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New Years Honours 2022


Choir Man

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3 hours ago, Peter Allison said:

Just want to say 3 letter.... GTB?

Well, indeed! wasn't there some sort of campaign to get him that? Or perhaps that was FJ. But, there again, GTB was not just at the Temple but there was the whole Birmingham Town Hall thing, so his profile was bigger than some people's... and didn't he teach at the RCM? But it is still a long way from an MBE to a knighthood. I do accept that organists who HAVE been knighted did go on to greater things in some cases. 

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1 hour ago, Denis O'Connor said:

May I suggest the name of Sir Richard Terry, keen discoverer and editor  of Tudor music, who was Organist at Antigua cathedral for a short time and went on to be Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral ?

Again, if I'm not mistaken, a royal grant rather than a political one. He must be credited for putting both Renaissance/Tudor polyphony and the Westminster choir firmly on the musical map and he is remembered for that better than for being an organist.  I imagine these are what earned him his knighthood, but I've always thought it a slightly strange decision, considering that Percy Buck had to sack him from the editorship of the Carnigie Trust Tudor Church Music series because of his slapdash—or, rather, lack of— scholarship (getting emanuenses to do the work and submitting their error-ridden efforts unchecked and uncorrected—one of the Taverner volumes was specifically cited) and he is said to have lost his Westminster job for other chaotic unreliability. Nevertheless, his knighthood, which must reflect his musical prominence, could well be an illustration of how the status of church musicians has sunk in popular estimation since his time.

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1 hour ago, Denis O'Connor said:

May I suggest the name of Sir Richard Terry, keen discoverer and editor  of Tudor music, who was Organist at Antigua cathedral for a short time and went on to be Master of the Music at Westminster Cathedral ?

Terry certainly achieved sufficient distinction "For research work in early English manuscripts in music" to earn a knighthood in the 1922 Dissolution Honours after being appointed by Cardinal Vaughan as the Cathedral's first Master of Music (sic), but what with unsatisfactory performance of his duties, by 1924 he was forced to resign (according to the late Colin Mawby) for swearing at the choir.

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5 hours ago, Martin Cooke said:
9 hours ago, Peter Allison said:

Just want to say 3 letter.... GTB?

Well, indeed! wasn't there some sort of campaign to get him that?

I believe the late Queen Mother took up the cause for GTB’s knighthood.  There’s a moving memorial to him in the foyer of Birmingham Town Hall:

Sir George Thalben-Ball CBE  MusD FRCM FRCO (1896-1987)

City Organist 1949-1983

City Organist Emeritus 1983-1987

Doyen of Organists 

And a true gentleman

He was additionally Head of Religious Music at the BBC and sometimes accompanied ‘the Daily Service’ followed by a short extemporised voluntary, usually on one day of the week and a highlight for a late uncle of mine (not an organist!) who thought these were utterly wonderful.  

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I believe that Andrew Carwood's MBE was for services to choral (and religious?) music - or something to that effect - but if anyone ever deserved something for services to choral and religious music it would take just two letters to convey who I am thinking about: FJ.

Dave

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29 minutes ago, DaveHarries said:

I believe that Andrew Carwood's MBE was for services to choral (and religious?) music - or something to that effect - but if anyone ever deserved something for services to choral and religious music it would take just two letters to convey who I am thinking about: FJ.

Dave

The citation is "Founder Director, The Cardinall’s Musick and Director of Music, St Paul’s Cathedral. For services to Choral Music". I suspect that the honour is more related to his work over more than thirty years with the Cardinall's Musick because with the exception of Charles Macpherson who suffered an untimely death and Malcolm Archer who was in post for three years, five of his predecessors have been honoured within the Royal Victorian Order.

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15 hours ago, Rowland Wateridge said:

I believe the late Queen Mother took up the cause for GTB’s knighthood.  There’s a moving memorial to him in the foyer of Birmingham Town Hall:

Sir George Thalben-Ball CBE  MusD FRCM FRCO (1896-1987)

City Organist 1949-1983

City Organist Emeritus 1983-1987

Doyen of Organists 

And a true gentleman

He was additionally Head of Religious Music at the BBC and sometimes accompanied ‘the Daily Service’ followed by a short extemporised voluntary, usually on one day of the week and a highlight for a late uncle of mine (not an organist!) who thought these were utterly wonderful.  

I was invited to GTB's Memorial Service in St. Philip's Cathedral in Birmingham. The Master of the Queen's Musick, Malcolm Williamson, gave a eulogy. He was clearly, 'not well' is perhaps the best way of putting it and delivered the most outrageous eulogy to the, very audible, gasps of the assembled company. Somewhere I have the Order of Service but I can't remember, for the life of me, what we were served up! 

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7 hours ago, Vox Humana said:

Again, if I'm not mistaken, a royal grant rather than a political one. He must be credited for putting both Renaissance/Tudor polyphony and the Westminster choir firmly on the musical map and he is remembered for that better than for being an organist.  I imagine these are what earned him his knighthood, but I've always thought it a slightly strange decision, considering that Percy Buck had to sack him from the editorship of the Carnigie Trust Tudor Church Music series because of his slapdash—or, rather, lack of— scholarship (getting emanuenses to do the work and submitting their error-ridden efforts unchecked and uncorrected—one of the Taverner volumes was specifically cited) and he is said to have lost his Westminster job for other chaotic unreliability. [...]

Having read this article (subscription access), I wonder if Terry's knighthood was a calculated means of applying balm after the unhappy episode of his being sacked from the editorship. Both events happened in 1922, and the citation ("For research work in early English manuscripts in music") becomes even more telling. Other aspects about him are revealed here.

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8 hours ago, John Morris said:

Apparently, one of Terry's finer moments at a Westminster Cathedral was when he yelled (at the clergy) 'can't one of you b*ggers even sing an alleluia?'

In my, considerable, experience, as an English Roman Catholic church musician, this is not unusual - Bishops were the worst - they turned up minutes before the celebration was due to begin and were at their most dangerous when they said they would "sing whatever you want me too!" 

As I have said, on a number of occasions before, I could write a book - but no one would believe me!!!

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9 hours ago, S_L said:

In my, considerable, experience, as an English Roman Catholic church musician, this is not unusual - Bishops were the worst - they turned up minutes before the celebration was due to begin and were at their most dangerous when they said they would "sing whatever you want me too!" 

As I have said, on a number of occasions before, I could write a book - but no one would believe me!!!

I for one would believe anything!! My first experience playing in an RC church was for a funeral. Beforehand, I asked the visiting Irish priest at what point the hymns would be sung. He replied "To be sure sorr, you joost play dem whenever ye loik!"  I later heard that he had gone to the wrong cemetery for the burial.

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Years ago, I played at a funeral at an RC church with a west end organ, miles away from anybody; can't remember what the first hymn was, but the second was 'How Great Thou Art'.  The priest managed to announce them in the wrong order with 'How Great Thou Art' first, so, rather than fumble through the hymn book, I decided to busk it and a quick mental run-through of the first line or so pointed me to the key of F.   That all worked fine until the second half of the tune where the hapless congregation suddenly found themselves having to screech up to high A's.  I've always been wary of that hymn ever since (as I'm sure they have)!

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