Peter Clark
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Posts posted by Peter Clark
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! According to a poster in the cathedral, Mr Laube had been refused entry to the UK at Heathrow airport.
Any idea why?
P
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That said, recently I suggested that I might be allowed to help out with playing from time to time in a local parish church with professional music direction and organist. It was suggested that, if I was unable to make it into work for my day job, the last person I would call upon to push planes round the sky was he, the organist, therefore why would I expect to do the same for his job. This doesn't help
Crass insensitivity on that organist's part.
Peter
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What counts is sensible choice of targets and intelligent application.
Paul's advice to Whistlestop is (as one would expect from so distinguished a performer) most sound. I would like to add something however from my own experience. I have always considered myself a competent player, able to accompany most of the standardliturgical literature and capable of presenting an adequate, if not mind-blowing, recital. But I like to pirch my next or current project just that little bit beyond what I am presently capable of. As an example, 6 months ago I would not have beleived I could give a persuasive account of Dupre's Cortege at Litanie, which is what I have been working on since about January. (My parents bought me the score as a Christmas present.) Now I am at the stage where I still can't give a public performance of it, but I know I will be able to in a few weeks. Slaving away at it, asking other organists for advice and. most importat of all, loving playing it despite all the mistakes I currently make, has given me a new found confidence. Obviously I haven't neglected other music and regularly play through pieces with which I am wholly familiar and confident. But that reaching out beyond what I thought possible and really wanting to attain it, that has been a great learning experience.
Best as ever to all
Peter
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I have the 1881 Breitkopf edition to hand here, edited by Clara Schumann, no less. There are no suggestions at all as to registration. In fugue I, the pedal doesn't enter until bar 12 - so no attempt to move the manual parts to the pedals. Lovely clear layout, too.
Thanks for this. IMSLP have the Clara Schumann edition which is a model of clarity and common sense!
Peter
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Many thanks for the link which includes a sheet music download - haven't seen that before. I'd better be armed with the thing in case anyone else wants it but I can't imagine it will sound any better (or worse) on the organ.
I was never too leen on the original, but this.......
Peter
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I have the Bretkopf edition of these, edited and with a preface by Wolfgang Dallmann. His aim, assuming a 3-manual intrument with "electrical registration" and modern playing aids (the publication date is 1974) is a "realisation in sound which is ideally appropriate to the expressive content of the work, yet which agrees with the somewhat restrained sound of the romantic organ..." and goes on to say that you could probably play them on a "fully mechanical" organ (with regsitration assistants) or even, heaven forbid, a 2-manual instrument.
That's before you get to the music itself which is to my mind somewhat overburdened with registration suggestions, fingering and footing suggestions and an unnecessary number of manual changes. There is also a problem with loss of continuity when the pedal continues or concludes a line begun the the manual and vice versa , since a 16' registration is indicated for the pedal (though coupled) and 8 and 4 for the manual (see eg Fugue 1 bars 7-9, Fugue 3 bars 17-18).
I would welcome members' thoughts on this topic.
Thanks
Peter
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I've asked this elsewhere and scored a blank: has anyone been asked to play a Bridal March by Miranda Wong?
I was presented with this request literally at the last minute recently so couldn't oblige as I had never heard of it.
Does this help?
http://www.popcafemusic.com/home/music-sto...p;product_id=22
Peter
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Crosby, B: The Bells of St Mary's
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More like quirky in my opinion and it befuddles the congregation (although I suppose that might be considered a good thing!!).
Richard
Why? With choir support it can be sung by an average congregation - after all is, arguably, not much more than a slightly elaborate psalm chant.
Peter
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Hymn - Hail Gladdening light - to that tune no one likes
What, Stainer's? It beautiful in my opinion!
Peter
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How did subsribers feel about the promotional CD that came with the latest issue? On the whole I liked it. Actualy I thought this one of the better issues for a while. I very much enjoyed resdig the piece on Iberian instruments, having lived in Spain for a while. The article by Rosemary Parrott was both thoughful and thouht provoking. In all, a fine edition of a journal which has seen its ups and downs recently.
Peter
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About two weeks ago, on the same day, I attended two recitals given respectively by Dr.John Pemberton (Hull City Hall) in Beverley Minster and Carleton Etherington (of Tewkesbury Abbey) at Holy Trinity Hull. In each programme, a particular work caught my ear so I was on to my regular suppliers (no names, but they're in Worcestershire) pretty soon after.
On my return from a little holiday, I found their parcel waiting for me. Efficient, yes certainly - but more to the point, both items were out of print and unlike the bad old days, these two volumes had been produced in double quick time by Novellos using their Special Order Edition arrangements. The copies sent to me are both study copies, very well ring bound. i.e. better than your average in-car atlas. The print is clear and (thank goodness) in original size and format. I wanted to let the forum know that such things exist and that I can thoroughly recommend them. Neither book cost me appreciably more than I imagine an 'in-print' copy would have been, and somewhere not far from the cost of second-hand scores via the well-known guy in Liverpool whose services I also very happily patronise.
