Peter Clark

Just listened to it - quite extraordinary! The mordant in the fugue has an A#, which I am told is more correct but the A natural seems (to me) more satisfactory. What say the readership? Peter

Is his music available in printed form I wonder? Peter

Tony, this somewhat surprises me. Barry Williams and Robert Leach, in their excellent book referred to from time to time here, point out that one of the authors came to faith through getting involved in church music and that he, having climbed that ladder, would not wish to knock it away from another. Peter

Did anybody catch the feature on Moondog on yesterday's Today? A recital of his music was held last night: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/today/hi/...000/8075003.stm > Peter

I was given a CD recently (Micheae Murray at St John NY) which includes the "little" E minor P+F; the notes said that this is kniown as the "Cathedral" prelude and fugue and goes on to state that this is an appropriate sobriquet. Well it's the first I've heard of it and, frankly, can't see why this piece rather than any other should evoke a cathedralic atmosphere. Any thoughts? Peter

Here is the reply I got from Musicroom: I am acutely aware of the problems with this piece and it has long been the intention to have this properly originated and edited, but since John took ill in 2007 the editorial process that he was always so keenly involved with has become a problematic issue and indeed with these ‘back catalogue’ works has almost ground to a halt. A work of this size and difficulty does not sell many copies, though I am acutely aware that a score in this condition does not invite sales. Nonetheless, there are performances from time to time and I feel that for a special order title, £13.95 is a fair price; better for it to be available in handwritten manuscript than not at all. Obviously with new works (and all since around 1997) we engrave these by default once a commissioning contract has been signed, but there are several pieces by John as there are with many other composers in the catalogue particularly from the early 1980s that remain in manuscript. John is now at home and recovering slowly, but he is extremely frail. While he is not writing at the moment, I will suggest that this piece is revisited and engraved. John will almost certainly wish to re-visit the piece and will probably introduce a number of changes. If you are willing to wait we can send you a copy when this process is completed, but in light of the composer’s current condition, this may take some months. I think this is encouraging in some ways. Acute awareness seems to key emotion here. Anyway I've offered to set it for them! Peter

I confess to a fondness for his Festival prelude on “Ein’ feste Burg” . Peter

I got this score from Musicroom today and must say I am disappointed. Not with the music itself, but the presentation. It is basically a reproduction of the composer's own manuscript (first draft I reckon) in a somewhat scrawled hand, and difficult to read in many places. The spacing of the ledger lines in the script is totally inconsistent, accidentals are not always in line with the note they modify, and the verticle alignment of simultaneously sounding chords/notes is not always accurate. I think that these days with so many music origination programmes on the market publishing houses such as these could spend a litle time in getting their products in a readable condition. This cost me £13.95, and I intend to write to the distributer and the publisher about their not carryimg a health warning. Is this worth doing? Do any other contributers have similar experiences? Peter

Greetings Timothy. One thing that I think went unremarked on this forum is that Malta lost its leading composer, Charles Camilleri, just a few months ago. He wrote music for the organ such as the Invocation to the Creator. Peter

edited blank due to duplication - sorry folks! P

I have now sent 2 e-mails to the RSCM but received no reply - as I asked before , in your experience is this normal? If anybody out there has influence..... Peter

Surfing through Musicroom today, I notice that there has been a significant increase in Leduc prices. Whereas I paid £13.99 at Christmas for the Dupre Cortege et Litanie I see it now comes in at £21.00! Messiaen's works are similarly inflated. I can understand a couple of quid here and there but almost double the price of less than 6 months ago....? Is this really justifiable? Peter

Roy Massey is featured -well, there's a one-page article - in the latest OR. Peter

I have been invited to Houston to give a couple of papers at a conference oin October; the conference lasts 1 1/2 days, but I iintend to stay on about a week. Has anybody been there and can recommend any organs worth seeing/playing? I know that the membership of this forum is widely travelled and indeed is pleased to have contributers from all four corners so I suspect that there will have been a few who have been there. Thanks. Peter

My understanding is that it was GTB at the Temple Church. Perhaps it is one of those apocryphal tales that never actually happened but somehow got embedded into the collective consciousness of organists the world over! Peter

Many years ago Geoffrey Atkinson edited these with brief introductory notes and they were published in two volumes by Oecemuse. I bought them but am sorry to say gave them very little thought until just last week when I was looking for something relatively obscure but not dissuasively so for a recital. Can I say how delighted I was with them? They follow more or less the same pattern, a slow introduction followed by a lively main section. I wonder how many others here play them? (Incidentally I see now that they are available from IMSLP.) Peter

This is a fun piece - does anyone know where I can get the score? Thanks. Peter

Some modern hymnals (at least one published by K**** M*****) actually print that note. Peter

It happened to me a few months ago. I had just started the final voluntary when the priest began waving his arms up and down and shouting "Peter, stop!". I stopped, and he carried on to announce... "I forgot to say that Peter is giving an organ reciital this evening at 7.00....." So I couldn't complain, really! Peter

What was yours? I transcribed and used La Quenouille from the Bretagne CD (see the Bombarde/Ocarina thread) and it was very effective . So now over to you.... Peter

Thanks Tony - both these things I have done; the DoM in Belfast said that it is "to be published" but the fact that it has been used at a festival and that it was broadcast does suggest its availableness. Tne BBC has not got back to me, and nor has the RSCM (is this usual?). Peter

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Not sure if this belongs here or in General Discussion but here goes.... I discovered recently that Love Conquers All by How is the piece which was broadcast on R4 Sunday Worship from St Peter's Belfast a few weeks ago and which I mentioned in a posting on the Radio 4 Sunday Worship thread. Does anybody know where I can get a copy? It was used at an RSCM festival. I've contacted the RSCM but they haven't got back to me. Thanks Peter

What church did you hear it in? The recording I have is a 4-man Cavaille Coll with a 32 note pedalboard (it is in fact a 1970s rebuild and enlargement of the original 3-man CC which was installed in 1874). I have a chorister who owns not one but two bombardes (from Hobgoblin who specialise in such things) which she said cost about £15.00 each. If and when she learns to play them we may do a Bombarde-Organ concert here in sunny Cardiff! Peter

After a long search I have now found the CD of the LP - it is a wonderful sound! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bretagne-Bombarde-...8979&sr=1-1 In a previous life I wss a mandolin and whistle player in an Irish traditional music band (there were five of us, including the choirmaster of the church of which I was organist!) but we often looked beyond the Emerald Isle for inspiration so this CD was a really happy discovery. One Irish composer we played was a chap called O'Carolan, much admired, it seems , by Vivaldi. Peter