S_L

As Sloworg has said the refrain is, indeed by Decker. The Psalm tone sung on this occasion is by Peter Latona

I'm not sure this is the place for making unpleasant remarks about people who are now deceased. Some of us have a very different memory of +Bishop Mervyn as a kind but forthright, pastoral Bishop.

There is a print somewhere of 'The Infant Crotch' - but I can't find it!! Percy Scholes gives that: "At four years old he was giving daily organ recitals in London" and "At eleven he was pupil-assistant to the organist of King's and Trinity Colleges, Cambridge"

Oh, how I hate the extra hour in bed!! And, thank you, to Martin! I was watching this at 05h00 (my time!). Stunning - and I think that's the only word I can think of! Gloucester Cathedral is a building of complete superlatives - the glass, the great Norman pillars, the fan vaulting - all wonderfully shown on the video. They tell me, what do I know?, that you either love the organ or hate it. I thought the Bach sounded wonderful - real 'stylus fantasticus' - a romp from the beginning to the end. You're right Martin. I've known 'Froissart' since I first played it at RCM in 1968/69. I've often wondered what it would sound like on the organ or even, a bit like some Bruckner symphonies, if Elgar thought of the organ whilst he was writing the work. I thought the transcription to be amazing, written and performed by someone who thoroughly understood and knew well, the instrument they were arranging for and playing. And I liked the homely touch too - the settee in the loft for long sermons and the dust around the foot pistons!!! Brilliant - it made my early Sunday morning!

Sadly the ceremony I described is, seemingly, in the past! Although I live in France I'm still reasonably in touch with what goes on in the C of E! and I know that the 'Biretta Belt' in Birmingham just about exists but, perhaps, it is only one church now whereas 20/30 years ago there were eight that I can think of! I know of very few churches were you would see May and October devotions in the manner I described. It's a shame because it was nicely done, homely and welcoming. Converts to Rome miss Choral Evensong - but they can get it with the Ordinariate now. I miss St. Saviour's, Saltley on an October and May evening!

I realised, in the middle of the night where I had heard it before!! In times past , in May and October, we used to make our way, one Sunday night, down to St. Saviour's church in Saltley. St. Saviour's was in, what was known as 'The Biretta belt', a number of 'High', to say the least, Anglican churches in the inner-ring of Birmingham. The church was in the centre of the Muslim area of the city, the church school was 100% Muslim and the ceremony was presided over by the Parish Priest, Fr. Trevor Jones. "Welcome to our simple, little ceremony!!" The place was packed! And there followed Rosary, Sermon, Procession and Benediction. The Procession would come out of the church, Fr. Trevor preceded by a dozen West Indian altar servers, through the graveyard into the streets of Saltley where our Muslim brothers and sisters would stand at their doorways in a sort of silent respect (or complete bewilderment!!!) as the Blessed Sacrament went by. Back in church the sacrament was exposed and, after Benediction, we sang "Blessed and Praise be Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament. Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!" To the tune that Dave Harries mentions in his posting. The whole ceremony was very 'high', more 'smells and bells' and doffing of birettas than you could shake a stick at, and wonderfully done in a homely kind of way. I knew I'd heard it before. This was 30 years ago - so my surmise that it might be Berthier, I thought it might be Lucien Deiss at one point too, is as ridiculous as my mixing up Jean Guillou and Jean Guillou!!!

Yes. I realised that after posting!!!

I found that minutes after you had posted!! Yes, it exists in so many different versions. I even found a version of Jean Guillou playing it on a harmonium.

And it's starting to annoy me!! It isn't from Taize is it? - by Jaques Berthier

It's quite an old clip - from 2016. Cardinal Wuerl is no longer the Archbishop of Washington. I don't know what the piece is - but I've heard it before - which, possibly, means that it wasn't composed by Peter Latona. Looking further. It seems to be called Lauda Jerusalem - and I've found several version of it on Youtube - from Washington USA, Chartres France etc. I've even found a simplified version of the Refrain - but no composer name!! I suspect that it was arranged for the occasion. Was Peter Latona the DoM at the National Basilica in 2016? - I have a feeling he went there in 2017!

Is it the first awarding of the Nobel Prizes which took place in 1901, the year the Sonata was published and the year Rheinberger died? It was divided equally between Jean Henry Dunant "for his humanitarian efforts to help wounded soldiers and create international understanding" and Frédéric Passy "for his lifelong work for international peace. Of course, I may be way of the mark!!! But it's all I can think of!!!

In the case of my college, 531 years - and some of us were around in 1972 when it happened!

