Sir David Willcocks, 1919-2015

[Petrushka]

this may be a silly question, but how did the late Robert Tear write an obituary for Sir David ?

Probably because it was penned some years ago. Obituary editors usually have a library full ready for instant use only adding as necessary. Sir David had a long life and in the ordinary way of things may have passed away at any time in the previous 15-20 years so the obituaries you read in today's papers were probably prepared some considerable time ago.

[Petrushka]

The real trend-setter was the well-known green Carols for Choirs Book 1, which I remember from the mid 1960s, but which I see was published in 1961. This was followed by the orange book, the blue book and so on. The new ground was broken in the 60s, not the 70s, as the obituary suggests. Does anyone agree?

I joined our parish church choir in 1965 and we had the green Carols for Choirs at around that time. Indeed, I can remember the brand new copies ready for us one practice night. It was edited by DW and Reginald Jacques and I'd agree that this was the real trend-setter.

[ardcarp]

The green and the orange were staple fare for many hastily thrown together carol services and concerts...and stll are. Our family still goes carol singing with them on Christmas Eve. However quite a few items in each book are hardly ever done, hence the 100 C for C which harvests the most popular from all three. I am slightly sorry that another OUP carol book, Sing Nowell, is not more widely known. I do hope that KCC carol service...which has no doubt already been formulated...will be able to be modified to include Willcocks arrangements, and maybe even his original piece Resonemus Laudibus.

[ahinton]

I didn't know him as he assumed directorship of RCM three years after I left it. In that rôle he succeeded Sir Keith Falkner, a monumentally great English baritone who had himself been a student at RCM in the days of Sir Hugh Allen's directorship of that institution. I do not in any sense wish to turn attention away from Sir DW here but do feel it important to point out that he succeeded Sir KF on the crest of the wave that Sir KF had created there, not least through presiding over the formation and continuation of RCM's 20th century ensemble (the best orchestra in that college whn I was a student there) and the inauguration of its electronics studio - and when you consider the kind of music that Sir KF made his career on the back of singing in his earlier days, that's really quite something! I remember him taking RCM's patron, then then Queen Mother (an almost exact contemporary of his) on a tour of RCM including that electronics studio and then to a performance by its 20th century ensemble - and was she unamused? - no, not a bit of it! Sir KF was a very hard act to follow and Sir DW followed it well, although I don't think that any RCM director ever achieved quite hat Sir KF did.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

As I remember it, 100 Carols was a later selection from the earlier Carols for Choirs books. The real trend-setter was the well-known green Carols for Choirs Book 1, which I remember from the mid 1960s, but which I see was published in 1961. This was followed by the orange book, the blue book and so on. The new ground was broken in the 60s, not the 70s, as the obituary suggests. Does anyone agree?

I do agree, though the blue book is vastly underused and underrated.

[antongould]

Very nice personal tribute by Martin Handley on Breakfast this morning ......

[DracoM]

See elsethread for today's Order of Service

[Keraulophone]

A good read (2008):

[Keraulophone]

"I must say, most of the faults which I’ve encountered with choirs have been through excessive vibrato, and the singers have been unable to control it adequately. They’ve got to learn to be able to control their voices. It’s basically a control of the emission of breath, and it takes very great care. Many singing teachers cultivate vibrato, quite rightly, in their singers, but they don’t seem to be able to vary it nor to be able to shut it off completely in those few instances where a straight sound is desirable."

Sir David, in conversation with Bruce Duffie in 1989, Evanston, IL.

One wonders whether or not Stephen Cleobury harboured such thoughts during his conductorship of the BBC Singers.

[light_calibre_baritone]

"I must say, most of the faults which I’ve encountered with choirs have been through excessive vibrato, and the singers have been unable to control it adequately. They’ve got to learn to be able to control their voices. It’s basically a control of the emission of breath, and it takes very great care. Many singing teachers cultivate vibrato, quite rightly, in their singers, but they don’t seem to be able to vary it nor to be able to shut it off completely in those few instances where a straight sound is desirable."

Sir David, in conversation with Bruce Duffie in 1989, Evanston, IL.

One wonders whether or not Stephen Cleobury harboured such thoughts during his conductorship of the BBC Singers.

This old chestnut. He's right though... Just learn to control it safely.

Slightly disagree that singer teachers 'cultivate vibrato' - a singer creates it naturally through an understanding of the teaching of a correct technique; bel canto for example... Beauty of tone, ease of emission and amplitude of resonance.

[Lat-Literal]

Sorry to hear this news.

He produced the classic recording of Faure's Requiem.

That's the one I have in my collection.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Sorry to hear this news.

He produced the classic recording of Faure's Requiem.

That's the one I have in my collection.

Bob Chilcott's first moment of fame.

[Lat-Literal]

Bob Chilcott's first moment of fame.

Yes indeed.

[VodkaDilc]

The late Robert Tear's obituary of Sir David in today's Guardian has a surprising claim; perhaps correct, but it struck me as odd:

He became Director of the Royal College in 1974 and was knighted in 1977. Throughout this period he was also general music editor at OUP. He broke new ground here too, producing with the composer John Rutter the carol book that was to outsell all others, 100 Carols for Choirs. Several further volumes followed its lead, repackaging old carols and publishing new ones, in a format that good amateur singers could master.


As I remember it, 100 Carols was a later selection from the earlier Carols for Choirs books. The real trend-setter was the well-known green Carols for Choirs Book 1, which I remember from the mid 1960s, but which I see was published in 1961. This was followed by the orange book, the blue book and so on. The new ground was broken in the 60s, not the 70s, as the obituary suggests. Does anyone agree?

This mistake is acknowledged and corrected in today's Guardian.

[mercia]

a very long "interview" with Sir D from 2008 has appeared on youtube, with pretty bad sound quality. Not so much an interview as Sir D talking virtually nonstop for two hours, as if dictating his memoirs. Amazing recall of people, places and dates in minute detail, including his wartime experiences. One thing that interested me was he says he had never given a choir vocal exercises to do, scales, arpeggios etc. - clearly considering them boring and a waste of time.