Elizabeth Stratford

As the Organist and Master of the Choristers at Arundel Cathedral I'd just like to set the record straight for those of you who have posted in respect of the programme Songs of PRaise which was broadcast on BBC1 on 16 January 2011. Yes, our organ is sharp. When we restored in 2006 the committee, which comprised a number of respected organists as well as Ian Bell, the independent advisor, was concerned that by altering the instrument to concert pitch we would lose part of the instrument's historic status therefore rendering us unable to pay for the entire restoration. It is sad that such matters come down to budget but unfortunately this is often an issue. In addition to the costs involved which would significantly have increased overall costs, the overall decision was to leave things as they were. I am acutely aware of the sharpness of pitch which fluctuates from less than a quarter-tone up and bear with it on an almost daily basis and mentally transpose so I feel happier. The BBC use organists for Songs of Praise who are contractually engaged by them on a professional basis, many of whom are regular players for them. Yes, I would have been perfectly capable of playing the hymns myself but Daniel Moult, a highly respected organist, is part of the regular team and has played for Songs of Praise from the Royal Albert Hall, Coventry Cathedral etc etc. In addition he had recently accompanied the RSCM Millennium Youth Choir in a live broadcast from Arundel Cathedral and has also played here as a recitalist. He is known for not being fazed by such things and familiar to the BBC team. In addition, a number of the younger choristers were anxious about the process and I felt I was best placed with my choir rather than at the console, 300 feet away, turning pages. Songs of Praise also use animateurs - rather than straightforward conductors - but these are very limited in number. Those of you watching the Winchester programme which preceded ours may or may not have noted that even Andrew Lumsden did not direct the hymns. Gordon Stewart and Paul Leddington-Wright are the most commonly used animateurs in all the programmes - again, no reflection on the musicians that work in the buildings but part of a regular team of people who are imported. I was extremely amused by MM's post saying we met 30 years ago. I was still in nappies then. Many of his other points were accurate, and if asked to accompany Evensong at York Minster now I'd rip his arm off. I have (since getting older) played at York Minster and a number of other places in this country. I have even been known to give recitals. I regularly play for weddings and funerals at the Cathedral here but most of my day to day work is with the choir. We have had a number of comments about how glorious it was to hear the organ without brass. Again, a conscious decision but based on pitch as my advice to the BBC was not to try it (it's not easily done as the organ fluctuates). Finally, the BBC team were fantastic. We had excellent communication all the way through and I cannot speak highly enough of them. The producer, Sian Salt, was sympathetic to the Arundel traditions and a great deal of research was carried out before any choices were made. At all times those who were part of the programme were respectful, courteous and on a musical front, sought my advice. For those who felt I didn't have much to do, I actually chose the hymns. So those who are rejoicing about Coe fen - that's my favourite!! I wanted a broad range of hymns for both programmes (the previous one went out in September) which related to Newman, Catholicity, Arundel and also incorporate familiar melodies and words. I feel that we met that aim. I hope this answers some of the questions a number of you have been asking. Elizabeth Stratford