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Basil Ramsay - Publisher of Music


Martin Cooke

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I wonder if friends play any music published by Basil Ramsay. Into my possession recently came an exquisite trio of pieces by Michael Jacques - Pavane, Alman & Galliard. They must have been on eBay. I had never heard them nor even heard of them and don't recall seeing their publication (1980) announced or reviewed, but they are excellent. There is also the delightful arrangement by Trevor Hold of an Irish lullaby - Suantraidhe - which is worth playing. Both of these are still published and are obtainable through the usual sources. 

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Other Ramsey items - The Steel Changing Moods Suite has some good movements (but also a few less good ones...). I used to play the Jacques trio - they always went down well, very elegantly written, but my copy is long since lost. I'm pretty sure Robert Munns (my first teacher) gave the first performance of them, and slightly less sure that he played them from Jacques' handwritten MS  (I was only about 11 at the time). The Geoffrey Bush Trumpet March for the Royal Wedding in 1981 was also effective on the right organ - used that a few times in my cathedral days as a noisy voluntary.

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2 hours ago, sjf1967 said:

Other Ramsey items - The Steel Changing Moods Suite has some good movements (but also a few less good ones...). I used to play the Jacques trio - they always went down well, very elegantly written, but my copy is long since lost. I'm pretty sure Robert Munns (my first teacher) gave the first performance of them, and slightly less sure that he played them from Jacques' handwritten MS  (I was only about 11 at the time). The Geoffrey Bush Trumpet March for the Royal Wedding in 1981 was also effective on the right organ - used that a few times in my cathedral days as a noisy voluntary.

Thanks for those reminders, Stephen. I must admit that I never got on very well with the Christopher Steel organ music - though I very much enjoyed a carol of his called This Joyful'st Feast which was very popular with your singers - also published by BR, I think. The G Bush piece is splendid and I like very much how this and his Carillon on Es ist ein ros both speak with an interesting and different voice. Both are dedicated to Christopher Dearnley, I think. Is there other music by Bush? 

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27 minutes ago, Martin Cooke said:

Other BR PofM music included two pieces by Heathcote Statham and also the Walford Davies Interlude in C. Not a fan of any of these, I'm afraid.

The Rhapsody on a Ground is a piece I quite enjoy when others play it, but I've never felt the need to learn myself. Bush - looks like there is a Toccata https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Geoffrey_Bush . There is a Steel Sonata (which I don't know) and the Vars on a Theme of Machaut are pretty good - fantastic showpiece to display an instrument.

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Rather fine set of Six Fantasies on Hymn Tunes (Helmsley, Aus der Tiefe, Little canonic variations on Jesus bids us shine, St Columba, Veni Emmanuel and Hanover) by Kenneth Leighton op 72 published by BR and dedicated to Herrick Bunney.  Shall be playing Aus der Tiefe on Wednesday next week!

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