It would be good if all publishers could manage this level of service, thank you Novellos!
OK Paul, don't tease us! What were the pieces?
P
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Yes, thanks. I too remember these programmes and I think did a follow up series on choirs.
Peter
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Avoid any pork scratchings tho!!!!!!
B
I phoned the NHS helpline about swine flu but all I got was some crackling.
yes, I know, it's an old one already
P
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Justason is playing at the Three Choirs Festival on Monday, August 10th.
13:00, Holy Trinity Church, 166 Whitecross Rd, Hereford, HR4 0DH
J S Bach Selections from Clavierubung III
Prelude in Eb BWV 552i
Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam BWV 684
Aus Tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir BWV 686
"St. Anne" Fugue BWV 552ii
César Franck Prelude, Fugue et Variation
Herbert Howells Psalm Prelude no. 1, set 1
Maurice Duruflé Choral Varie sur "Veni Creator Spiritus"
£5
Cameras and screen are threatened.
http://www.3choirs.org/2009-hereford/progr...ence-thain.html
Best wishes
J
Great to see Justason doing so well. All this and lacrosse too! Has he ever thought of signing up to this forum? I'm an old fogey whose university days are long gone but it would be informative,and I'm sure entertaining, to have some insights from the younger organist and musical student life generally.
P
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Prélude sur une Antienne. I found this beautifully reflective short work in the Langlais collection 'Neuf Pieces' after hearing it on a Lammas CD from St. Albans recently. The score itself doesn't give much information away, and most of the internet search results relate to the sale of that same Lammas recording. The question is, does anyone know which anthem chant the piece is based on, or whether Langlais created an original melody in the style of chant?
I realise that the piece may not be particularly well known, so if I'm met with stunned silence, I'll post the chant melody notation.
Manyt years ago I made a study of the plainchant and plainsong themes Langlais used in his works with a view to creating eventually a catalogue and was in touch with him - he felt it a worthwhile project and was most encouraging. (I still treasure a letter from him, written in his wife's hand but which he signed.) The iron fist of circumstance saw to it that the project would never fully be realised but I still have some research notes and bibliographic sources. I see that this particular piece dates from 1929, considerably earlier than the rest of the collection (1942-3). I don't have this score to hand but if you'd care to post the melody I'll have a look through my notes and in my Liber Usualis and see if I can come up with anything. (Actually I suppose you'll have to send me a PDF, so please PM me for my email.)
Peter
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Well I'm on the next plane to Finland!
P
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I found this tonight..
http://www.televisiontunes.com/All_Gas_and_Gaiters.html
P
(I must get out more)
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I don't really suppose Peter or anyone else has time to audition "visiting organists," let alone the desire to say "I'm sorry, but you're not good enough," but it does seem to be the case that those who don't know the score are not proper organists (and from whom your instruments may well need defending).
Best wishes
J
Indeed; i wonder how many of us have met someone who plays the organ but "doesn't use the pedals"? I once reminded a non-pedalling organist to leave the swell box open and he asked me where it was.
P
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I have a rule that I always do weddings and funerals free for past and present choristers; everyone else has to pay. That way everyone knows where they are.
Malcolm
The last time I played for a chorister's funeral I waived the fee; she was also a good friend and we woild regularly watch Mastermind or University Challenge together over a gin and tonic. I also used to look after her dog when she went away and over the years became a friend of the family. I wrote in her memory a short gospel acclamatiion which was used at the funeral. Anyway, a few weeks after the funeral I was given an envelope containing more than twice what I would normally receive, from her children - all that & a large boitle of Gordon's too!
Peter
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Thanks for the replies so far but I'd still like to know whether it is considered polite for a guest organist to approach the resident in such circumstances. As I said, I alwasy have - besides which if I am going to play for, say ,a wedding in an unfamiliar chuch there may be some idiosycracies about the organ which only the resident organist could warn me about....
P
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I've just been told that I am not needed for a wedding on Saturday. Having had decorators in my flat, and the subsequent mess, I assumed I had lost the paperwork referring to the wedding so I phoned the bride. She said that they had their own organist and didn't the priest tell me? Nhe did not, I said. Two points here: why was I not told and, perhaps more importatly, why did the guest organist not contact me as a matterof courtesy? I have always thought in an unwritten rule in the church organ world that if you are playing for a service an another church you approach the resident - at least that is what I've always done. Am I being pedantic here?
Peter
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First time I've heard that with the tuba on all the way through!!!!
I am almost convinced there IS an organ lurking in there somewhere....listen to the last 4 big chords with the volume turned up.....
Just goes to show why they are the best brass band around. Superb.
P
Some Curiosities.....
in General discussion
Posted
http://iof.pipechat.org/ldgal.htm
(I have never heard of a Llamarada organ as in the Walt Disney instrument - are there many such around?
P