for the choir but it is very dull and I tire of it quickly. Better for a congregation who don't have a choir to lead them but want to sing, perhaps. Mathias (written for Series 3) is a good setting, but does need a strong lead. The organ part in the Gloria particularly is quite independent. They'll pick it up eventually, and it is a good sing. I've never played/sung the Addington Service in church but I do have a copy. I like the Gloria and the Agnus, but don't care much for the rest of it. The Martin How Parish Communion setting has a good Gloria, with the choir doing the majority of the work and the congregation singing a simple response. Pretty effective, but again I don't care much for the rest of it. Lots of people seem to rate the Ives 'Salisbury Service'- personally I don't. I have copies to hand of all but the Murray - PM me if you'd like some scans.

I do really enjoy psalms, one of the glories of Evensong. I find when accompanying the only way to do it is to commit the chant to memory so you can concentrate on the words. I don't find this particularly difficult, but otherwise you are jumping from chant to words continually which won't make it easy. When accompanying - how do people set up registration for word-painting? My current strategy (on a fairly substantial instrument with lots of memories) is to cycle through general pistons - usually one setting for each verse but sometimes a change at halfway if the words dictate, plus judicious of the swell pedal. This does, of course, require time in the week beforehand setting these up. I'd be intrigued to know how others manage it though.

Derby Cathedral currently have recitals going on Wednesday evenings, 7.45pm. £5 each except one in August which is £10. Programmes http://www.concert-diary.com/?f_Venue=Derby+Cathedral In particular, Francis Jackson is doing one on the 21st July - so I will be heading down for a chance to hear him, given the constant good reports about his recitals. He's doing a couple of Willan preludes, BWV 544, Peeters Aria, His No. 6, a couple of bits of Bairstow and Carillon de Westminster which seems to be his standard finisher and one of my favourites. The week after also looks promising, with Daniel Hyde doing Guilmant 1 and Durufle Choral on Veni Creator amongst other things.

The organ will offer the option to choose alternative voices - see the ones in brackets. My Rodgers has this and it is quite a useful facility. This means you could select (via the computer) to have an 8' Tromba on the Gt (or use the solo reed on the Gt), swap the Krummhorn for a Clarinet and so on. However, not having a Tierce to go with the Nazard (which would surely be more useful on the Choir) or an 8' Reed on the Gt does seem puzzling. One other bonus of the alternative voices is changing styles - for example, if you change all the Swell reeds to their alternatives then you'll get a much more French sound which can be really effective.

Having just checked, the recital with David Briggs is in fact on Sunday 21st at 3pm.

This is a project I know a little about, so I will share. Having a Rodgers organ in my own church, I am very pleased with the result - the sound blends very well. Anyone in the vicinity of Nottingham is welcome to come and try it to see if you share my opinion. I know Mark their sales consultant was very excited about the St Peters project, and although unique in the UK it is something they have done before in the Far East - check their website for details. St Peters is right in the heart of Nottingham city, with a good choir and good musical tradition. It does need a good organ. The digital they have at the moment covering the intervening period is quite dreadful, but I have high hopes for this new instrument. The specification is of a similar scale to the instrument I use (albeit I have only a two-manual). I do know that the celebrations for the new organ will be on 20-21 November this year, with a Choral Evensong on Saturday afternoon (Howells Gloucester, Bairstow Blessed City and BWV 542 if my memory serves me correctly) with an opening recital by David Briggs that evening I think, and a Festal Eucharist the following morning. The proof, I guess, will be in the eating!

A few from me, including a couple already mentioned (though I don't do many funerals): Nimrod A few Rawsthorne pieces - Abide with me, Londonderry Air prelude, and the Aria (which is useful for almost any occasion and pretty straightforward). I have the Mayhew 'Essential Book of Funeral Music' and I occasionally go to a couple of his others from in there - all formulaic and harmless but as good as Mayhew gets. Albinoni Adagio (or Giazotto's Adagio to be a little more accurate!) Thalben Ball Elegy I know that my redeemer liveth I'm currently working on the Barber Adagio as arranged by Strickland. I wouldn't have automatically thought of playing Howells - if I did I might go for Master Tallis's Testament which is about as melodic as Howells gets. The stuff above is all rather 'populist' but when you have non-church people in I think it works best. The Karg-Elert is a good suggestion for something loud if requested.

