S_L
-
Posts
1,006 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by S_L
-
-
On 04/02/2022 at 07:35, ptindall said:
The ‘job of work’ argument doesn’t work very well either.
I'm sorry, I don't see an organ as a work of art (the case maybe!). It's a musical instrument that has to do a job. And when it can't do the job then it is time to replace, repair or get rid!
Some forumites know that i am not a first study organist. I had a life before this. In my previous existence I owned a rather beautiful 'cello. It dated from the late 18th century, was slightly less than full size but it had a slightly too short fingerboard. Getting 'up into the gods' was difficult and it wasn't powerful enough to play, for instance, the Dvorak concerto, with an orchestra. It had to go and I spent the next 30 years with a bigger, more powerful instrument. Both were beautiful instruments, both were worth a fortune but my reputation rested on the instrument being able to do what was required of it.
What is it about organs that makes them so special? Is the instrument in question that important in the great scheme of musical things? Is it untouched Arthur Harrison? - or has it had several additions, replacements, etc. since it was built?
I don't know the answer - but I do know that, once the scheme is released there will be further discussion about the specification etc.
-
Coe Fen has particular memories for me. A beautiful, beautiful tune and somewhere I and my dear late wife used to walk when we were young - a long time ago!
And I also thought that the use of the famous York Tuba was highly appropriate for the opening line of the last verse!!!
-
11 hours ago, OwenTurner said:
as guardians of artistically interesting and historic assets? Similar to if they chose to melt down a Henry Moore and mould into something else or demolished a listed building - those would get public interest?
So who decides what is artistically interesting - or an historic asset? And I don't think it's the same as a Henry Moore sculpture but perhaps a listed building has some similarities. The instrument has a job of work to do, the listed building might as well but the Henry Moore is only a thing of beauty or not, depending on your point of view! If the organ can't do the job of work that is needed of it then, perhaps, it's time for a change of some kind.
How drastic a change will, of course, be a matter of discussion. I would suggest, as I have often done before on this forum, that those who work with the instrument day by day, know what they expect of it and they work in the building that it is located, and should be, along with an independent advisor, the decision makers. Of course the specification of the new instrument hasn't been released yet - which, we all know, will lead to more discussion - even argument!
I'm not quite sure I would have been quite so blunt as John Carter - but I do think I agree with him!!
-
Can I make it very clear that I have absolutely no doubts that, at the time, adnosad did not intend others to think that his addition to my post had come from me. I assumed it was a simple mistake of a cursor being put in the wrong place.
At least that is what I thought until he refused to amend it.
-
On 30/01/2022 at 15:13, S_L said:
Why apologise? You are as entitled to your views as anyone else.
............................ and organs are not for the exclusive use of the worship of God
Please note that the above are my words.
Further down adnosad has added
....................... but of egos`, perhaps?
I asked adnosad to correct, modify or change his addition in a private message, so that it didn't look as if the 'egos' were a part of my quote, but he refused - I do so now!
-
On 27/01/2022 at 23:02, John Robinson said:
As an atheist, I rarely attend services and even then only if there is a recital at the end. Sorry!
Why apologise? You are as entitled to your views as anyone else.
............................ and organs are not for the exclusive use of the worship of God
-
2 hours ago, Rowland Wateridge said:
.Your French services sound very interesting, and I’m sure we would all like to know more about the music, including what is chosen for the voluntary on the forthcoming great Abbatiale occasion.- which I have just realised is on the Cathedral Organs thread, not this one! There has been some overlap in these discussions!
Would you, kindly, like to point me to that!
-
Not surprisingly to some, I expect, I disagree with almost everything that has been said here about Mass v Matins, new v old etc.
I'd like to spend more time explaining but I have to get out to play for the morning Mass - said/sung in a modern French translation, not Latin, with music written, I suspect, within the last five years, in a church that is regularly full for the service and where the people join in with the both the said and sung responses.
Perhaps I'll come back to it - or, perhaps, I'll just end up upsetting people - again!!!!
-
Organ Voluntaries!!
I play occasionally and on great days at a large monastery in the Dordogne. The first time I played the sister in charge of the music asked if I would play a sortie at the end of the Mass. I chose a piece of music that I knew reasonably well and expected that, sometime after the first page, the sisters and members of the congregation would start to depart as seems to be the custom others, in the UK, have experienced. Not so. The sisters sat there and listened as did the congregation which was slightly worrying as, having dug the music out only an hour or so before Mass, I hadn't had a huge amount of time to look much past the first couple of pages. I made it to the end without becoming a composer and learnt my lesson very quickly.
