CE Exeter Cathedral Wed, 17th January 2018

[Vox Humana]

Whoever it was about, I think that's a trick practised by many. Especially useful before the bride arrives to bring an unruly congregation to heel....

Oh indeed - but it only ever works for a second or two.

[choralmike]

This is nothing to do with Exeter, but a general observation. The accompaniments to the psalms used to be much more elaborate on CE it seems to me, elaborate word painting, more varied harmonies, counter melodies and so on. Perhaps this type of accompaniment has fallen out of favour or my ears are not picking it up. What do others think?

[Vox Humana]

This is nothing to do with Exeter, but a general observation. The accompaniments to the psalms used to be much more elaborate on CE it seems to me, elaborate word painting, more varied harmonies, counter melodies and so on. Perhaps this type of accompaniment has fallen out of favour or my ears are not picking it up. What do others think?

I'm not sure. I have heard some great examples of psalm accompaniment in the last twelve months (although I'm afraid I can't recall who was responsible). Perusing the copious Choral Evensongs on YouTube I don't detect a lot of difference between then and now. There has always been a range of approaches. There's a 1977 Choral Evensong from St George's, Windsor under Christopher Robinson where Sidney Campbell's pupil John Porter emulates his teacher's style of psalm accompaniment perfectly, with varied registrations, rearrangements and descants galore - although it's all so discreet that you have to listen hard to detect what's going on. Conversely there's another from the same place in 1962 with Campbell himself in charge (incidentally featuring the old Rothwell/Walker organ) where the psalm accompaniment is so "by the book" that it must surely be Campbell's assistant, Clement McWilliam, who is playing. Campbell clearly believed in discreet psalm accompaniment, letting the choir do the main work. Other DoMs - Salisbury is an example - prefer a more forthright organ. That, too makes a difference.

When choirs sang the psalms for the day month upon month, year upon year, the lay clerks and organists (perhaps even the boys) absorbed the words and pointing almost by osmosis. Has the modern lectionary made that more difficult? Next Wednesday all we're getting from St Paul's is a single psalm of just nine verses. This impoverished psalmody is all too common these days. Professionals will always put in the hours to learn what is necessary, but when it comes to internalising the psalms thoroughly there can be nothing like experience. I wonder how long that takes an organist nowadays.

[mw963]

... but it's a brilliant trick to play on a crowd who aren't listening to the organ!!

Well, I guess it happened once or twice at St G's - the best one wasn't me, but an esteemed colleague who was so annoyed by the cacophony coming from 'downstairs' that he broke off from the voluntary and launched into "O, I do like to be beside the seaside" and then returned to the proper piece. No-one 'downstairs' noticed or commented!
RJ[/QUOTE]


Ah, thank you Roger. I'd got the right venue but not quite the right details. Can't remember now who told me the story.....

[Dafydd y G.W.]

I'm not sure. I have heard some great examples of psalm accompaniment in the last twelve months (although I'm afraid I can't recall who was responsible). Perusing the copious Choral Evensongs on YouTube I don't detect a lot of difference between then and now. There has always been a range of approaches.

Valuable to have this analysis. As you say, there have always been different approaches. My impresssion - as much from live worship as broadcast - would tend to agree with choralmike's, but that may just be the result of random bias.

[ardcarp]

Accompanying psalms is pleasurable for most organists, but it is a maistake (IMVHO) to get too carried away with Water Pipes, Foundations of the Earth, Things Creeping Innumerable, Fat Bulls of Basan, Birds of the Air, Fishes of the Sea and so on. I think subtlety is the answer...and occasionally just quiet but firm support to the choir is enough. I note that St Thomas NY has been doing psalms unaccompanied quite a lot. That's a shame, though there's always a place for an unacc. verse here and there. What I really don't like is the organ being played too loudly. Sometime last year I sat East of the choir in one of our better-known establishments and they were virtually obliterated by a heavy diapason chorus, swell reeds and a rumbling bass.

[Vox Humana]

Accompanying psalms is pleasurable for most organists, but it is a maistake (IMVHO) to get too carried away with Water Pipes, Foundations of the Earth, Things Creeping Innumerable, Fat Bulls of Basan, Birds of the Air, Fishes of the Sea and so on. I think subtlety is the answer...and occasionally just quiet but firm support to the choir is enough. I note that St Thomas NY has been doing psalms unaccompanied quite a lot. That's a shame, though there's always a place for an unacc. verse here and there. What I really don't like is the organ being played too loudly. Sometime last year I sat East of the choir in one of our better-known establishments and they were virtually obliterated by a heavy diapason chorus, swell reeds and a rumbling bass.

I couldn't agree more, ardcarp. In the sort of situation we are discussing I would never use the Great manual when accompanying psalms. I have quoted this elsewhere, but I love this passage from Sir Frederick Bridge's Organ Accompaniment of the Choral Service (1885):

"While dealing with the expression of the words in the Psalms, a timely warning must be given against exaggeration in the direction of "word painting." No doubt many of those who read this little book may have heard organists attempt to portray "birds singing among the branches" (generally depicted by means of the shrillest flute in the organ), and the author has a vivid recollection of attempts to represent "the Heavens dropping" and the "word running very swiftly," the former by a startling staccato chord on the lowest octave of the great organ, while the right hand sustained the harmony on the swell, and the latter by a run up the keyboard of surprising rapidity. Ideas such as these would not, it is believed, occur to any organist of refined taste."

