CE Archive Thalben-Ball Memorial 5.x.16

[DracoM]

CE Archive Wed, 5th October 2016

Memorial Evensong for Sir George Thalben-Ball (Music Advisor to the Head of Religious Broadcasting 1941-1969)
Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street, London: 28 January 1988


Order of Service:


Organ Prelude: Elegy in F (Thalben-Ball)
Introit: Requiem aeternam (Thalben-Ball)
Responses: Tallis
Psalm 103 (Walford Davies)
First Lesson: Ecclesiasticus 44: 1-15
Office Hymn: Brightest and best (Jesmian)
Canticles:Walford Davies in G (Temple Chant setting)
Second Lesson: Colossians 3:1-17
Anthem: Comfort ye my people (Thalben-Ball)
Final Hymn: Holy Father, cheer our way (Carsaig)

Organ Voluntary: Elegy in B flat (Thalben-Ball)

Organists: Barry Rose and Andrew Lumsden.
BBC Singers directed by John Poole and Barry Rose

[jonfan]

I have a cassette tape of this so it will be good to a get a better recording as this marked an end of an era in celebration of Thalben-Ball with Barry Rose's influence over the BBCS at its height. Lashings of Walford Davies to enjoy as well but the icing is the mellifluous voice of Rev W D Kennedy-Bell, surely one of the great voices of radio who could make reading the phone book have the gravity and solemnity of the Book of Common Prayer.

[Stanfordian]

CE Archive Wed, 5th October 2016

Memorial Evensong for Sir George Thalben-Ball (Music Advisor to the Head of Religious Broadcasting 1941-1969)
Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street, London: 28 January 1988


Order of Service:


Organ Prelude: Elegy in F (Thalben-Ball)
Introit: Requiem aeternam (Thalben-Ball)
Responses: Tallis
Psalm 103 (Walford Davies)
First Lesson: Ecclesiasticus 44: 1-15
Office Hymn: Brightest and best (Jesmian)
Canticles:Walford Davies in G (Temple Chant setting)
Second Lesson: Colossians 3:1-17
Anthem: Comfort ye my people (Thalben-Ball)
Final Hymn: Holy Father, cheer our way (Carsaig)

Organ Voluntary: Elegy in B flat (Thalben-Ball)

Organists: Barry Rose and Andrew Lumsden.
BBC Singers directed by John Poole and Barry Rose

Hiya DracoM,

Thanks for the alert. I am a great admirer of GT-B. Some might not know that he had some composition lessons from Sir C.V. Stanford at the RCM. I find the biography written by Jonathan Rennert extremely interesting.

[Magnificat]

There is a rather lovely psalm chant composed by GTB which is sung at St Albans usually to verses 33to40 of psalm 119

VCC

[ardcarp]

In addition to his post at The Temple, GTB was Birmingham's City Organist. Part of his duty was to give a weekly lunchtime recital on the massive Hill instrument in the Town Hall. IIRC, they were free. But even so his audiences were usually sparse, including a few 'gentlemen of the road' seeking an hour's shelter on a Winter's day. This didn't appear to worry GTB one bit. He was a great public recitalist and never, I am told, let his standards slip...even to an audience of three men and a dog.

[DracoM]

Today @ 3.30 p.m.
And maybe a dog.

[Keraulophone]

There will be a cat, in his 21st year of listening to CE on the wireless.

[gradus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VkOxnNc7ic

The good doctor in sparkling form, shame about the recording.

[Finzi4ever]

Today @ 3.30 p.m.
And maybe a dog.

Did the opening elegy (not the famous one) go to prove that recording was in analogue tape mode, back in '88, with the decided pitch swoop?

[DracoM]

Yes, recording quality a bit.....'interesting'.
And the BBCS...hmm. Different sound then?

[Op. XXXIX]

I am a great admirer of GT-B. Some might not know that he had some composition lessons from Sir C.V. Stanford at the RCM. I find the biography written by Jonathan Rennert extremely interesting.

Thanks, I just ordered a copy of the Rennert bio!

[Stanfordian]

Thanks, I just ordered a copy of the Rennert bio!

Hiya Op. XXXIX,

I find the period that Stanford spent teaching composition at the RCM a fascinating time in music. As you may know he taught tens of students many of which are well known from Vaughan Williams to Leopold Stokowski, from Holst to Howells. Around that time there was a scheme whereby talented music students from Commonwealth countries were able to apply for scholarships at the RCM as did Arthur Benjamin et al. But Australia born Thalben-Ball did not come to England as a result of the scholarship scheme he came to England from Australia as a young boy with his parents.

[Op. XXXIX]

I find the period that Stanford spent teaching composition at the RCM a fascinating time in music history. As you may know he taught tens of students many of which are well known. There seemed to be a scheme whereby talented music students from Commonwealth countries were able to apply for scholarships at the RCM. From memory I think Thalben-Ball came to England as a result of that scheme as did Arthur Benjamin et al.

Thank-you for the additional info. It is probably well known that in 1915 Thalben-Ball (age 19) played Rachmaninov 3, perhaps not so remarkable today, but back then it must have been dynamite.

George Thalben-Ball is active on Facebook. (We are friends ) Obviously someone is standing in, no idea who it is, but they are very knowledgeable. I once asked about his hymn tune 'Egerton', and George well remembered writing it! How many people here know that tune?

[Roger Judd]

Hi Stanfordian - I think the route followed by GTB from Australia to the RCM was the same one that Gillian Weir took from New Zealand to the RCM.
RJ

[mopsus]

GTB's (much younger) widow is still alive, isn't she?