On Wednesday we have the installation of a new Abbess. The event is by invitation only and the place will be packed. The local Bishop, together with the Head of the Cistercians in France and a Cardinal from Rome are to be present. Mother Abbess will be installed, given her crozier and give her Abbatiale Blessing. There is a huge amount of music, all in French, to get through and the sister responsible for the music asked me "et le sortie?" I've looked at all of it - carefully - I won't be caught out again!!!
-
The 'Times' obituary of the 24th January
Francis Jackson | Register | The Times
I understand Francis' funeral is in York minster on Thursday 3rd of February at 11h00.
-
4 hours ago, philipmgwright said:
Banks when in Stonegate 1970s was a treasure house for organ music scores-every last inch used in the attic rooms - presided over by the venerable Miss Banks and Nicholas who knew everything about your most obscure requests
I remember Nicholas well and there was another guy in there who was almost as good! I can see them both but his name escapes me!
As for the Venerable Miss Banks, I always felt a little the same as visiting the Headmaster's office whenever I saw her! She was formidable! I think it was Ray Lovely of Lovely Music in Tadcaster, an excellent music shop, long since gone, who said, on hearing of the death of Miss Banks that "she didn't die, she went out of print!"
-
1 hour ago, Adnosad said:
Bowled out for 103. Pretty good score really.
In the spirit of the board - 104 actually!!!
-
Now is, perhaps, not the time for posting memories but just to say how sad I am to hear this news. I understand that Alice, Bill and Edward were with him when he died.
The passing of a giant - now he is reunited with Priscilla - May he rest in peace.
-
8 hours ago, John Morris said:
Apparently, one of Terry's finer moments at a Westminster Cathedral was when he yelled (at the clergy) 'can't one of you b*ggers even sing an alleluia?'
In my, considerable, experience, as an English Roman Catholic church musician, this is not unusual - Bishops were the worst - they turned up minutes before the celebration was due to begin and were at their most dangerous when they said they would "sing whatever you want me too!"
As I have said, on a number of occasions before, I could write a book - but no one would believe me!!!
-
The opening Recital is to be given, by Oliver Latry, on Thursday January 20th at 19h30.
Programme to include music by JSB, Vierne and Latry
-
15 hours ago, Rowland Wateridge said:
I believe the late Queen Mother took up the cause for GTB’s knighthood. There’s a moving memorial to him in the foyer of Birmingham Town Hall:
Sir George Thalben-Ball CBE MusD FRCM FRCO (1896-1987)
City Organist 1949-1983
City Organist Emeritus 1983-1987
Doyen of Organists
And a true gentleman
He was additionally Head of Religious Music at the BBC and sometimes accompanied ‘the Daily Service’ followed by a short extemporised voluntary, usually on one day of the week and a highlight for a late uncle of mine (not an organist!) who thought these were utterly wonderful.
I was invited to GTB's Memorial Service in St. Philip's Cathedral in Birmingham. The Master of the Queen's Musick, Malcolm Williamson, gave a eulogy. He was clearly, 'not well' is perhaps the best way of putting it and delivered the most outrageous eulogy to the, very audible, gasps of the assembled company. Somewhere I have the Order of Service but I can't remember, for the life of me, what we were served up!
-
3 hours ago, Rowland Wateridge said:
A select few possess both degrees; in the case of Francis Jackson, Dunelm 1957 and Cantuar 2012 - 55 years apart!
I should add that I wasn't, for one moment, suggesting Francis as one of those who styled himself Dr. and was, yet, only holding an honorary degree. I am well aware that he holds the Durham D. Mus by examination.
But I am struggling to think of any holder of a University Doctorate degree and also a Cantuar Doctorate in the North of England - but I'm sure that Rowland will enlighten me!!
-
2 hours ago, Martin Cooke said:
In the case of Lambeth degrees, many cathedral organists ended their days with a DMus (Cantuar) but that no longer happens.
And called themselves 'Doctor' - which then leads us into another argument whether those holding an Honorary Doctorate should, like those of us who worked for it, be entitled to be addressed as such!! Two past, north of England, organists spring to mind, neither University Graduates, both holding Honorary Doctorates from a local University, both deferentially referred to as 'Doctor .............. - which, in my mind, implies some kind of academic status!
