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Everything posted by Andrew Butler
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Or Caleb Simper? ;-)
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Then there is my main church, where the priest asked me a few months ago to only play quiet voluntaries, as "Some people have tinnitus" In my usual pig-headed fashion, I have not played a voluntary at all since! (Apart from a couple of occasions when I had received requests for special occasions)
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Indeed - and the repeats in this piece are integral as it is a dialogue between Horns and Flutes. Superficial is a good word! There is a parallel - to me at least - with his Preces & Responses which, although attractive, do not stand up as well as others from the same period or earlier.
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Apologies for delay in replying - I only look on the forum occasionally. That was badly put owing to doing it in a hurry - apologies. What I meant was that it is the sort of piece that sounds "nice" but is lacking something - I use it as a voluntary, and people have commented that they like it, but it bores me. I suppose it would be more interesting using a period "French Horn" stop than the composer's suggested Diapasons.
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There is an attractive but rather dull - and boring to play - "Air for French Horns and Flutes" by John Reading in Volume 3 of Novello's "English Organ Music" where Reading says "Play the French Horns upon the Diapasons an octave lower" (Only possible exactly as writ with a "long compass") It is true "horn writing"
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Canterbury Cathedral & Manchester Cathedral, New organs
Andrew Butler replied to Neil Crawford's topic in General discussion
Interesting point! The present Nave Organ does a pretty good job and I was wondering what the logic was behind a division in the western transepts. Now, in the eastern transepts makes some sense, as at the moment, with a service in the Quire it is necessary to couple the Choir Organ ( most of which is at the east end of the south triforium - Tubas are near the Pulpitum) to support singing near the High Altar. -
The last time I played an Evensong at Canterbury (a good 25 years ago now) I didn't have time to set up a capture memory channel, so I used David Flood's settings. IIRC one of the Swell pistons had a "mini full swell" effect with something like 16' Bourdon, 8 & 4 Diapasons, Flageolet and Hautbois - which was very effective and useful.
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Do we know what the "temporary organ" will be?
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Link isn't live - for me at any rate.....??
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Not sure what was there before (may have been an Allen but I have a feeling it was a Makin...) but Sutton Valence now have a custom Viscount.
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I always enjoy KCC's offerings - how refreshing to read positive comments for a change!! I can't quite put my finger on why, but I must confess to finding the plainsong Passion Gospel a slightly weak link though... Regarding the organ - has anything been done to the big Swell 8' Reed (can't remember if it's a Trumpet, Horn, or whatever)? It seems much more evident now...
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I guessed that was probably the case - I just couldn't find any mention of it anywhere. I have subsequently found it in a St Johm's Choir association newsletter from the autumn.
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The Radio 3 Choral Evensong page for Ash Wednesday's broadcast from St John's Cambridge has John Challenger as "Acting DOM" I can find nothing on the college website as to Andrew Nethsingha's absence....??
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Carlise Cathedral advertising for DOM in this week's Church Times
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Talking of Canterbury, the first time I played there was for a local deanery choirs evensong with David Flood conducting. Unfortunately, a lightning strike the previous night had knocked out the CCTV link so I couldn't see him conducting. We agreed on tempi beforehand, and it went fine until I forgot in the Stanford in C Mag Gloria David didn't want any sort of rall at the end....!
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I almost had a bad accident at Canterbury Cathedral some years ago when playing for a visiting choir. I had a brief practice a couple of days previously and had decided, as time was too short to set up my own, to use the then Assistant's piston settings. Presumably for a psalm with trumpets and shawms mentioned, he had in the meantime changed Swell 1 from the Celestes to 8 & 4 Reeds. Luckily, I spotted it in time!
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I had a feeling there had been a similar topic in the past, but can't actually find it... Apologies in advance is this is a duplication! We all make mistakes from time to time, and suffer problems caused by others. In over 40 years of playing in church, at the end of last year I had the worst "disaster" I have ever suffered. To cut a long story short, at a very big service which was supposed to proceed unannounced, the priest for some reason announced everything - sometimes at unexpected points. I was caught on the hop with an announcement of a choir piece (Warlock: Where riches is everlastingly) Owing to colds / fatigue amongst choir members it had been decided to perform it in C Minor rather than D Minor. Being caught "off guard" I totally forgot, and played it as writ in d; not having "perfect pitch" I thought nothing of it, until I realized the choir just could not "pitch" it. The performance collapsed - with much sniggering from the congregation. I apologized to the choir afterwards - they were surprisingly unbothered by it. I apologized to the priest, and asked if my apology could be printed in the following week's news sheet, but he said it wasn't necessary, although I pointed out that the choir, who were blameless, seemed to have been at fault to the ears of the congregation. I was - and still am - totally devastated by what happened. My (admittedly rather silly) immediate "knee-jerk" reaction at the time was to resign from every professional body, unsubscribe from Facebook organists' groups, and "unfriend" on Facebook all my musical contacts as I felt totally unworthy to remain in contact! I just wondered how others cope with such things?
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The Royal Festival Hall Organ - what if ?
Andrew Butler replied to emsgdh's topic in General discussion
This was "Organ In Close Up" I was wrong in my previous comment about the performer being David Bell It was Leslie Pearson -
The Royal Festival Hall Organ - what if ?
Andrew Butler replied to emsgdh's topic in General discussion
The disc was called "Organ In Close-Up" Was the performer David Bell...? [see PS] I never quite understood the reason for it, although it was explained on the sleeve. PS - See later post. It was Leslie Pearson, not David Bell -
There was a ukelele band playing and singing "Silent Night" outside my local Waitrose on Saturday morning.
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If they are that "talented" surely they could use their music reading ability to learn the "songs"?
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Yes, I suppose so - although I would have thought as it is a combined Choir/Solo division, a pair of undulating strings - contrasting with whatever the Swell ones are like - would be of more use. (Not criticizing the scheme in any way, just a personal opinion)
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I wonder what the rationale was behind the Viola 8 and Fugara 4 on the Choir/Solo? I am sure there was a reason and that they work well, but I am not sure, on paper, what I would use then for in that scheme!
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Question answered! :-)