DouglasCorr
-
Posts
373 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by DouglasCorr
-
-
I agree with the comments made about O Come. The arrangement seemed to be trying too hard to be harmonically 'daring', and getting into a tangle as a result, with progressions that sound contrived. I'm not so keen on a lot of high-lying writing for the top line either, as it is in danger of sounding 'screechy'.
I don't like to make critical comments, but I listened to this about 15 minutes ago, and I'm still on edge!! Best to keep things on the simple side I think - even without the tangle (which they did well to survive) I don't think one would want to hear the harmonisation again.
-
As far as I know, the only piece of choral music known to have been written by Boris Ord is 'Adam lay ybounden'. I've never heard of any descants. I think it's just that they didn't go in for descants in such a big way in those days. David Willcocks is certainly on record as saying that he wrote his earlier ones as a way to add interest to the hymns.
My organ teacher told me that Boris Ord had often said that he had many ideas for compositions and was looking forward to putting these down in his retirement, but unfortunately he died aged only 64. I think this must have been told to my teacher by Harold Darke with whom he had had lessons; Darke was deputy choirmaster at Kings during the war.
....Never put things off...!
-
There have been several references to the changes in the Kings boy's voice production between the choir under Ord to that under Willcocks; and also to the Johns choir under Guest. This morning I came across this Thomanerchor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4FHhEqnQZY
recording (1950 !!) of Cantata BWV41 where the boys, as well as singing in the chorus, sing solos. There was cleary much to do in the UK to catch up with the tone quality of the German boys, and Guest In particular aimed in this direction. -
Have you noticed that nowadays choir men come in two types; ones with massively muscular arms and less developed ones that, in procession, gasp for breath. Well, I think I have discovered the reason for this.
This Christmas I received a Common Praise Hymnal (music edition) (CP) as a present. I noticed immediately that it felt like a lead bellows weight, as I staggered to lift it onto my music rack. It weighs in at 2 lbs 11 oz or 1222 gm! This just pushes the New English Hymnal into second place at 2 lbs 7 oz. From the olden days we have the English Hymnal at a comfortable 1 lb 11 oz. and Ancient and Modern Revised (AMR) at 1 lb 12 oz. I am obviously onto something here!
But just what is going on? The English Hymnal has 728 hymns, however the New English Hymnal has only 541 hymns. Similarly AMR has 636 hymns and CP has 628. Hymns are clearly getting much heavier! I cannot explain why this, is as the English is simplified in the most recent hymn books. However I should warn that there appears to be exceptions to this trend. The Westminster Hymnal (WH) provides evidence of this, as even in paperback edition it provides only 291 hymns for 1 lb 4 oz, this results in 1.95 gm per hymn compared to 1.98 gm per hymn for CP; and this is in spite of mysterious factors in WH, as one would expect, that certain hymns do not have a tune!?
More investigations are required....
-
Having just watched the Boris Ord Carol service, I must say that I found it beautiful. .....
I watched it several times and found everything admirable in its own way of that time; I also admired the wonderful delivery of the readings.
One thing that I particularly noted was the matching organ sound to the hymn words for mighty dread had seized....full swell plus sub octave??
The conductor has to fit in with solemnity of the service, it's not a concert; the gentle nod, the meaningful look, the subtle hand and helpful finger are all that is required.
-
Well I bet you all had anxious moments on this. The Nation's favourite carol is the same as last year-
'O Holy Night', by Adolphe Adam
Nothing like a good Victorian Christmas what?
Hmmm maybe it sounds better in French?....
Still it reminds me of the Cantique de Jean Racine - a far better piece IMO. And by the way, according to Wikipedia the Cantique is also available in a version arranged for strings and harp by, yes you guessed it, John Rutter!!
-
Having become exhausted buying double glazing, to unwind my fingers have wandered idly over the plastic keys and have come up with http://www.sheetmusi...s.php?ref=30713
-
This morning, on Classic FM, the announcer said that John Rutter is the Nation's favourite composer.
-
=====================
Absolutely right!
Virgil Fox, often playing in very dead acoustics in America, (such as the Riverside Church used to be like), used a more sophisticated method.
He would roll-off the last chord from the top down, with the pedal note coming off last. The effect was surprisingly good, and not as weird as one might imagine it to be when it was done right.
I'll have a dig around for an example, but I'm not sure I will find one.
Edit:- Found one!
MM
How could you possibly listen to such an arrangement?? Languish in the real thing
, and maybe there is a touch of pedal left at the end. or very slow action? -
======================
Of course, my favourite is the Latin version of "Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer."
MM
Hmmmm.. ?? Given your enthusiasm for cymbalstern stops in previous posts I would have thought that you would have gone for Jingle Bells?? Or Campanae Sonant if you are high church.
-
I've just been browsing the Christmas edition of the Radio Times and noticed that on Christmas Day, just before the Queen's speech, Classic FM will unfold the mystery of the Nation's number 1 Christmas Carol!!