-
6 hours ago, john carter said:
If the status of musicians is to be promoted, it is for all of us to lobby those who submit the nominations to ensure they fully reflect the person whose name they have put forward.
Any individual or group of people can recommend someone to receive an honour. It's simply a matter of filing in the necessary forms which are available on the Internet. Following that, checks are made by various Government departments as to the suitability of the person recommended. The process takes about 12 to 18 months.
I noted, in the recent honours list that 'Services to Wheelchair Rugby' figured quite highly in the awards. Clearly those responsible for 'Wheelchair Rugby' got their act together a couple of years ago in a way that Church Musicians have not been able to!!!
-
8 hours ago, John Robinson said:
Oh, and the choir was very good too!
Being only around ARCO standard I'm not really qualified to comment on the organ but I did, some time back, listen to recordings of the morning Mass and Evensong from York and was hugely impressed by the quality of the choir. I remember hearing a 'fauxbourdon' service by Philip Moore which was stunningly beautifully sung.
I don't know whether I am allowed to say this but I do remember 'the old days' and there are lots of epic stories told about the Minster choir of the 1960's, My late wife came from York, was a member of the Chapter House choir, good friends with FJ, and taught by Andrew Carter. She had a fund of memories, some of them hilarious!!
-
On 25/12/2021 at 22:23, John Robinson said:
Still none the wiser, I'm afraid!
Listen to the music of Alois Haba! He wrote several theoretical articles on microtonality and, in 1925, wrote his major theoretical work New Harmony Textbook of the Diatonic, Chromatic, Quarter-, Third-, Sixth-, and Twelfth-tone Systems. His theories appear in a lot of his music and he also had woodwind instruments made that would play in microtones. In 1924 he had his first quarter tone piano made and in 1927 a German firm made for him, a sixth-tone harmonium based on designs by Busoni
Cage did use microtones - particularly in 'Five' of 'Thirteen' but I wouldn't have said that he was a great exponent. Granted his 'Indian' influence does bring up microtonal music but that is only a small fraction of his considerable output.
-
Presumably we are all working at Christmas - so what are you planning to play/sing/accompany?
I'll kick off:
Christmas Midnight Mass is at ................... Midnight!!! The Nuns sing the Office of Vigiles at 21h45.
Mass begins in silence, no organ music, followed by the Introit: Dominus Dixit - (II tone)
The Mass setting is: Mass IV Cunctipotens Genitor Deus (The Plainsong is accompanied - reading from a Four-line stave!!!!)
Credo III
At the Offertory: Daquin - Noel X
Adeste Fideles - at the end of Mass
Sortie: Karg-Elert - 'Adeste Fideles' - from 'Cathedral Windows' Op. 106
Christmas Morning is interesting - to say the least!
Again a silence followed by the Plainsong Introit: Puer natus est nobis - VII Tone
The Mass setting is in French: Messe du Carmel by Ph. Robert - strange music!!
The Credo is by Stephanie Caillat - hugely dissonant - I can't imagine this ever being sung in an English Parish church!!!
At the Offertory - Il est ne le Divin Enfant
Sortie: In Dulci Jubilo - Bach BWV 729
Wishing everyone a Happy and Holy Christmas - and an excellent New Year - when it comes!!
-
1 hour ago, ajsphead said:
By looking at it.
Fair enough!!!
-
6 hours ago, Martin Cooke said:
OK, the musical status of Manchester cathedral isn't, maybe, on the same level at York and Canterbury, but they do have a brand new organ, so you would think some news of it would leak out!
I heard something a couple of months ago about Manchester but, whether it was reliable, I don't know which is why I wouldn't repeat it publicly here.
New organ for Charterhouse school
in The Organ
Posted
You might be surprised, but I don't disagree with a lot that you have written here.
However it's emotional stuff and I'm not sure emotional stuff always cuts ice!!! You write "Those hearing its greatness in the following decade went off to fight Hitler to achieve the freedoms that we now take for granted, and were willing to die to defend them." My mother was in SOE, and in France in 1944/45, so I know a little bit, albeit second-hand, about the fight against Hitler! Of course you could have written "Those sitting in chapel bored to death at listening to tedious organ music ............................... defend them."
Is the organ part of the War Memorial? or does it just exist within the War Memorial?
I've seen posts about this in other places. Presumably you have contacted the school, English Heritage, Commonwealth War Graves etc.
Tricky one - and I suspect it isn't going to go away without some metaphorical blood being shed!!!