Peter Clark

I'm a writer and am working on another book - nothing to do with music, but rather Mithraism - and I'm also a bit of a text addict. Here's my problem - is constant working at a computer keyboard as well as texting likely to affect adversely my manual technique on the organ? I've noticed a mild deterioration of a sort recently but that could just be age and gin. Thoughts? Best Peter

see also: http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1991992,00.html Peter

I bought this score in Allegro when they were still in Birmingham. I think the most effective of the three is Venus, and you need a substantial instrument whatever movements you decide to play. Indidentally on the subject of Wills, I have tried a bit of his original music from time to time - the Millenium Rag is great fun, and he once wrote a suite based on the Hindu text Bhagavad Gita which particularly interested me as I had studied Hinduism at university. He also produced, somewhat unnecessarily in my opinion given the wealth already available, a book of JSB transcriptions including all the usuals - Jesu Joy, Sheep May Safely Graze and so on. I understand that there was at one stage a dedicated Arthur Wills shop in Ely, something to do with Oecumuse. Does it still exist? He also wrote three delightful processional psalms one of which I heard on a choir training tape produced by the RSCM and presented by Lional Dakers. Best as ever Peter

In the RC church, my heresy of choice, we don't chose our clergy, they are sent to us by the bishop (or in my case the Father General of the Institute of Charity). This means it is very much the luck of the draw. Curiously, I find that the less musical a priest is the easier he is to work with, although there was one assistant priest in this parish a few years ago who was an organist but he didn't interfere arguiung that he was ordained to be a minister of Christ and not a parish musician. Good point. There was however one a number of years ago in London who had that most dangerous of things, a little learning. He used to wander into choir practice and once physicallly (albeit gently) shoved me off the organ bench to illustrate something. He drew his stop - he started to play something, with one finger. My only response was: "wouldn't that be better with an 8 foot, Father?" Best wishes to all Peter

Thanks for the advice, everyone. The problem is that this parsh has a mass attendance of about 900 spread over 4 Masses and, as has been pointed out, with a congregation that size there are bound to be many such anniversaries practically every week and once you do it for one you have to oblige the rest becuae if you don't it will be a case of "he did it for Mrs X but not for Mr Y" or something. My compromise will probably be a short improvisation - and interlude really - during the offertory or communion. Cheers Peter

I must have been evil in a previous life. Yesterday I was handed a note saying that a widow whose husband's second anniversarry of passing away is on the second Sunday of February and she wants - wait for it - I Watch the Sunrise in his memory. How can I tactfully turn this down since it has absolutely nothing to do with the liturgy of the day?

Colin this is fascinating stuff! I lived in Spain for a number of years and played a few of this kind of organ though I must say that the ones I came across were perilously tuned! The keys seemed to me then and look to me now on your video clips to be narrower than what we might be usd to here (UK) - who determines the standard? Anyway many thanks Colin.

Thanks for the link! Peter

When I was organist in a church in London I was also mandolin player in a tradititional folk music band. I did once, when the organ was partially down, use the mandolin at Mass but played the pedals which were still operational. I recall we sang a simple "folky" unision mass that day - oh and I wouldn't claim that it got anywhere near Bruhns' standard! Best Peter

Where can the websites be found? Thanks Peter

Yes, VM, but where do the two coincide? Certainly not in the pedal/bass part, so melodically? I suppose both upper lines have some unorthodox downward leaps ... I didn't see the interview by the way so I am not sure what Fisher actually said. Best wishes as ever Peter

What about the naked Terry Jones in the Python sketch "Blackmail"? Peter

This might be stretching the rules about what is and is not valid discussion material here, but I have a kind of historical interest in that the organist concerned went to the same school as I. I would think that many here will have followed the recent Procol Harum case in which the organist in that band, Matthew Fisher, claimed that he was partly responsible for the song Whiter Shade of Pale and thus entitled to royalties. Hitherto the song had been attrributed to Gary Brooker (piano and vocals) and Keith Reid (lyrics) only, but Fisher maintained that the distinctive organ introduction was his own composition and thus the song has in fact three contributers. The judge in the case, himself a musician it transpired, agreed with Fisher and a settlement was reached much to the chagrin of Brooker. It has been maintained by many that the descending bass line which characterises the song is derived from JSB's Air "on a G String" but other suggestions have been made, one being that Wachet Auf was also at least partially influential in its composition. Now Fisher was/is a classically trained musician (and my interest is that he may well have learned the organ on the same instrument I started on in our school assembly hall), so I can readily believe that he called upon his training when writing or playing with Procol Harum, but try as I might I can see no evidence of Wachet Auf in the song. Thoughts, people? Best for 2007 Peter

