S_L
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Posts posted by S_L
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2 hours ago, ptindall said:
So perhaps those people who tried to accentuate the positive regarding HTB’s stewardship of the building and its organ might like to reconsider? The St John’s rumour has been going around for some time: Andrew Nethsingha hates the present instrument. Any attempt to move the Willis into St John’s will result in the destruction of a historic organ. Being a college, they can unfortunately do what they want.
Some strong words! And, perhaps, there might be an element of truth in what you say. Only AN can pronounce on the statement that he hates the instrument. As far as being a college and they can "unfortunately do what they want" that isn't true. The Chapel will be listed by EH, as a Class I listed building. I suspect that the organ is also as part of that listing. Permission will need to be grated by EH as well as, in all probability, by the Diocese of Ely - there will be all kinds of hoops to jump through before this can happen!!!
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9 hours ago, DaveHarries said:
Didn't see a mouse - unless you are imagining things. Saying that I wouldn't blame any mouse for doing that!
Dave
At 4:41 - on the video I watched a red arrow appeared to show the mouse!! poor thing must have thought its end had come!!!
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Thank you Martin for Andrew Lucas' account of the use of the royal Trumpets.
I never said that they Royal Trumpets were banned! I said that Her Majesty was 'a little taken aback' and that a request was made that they weren't used when she was underneath them - which is, in effect, what Andrew wrote.
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10 hours ago, contraviolone said:
The Royal Trumpets are rarely used.
I am reliably told that the first time 'herself' heard the Royal Trumpets she was somewhat taken aback by the noise they made and the 'old Duke' was a little more forthright about them!!! I'm also told that a request came, from 'Buck house' that they be not used when the two, aforesaid mentioned persons are directly underneath them!!!
Only gossip of course but it's a good story with, I understand, an element of truth!
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12 hours ago, contraviolone said:
Indeed. The ongoing conundrum of balancing the needs of a strong choral tradition in the quire and the wider needs within large cathedral spaces.
Perhaps the French have the best idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=913NA4Axyiw
Yes - I'm not quite sure what the video was designed to tell me - apart from the French tend to have, in their cathedrals, two organs, le grande orgue at the west End and the orgue de choeur in the choir. Despite this seemingly preponderance of organs, the French don't have strong choral tradition. I'll be willing to bet that, prior to the Widor you post from the cathedral in Nancy the noises that preceded it at Holy Mass were a little grim. I've been in a very well-known Paris church on a Sunday morning attempting to sing Credo III, accompanied, antiphonally, by the two organs (and two organists of vastly different standards!!!) and it has been impossible to sing, the Grande Orgue swamping the congregation together with the over resonant acoustic and with little co-ordination between the two players!
But I hear what you say!
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On 20/11/2020 at 15:42, contraviolone said:
I remain a bit unconvinced with regard to the work at Canterbury.
Perhaps you would like to tell us more!!!
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1 hour ago, Paul_H said:
I've re-uploaded as a standard Word file in case it was the PDF it didn't like - if that doesn't work I'll have to think of something else. You wouldn't believe I worked in IT, would you!
Sorry - it still shows as: "This attachment is not available. It may have been removed or the person who shared it may not have permission to share it to this location."
Perhaps it's my computer!!!
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16 hours ago, Paul_H said:
I don't think I've ever seen this published before - it's the 1965 proposed specification for a 5-manual rebuild of the Bridlington Priory organ.
Raymond Sunderland was my choirmaster at Bridlington Priory as well as piano teacher and music teacher at my secondary school. I'd always been keen on the "nuts and bolts" of the organ and spent many a chilly hour holding notes whilst he tuned. He gave me this copy of the specification at school one day - it was a typical school glossy photostat of the original carbon-copy, so it's not the best quality. I tried scanning but it's not at all easy to read, so as I've got time on my hands at the moment (furloughed!!) I've typed it up for posterity. (I didn't type the back six pages which detail the physical work, but if anyone's interested I've another three weeks of this to fill so just say the word!)