This is of course based on a biased statistical sample because it applies to listeners that listen to Classic FM, who may not have the taste of those that listen to Radios 1, 2, 3 or 4. So the choice will be weighted against Slade's Merry Christmas, everybody's having fun or Rudolf the red nosed.... However are you in touch with what the people want? What do you think the choice is? I thought Hark the Herald would be at the top, with Good King Wenceslas not far behind. But it's a long time to wait till the broadcast, and many of you may be selecting unpopular carols now; and in any case I will be in too much excitement thinking about Downton Abbey coming on later on Christmas Day to concentrate properly. Then it occurred to me that it might be possible to cheat if there was such a list last year; here it is. See if you are in touch; of course there is no accounting for Classic FM listeners who no doubt are unable to hear correctly having listened throughout the year to transmissions with extraordinarily boosted bass and treble.
-
===========================
Apparently, it's now "Speckled Hen," "Bishop's Finger" and "Taylor's Landlord."
MM
Surely Bishop's Finger is only for the obsequious....?
-
It used to be common practice (pre ~1960) for British players, of good taste, to hold on to the pedal note after the final chords on the manuals had finished. Thalben-Ball, did this for example.
-
This jolly good fun picture shows Carlo Curley playing on 4 manuals at once!!
:(
-
I did not see your "earlier posting". Presumably it was an offer to sell your collection of Organ magazines.
Would you send me details? David Rogers verdi6@talktalk.net
I did see your earlier posting; I then sent you a PM, to which you replied, to the effect that someone had already made an offer for them. If this is not the case, I too may still be interested in them....
Yes I have given the magazines away - thank you for your interest.
-
I enjoyed the Lemare recording - very clear clean playing. But then I wondered if this was simply because the recording technique would (obviously) not capture any echoes!
I then wondered about the building - would Lemare have been playing in a reverberant or dead acoustic? I think you don't really understand his performance style without knowing the building.
-
I appreciate this is utterly naff, but, hey, its (nearly) Christmas.
Why not strap Morris Dancer's bells on your legs?
-
Is there by any chance, please, some kind forum member who is able to send me a copy of the article printed in The Organ, vol. 39, pp.136ff? I think this may be an article about the old Hele organ at St Andrew's, Plymouth; at least it gets a mention, so I believe. I don't actually know whether the article itself starts on page 136; that may just be the references that I've been given.
Although no one seems interested to have my Organ magazines (see my earlier posting) I have not put them in the recycle bin yet!! But I am sorry to say that vol 39 pp 136 is about the Italian Church Hatton Garden, and a quick look in the index for vol 39 did not have anything to do with Plymouth
. Unfortunately I don't have a full set of indices. -
Bound volume 38 1958-59
Loose Numbers 154 to 196 inclusive (except 191 missing)
I've decided I'm never going to re-read these back numbers - much as they contain many exceedingly well researched and well written articles. They represent significant scholarship and don't deserve to be thrown away like the current light weight and ephemeral "The Organ".
If anyone would like them all you can collect them from me in Fleet Hampshire - send me an e mail through the Message Board.
(Recently there has been a discussion on how much knowledge well known past "names" in the UK organ world had - just by chance I noticed an article in one Organ magazine on Mr Clutton's House Organ" - built by our hosts and with a flat pedal board - I think Clutton deserves 10 out of 10 for that !!!)
-
==================================
I even read somewhere, some time ago, that a closed seat can be acoustically tailored to match that of an occupied seat, using acoustic absorbent material on the underside of the seat. This brings consistency to the acoustic engineering.
MM
The seats at the RFH (1951) were intended to have the same acoustic absorbtion closed as when occupied - however this was not actually the case as you could easily judge.
PS did you look at the picture in my previous posting and read the text beneath it????
-
These are certainly good concert hall organ performances; as one would wish to hear!! Take a look at the interior of the hall in this picture.!! This is how to do it - plenty of volume and plain surfaces!
(And I'm glad to see that you are replacing debate with a little science.)
-
I wonder if there will be any new world speed records?
-
In the early 60s I used to be very annoyed by players that did not begin their trills on the upper note. However the issue was correctly stated in the preface of Dupre Edition Bach organ works; and in the outstanding organ tutor series by Flor Peeters Ars Organi. However the first extensive discussion I found was in the book by Putnam Aldrich on the Ornamentation in Bach's organ music; an online copy can be found here or you can get other formats from here.
-
I agree, it's my DID Number 1. If allowed only one track, it would have to be Tomkins' Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness - such hauntingly beautiful, ethereal singing with astonishing, hair-raising false relations.
Re-issued it was, but alas no longer available, as I understand.
JS
This always makes me smile due to the abbreviated way it is usually announced as an anthem. "Almighty God the fountain. Music by Tomkins".
:(
Playing for your first service
in General discussion
Posted
I had to accompany a Communion Service in Welsh once. One hymn had 6 verses and I just lost count and couldn't work out what was being sung. Fortunately I had noticed in earlier hymns that someone in the congregation snapped their hymn book shut well before the end of the last verse! Saved by the snap!!