Martin Cooke Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 Not sure if anyone is interested but it could be good time to catch up on a few new OUP organ and choral titles, as Presto Music is offering up to 25% discount - https://www.prestomusic.com/sheet-music/promotions/oxford-university-press Think... Carols for Choirs 6 OUP Organ Music for Christmas volume 2 Oxford Book of Organ Music by Women Composers - just out! Not sure if all of these qualify for full 25%, but it must be worth a peek! And I see from their website that there are two more volumes in the Hymn Settings for Organists coming in Spring. Rebecca Groom te Velde and Alan Bullard are in charge of this project. See here and here. I find the existing volumes more and more useful as each successive season comes around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geneva Posted December 9, 2023 Share Posted December 9, 2023 Oxford Book of Organ Music by Women Composers - utter trash. Only three pieces worth playing and they are available separately! Spend your money on a nice meal instead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Cooke Posted December 9, 2023 Author Share Posted December 9, 2023 6 hours ago, Geneva said: Oxford Book of Organ Music by Women Composers - utter trash. Only three pieces worth playing and they are available separately! Spend your money on a nice meal instead! Mmm... rather a harsh judgement, in my view. This is the largest volume of music that I can ever remember OUP producing and, as with all albums, in my considerable experience of purchasing such things, there are always a number of items that one will never bother with. From my point of view, that IS the case here, but, as I say, that's not unusual. There are a couple of perversities. The most striking one is that this volume has been published barely a month after OUP's 2nd volume of Christmas music and yet both volumes contain many pages of a piece based on 'God rest you merry, gentlemen' by the same composer. Is there not an editor in chief that might have spotted this? This is a work that covers several pages and these volumes are not inexpensive. Then, I am bound to say that there are in existence some much 'better' compositions by women composers 'out there' in amongst the pages of some of those Mayhew volumes than a few of those here, some of which are just arrangements of piano music, afterall. Many pieces by June Nixon are really worthwhile and valuable in church, and so are a good number by Rosalie Bonighton. Surely, it might have been possible to explore the possibility of republishing one or two of these under the OUP banner? And I would have welcomed a couple more pieces by one of the editors, Ghislaine Reece-Trapp, whose compositions both for organ and choir, I have found most interesting and attractive. These points aside, I am not at all disappointed with the album and I see it as another important step in acknowledging the music of many women composers (not just for the organ) whose work went so painfully unacknowledged for so many generations, and I hope, too, it will also encourage women musicians to be interested in playing and composing for the organ. The other thing that occurs to me is that we need to encourage more women who are already organists to write for their instrument. But, perhaps more male organists also need to be encouraged to write for their instrument too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nic DAVIDSON PORTER Posted December 10, 2023 Share Posted December 10, 2023 Something substantial for organ from Heloise Werner would be hugely welcome. I would stick my neck out and say that she is in the Boulanger class... Maybe a "Homage a/Tombeau de Francis Poulenc"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Fairhurst Posted January 14 Share Posted January 14 Another 2023 OUP organ book: "The Pipe Organ - A Composer's Guide" https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-pipe-organ-9780197645291?cc=gb&lang=en& Absolutely fascinating even for those of us who don't compose - it explains clearly and succinctly what works (and what doesn't), looks into various different schools of composition, and is liberally illustrated with examples. I'm very much enjoying going through it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damian Beasley-Suffolk Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 On 09/12/2023 at 16:30, Geneva said: Oxford Book of Organ Music by Women Composers - utter trash. Only three pieces worth playing and they are available separately! Spend your money on a nice meal instead! You're part of the problem mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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