CE Chapel of The Queen’s College, Oxford [R] Wed, 4th March 2020

[DracoM]

CE Chapel of The Queen’s College, Oxford [R]
(recorded on 29th October 2019)


Order of Service:


Introit: God be in my head (Judith Bingham)
Responses: Debbie Carter Rose
Psalm 119: 105-128 (Fiske Scott, Humberston, Poston)
First Lesson: Judges 4: 4–10
Canticles: Magnificat and Nunc dimittis for double chorus (Roxanna Panufnik)
Second Lesson: Acts 16: 11–15
Anthem: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High (Clarke)
Hymn: The Lord’s my shepherd (Crimond)
Prayer Anthem: Ave Regina Caelorum (Cecilia McDowall)

Voluntary: Prelude and Fugue on ‘O Traurigkeit, O Herzeleid’ (Smyth)


Laurence John (Organ Scholar)
Stephen Farr (Assistant Organist)
Owen Rees (Director of Music)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000fwrr

[Vox Humana]

Yet again we have an assistant organist at an Oxford college who has a regular appointment elsewhere. Apologies if I have not been paying proper attention to previous discussions, but what is the thinking here? Are the colleges employing well-known names (on zero hours contracts? :) ) so that they can be engaged for special occasions when required?

[ardcarp]

Yet again we have an assistant organist at an Oxford college who has a regular appointment elsewhere

This is a broadcast 'in the can' BTW.

Maybe the organ scholar is a new one and didn't feel confident to broadcast/record. I don't know if anything (eg the Panufnik) has a particularly tricky organ part. A long time ago, a new organ scholar struggled with Stanford in A at an Oxbridge College...no names, no pack-drill. It is a tricky one.

Nice idea to have a (mostly) all female line-up of composers. I assume Clarke is Rebecca Clarke?

PS It is Rebecca Clarke. Gonville & Caius made a CD of her complete choral music some years ago. Typical of the excellent Geoffrey Webber's pioneering attitude to repertoire.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/rebecca-clarke-the-complete-choral-music-mw0001850989/releases

[Vox Humana]

Yes, not a male composer in sight, even in the hymn. I'm assuming that the chant by Humberston is no.188 here (or failing that, another by the same person).

[ardcarp]

It did say that Miss H. was changeable....

[Vox Humana]

It did say that Miss H. was changeable....

[DracoM]

Reminder: today @ 3.30 p.m.

[DracoM]

Interestingly put together, confidently sung, sermon / prayers just a bit on the soap box side, but ..........ahem................

[ardcarp]

prayers just a bit on the soap box side

Yes, 'those who [i.e.women] needing twice the talent to get half the opportunity' was more for the pulpit than the prayer-desk. I thought the Clarke anthem and the Ethel Smyth [beautifully played] organ voluntary were my favourites. Clearly a bit of pastiche from Dame Ethel.

[ardcarp]

...and there's this, especially the fugue:

Prelude & Fugue in C major
Performer: Liana Șerbescu (piano)

Near the end of this morning's Essential Classice; just before a Gibbons viol fantasia and Adams' Short Ride.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000g4bj

I'm not sure whether I think of her as Dame Ethel Bach or J.S. Smyth, but it's a surprising piece.

[Caussade]

Yet again we have an assistant organist at an Oxford college who has a regular appointment elsewhere. Apologies if I have not been paying proper attention to previous discussions, but what is the thinking here? Are the colleges employing well-known names (on zero hours contracts? :) ) so that they can be engaged for special occasions when required?

Rest easy, Vox Humana. I was in the congregation at this recording and I can tell you on the best authority (namely, Owen Rees) that the 'Assistant Organist' was paying a one-off visit; the college has two excellent organ scholars. The label in the listings is just because they had to call him something, and Stephen Farr has no regular playing slots at Queen's. But as the choir were also recording another Evensong that week, and already had a lot of playing to do, he came in to help out (I think he teaches the organists there, from time to time). But I would also add that it's increasingly hard to find capable organ scholars these days, so colleges will sometimes resort to bringing in external people to help out on big occasions. It's not unusual to find a choir capable of singing pretty much anything but an organ scholar who struggles with Stanford in C. This is of course a conversation that's been rehearsed many times here.

[Caussade]

This is a broadcast 'in the can' BTW.

Maybe the organ scholar is a new one and didn't feel confident to broadcast/record. I don't know if anything (eg the Panufnik) has a particularly tricky organ part. A long time ago, a new organ scholar struggled with Stanford in A at an Oxbridge College...no names, no pack-drill. It is a tricky one.

Nice idea to have a (mostly) all female line-up of composers. I assume Clarke is Rebecca Clarke?

PS It is Rebecca Clarke. Gonville & Caius made a CD of her complete choral music some years ago. Typical of the excellent Geoffrey Webber's pioneering attitude to repertoire.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/rebec...50989/releases

Yes, the Panufnik is pretty fiddly, from what I can see of the online score

[Vox Humana]

Rest easy, Vox Humana. I was in the congregation at this recording and I can tell you on the best authority (namely, Owen Rees) that the 'Assistant Organist' was paying a one-off visit; the college has two excellent organ scholars. The label in the listings is just because they had to call him something, and Stephen Farr has no regular playing slots at Queen's. But as the choir were also recording another Evensong that week, and already had a lot of playing to do, he came in to help out (I think he teaches the organists there, from time to time). But I would also add that it's increasingly hard to find capable organ scholars these days, so colleges will sometimes resort to bringing in external people to help out on big occasions. It's not unusual to find a choir capable of singing pretty much anything but an organ scholar who struggles with Stanford in C. This is of course a conversation that's been rehearsed many times here.

Thanks very much for that explanation, Caussade. I thought that was probably the reason.

[Caussade]

My pleasure!

[subcontrabass]

But I would also add that it's increasingly hard to find capable organ scholars these days,

When was it ever easy to find them? I was an Oxford college organ scholar from 1965-68. For my year of entry there were eleven scholarships going across different colleges which attracted a grand total of twelve candidates, one of whom did not turn up for the practical exam.