tribunegallery

Why don't you try Sumsion in F for the Mass, rather than Darke? - Manageable and good music!

During my time as Director of Music at Cirencester, John Rutter came to do a choral workshop using a wide range of music. His Dormi Jesu was quite popular. Also the setting of Psalm 150 is quite something. Like any other composer, his has his good moments and his bad moments. Another piece worthy of note is his "A Clare Benediction". NS

"I can’t believe it's not Rutter". - Certain Lay Clerks from Wells apparently started this one when referring to Malcom Archer's choral compositions!

Indeed............................the Cathedral website carries the following announcement from the acting Dean New Director of Music announced 15 October 2007 The Chapter of Liverpool Cathedral are pleased to announce that they have appointed Mr. David Poulter as their new Director of Music. Mr. Poulter, a father of two children, has spent his entire life in Cathedral music. He began his career as a chorister at Rochester Cathedral, was educated at the King’s School Rochester, winning a prestigious Foundation scholarship to The Royal College of Music, and on completion of his study, the Walford-Davies prize, before post-graduate study at London University . His professional experience includes posts at Cranbrook School , Tunbridge Wells School , and Rochester, Coventry and Chester Cathedrals (where, for the past 10 years, he has been Director of Music). He will have responsibility for recruitment and direction of the several vocal ensembles (Boys, Girls, Lay Clerks, Cathedral Singers & Orchestra) at the seven choral services each week, at special services and concerts, and will assume overall responsibility for direction of the Cathedral’s music programme. On his appointment, Professor Ian Tracey assumes the newly created role of “Organist Titulaire”; retaining complementary responsibility for all matters relating to the cathedral’s organs and organ recitals, whilst having the freedom to devote more time to concerts, recitals, recording, lecturing, teaching and writing. Mr. Poulter takes up his post on January 15th 2008. Canon Anthony Hawley, Acting Dean.

I was under the impression that the Rates quoted by RSCM were from The Organist's Guide to Employment? and that that publication was a joint venture between RSCM and ISM? - Perhaps things have changed.

I beg to differ.....................quote from RSCM website.............................. "RSCM recommended rates for remuneration of church musicians For many years, the RSCM has published recommended minimum rates for salaries, hourly rates, and fees for church musicians. The rates are no more than a starting point for discussion between the minister or incumbent, the church’s committee or council, and the church musician or musicians. As we have indicated above, every situation is different and has to be negotiated. Copies of these rates are available to affiliates and individual members of the RSCM on request. They can be sent by post or by e-mail in pdf format. Please contact 01722 424848, or e-mail enquiries@rscm.com. These rates are not available to non-members." I received a copy very recently from RSCM, as a PDF

I realise that RSCM / ISM publish recommended rates, but I would be interested to know how much people actually do receive / charge. My own situation is this..................... Town centre church Funerals £65.00 Weddings £80.00 Wedding with video £120.00 The choir receives £50.00 - usually £5.00 each Bellringers £12 each NS

I am now D of M at a very pleasant church in Lancashire, 5 miles north of Wigan. I have a round trip of 56 miles from where I live. After Blackburn Cathedral and Lancaster Priory, we are the busiest church in the Diocese with approx. 90 in church funerals (not counting direct burials) and approx 40 weddings each year. During my first 12 months in post, I have had at least 18 weddings where the bride/groom didn't bother to consult me about the music. I received a 'phone call 10 days ago from a soloist, at less than a week's notice, asking could she book a rehearsal with me, "anytime after 6.00pm any night this week". This was the first I knew about a soloist. She then informed me that she was singing 5 pieces of music, two before the service and three during the signing of the registers! I expressed my surprise that neither the Rector or myself had been consulted and that neither of us was aware that there was a soloist in the first. Furthermore, I informed her that if she wanted me to make a special journey to come for a midweek rehearsal, I would be charging £24.00 per hour including travel, plus petrol at 40p per mile. These people really take the biscuit. As a result, I am planning to incorporate a music sheet into the "wedding pack" for 2008 weddings (given to prospective brides/grooms at the beginning of each year). This will inform couples that they need to make an appointment to see me in good time, and that service music must be approved by myself before they go to print with the service sheet. I can appreciate that couples want their own choice of music for their ceremony, but ultimately, it is up to us as musicians to ensure that the music is appropriate. At the end of the day, the incumbent has the final say anyway. NS

I see from today's "Church Times" that the said toaster has now been recovered from a warehouse in Scotland and an individual has been arrested and charged with theft! NS

I may be wrong, but I've a feeling the title was changed from "Organ Scholar" to "Sub Organist" around four or five years ago when a candidate who had already spent a few years as an organ scholar in two different establishments didn't want to be seen taking yet another organ scholarship and asked could the title be changed! I suppose that it allows a certain flexibility, depending on who is around - if a fairly decent player (such as David Bednall) is around, it is fitting for him to be styled "Sub Organist" - it would be silly to refer to him as "Organ Scholar". NS

This is extremely sad - yet another decent choir bites the dust. Gary Desmond (the D of M there) has done extremely well keeping alive the choral tradition in what is the Parish Church of Bristol, right in the centre of town, surrounded by shops and offices. Given that there are choirs at the Cathedral, Lord Mayor's Chapel, Clifton Cathedral all in striking distance as well as numerous other choirs in the area, it can't be easy recruiting singers etc. RIP. NS

Anyone know who else was on the shortlist for Guildford?