Incantation pour un Jour Saint by Langlais. It includes all many of the major themes from the Vigil Mass - Lumen Christe, Kyrie Eleison and the Litany of the Saints. Hope you enjoy it! Regards Peter

Actually Tony it was the first time: not only that but I saw one of the piecs for the first time at the rehearsal earlier that day as the music teacher had forgotten to send me a copy. Oh the joys of Christmas... Peter

Yes and thats's me with the two terriers! Peter

Last night I played for one of the local schol's annual carol concert/service which was held at St Peter's in Cardiff. The standard of the school choir was fairly high, and music by Wilcox and Chilcott was feautured along with the traditional carols, ending with O Come All Ye (minus the last verse, I am glad to say). Before the final blessing and the recessional voluntary (In Dulce Jubilo leading into Sleigh Ride!) the hasdmaster gave a vote of thanks. The choir was thanked, the music teacher was thanked, other teachers were thanked, the parish priest was thanked, the people wh arranged the chairs were thanked, the parents were thanked...... but can anybody out there guess who wasn't mentioned in this litany of gratitude? Answers on a five pound note, please. Best wishes Peter

There has been an addition to the parish website with new photos and a report - more for the general public than the specialist - which I wrote about Gillian Weir's recent recital. The spec is also published there. It can be found at: http://www.stpeters-roath.co.uk/organ.htm Best wishes Peter

This talk of the Vicar of Dibley reminded me of the greatest, I think, of the ecclesiastical sit-coms, All Gas and Gaiters with the incomparable Dereck Nimmo (before he lost it and had to make a living starring in Neighbours and so on). But who knows about the theme music? As I recall in starts with an inverted mordant a la BWV 565 and then there is a psuedo-baroque bit sung by what could well have been the Swingle Singers. Anyway: does anybody know who wrote it? Who played the organ and where? Who sang the vocal bits? Thanks Best Peter

Hmm... that should have been Greetings!

May I wish everyone a happy, and I suspect, hard-working Christmas. Especially to John Mander and his team for providing this excellent discussion board.

Watching a DVD recently prompted the following speculation: do TV and film producers imagine that every church in Britain and beyond employs an organist to play 24 hours a day non-stop? Practically every scene that takes place in or near a church is accompanied by (usually non-descript sub-Howellsian improvised) organ music. Similarly most scenes that take place in or near monasteries have some ridiculously tuneless chanting going on as if monks had nothing better to do all day but sing "Ah Ah Ah" to each other. Best wishes Peter

Yesterday at the pre-Mass rehearsal I mentioned the Wachet auf/Lloyds Bank incident and the choir came back witrh a lot more examples: Galaxy chocolate Beethoven Pastoral Gas fires Bach 565 Old Spice Carmina Burana Hamlet cigars Bach again (air from suite in D) Hovis bread Dvorak New World Maybe this is another thread, but how many other examples are there? Best wishes Peter

I suspect that like many organists on this forum, I was reared on the Novello edition of JSB, and so even with a piece which is really well known to the player, the score still acts as a prompt during performance. But what happens when you use a different edition? I may be alone here, but I found recently to my horror and embarrassment that using the Mayhew edition (a totally "clean" edition ie no registration or dynamic suggestions) the notes just weren't in the right place sometimes (eg upper stave carrying notes I am used to seeing on the lower manual stave and so on), causing multiple errors. My fault, I know, since I should have studied the new score a little more diligently but be warned! By the way who else uses the Mayhew edition? Best wishes Peter

Yes indeed Paul. Many years ago Lloyds Bank as then was ran a TV ad with Wachet auf as the background music, accompanying horses galloping away in fields and so on. When I played it after Mass (maybe it was Advent 3 which by pure coincidence is also today) I was asked by a child "why did you play the Lloyds Bank advert today?! Peter