I see that it has been announced that St. John's College, Cambridge has agreed to admit girls and women to the choir. Andrew Nethsingha has said: "Providing an opportunity for girls and women to sing as members of the choir of St. John's is a very exciting development for the choral tradition of the college. Choral singing is a specialised art form and our choir has played a formative role in the careers of many globally recognised musicians. Extending membership to talented female singers creates an exceptional new musical opportunity for women and girls, as our much loved choir continues to make a highly valued contribution to the musical life of St. John's and the wider world" I say "not before time!" - but others might disagree!!! ......................... and then there is the possible Brighton - to Cambridge move!!!

Austrian recitalist, and organist of the Dominikanerkirche for 65 years has died at the age of 93. From the Domkirche in Passau: Reger Op. 95

.......................... and made it easier, on those rare occasions when the organ was used with an orchestra, for the organist to a) hear what he was doing and b) see, and be in touch, with the conductor. I know it is a considerable expense but I wonder if thought has been given to a second, moveable, console at Leeds - or whether the console is going to be moveable anyway!

LOL - but they're not over!!! I see, from your 'facebook' page you have succumbed and have played for the last two weeks and are playing for the next two!! We all miss it, at first but, eventually, something draws us back. I, too, didn't miss it and was glad to be out but now find myself accompanying the plainsong for the offices and Mass on 'Great days' at a Trappist Monastery in the Dordogne. And it has improved my reading of plainsong and my keyboard harmony, and accompanying of the plainsong, which always used to be reasonably good, is better now than ever before!!! 'Vigiles', with all those plainsong antiphons, at 04h15 in the morning, focusses the mind!!!

104 years old today. Wishing you a very Happy Birthday, Francis.

Wonderful Rowland - where do you find this stuff from? Clearly something is lacking in my musical education!!! And, after that, comes the next version!! One commentator enjoyed it so much they were thinking of having it for their wedding - which, for some of us, might be a slightly worrying thought!!!!

Apologies, that's probably my fault!! 'Erred and strayed like lost sheep' - it's what I do well!!!

Washington Cathedral has a Carillon and it is played every Sunday usually by the Cathedral Carillonneur, Dr Edward Nassor. It is an integral part of the morning worship, the title of the piece, often an improvisation on the music for the first hymn, arranged by Dr. Nassor, is printed in the Order of Service, preceding the Organ Preludes, the Introit and the Processional Hymn. The Carillon is made up of 53 bells weighing 64 tons. The bells were cast by Taylors of Loughborough, dedicated in 1963 and are the third heaviest set in the world. The Cathedral bells, a ring of 10 in D have a tenor weighing 32 cwt. (not that large as far as 'ringing' bells go!) which were cast, also in 1963, by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. They are usually rung after the worship, often to a quarter peal.

Oh dear!! I must be losing it!! Yes, I remember now!! Thank you Rowland.

I tried to find out something about this instrument and was, largely unsuccessful. There was some information and it is covered on another thread, posted reasonably recently, somewhere on here. But I can't remember in which thread!! From what I remember it was a four manual with one of the manuals being a piano. Apart from that I can't help. Pattman, who held the FRCO, was an interesting character. Born in 1875, he studied at Peterborough under Haydn Keeton, was organist at Hessle Parish church in the East Riding of Yorkshire in 1900 and quickly moved from there to Bridlington Priory where he held the post from 1901 to 1904. He then went to St. Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow for 12 years and then to London. The touring organ was ordered from Harrison & Harrison but no records seem to be available which surprises me. Pattman died in 1961. My maternal grandmother, who, herself, eventually held the FRCO was born at Etton and had organ lessons at Beverley Minster with J.H.N. Camidge but, before that, for a year, had lessons with Pattman at Bridlington. It appears that travel to Bridlington was an all day job! She went with the carrier, by horse and cart, the twelve miles to Driffield and then got the train to Bridlington returning in the evening. I don't know why she stopped lessons with Pattman. Perhaps the journey to Beverley was easier!

Absolutely!!! And, on the subject of Ligeti, can I recommend the very excellent book by my old colleague Richard Steinitz. An excellent read!

I don't think anyone played my piece in the RFH - at least, I hope not!! Yes. I remember those recitals - I was doing Post Grad. work at RCM - packed out they used to be - I wonder what went wrong!!!

Very Ligeti!! - which is not, exactly, that 'up to date'! - Volumina, mentioned in the clip, was written in 1961/62 - 60 years ago!!! And Ligeti has been dead for 15 years!! I didn't think it was, musically, particularly 'out of the ordinary' - or, perhaps it was, with an organist really using his instrument to experiment with different sound 'shapes'. I suppose that's, generally, not what organists are well-known for!!! Some interesting sounds. I remember writing a piece, when I was a student, some ten years after Volumina', for organ, which involved playing with a gloved fist! - but that's another story - and the score is, hopefully, lost!!! Enjoyed the clip, by the way! Thanks for posting it!