Following the recording in June 2009, we have just released the new CD of Prior Park College’s Chapel Choir entitled “Laudate”. The CD was recorded over 3 nights with quite a grueling schedule of between 3 and 4 hours each night with only short breaks. Given this, the chapel choir performed remarkably and the end result is something for everyone to be proud of.
Proir Park College is a co-educational Catholic day and boarding school occupying a magnificent Georgian mansion in Bath. The choir has an outstanding reputation for excellence and has performed in a number of English cathedrals as well as throughout Europe.
Copies of the CD are available from Roland Robertson, Music Department, Prior Park College, Ralph Allen Drive, Bath, BA2 5AH or telephone 01225 835353.
This forthcoming week see’s the annual festival of St Mary Magdalen. At the chapel of the same name in Holloway, Bath, where I play the organ most weeks, we are celebrating this festival with 2 evening concerts. The first will be given by the Eberle String Quartet on Tuesday 21 July starting at 19.30.
The Eberle Quartet take their name from the leader’s violin which was made in Naples by Tomaso Eberle. The quartet consists of Daphne Moody (Violin), Jennifer Gibbs (Violin), Moira Alabaster (Viola) and Muriel Daniels (‘Cello). The Eberle musicians travel extensively, giving recitals, workshops and master classes in Britain and Europe. All four string players are members of the Sarum Orchestra under whose umbrella they play many chamber works.
The second concert will be given by Adam’s Apple, a fabulous accoustic jazz trio who specialise in the performance of hymns with a jazz twist to them. The trio is made up of Adam Biggs on Piano, Ben Groenevelt on Double Bass and Rob Brian on Drums. The group play in churches for concerts, services and give workshops offering a variety of original arrangments of familiar hymn tunes. This has introduced many new and stimulating dimensions to church music by using the breadth and posibilities of jazz.
Further details are available by contacting 4 Part Music or the Revd William Burman at Mary Magdalen Chapel on 01225 312140.
I’ve heard it said before that Sunday is meant to be a day of rest. Well it seems not, certainly not if you’re a church organist. Now I realise that my small contribution to church music is probably nothing compared to the work that many people have to do at weekends so I do not propose to complain! Indeed I made the choice to be involved with church music and have been since a very young age. The morning started like most Sunday’s for me with a trip to St Mary Magdalen Chapel in Bath where I play the organ most weeks.
Mary Magdalen Chapel - Holloway, Bath
The organ at St Mary Magdalen is a 3 manual Viscount, which means it is an electronic organ rather than a pipe organ. Now I know what many of you are probably thinking…. Church should have a pipe organ and any decent organist would want to play a pipe organ rather than some computerised “fake”. A lot of me agrees with this sentiment and given the choice I would opt for a proper pipe organ any day. However, such instruments are expensive and therefore there is an additional choice to be made.
Whilst I may favour the pipe organ over its electronic counterpart, I favour even more an instrument which works. Too many parish churches have pipe organs which have been poorly maintained or indeed not maintained at all and as such there is very little music which can be performed on such and instrument with any degree of accuracy. Moreover this makes any performance subject to considerable compromise which also has an effect on the ability of the music to add to the worship.
Given the choice therefore where budget does not run to a properly maintained pipe organ I am converted to electronic instruments as the sound quality is fairly close to the real thing. More importantly than that, every stop works and everything is always in tune. This means that the organists choice of repertoire is not limited by the instrument – simply, at least in my case, by ability – or perhaps lack of!
Has to be said I quite enjoyed the service this week – particularly when a member of the congregation came up to me afterwards and said he thoroughly enjoyed my rendition of the Frank Bridge, Adagio in E and said it reminded him of sunlight coming through an evening window. Well I’m not entirely sure about the relation there but the fact that he recognised the piece from my playing was praise in itself! He didn’t comment on the Toccata by Boellmann and didnt know the Vierne “Lied” which was played during communion.
For anyone interested, services at St Mary Magdalen are 10.30am every Sunday morning.