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The splendid Evening Hymn is arguably the best-known, and best, piece written by Henry Balfour Gardiner — apparently a great uncle of the present-day conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Such is the quality of this stirring anthem that it seems a pity we don’t have much else of note by Balfour Gardiner for church choirs…
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Organist Anna Lapwood makes Aldeburgh Festival debut playing Britten’s Four Sea Interludes in Snape Maltings Concert Hall, on a Regent Classic Organ. The Aldeburgh Festival 2022 is an extended, 24-day celebration of music and the arts. Programming strands include Britten and Women and a celebration of the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme at 50, and there are also…
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With Ralph Allwood, Mark Shepherd, and the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir. Psalm 114 is sung here to an ancient chant known as Tonus Peregrinus, which Ralph Allwood suggests seems very likely (according to recent research) to have been used in the temple in Jerusalem, before it was destroyed. That makes it…
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David Crown, conductor, is hosting a Come and Sing Fauré ‘Requiem’ together with a Ukrainian anthem. He will be joined by a professional orchestra and star soloists: Roderick Williams – Baritone Harriet Burns – Soprano David Crown describes how this war has challenged him on so many levels. He felt he wanted to do what…
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With Ralph Allwood, Mark Shepherd, and the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir. Psalm 24 is a splendid and relatively short psalm, sung here to a chant by Barnby in the “bright” key of E major. Rather like Psalm 150, featured last month, this is one of a small number of psalms that…
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Each year I have the pleasant task of deciding what topic we should base our following year educational organ tutorial videos on. This gets harder each time to ensure that we do not repeat old ground and include matters of some genuine interest. In the early years we started with ‘Hymn of the Month’ which…
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I have been aware for many years that the Copeman Hart 32 ft addition to the nave pipe organ at Southwell Minster was in need of repair as the cones had deteriorated badly over time (as you can see from pictures below). Only held together by gaffer tape they still functioned but the tape added…
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With Ralph Allwood, Mark Shepherd, and the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban Chapel Choir The great psalm of praise, number 150: “O praise God in his holiness”, features as the first in this tutorial series on Psalms and Anthems. You’ll be able to see Ralph Allwood teaching the Old Royal Naval College Trinity Laban…
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One of an organist’s most subtle and sensitive roles is in the accompaniment of psalms and church anthems. In such an accompanying role, one’s job is rarely to stand out as a performer but to create an underlying musical foundation on which the choir’s singing can build. There may be moments of organ glory and…
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I am indebted to the Household Division web site for the information below which is a truncated version of their much fuller history. History of the Royal Military Chapel (Guards’ Chapel) The Royal Military Chapel, or the Guards’ Chapel as it is more generally known, stands in Birdcage Walk on the south side of St….
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* Image Freddie James and Wenying Wu. The RCO’s online Winter Conference returns to offer an experience for everyone with an interest in the organ and its music. It runs from 14:00–21:00 (GMT) on Thursday 17th and Friday 18th February and from 10:00–21:30 (GMT) on Saturday 19th February 2022. The conference will be Online only…
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Any thoughts that 2021 would be a normal year were quickly dashed by the Christmas 2020 lockdown. I am sure as a consequence we all started the Year in a sombre mood. Once more I sat behind my desk unable to make plans and quickly took the decision to furlough the majority of our staff….
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