Justadad

Vox mentioned it briefly but I think the Jongen Symphonie Concertante is a cracking piece. J

I don't know about 'classically trained,' but I notice there's an advertisement inside the front cover of the latest issue (21) of Choir Schools Today, for a concert to be given by Hereford Cathedral School on 11th May, featuring "Jon Lord - From Darkness to Light," which is described as a "Newly commissioned Oratorio for massed choirs and orchestra by former 'Deep Purple' musician Jon Lord". J

You posted them on the ABRSM site, and I remembered. Now read Mr Coram's advice several times and make sure you apply it. J

There are some pictures here http://s148.photobucket.com/albums/s22/mwl.../Scarthingwell/?

Strictly speaking he doesn't go out of copyright until 31st December (the end of the year in which the 70th anniversary of death falls). The files themselves look like photocopies of published editions so you'd have to be careful about the edition copyright too. J

It's only harder because you'd have to get about a dozen people together to form the choir, and they then have to do their thing differently with however many ARCO (or whatever) candidates there are in a given exam, rather than simply keep repeating the same performance irrespective of the organist and the DoM. It's an issue of practicalities, I think, and I think it's tricky. Visiting prospective ARCOs (or whatever) in situ might be an option but not every prospective ARCO (o.w.) regularly plays with a decent DoM and choir, so that isn't really a level playing field either. Here are some skills which I think go unnoticed and, possibly, unappreciated by most, and certainly unexamined. The ability to hear what the choir is doing, identify what's wrong and know where the DoM is likely to go back to so that you can reset the registration, provide the notes and be ready to play before the DoM says anything. (To an infrequent page-turner like me, this looks like mind reading!) The ability to know most of the music pretty much by heart so that you can play it whilst looking neither at the music nor the console but at a little CCTV monitor featuring the DoM. (I have witnessed a Grade 8 Dist. accompany a choir (in a fairly undemanding Stanford which they had had 2 months to prepare) and be 2 bars behind the choir within a couple of pages. The feeling and touch to accompany soloists. (That seems a bit wishy-washy, so what do I mean? I think it's about being prepared to accept that someone else has centre stage but being utterly content to act in a supporting role with just as much skill, dedication and musicianship as the soloist themselves whilst appreciating that ones effort is likely to go unnoticed. 'Touch' isn't about dynamics in this case but about the flexibility to anticipate and therefore stay in synch with a soloist whose interpretation of the rhythm might be imaginative.) The ability to shepherd a congregation of hundreds through a Venite (or Credo) and have everyone finish in the same place, together. The facility to give well-meaning, far-from-competent choirs who don't have a DoM the confidence to go for it and know that at the end of it everything will sound fine because the organist is solid. J

Does anyone agree that the art of accompanying is somewhat ignored in all the diploma exams? I should have thought that whilst all organists get to play their cherished works from time to time, many spend a lot more of their time accompanying hymns, psalms, canticles and anthems, and often play their voluntaries only to the backs of the departing congregation. I appreciate that it would be much harder to teach and examine choral accompaniment, but that doesn't seem to me to be quite sufficient an excuse to examine accompanists on their ability as recitalists (if you see what I mean). J

Hello Martin I wrote to John Pike Mander in January and he kindly told me that if everything went according to plan the Swell and South Choir would be out of commission as at 7th March. I wrote to John again last Friday morning and had a reply within 5 minutes (literally) confirming the above and adding that the North Choir was out too. Lawrence was devastated when I told him. He'd worked all his registrations out according to the stop list and didn't know how he was going to be able to make anything work. Fortunately (and here I'm getting well out of my technical depth) it's possible to split the dome reeds from the rest of the dome pipes and that, somehow, saved the day. All the manuals work at the moment - and the couplers. It's just the stops that don't. Despite that, the end of the Crown imperial managed to silence the 2,400 congregation, and Fete went down a storm, though some Elgar played by another boy before the service was completely lost to chatter. Best wishes J

Hi Sean Thanks for your kind wishes. It went very well. There was indeed a good 10 seconds reverb at the end of the Walton, but the congregation did make a big difference to the acoustic. On Sunday, in an empty cathedral, parts of Fete (especially the main theme) were just walls of sound but the addition of all those bodies dried the acoustic just enough to make everything crisper and distinguishable. J

The Hampton School Anniversary Service is later today. Lawrence (son) will be playing Acclamations (Langlais) and Crown Imperial (Walton) before the service and Fete (Langlais) after. Thanks to everyone who offered suggestions. The congregation will number 2,400 and it was felt that anything quiet would be lost to the chatter. I'd like to record my thanks to: John Pike Mander, who has kindly let me know how the refurbishment has progressed so Lawrence knew what he had to play with/on. Tom Winpenny, Assistant Sub Organist, St Paul's Cathedral who arranged the practice times and left Lawrence, his mum and I in St Paul's, in the dark, on our own on Sunday evening while Lawrence came to terms with the instrument. (It was wonderful being alone in such a place, late at night. A real privilege.) Prof Marie-Louise Langlais who kindly sent L a copy of her copy of Fete, and Martin Cooke (of this parish) who even more kindly donated his original. (As an aside, the piece takes on a whole different character in the vast St Paul's acoustic vis a vis the relatively dry acoustic of the Chapel Royal. I wonder how much it will change with a 2,400 people soaking up the reverberation?) Fingers crossed J

When I looked it just said "Inauguration delayed".