There are a couple of obvious typos in the original which I've kept but made a note of.
Hope you find it interesting.Paul
I knew Raymond Sunderland well. He was my close friend and I was, I know like yourself, devastated that Christmas morning in 1977.
I'd love to read the enclosure - but unfortunately it won't show on my computer!!!
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On 01/11/2020 at 13:59, Paul Isom said:
They're not long pieces, but all beautifully crafted and worth playing.
One of my ex-colleagues had been a student of Thiman at the RAM.
At Vespers we used to, occasionally, sing, as an Introit, one from the book of 24 Introits published by Novello. They were, mostly, sight-readable, quite short, beautifully crafted and well worth singing
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13 hours ago, Martin Cooke said:
I have a copy of the Arthur Wills Ely Organ Book.
Martin. I think there are two of them. I seem to remember I have copies of both somewhere here!
13 hours ago, Martin Cooke said:And thinking of Oecumuse which I am sure a lot of us had dealings with in its heyday,
Oecumuse - of blessed memory!!
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There are two Carillons in Birmingham to my knowledge. One is the famous Bournville Carillion, the other is in the RC church of the Holy Rosary in Saltley. I was once invited to play them both - but, somehow, never got around to it!!
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I performed his Mass in Memory of Benjamin Britten in St. Chad's cathedral in Birmingham around about 1983. It wasn't easy, a good piece and I remember the choir, who had never attempted anything like that before, enjoyed it! And it worked in the resonance of the old St. Chad's cathedral. I also, at different times, used some of his descants and fanfares - all very well crafted!
Requiem Aeternum
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3 hours ago, Martin Cooke said:
If you want to see - or even purchase (!) - a beautiful hood, the owner of the eBay FRCO hood is also disposing of their Trinity Dublin BMus on eBay - take a took!
He is also selling an ARCO and ARCM hood
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1 hour ago, Rowland Wateridge said:
I feel I ought to acknowledge that S_L was correct in originally attributing the re-design of the hood to Francis Jackson.
Thank you Rowland, I appreciate that! I was sure that it was Raymond Sunderland had told me that FJ had some input into the new FRCO hood but was slightly wary of mentioning it because, on here, people are so quick to refute what one writes!! Of course, I've never worn one and am amazed at the cost. As I said my Ph.D hood cost me, I think £75 and, of the innumerable hoods that I have earned I don't think I ever paid more than £50 for one. I can't remember the last time I wore a hood - perhaps Evensong at Kings in the last century!!!
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2 hours ago, Martin Cooke said:
Or, perhaps, this one belonged to someone famous - Howells or Vaughan Williams...!! (Unlikely, of course)
Most unlikely as you say Martin - because VW died in 1958 and didn't the new hood come in about early 1970!! It could have been Howells, I suppose - he died in 1983!!
The old hood was turquoise and brown, my Grandmother had one!!! Someone told me that the new hood was inspired (or even designed) by Francis Jackson - no doubt I'll be corrected on that!!!
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£155 now - and 19 bids!!
I can't believe there are 19 FRCO's out there needing a hood and being prepared to pay that kind of money!!
How much is a new one? I only paid £95 for my Ph.D. hood!
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I watched this last night.
I have a 'soft spot' for the Durufle Requiem, and I can think of a not very 'pc' word to describe the Kyries - orgasmic!! (I hope this word doesn't cause offence!) Trinity college chapel is not large by any stretch of the imagination but, given social distancing etc. I thought this to be an splendid performance, recorded live nearly a fortnight ago on September 30th. I thought both the Metzler and the organist coped very well, there are easier organs in Cambridge to play this music on.
And, on a very personal note, September 30th was the ninth anniversary of the death of my dear wife. This performance fitted the bill entirely.
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14 hours ago, Martin Cooke said:
Do you think JS-W might be able to identify it? I have no idea how to contact him, though I would much like to over my Tertius Noble query as well!
I suggested that you might contact JSW in the Tertius Noble thread but, there, you said that you were reticent.