Also looking forward to the arrival of the DVD! I have fond memories of a cassette tape released several years ago with the Prof doing a guided tour of the organ - even better on DVD no doubt! Just happened to see the info about the Liverpool post this week - interesting. However - the info pack states that the successful candidate must be an Anglican or "at least a member of a church in communion with it"............hmmm!!! This rules out at least fou8r prominent cathedral musicians who are RC's and certainly doesn't do much for the ecumenical relations at the other end of Hope Street either! NS

Does anyone have any biographical information about Lt. Col. George Dixon? NS

Applications are invited for the post of ‘Director of Music’ commencing January 2008. Interviews are expected to be held in October, and the Chapter are seeking to appoint a choral specialist. It is hoped that the appointment will be confirmed in October, for commencement in early 2008. All applications and requests for further information should be addressed, before the closing date of 30th September, to:- Canon Anthony Hawley, Acting Dean, Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool L1 7AZ." It is is certainly good news that I.T. is still going to be on the pay-role - but, I am still not convinced that interviewing in October for a January start date is going to produce the best applicants in the field for the Director of Music post. I personally, feel that Liverpool needs a candidate of the highest possible caliber to take the choral side of things a stage further. Perhaps someone might negotiate with I.T. and I.W. to keep things going for another term, if a suitable candidate is found who perhaps for notice/contractual reasons with their present employer may not be able to take up the post until, say, Easter? Perhaps the wording "start date January 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter" might be more appropriate?

Given that the new Dean of Liverpool doesn't start until December, it seems hasty to attempt to have a new D of M in place by January. One would like to think that the new Dean would like to have a hand in what is, after all, a key appointment. The original thread in this discussion was a quote posted by a Liverpool Cathedral Lay Clerk on the Lay Clerk's discussion group, from a letter sent to people within the cathedral. Given that most prominent cathedral musicians would need to give a term's notice from 1st September if they were to start a new job on 1st January, it seems to me that is rather hasty to appoint someone to start on January 1st! Perhaps the member of staff at Liverpool who was yesterday putting it about that "chapter want the new people to start in January" got it wrong. Publicity materials on display at Liverpool yesterday show both Ian T and Ian W doing recitals/concerts at the cathedral in 2008.

Having just returned from a recital at Liverpool, I was told by someone in "the know" that Ian T has resigned and his new position will be an honorary one. Chapter are hoping to appoint successor/s to start in January. From the sound of it, Liverpool hasn't been a very happy place over the last couple of years - sounds like typical Anglican politics.

Reported on the Lay Clerk's discussion group " today.................................... Apparently, Ian Wells (Assistant at Liverpool) "has also resigned" Interesting.

I personally would rather play a semi decent toaster than a knackered, out of tune Victorian pipe organ. One must weigh up the pros and cons of both, but at the end of the day, rebuilding or repairing these heaps of scrap keeps organ builders in work. I'm not convinced, however, that spending around £100k an all singing and dancing toaster is the solution either, when a perfectly reasonable digital instrument could have been purchased for half of the cost.

Having spent several years on the Fylde Coast in the 80's and early 90's, I can confirm that the instrument was partly a theatre organ. The instrument isn't the best, indeed, the acoustics of the church help enormously. The instrument on the Fylde, well worth looking at is the three manual Wm Hill (unaltered) in St Thomas' St Annes on Sea where I spent four very happy years as organist in the late 80's. NS

The new organ at Lytham is a dual spec classical/theatre model, built by Copeman Hart. The acoustics in the church aren't very good and don't do the organ much good. I spent an hour or two on the instrument a few months ago. The theatre specification is almost a carbon copy of the Tower Ballroom Wurlitzer, complete with quint and tierce couplers! The theatre sound is excellent but although the classical spec looks good on paper, I was disappointed with the sound - nothing like a pipe organ IMHO. Having played several excellent Copeman Hart instruments in the past, I was extremely disappointed with the Lytham sound. I'm not convinced that the speakers were placed in the right places either. Furthermore, I'm not convinced that enough time was spent voicing the instrument. The organist at Lytham is a good friend of mine and he did tell me a few weeks ago that some more work had been done on the voicing side of things in recent months, so it may have improved since I last heard it.

Perhaps Cathedrals have no option these days than to use the buildings for other purposes. French cathedrals (sometimes organs too!) are maintained by the state. It is a sad state of affairs when UK cathedrals have to turn to gimmicks and expensive admission charges to bring in the income because the state refuses to fund these magnificent edifices which contribute greatly to the tourism in the UK. NS

Liverpool does have a girls' choir as well as a boys' choir, so it may be that things are re-organised a little. Having heard both the boys and the girls in the Christmas recital there last year, the girls were outstanding but the boys didn't seem as good as they used to be. There is plenty of work in the music department at Liverpool. The music staff do an incredible job, given the fact that there isn't a choir school. The boys are ferried in by buses and minibuses and are all voluntary. There is also evidence that great strides are being made at the cathedral generally to "market" the building in many ways, with a new visitor attraction, restaurant etc. It maybe that the new "management" want to take music there a stage further and input more in the way of finance to develop things even more.

I agree completely. During his time at Liverpool, Noel Rawsthorne was "Cathedral Organist" at Liverpool, and Ronald Woan, the Choirmaster. This changed when Ron Woan retired and Ian Tracey was made Organist and Master of the Choristers or whatever it's called at Liverpool. NS

From experience, the French parishes don't usually pay much, if anything. Organists generally are looked upon as members of the"great unwashed" like the servers, flower ladies etc, and are expected to do things out of the love of it, as fully paid up Catholics. I'm not sure if the bigger French Cathedrals pay anything - I would imagine that places like Notre-Dame de Paris probably do.