Does anyone know the story of this visually interesting organ? As far as I can make out from the site the inauguration has been delayed because dust struck the instrument dumb and locals have had to provide board and lodging for people to come and fix it (but I don't speak French so I may have entirely the wrong end of the stick). http://orgues.evreux.free.fr/

Yes, yes. My point was that the church where it lives doesn't seem terribly proud of it (unlike their handbells). I did see somewhere that it is being used this month to accompany a screening of a silent movie.

I failed to find a mention of the organ on the church's website, (but was interested to read about their three handbell choirs ) http://www.gbgm-umc.org/fbmumc/fb-music.htm

Hi MM Thank you for that. I wasn't actually looking for music, though. L recorded himself playing the Widor Suite for Piano and Flute, and was thinking about putting it on his My Space site. I wondered about the copyright issues and found that we are about to hit the 70th anniversary of Widor's death. Thanks to the answers here I now know he can't put the mp3 on his site until next January (by which time he'll probably want to use something else anyway) even though I doubt anyone would be likely to object. J

Perhaps you mean the organ at the Atlantic City Convention Hall http://www.acchos.org/

C-M Widor died 12th March, 1937. Does that mean his music goes out of copyright next month? (I appreciate editions of his music retain their copyright, but as far as performing and broadcasting his music is it open season from 13/03/'07?) Justadad

http://www.sauerorgelbau.de/2264.pdf Lawrence has an invitation to play here in the summer. All hint's tips and advice greatfully received, as ever. Barry

A misprint (perhaps) of another kind. The anthem at St Paul's on Saturday was Wood's O thou the central orb. During practice Malcolm Archer told everyone that for reasons too complicated to get into in the time available, the word 'day' in the penultimate line should be sung as 'clay'. Choral Wikipedia argues both cases http://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/O_Thou,..._(Charles_Wood)

End of thread ... Thanks again to everyone who offered advice (and copies). I was sent a photocopy by Prof Marie-Louise Langlais which she kindly signed for Lawrence. Alfred Publishing gave permission to make a copy free of charge (which I received today). And Martin Cooke, of this parish, most graciously donated his original, bought some 30 years ago. Roger Molyneux didn't have a copy, but L has bought several of the Faber Early Organ Music volumes from him, together with some Messiaen (so far - he has a wish list to work through). I forwarded that link to three other dads of four other young organists, and they say they will all be placing orders too. Please may I record how enormously generous and supportive I have found this board and its members to be. Best wishes barry/Justadad

You're right about practice time ... 30 minutes. He's begging for another hour, and some time by the console in a service to see how the organ is used by those who play it regularly. The JSB Dorian Toccata is on the menu at the moment together with Walton's Crown Imperial. I think he'd feel like he'd missed an opportunity if he played Blow, Byrd and Gibbons. It might be terribly appropriate but the thinking is that a congregation of 1,000+ parents (many of whom cannot be expected to have any interest in what's being played anyway) would not even hear it, so he's more inclined to enjoy the experience himself and maybe play something that fuels the anniversary party mood. Best wishes J

My son's school has a 450th anniversary service at St Paul's Cathedral on 7th March. He gets to play for 20 minutes before the service. The organ is about to be refurbished by our hosts, and I'm told that by 7th March the Swell and South Choir will probably be out of use (but there's a chance they might not be). Here's the specification http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=A00752 Given the nature of the event, the location, the instrument and the extent to which it may or may not be available at the time, what might you do for 20 minutes immediately prior to the service? This is just meant as a bit of fun. He has a programme to go with, but that doesn't mean he won't be inspired by your suggestions J

May I inject a word or several of caution, please? I'm pretty ignorant about matters organ-ic and am often overawed by the expertise on display here. It strikes me as a highly professional and respectful forum with just a touch of banter. I have learned quite a bit here - mostly about how much I have to learn. In the recent past there has been some controversy about the RCO, and one member who vented about a service was taken to task by his PCC for what he posted here. Those controversies would have happened whether they were aired in 'Choir to Pub' or as they were. People aren't going to be not upset by things they take to be upsetting because they happen in a part of the board designated 'casual'. Indeed, the establishment of a 'casual' zone would have the potential to encourage yet more relaxed contributions for people to get upset over. Then there's the additional danger that the message board becomes all Pub and no Pistons, awash with all sorts of unrelated chatter and before you know it we won't be able to move for threads about who should be expelled from Big Brother. Would that be better? J ps ... I acquired a legitimate copy of Fete ... thanks of all the guidance

Thanks for everyone's advice and suggestions. I tried to find Warners so I could write to them as suggested, but it seems that they were acquired by Alfred Publishing in 2005. Alfred, helpfully, provides a facility to search their catalogue, but the term "Langlais" produces no results. I've sent a 'permissions' request to Alfred. Thanks again.

Unless that was the actress Minnie Driver