JSW's phone number is in the BT book where you will also find his address. He is also on Linkedin but his website seems to be down at the moment
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What a wonderful present from a local Organist's Association to it's most distinguished and oldest member and one time President. And, for me, lots of memories of continuo playing at York in FJ's day.
Belated Happy Birthday Francis!
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I don't normally listen to Choral Evensong! Despite it being one of the glories of the 1549/1552/1662 Prayer Book and the English Reformation it is not part of my tradition.
However on Darius' recommendation I listened to the recording from Guildford. I have to say that it was as fine as any I have heard for a very, very long time. Thank you Darius - and to KD-W and the choir from Guildford. Sitting in the middle of rural France listening to English Liturgical practice and, particularly to Coe Fen seemed slightly bizarre but brought back all kinds of feelings and happy memories!
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10 hours ago, Brizzle said:
Dear all,
A friend of mine has a morbid fear of page turners peering over his shoulder during performances
LOL. I remember, many years ago, playing the piano for a violinist, now a professional violist, who was doing his Grade VIII. Two of the pieces spring to mind. The first was a Mozart Rondo with a very long piano introduction. the second was some Poulenc, I can't remember the piece, but I do remember the piano part was horrendous. It was a piece that needed considerable preparation on my part before we even thought about putting it with the violin. Anyway it all worked out quite well and we went to the exam. We arrived at the exam room and, as we were going into the exam I asked the steward who the examiner was (I was also an Ass. B. examiner) to be told it was Geoffrey Pratley who had been accompanist to Janet Baker as well as Tortelier and the violinist Ralph Holmes both of whom I knew. I was not happy!! We got into the exam room and played the first piece, can't remember what it was and the Mozart and I was preparing the Poulenc on the piano music stand when Geoffrey Pratley commented on a really awkward page turn in the middle. Would I like him to come over and page turn for me? My only retort was "You stay where you are!!!!" He smiled and afterwards, I was quite pleased, complimented me on my accompanying adding "and you're not a pianist are you?"
As a pianist/organist I hate someone looking over my shoulder. As a 'cellist, which is what I really am, I have always sat 'outside' when playing in an orchestra and can't ever remember turning a page in my life!!
Your friend's creation isn't rocket science - but very useful I would think! It would have been very handy with the Poulenc - it's practical - but is it legal and could it be used in, for instance, an Ass. B exam?
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John Scott Whiteley has recorded Autumn. (Naxos) Have you thought of contacting him. I suspect he might have quite a number of the Choral Preludes too! And if he hasn't he might be able to point you in the right direction.
You could even try speaking to FJ who, I have always found to be most accommodating!
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10 hours ago, S_L said:
I
Posted by mistake - sorry!!!
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12 hours ago, Achilles 3201 said:
It used to be a delight to pop in, before the 'visitor attendants' became so conspicuous.
In the true tradition of the board, for diverting away from the topic in discussion, can I say that I have always found the 'attendants' at Norwich incredibly helpful.
I visited there quite a few years ago with a close friend, an African Bishop, in full episcopal dress!! A few days earlier we had been at Coventry where the Bishop was insulted by the 'attendants'. (Them) "He'll have to pay the £8 entry fee!" (Me) "It is customary to waive the fee for visiting clergy". (Them) "He's not one of ours!!!" He was - we left!!! At Norwich they were helpful without being overpowering and we had a lovely experience and a lovely visit!!
Didn't hear the organ though!!
Seasons Greetings
in General discussion
Posted
And, belatedly, from me too!
I spent Christmas and the New Year in the UK, made three attempts to get home! I was thwarted by covid restrictions prior to Christmas and, a week later, my almost new car breaking down at 02h00 in the morning on the M40. Today I, finally, at last, arrived back home! I wasn't able to 'log-on' in the UK so no greeting from me until now!
Let us hope that 2021 brings with it more joy than 2020 - which, as far as I can see, was a miserable year.
Good wishes to all.