I've not listened, but according to the transcript it was to the tune 'Corvedale' by Maurice Bevan. It is one of the finest 20th century hymn tunes, and widely available now (in Common Praise, for example). There is a setting which includes interludes between verses which is in 'New English Praise' which makes it suitable as a straightforward anthem too.

Send them an e-mail and they'll sort it out for you. £8 as Peter said above.

One of the staples of the repertoire, and I've been 75% of the way to being able to play this for some time, but the one thing that has always troubled me is the rapid upwards rushes, which I can never seem to get my fingers round. What am I doing wrong?

Having now had a play-through, I am suitably impressed with this, and would echo everything that Peter said. Some of it is rather dischordal (but not unattractively so - would just require some work to get it right), particularly in the build-up, but it then resolves back into the original key at fff for a glorious playthrough. The LH work is fast but mostly repeated pattern, so its just a matter of getting it co-ordinated in. I think it would be very effective - it sounds quite fresh to me, and is certainly a little bit different. Recommended!

I did this in the service on Sunday (without having tried it beforehand) and thought it sounded very effective, heightening the anticipation in the third verse. Thanks Peter - will do it again! I now have the piece here and hope to spend a little time on it tonight - just a cursory play-through perhaps to get a feel for it. However, I do have a very busy Sunday coming up so one play-through might be all it will get for now!

Wednesday evening (23rd) Southwell Minster, 7.30pm Philip White-Jones £7 (£5 concessions) Tournemire - Improvisation sur le 'Te Deum' Buxtehude - Prelude & Fugue in F# minor Howells - Master Tallis's Testament Daquin - Noel X Peeters - Variations on an original theme Dupre - Symphonie-Passion Have to say I'm looking forward to this one!

I have looked at the arrangement - I'm not entirely convinced by it I'm afraid. I think it tries to force some over-elaborate harmonies in places. I find the original harmonies to be fairly successful. I add in a few passing notes, and turning the D major chord at the end of the third line into a seventh is an absolute must, but otherwise its pretty strong. Some things are best kept simple. Yes, it is an excellent hymn - nothing complicated, but really effective whether sung by thousands or by a dozen. I look forward to enjoying the organ piece too!

Our vicar did once put it down as an opener, but one of the servers did point out the irony of singing 'Be still' in procession! I've actually got it down for this Sunday as the gradual hymn, but it is of course equally at home sung during communion (however it is one of those hymns which is very popular and well-known so I try not to always confine it to the communion slot, a principle which I do apply to a number of the more modern numbers our vicar likes!). The piece itself sounds very interesting though. I can't seem to find it on the website (I assume its not up yet) - how much is it Peter?

I wouldn't say I am a skilled improviser by any means but I am delighted to say that I am perfectly comfortably twiddling away to fill time. This is a skill often demanded by the vicar, and its usefulness should not be underestimated! I also like practising playing with harmonic progressions, and in the days we had two communion hymns would take great joy at linking them seamlessly (in theory, at least) together. Now the vicar has decided he only wants one communion hymn so I instead take the hymn and link to and improvise on the theme of the anthem which follows. Then at least I know I have something to aim for. However, these things are very much twiddling away to no great effect, and are certainly not mini-compositions that would be worth repeating. To me the idea that something such as the Symphonie-Passion could have been improvised is just scary (probably almost as scary as the thought of having to transcribe it all!). In terms of last verse reharmonisations, I have to confess that I use books most of the time. I (but probably not others) would recommend getting something like the Rawsthorne collection which isn't particularly daring (all pretty much sight-readable, some are more interesting and successful than others) which will give you some ideas as to what might work. I use these ideas to either improve whats in the book or make up my own sometimes. If you want something more adventurous, then the RSCM collection with a blue cover has some crackers in (Helmsley, Llanfair and Miles Lane spring to mind) but they do need practice as they somewhat trickier. I think as others say these things get better with practice and trying them out.

Thanks for the clarification. I do really enjoy the 'Processional' which is perhaps Mathias' 'trademark' piece, and certainly the most widely played. Congregations enjoy it too - although it sounds modern it doesn't sound overly dischordant and for the organist it isn't that taxing - you're basically OK if you can play lots of consecutive fifths! I think the 'Recessional' which was written later is probably more interesting and more satisfying but isn't as approachable. As some point I will spend some time on it and learn it. The 'Fanfare' that I referred to is worth learning. Rather different to the 'Processional', but modern and impressive sounding and again not too difficult.

