DQB123 Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 After years of very little playing I am gradually re-visiting some of the repertoire that I learned as a teenager, and one piece which has arrived on the Wyvern in recent days is Parry's Choral Prelude on Rockingham. I always remember my organ teacher commenting that this is "very good" music... (though what that means I'm not sure!) Does anyone know if there are any recordings available? I learned it originally with strings and celestes as an accompaniment to the chorale - which appears as a tenor solo. But that seems kind of dull and unimaginative. Noting what Nigel Allcoat said in another thread about swell box use, the copy marks crescendos and diminuendos but no instructions to add or subtract stops. So are the changes in dynamic range brought about by use of the swell box, or are stops to be added or subtracted along the way? Does anyone else play this piece and if so how and on what sort of registration? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolsey Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 After years of very little playing I am gradually re-visiting some of the repertoire that I learned as a teenager, and one piece which has arrived on the Wyvern in recent days is Parry's Choral Prelude on Rockingham. I always remember my organ teacher commenting that this is "very good" music... (though what that means I'm not sure!) Does anyone know if there are any recordings available? I learned it originally with strings and celestes as an accompaniment to the chorale - which appears as a tenor solo. But that seems kind of dull and unimaginative. Noting what Nigel Allcoat said in another thread about swell box use, the copy marks crescendos and diminuendos but no instructions to add or subtract stops. So are the changes in dynamic range brought about by use of the swell box, or are stops to be added or subtracted along the way? Does anyone else play this piece and if so how and on what sort of registration? One version available was the recording by Graham Barber on the organ of Truro Cathedral, no. 4 in Priory's Great European Organs series. It's been deleted, but available to special order from Priory - though at a price. The track you want is also available in MP3 format for purchase and download here - NB it's on track 1 which contains two of the chorale preludes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiratutti Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Hello, Priory has a recording of the complete organ works of Sir Hubert Parry, played at Durham Cathedral by James Lancelot. Does anyone know if there are any recordings available? I learned it originally with strings and celestes as an accompaniment to the chorale - which appears as a tenor solo. But that seems kind of dull and unimaginative. Noting what Nigel Allcoat said in another thread about swell box use, the copy marks crescendos and diminuendos but no instructions to add or subtract stops. So are the changes in dynamic range brought about by use of the swell box, or are stops to be added or subtracted along the way? Lancelot does not add or subtract stops, he uses the swell box. The registration, as I hear it from the CD: one of the many Diapasons for the solo (?) and a string-fluty combination for the Sw (?). No celeste. Cheers tiratutti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DQB123 Posted June 27, 2009 Author Share Posted June 27, 2009 Hello, Priory has a recording of the complete organ works of Sir Hubert Parry, played at Durham Cathedral by James Lancelot. Lancelot does not add or subtract stops, he uses the swell box. The registration, as I here it from the CD: one of the many Diapasons for the solo (?) and a string-fluty combination for the Sw (?). No celeste. Cheers tiratutti Oh yes there is that one; I'd quite forgotten about the Durham recording. I wonder if the over-use of celestes is a bad habit.... Terrible thing however when an organ is without them... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stanley Monkhouse Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 How interesting. My organ teacher (Andrew Seivewright) also held Rockingham in very high regard, also Melcombe. As I grew older, I saw delights in Melcombe that I missed when I was younger. In my dotage, I find these miniatures to be of great beauty, and return to them again and again. I tend to prefer the quiet ones, and -- sentimental creature that I am -- I find St Cross extremely moving. But I also revel in Old 104th and Croft's 136th. Better than Stanford's preludes IMHO. I just have this niggle that Parry never quite managed loud endings. Nevertheless, lovely stuff - and as for his Elegy in the In Memoriam book - just exquisite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Kemp Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Stanley - On a totally different matter - nothing to do with music - I thought your letter in Church Times yesterday was excellent. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DQB123 Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 I suppose that this could lead to the question, what makes a piece of music "good"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm Kemp Posted June 28, 2009 Share Posted June 28, 2009 That is the unanswerable question Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DQB123 Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 That is the unanswerable question Malcolm Aye ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Taylor Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 After years of very little playing I am gradually re-visiting some of the repertoire that I learned as a teenager, and one piece which has arrived on the Wyvern in recent days is Parry's Choral Prelude on Rockingham. ... Does anyone know if there are any recordings available? Here are the recordings I know of Parry's Chorale Preludes (it looks like the Priory recordings, mentioned above, have re-appeared on Regis). Eventide - Carlo Curley at St Mary Redcliffe, Argo 433 450-2 Melcombe and Rockingham - John Kitchen playing the organ of Shettleston Old Parish Church, Glasgow, Delphian DCD 34032 Croft's 136th - John Kitchen at the Church of the Holy Rude, Sterling, Delphian DCD34064 Eventide, Hanover and Martydom - Catherine Ennis at Munster Cathedral, IFO 00072 Melcombe - Clive Driskill-Smith at Eton College Chapel (Snetzler), Priory PRCD 809 Croft's 136th – James Lancelot at Durham, Regis FRC 8102 Melcombe – Colin Walsh at Lincoln Cathedral, Regis FRC 8102 St Thomas - David Briggs at Truro, Regis FRC 8102 Christe Redemptor omnium - Arthur Wills at Ely, Regis FRC 8102 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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