CE Gloucester Cathedral L] October 12th 2022

[DracoM]

CE Gloucester Cathedral [L] October 12th 2022
The 150th anniversary of the birth of Ralph Vaughan Williams


Order of Service:


Introit: O clap your hands (Vaughan Williams)
Responses: Radcliffe
Psalms 65, 66, 67 (Sumsion, Howells, S. S. Wesley)
First Lesson: 1 Chronicles 29: 10-19
Canticles: Magnificat and Nunc dimittis (Gipps)
Second Lesson: Colossians 3: 12-17
Anthem: Lord, thou hast been our refuge (Vaughan Williams)

Voluntary: Organ Sonata No 2 (Allegro assai) (Howells)


Jonathan Hope (Assistant Director of Music)
Adrian Partington (Director of Music)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001cnvg

[ardcarp]

Look forward to hearing Ruth Gipps' canticles. New to me. She was one of the (many?) female composition students of RVW.

[subcontrabass]

The cathedral music list incudes the hymn "O God of earth and altar", tune: Kings Lynn, arranged by RVW.

[DracoM]

Reminder: today at usual time.

[LJB]

I must say, of the thousands of evensongs I’ve heard, never have I heard the cantor sing so perfectly. The great highlight of Gloucester’s wonderful evensong for me.

[Simon Biazeck]

I think I may have to call that the Gipps 'Great Service'; quite a taxing and extended sing! Solid writing; no choral & organ 'dry ice', thank heavens. It'll be interesting to see if it catches on. Hmm...

Really, I listened for the Howells voluntary which I will hear live in person (for the first time) in its full context next Monday at St Michael's, Cornhill. (Sorry, Ralph, love ya!). Might I see some of you there? Just put a bag over your head with your pseudonym written on it. (an attempt at humour).

Cheers, all!

~S.

[Vox Humana]

A very fine Evensong, I thought, and the Gipps canticles in particular. Yes, they are difficult. Wid knew everything there was to know about orchestration, but she wasn't very au fait with choirs and organs. The organ part goes off the bottom end of the pedalboard in one or two places and, from what I remember, the treble part is cruelly high. Yet it was put over here exceptionally well, with some real feeling and atmosphere. The Gloria reminded me of the 'Holy, holy' passage in her teacher RVW's Te Deum in G.

A special word of thanks for the superlative Howells voluntary, which conveyed some real magic on an instrument far from ideal for his music. (Howells went to hear the opening recital after the rebuild. A pupil of his reported his anger on his return: "They've smashed up my organ!")

[mopsus]

A special word of thanks for the superlative Howells voluntary, which conveyed some real magic on an instrument far from ideal for his music. (Howells went to hear the opening recital after the rebuild. A pupil of his reported his anger on his return: "They've smashed up my organ!")

And it got into a pretty battered state more recently, so there's been a digital instrument in its place at Gloucester since the spring while it's being rebuilt. (I am singing there at half-term with a visiting choir and our initial plan to do Langlais' Messe Solennelle was abandoned.)

The Gipps canticles came round on CE quite recently: a broadcast last November.

[Vox Humana]

And it got into a pretty battered state more recently, so there's been a digital instrument in its place at Gloucester since the spring while it's being rebuilt. (I am singing there at half-term with a visiting choir and our initial plan to do Langlais' Messe Solennelle was abandoned.)

Ah, thanks. I didn't realise. That would explain a lot!

[Subtuum]

A very fine Evensong, I thought, and the Gipps canticles in particular. Yes, they are difficult. Wid knew everything there was to know about orchestration, but she wasn't very au fait with choirs and organs. The organ part goes off the bottom end of the pedalboard in one or two places and, from what I remember, the treble part is cruelly high. Yet it was put over here exceptionally well, with some real feeling and atmosphere. The Gloria reminded me of the 'Holy, holy' passage in her teacher RVW's Te Deum in G.

A special word of thanks for the superlative Howells voluntary, which conveyed some real magic on an instrument far from ideal for his music. (Howells went to hear the opening recital after the rebuild. A pupil of his reported his anger on his return: "They've smashed up my organ!")

They are using a digital organ (with the Hereford sample!) at the moment as the original instrument went pop a few months ago. Rebuild is due to be finished by Nicholson in 2024.

[Vox Humana]

They are using a digital organ (with the Hereford sample!) at the moment as the original instrument went pop a few months ago. Rebuild is due to be finished by Nicholson in 2024.

I wonder if it has a tranposing device. You could turn the knob down a semitone or two, play the accompanment a corresponding interval higher and get the low notes that aren't on a pipe organ!

[Keraulophone]

Really, I listened for the Howells voluntary which I will hear live in person (for the first time) in its full context next Monday at St Michael's, Cornhill.

If you'd like to hear the Allegro assai again, Jonathan Hope repeated it the following day in his recital at New College, Oxford. No 'toaster' this time, but a radical period piece from 1969 that has been tamed slightly (de-teinted, etc). I'm quite fond of Mendelssohn's Prelude and Fugue in D minor, which isn't often heard.

https://youtu.be/eGuGfTfs5tA

[Pulcinella]

If you'd like to hear the Allegro assai again, Jonathan Hope repeated it the following day in his recital at New College, Oxford. No 'toaster' this time, but a radical period piece from 1969 that has been tamed slightly (de-teinted, etc). I'm quite fond of Mendelssohn's Prelude and Fugue in D minor, which isn't often heard.

https://youtu.be/eGuGfTfs5tA

There appears to be only one recording of the Howells available:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7979254--herbert-howells-organ-music#about

Lined up (for later!).

[Simon Biazeck]

If you'd like to hear the Allegro assai again, Jonathan Hope repeated it the following day in his recital at New College, Oxford. No 'toaster' this time, but a radical period piece from 1969 that has been tamed slightly (de-teinted, etc). I'm quite fond of Mendelssohn's Prelude and Fugue in D minor, which isn't often heard.

https://youtu.be/eGuGfTfs5tA

Thank you!

[Simon Biazeck]

There appears to be only one recording of the Howells available:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7979254--herbert-howells-organ-music#about

Lined up (for later!).

Thanks very much! I have that. I see a few others too.

https://www.prioryrecords.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1792

https://www.andrewsenn.com/herbert-howells---the-complete-organ-works.html

https://proorgano.com/product/herbert-howells-organ-30s-40saudio-cdrobert-benjamin-dobey/

Cheers!

~S.