[Wolsey]

I note that St Thomas NY has been doing psalms unaccompanied quite a lot. That's a shame, though there's always a place for an unacc. verse here and there.

The approach of unaccompanied psalms was adopted by Andrew Nethsingha at Gloucester, and it happened at one time under his direction at John's, Cambridge. The absence of the organ obliges a choir to achieve a tighter sense of ensemble, and I've found from experience that it works. I remember King's evensongs being unaccompanied on Fridays in Philip Ledger's time, and I'm pretty certain some other foundations were/are unaccompanied one day a week.

[mw963]

Don't know if it still is, but in the Nethsingha (senior) /Morgan era at Exeter Fridays were almost always unaccompanied. I remember one where (and I think it was that Bairstow chant which starts on the major-subdominant chord) one side of boys forgot a "second half repeat" of the chant. In spite of Lucien's furious looks (and subtle fist-waving if I remember rightly) both sides fought it out for three quarters of the verse, and then the offending side all went bright red and silent while Lucien continued to fume; it probably wouldn't have gone on so long had the organ been there. One of the very few times I saw a complete b*lls up during that era, and I'm sorry to say I did have a little titter.....

As to the broadcast, Tim Parsons did some lovely registrations, including using those beautiful solo strings that are such a joy at Exeter. But it most certainly wasn't overdone.

[jonfan]

Listening to today’s recording on headphones of CE any suspected balance issues in the final voluntary seemed to have been sorted. A pity no room for the final hymn and I hope last week’s first in binaural sound isn’t the last; so stunning, especially the Messiaen.

[Philip]

As to the broadcast, Tim Parsons did some lovely registrations, including using those beautiful solo strings that are such a joy at Exeter. But it most certainly wasn't overdone.

Agreed. I had the pleasure of playing for a weekend at Exeter last August and the organ scholar of the time showed me one of his favourite combinations which (if I recall) was solo strings and orchestral oboe. Lovely instrument to play and great for choral accompaniment.

As to psalms generally, no problem with an unaccompanied Friday but I much prefer them accompanied if the organ is used for the rest of the service. Elaboration from the organist makes the psalms and paints the scenery around which the choir sings.

[Roger Judd]

à propos Ardcarp & St Thomas 5th Av. ... the unaccompanied psalms may have something to do with there not being a 'proper' organ to accompany them on presently, or it could be at Dan Hyde wants to improve corporate discipline within the ensemble. At St John's Cambridge I've witnessed the choir singing psalms both unaccompanied and undirected by Andrew Nethsingha - again good discipline in listening and watching and total awareness. The organ was always silent on Fridays at St George's Windsor, unless it was a Saints' day with a mass, and in many places I'm sure that is still the norm. I think it harks back to fasting on Fridays?
RJ

[DracoM]

There has been much 'discussion' on and ofline ref St T's that there seems to have been a re-jig of online / mic / organ / choir etc balance that has brought the 'organ' well to the fore and back-seated the choir when accompanied.

I am wondering if Mr Hyde has had his attention brought to this and, along with other reasons outlined upthread by Roger Judd eg team discipline etc has gone for at least one service where the psalms are unaccompanied. Would enable him to play back / re-examine more critically possibly?

[choralmike]

Accompanying psalms is pleasurable for most organists, but it is a maistake (IMVHO) to get too carried away with Water Pipes, Foundations of the Earth, Things Creeping Innumerable, Fat Bulls of Basan, Birds of the Air, Fishes of the Sea and so on. I think subtlety is the answer...and occasionally just quiet but firm support to the choir is enough. I note that St Thomas NY has been doing psalms unaccompanied quite a lot. That's a shame, though there's always a place for an unacc. verse here and there. What I really don't like is the organ being played too loudly. Sometime last year I sat East of the choir in one of our better-known establishments and they were virtually obliterated by a heavy diapason chorus, swell reeds and a rumbling bass.

I laughed out loud when I read this as I was thinking of all the various tweetings, trillings and rumblings which are possible. I guess it's a case of everything being in the "best possible taste" as Kenny Everett used to say when he was doing things in the worst possible taste. The words have to rule of course and anything which detracts from them has to be questioned. It's sad that psalms are sometimes omitted or truncated, particularly when the Blessing is sometimes being said as early as 4.15. I'd prefer to hear a psalm than a very long organ voluntary. Can anyone recommend a recording of the psalms? Kings did the Psalms of David under Willcocks - are they well done, do you think?

[Roger Judd]

The Willcocks 1968 psalm recording is, IMO, a classic example of how things were done once-upon-a-time! It was actually recorded in Trinity College Chapel, with the old H&H organ (King's Chapel was undergoing a facelift to accommodate the Rubens altar piece). The choir directed themselves, as they always did at that time, and DVW was at the keys. I don't know about later recordings.
RJ