I am still assessing the major/minor chord thing. Now trying it with the minor so I can try to make a judgement. On talking to the audience, I'd agree. Of course programme notes are helpful, but they are somewhat impersonal and for an organist to make a few informed and maybe humourous remarks about what he is about to play is good. Not before every piece though I'd say - perhaps at the start of each half or maybe introducing pieces in blocks (depending upon how many you're playing etc.). And not for too long either!

I think tuneful, worthy music works to a point, but balance is the key to any programme. Something short, tuneful and cheery might be appropriate following something longer, deeper and altogether more serious. There is seriously good organ music out there which is worth hearing. Why be afraid of playing the Rheinberger Passacaglia I'm discussing elsewhere? Its a super piece, and its not particularly difficult listening IMO. What about the Healey Willan I,P&F too? Just to coin two examples. IMO we shouldn't be afraid of transcriptions. People like them. I gather Thomas Trotter on Easter Monday at Southwell was full with standing room only. He's about as close to a big name as you'll get, but he played several transcriptions. Like it or not, people do enjoy them. The other thing with programming is giving them something they want to hear. If you stick the Widor down as the finale, then you can play some more inventive stuff beforehand in the knowledge that people will think 'Oh good, the Widor...' and might turn up for it. Likewise with 565, and a few other pieces. Yes, they're overdone, but if they draw people in to hear other (perhaps better) stuff too then it works. I notice it an awful lot, not just in organ programmes - in choral and orchestral programmes too you put in something popular and use it to introduce people to less well-known stuff which they wouldn't turn up for in its own right. Let us not forget also that at church we have an important role in exposing people to organ music. Although less people go to church now than say 30 years ago, it still brings people in who wouldn't otherwise take an interest in organ music. By playing a carefully balanced selection of voluntaries you can get them on side and make them receptive to what you play.

Is this fanfare the one that appears in the Oxford Book of Ceremonial Music and which, with me lacking other ideas and having looked at before but never played, I decided I will do on Sunday morning?

This is no doubt a discussion which has been had many times on here, but anyway... I've just come back from Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall where I've been to the finale of the classical concert series there (which I would heartily recommend). It was the Halle with Cristian Mandeal at the helm - after pleasant stuff from Respighi and Delius, they then blew the roof off the hall with a thrilling rendition of Bolero (must be heard to live to do it justice) and then after the interval Jonathan Scott joined in for the simply marvellous Saint-Saens 3, a cracking way to finish the season. The Royal Concert Hall's only flaw is that it doesn't have a pipe organ, so they had to plug a digital in - a big four-manual job (no idea who's) which seemed to have plenty of bass but not a lot up top. My own (church) digital instrument is rather better thank you. After a couple of rounds of applause Scott then swang back over the organ stool and gave us a rendition of 'the Widor'. This seemed to go down really well, although the instrument as I said didn't do it justice at all. They should hear it on a proper organ. I have to say I enjoy playing it as a piece, but can't get excited about hearing it. Apparently others can though so I suppose that's something. About 30 seconds out of the auditorium door after we'd had further applause, I heard a woman behind me say 'that's one of the few pieces of organ music I can stand' or words to that effect. Urgh. Yes, its alright but surely there is far better stuff out there? Have people really investigated to see what there is out there for them to hear? How do we bring this kind of thing to them? Obviously there is no easy answer. Should we just give up when people pigeon-hole organ music like this?

Thanks for the comments, particularly on the balance aspect. I have the option on my organ of a 16' Fagotto or a 16' Trombone as pedal reeds. Perhaps the former would achieve the underpinning of the theme in the louder sections without bringing it out too much. I will experiment. On the final chord, I may well get shot down in flames, but I'm not offended by ending on a major chord. True, it is not what the composer wrote, but I don't think it is out of sync with what goes before - the G# which turns it major does occur several times in the coda section so doesn't seem to me 'unnatural'. Obviously I have come from the point of view of hearing it with the major ending first - how much of an influence does our first hearing of things like this have? Anyway, I've got about three more weeks before I will hopefully be playing it, at the Evensong for our Patronal Festival, and I will reflect on this before then.