notebasher Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I confess... I cocked up big-style this morning. Gradual Hymn from Emission Praise 631 'Tell out my soul' to the second tune Woodlands. The layout's most helpful, vs. 1,3,4 are on the second page with the tune, v.2 is on the first page with the other tune. Well you've all probably guessed by now, after the third verse I put the book down, and a voice from the choir fifteen feet below drifted up 'There's another verse...' 'Oh dear' I thought. Still it provided entertainment for the congregation who took it all as part of the pre-Christmas fun... Anybody else want to confess to anything??? R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Clark Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I confess... I cocked up big-style this morning. Gradual Hymn from Emission Praise 631 'Tell out my soul' to the second tune Woodlands. The layout's most helpful, vs. 1,3,4 are on the second page with the tune, v.2 is on the first page with the other tune. Well you've all probably guessed by now, after the third verse I put the book down, and a voice from the choir fifteen feet below drifted up 'There's another verse...' 'Oh dear' I thought. Still it provided entertainment for the congregation who took it all as part of the pre-Christmas fun... Anybody else want to confess to anything??? R. Well Ron, during the intercessions we sing a little petition "Lord hear our prayer, Lord hear our prayer, Lord in yoiur mercy hear our prayer". The last of the prayers is for the recently departed and we remember too the anniverseries of those who died in previous years. Thus morning, the other prayers and sung response having gone according to plan, the reader began the prayers for the departed. When he got to what I thought was the last name of the list, I began the refrain - and when we had finished singing the names kept coming ... it seems he had paused at a difficult name and was working out how best to pronounce it when I came in with the music. Any more? Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Harvey Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I was rather surprised to find the Bishop of Winchester taking this morning's service. He was the only member of the clergy there and it was a completely normal parish Eucharist - very little of the pomp and circumstance that usually accompanies a bishop and Lord Spiritual. He did everything himself - act as minister, read the Gospel, celebrate the Eucharist, preach, ask the Children's Church what they had been up during the service, read the banns and announcements. There was no explanation or reason why he was there. To be fair, he did everything very well and we all felt honoured to have him. The things I most wish I'd done better was the improvisation for the entrance for the choir and clergy - somehow basic keyboard harmony managed to elude me for a minute or two and I managed to lose my way once or twice in the final voluntary - but to fair it was the G minor fugue BWV 542, I didn't have a page turner and I was trying to overhear a fairly loud conversation going on about 8 feet behind my back... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmbarton Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I gather via the grapevine that for tonight's Carols by Candlelight our minister is bringing a CD to play during the offertory. As she hasn't actually told me (or even asked me), I might play along too; work out what the music is then play along a semitone higher! David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcmbarton Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I gather via the grapevine that for tonight's Carols by Candlelight our minister is bringing a CD to play during the offertory. As she hasn't actually told me (or even asked me), I might play along too; work out what the music is then play along a semitone higher! Oh well, we got to the offertory and I waited for the CD; I looked at her, she looked at me and nothing happened, so I had to play anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Fairhurst Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Anybody else want to confess to anything??? Hell, why not. Our 9.45 this morning was the kids' nativity, and with a bit of camping it up on the acoustic piano, I acquitted myself reasonably well, I think. 6pm was a reflective service for which it was deemed the choir would sing "up top" (as our church has been reordered to be back-to-front). Consequently I couldn't play the (electronic) organ as I would have wished - we'd have been at opposite ends of the church and the timekeeping would have been appalling - so chose to use the (electronic) piano instead. But, hey, the piano has an almost passable organ sound which will do for the first hymn, Creator of the Starry Height, at least. Well, it would have done had I not accidentally selected "Electric Piano" by accident... and started the introduction accordingly. One muttered curse and a bit of frantic button-pressing later and I got... "Rock Harpischord". And another false start. At this point I decided to make the best of a bad lot and just go for the default piano sound. I'm not sure all this flailing did a lot for the reflective atmosphere. But hey - pretty much everyone stayed and listened to the closing voluntary (Boellman's Priere a Notre Dame), which is probably a first in our place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 My most recent faux pas was a month or two ago after the gradual hymn and before the gospel. The reader says "Hear the gospel..." and there is a sung response "Glory to you O Lord". However, on festive occasions we sing Alleluias for which I come in straight after the hymn without waiting for an introductory line. I think we had had Alleluias the previous week for some festive occasion, so instead of waiting for the "Hear the gospel.." line, I dived straight in with the response. I only then realised what I'd done, and an awkward silence followed the Curate reading the introductory line! The vicar then proceeded to totally mess up his lines in the Eucharistic Prayer, which made me then feel a whole lot better! These things happen from time to time... Thankfully, no major mishaps tonight, a thoroughly enjoyable Nine Lessons service with a full(ish) church, and nothing but compliments about the music. A few people tried to listen to the voluntaries (BWV729 and the Sleigh Ride as discussed on another thread) but the chatter meant that they were probably lost in the noise, even if I was playing loudly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Carr Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Oh well, we got to the offertory and I waited for the CD; I looked at her, she looked at me and nothing happened, so I had to play anyway! Perhaps she reads this board! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Echo Gamba Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 A few years back I was playing for a Deanery service in Canterbury Cathedral. I found that the then-assistant's "default" piston channel was very similar to what I would have set, so, despite being offered the use of a channel, to save time setting up I used his. Unfortunately, between my practice session and the Sunday evening, he had reset Swell 1 temporarily (probably for a psalm accompaniment) from Celestes to 8 & 4 reeds, and I didn't check beforehand.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidh Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I was sitting in the audience looking through a recital programme and saw that it included Ned Rorem’s "Quaker Reader”. I was puzzled because it requires a top F# and top G on the pedals, and I knew that the instrument had only a 30-note pedalboard. I assumed that the visiting recitalist was aware of this and had thought of a way round it, but when he came to the critical point there was a moment of chaos and confusion. Afterwards I spoke to him, and he said that he was not aware of the short pedalboard until he reached for the notes in question. It would have been quite tactless for me to have tip-toed round to the vestry in the few moments before the recital started, to ask, "Do you know that you are two notes short of a standard pedalboard?”, but I still feel a little guilty for not doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Clark Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 "Do you know that you are two notes short of a standard pedalboard?”, I suspect that, given time, this will become the standard organists' version of "not playing with a full deck..." Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contrabordun Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 with "only an octave of pull-downs" available if more emphasis is required? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Roffensis Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I gather via the grapevine that for tonight's Carols by Candlelight our minister is bringing a CD to play during the offertory. As she hasn't actually told me (or even asked me), I might play along too; work out what the music is then play along a semitone higher! David Pah! Of course CDs are so much superior to live Musicians doncha know?! R Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsoff Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Pah! Of course CDs are so much superior to live Musicians doncha know?! R Depends on the live musician fait-il pas ? :angry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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