Peter Clark

OUP's 100 Carols for Choirs certainly includes Easter items..... including Jesus Christ is Risen Today which is certainly a congregational piece. Peter

This is a time for resolutions - mine is to try to have two dry days every week. A questionable quest for an organist I admit but more importantly, have we all probably got a new and hitherto unplayed piece to be a new year project? Might be fun to say what it is and report on progress! I will offer as my (probably doomed) attempt the Bach F major T&F. I've only just got the Dupre C&L under my belt after a year so expect to hear from me in 2011 from the Hospital for Wrecked, Distressed and Damaged Organists. Yes , there must be one somewhere. Peter

And a happy new year from me too! Peter

A lovely piece in my opinion. I lived in Spain for 4 years and got to know and love some of this music. In your first example I drop the alto d while the b flat and c are played (ie after playing it for a quaver - not semiquavers surely, David?) and hold it after sounding it for the rest of the scale passage; maybe not authentic but seems to make sense musically on a one manual instrument). In the second example the only stretch really is the alto d to the sop e flat - assuming the d isplayed by the right hand? Glad to see players taking an interest in this composer, and, after all, who couldn't love a composer whose name tranlsated as "Big Head"?!! Peter

That chord is certainly special - but for me another special "Christmas moment" is the descant E flat in the last line of O Little Town... Peter

As the Christmas juggernaut once again begins to barge its way clumsily along the M4 of our lives, may I wish all a happy, or at least tolerable, Christmas to veryone and register my deep gratitude to our hosts, Mander Organs, and to John and Rachel in particular for their continuing to make this facility available. Thanks. Peter

I have just finished watching this excellent series (for the nth time!) and only now noticed that at minute 38 (I went back and looked for the timing) of the last episode (Fall Out) there is some organ music - standard stuff but I wonder from where. I remember we had a thread a few years ago about organs in films/TV so maybe this belongs there. Anyway, any Prisoner fans out there who might enlighten me on this? Peter

Thanks - though a careless reading of your post made me wonder what a Fancy Byrd was!

Could you advise us of the track list, Jonathan? Thanks. P

.... but cofess all who had O Come O Come Emmanuel this mornng......

Just relearning that for a recital - the opener, in fact. Good idea? Peter

Spooky - since I posted the query it seeems to have changed! P

Dumb question perhaps but what is the music featured on the top left of the IAO website? Looks like a trio of some kind. http://www.iao.org.uk/shop/index.asp Thanks Peter

Can anyone identofy the theatre organ feautured on the front pageof the Film and Music section of today's Guardian? 5 manual with pedalboard to G; the music desk has "Odean"! on it but no other clue. Peter

Actually John I hope you don't refrain from making the occasional theological observation. As a Catholic (Roman, that is!) organist whose first degree is in theology I find the marriage of both disciplines very stimulating. And I endorse Patrick's earlier remarks in which he suggested that our ministry as organists can be enhanced by a deeper undertstanding of the theology underpinning much of what we play and sing. Peter

Shifting lirurgical seasons, how about the felix culpa clause in the Easter proclamation the Exultet? "O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam which gained for us so holy a redeemer..."

I have said before on this forum that I consider myself a competant organist, capable of turning out a reasonable recital every so often and accompanying liturgies to the satisfaction of congregations and clergy alike. But am I alone in finding that I get excited discovering a new piece either by hearing it on the radio or a CD or learning of it from others (such as on this discussion board) and then buying the score and if not able to play it after two or three readings getting really disheartened? It might be my advancing age of course, but when I was studying first piano and then organ sight reading was always a strong - nay often pass-mark clinching - attribute. Not that sight reading any piece means that it can be played to recital standard of course. I suspect it is that I no longer have the discipline that was drilled into me when I was having lessons. Thoughts would be very welcome. Encouragement and suggestions even more so. Peter

Kathleen Thomerson's bio-bibliography of Langlais is also very useful. Not sure if it is still in print though. Peter

Funeral this morning, not in my "home" church. I saw the deceased's son last week to talk about the music, and the priest was also present. It seems that mum's favourite piece of music was Nessun Dorma and son wanted this played during the Mass. When we pointed out that this wasn't really appropriate, he said that the Funeral Director has said it would be OK. It seems that FDs are now arranging the music, so a letter will be sent to all FDs which serve this area saying that the music will be chosen in consultation with priest and organist. As a compromise I will play it as the coffin leaves the chutch. Peter Nessun Dorma at a funeral makes a change from its usual location of a Nuptual Mass!

This reply is probably even more marginal, but many years ago when I was organist & choirmaster in a small south London parish church I was also a member of a traditional (ie not sub-Baez 60s light church music stuff) "folk music" band. I played mandolin, whistle and keyboard and we also had guitar, fiddle, bazouki, bodhran, and we did some unaccompanied vocal stuff including the LWD; a very moving and powerful piece especially with the repeated "may Christ receive his/her/your soul". This does not help your enquiry I realise but you have brought back memories of a truly impressive piece of music. Peter

I have a kind of fondess for Alleluias - but it seemed to be once of these pieces that you had to play in the same way as you could't get on a bus or train without seeing at least one person reading The Glass Bead Game, which is the book you had to be seen reading. But SP did a jolly fun arrangement of "I Saw Three Ships" which has featured on 9 lessons Peter

What is the first attested use of these and who invented them? Just curious. Peter (to moderator: maybe this belongs on Nuts and Bolts?)

Yes I did play it - as the coffin left the church. I re-arranged it, filling in the appropriate chords. I tried, no honestly, I tried to keep it tasteful but I'm sure it must have sounded more Blackpool Tower than Blackpool Sacred Heart. Peter

But I assume that the original plates are still owned by Novello and therefore they could claim that they hold the copyright to these? P

I think that a piece in the public domain may be reproduced so long as graphic copyright is not infringed. That is, you can copy out or computer set a Bach fugue and use this in public but you can't photocpy say, the Novello edition as the type-setting, layout and editorial additions are copyrighted by the publisher. Peter