Sir David Willcocks, 1919-2015

[Hornspieler]

You didn't fall for the "Pure, Perfect Sound Forever" claim by Philips/Sony for the new CD format in 1982 then?

With respect, I do not think that this post has any connection to a thread started as a tribute to a great musician.

Perhaps you may wish to withdraw it (or place it elsewhere if it is that important to you)

HS

[Barbirollians]

I might have done but I was in my teens and could not afford a player until i started work in 1990 but this was one of the very first CDs I owned and it made me an immediate fan of Sir David .

[Roehre]

My interest in RVW's choral works essentially started after I got Willcocks' recordings.
One of the feats of his influences on my listening experiences.

RIP

[chrisjstanley]

How very sad. RIP.

I remember singing under Sir David's baton at a Music in the Minster concert in Southwell in the early 70s. Wonderful experience.

bws
Chris S

[Pulcinella]

My interest in RVW's choral works essentially started after I got Willcocks' recordings.
One of the feats of his influences on my listening experiences.

RIP

Agreed! Hard to choose what to play in tribute when I have time (busy weekend): RVW Mass; Howells Coll Reg and (perhaps very appropriately) Take him earth (happily at long last available on CD thanks to Australian Decca); Haydn
Paukenmesse (EMI, which I prefer to the John's Decca version of about the same time); the list goes on.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

- always came across as a lovely man when interviewed . A great age and a splendid life well lived.

A perfect summary.

[Y Mab Afradlon]

My favourite Sir David Willcocks quote. On being asked to describe the acoustic at Collegium Regale he described it "could make a fart sound like a nine fold Amen."

[Finzi4ever]

I have put this on the 2 relevant threads as I'm mightily aggrieved, but do feel free, FF, to remove this from the less appropriate one...

BBC IT incompetence strikes again!
While it's good that the sad death of Sir David Willcocks is being commemorated with a re-broadcast of the 2010 evensong from King's this Sunday, it has meant that Wed's live b/c from Greenwich has already been taken down to advertise the fact, and it hadn't even been up for 48hrs - so I, among plenty of others, have now missed it, Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Also I'd imagine that Greenwich may well be hacked off not to get a second airing this week. Surely the DW b/c could be in addition to the one and only CE per week: we used to have 2 at one stage.

[Op. XXXIX]

My favourite Sir David Willcocks quote. On being asked to describe the acoustic at Collegium Regale he described it "could make a fart sound like a nine fold Amen."

Thanks, that made my morning!

Seriously, RIP Sir David.

[Keraulophone]

you may wish to withdraw it (or place it elsewhere if it is that important to you)

It is an entirely inconsequential remark of little or no importance, which refers directly to the preceding post, and consequently it would lose any of its meagre import if relocated.

We were reminded in this afternoon's Last Word on Radio4 of Sir David's wicked sense of humour. My comment probably wasn't nearly wicked enough for him, though I have to admit to veering OT.

So to get back onto the straight and narrow path, I will simply quote the most uplifting moment of a chorister's Christmas, with a Tingle Factor of 10:

[ardcarp]

...quite uplifting for organists to play it too!

David Willcocks was commemorated on R4's Last Word today. Alastair Hume was being interviewed. Maybe the programme didn't quite get over to Joe Public what a game-changer Willcocks was. Oh well. We all know he was.

[mangerton]

So to get back onto the straight and narrow path, I will simply quote the most uplifting moment of a chorister's Christmas, with a Tingle Factor of 10:

Oh yes. Possibly 11, even after 50 odd years. Perhaps strange, but I find it easier to sing than to listen to.

[Petrushka]

It is an entirely inconsequential remark of little or no importance, which refers directly to the preceding post, and consequently it would lose any of its meagre import if relocated.

We were reminded in this afternoon's Last Word on Radio4 of Sir David's wicked sense of humour. My comment probably wasn't nearly wicked enough for him, though I have to admit to veering OT.

So to get back onto the straight and narrow path, I will simply quote the most uplifting moment of a chorister's Christmas, with a Tingle Factor of 10:

Indeed it was. At the time (1965 - 1975) I thought I was the only chorister in the world who found this such a thrilling moment but glad to find, after all these years, that I had it right.

[VodkaDilc]

Out of interest, does anyone feel inclined to put a name to 'that' chord? We're heading towards A minor, so some sort of supertonic 7th? Lots of people here whose harmony is less rusty than mine. A D minor chord with a ruddy great B in the pedal satisfies me.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I'd call it a half-diminished seventh on B (acting as you describe it as a ii7 - V - I [I think the key signature is D major - hence the natural sign before the C in the previous bar, cancelled with the C# on the word "of"] in A major).