CE Winchester College Chapel October 3rd 2012

[ardcarp]

Fascinating, WK, and I hope the College archivist (there is bound to be one!) will take note.

[Quilisma]

Fascinating! In a lucky but bizarre twist of fate, the seventeenth-century panelling that Pyne describes turned up a few decades ago, when someone contacted the college and said "I believe these may belong to you"... Rather than undo the Victorian makeover in Chapel, Win Coll built themselves a new general-purpose concert (and exam) hall, on part of the site of their long-forgotten pre-Reformation neighbour St Elizabeth's College, unimaginatively called New Hall. So since 1961 the old panelling from Chapel has had a new and permanent home, which is some consolation for its having been discarded. We should thank whoever it was who, by saying "I'll have that if you don't want it", saved the panelling from an ignominious demise...

The Victorians didn't manage to wreck the whole Chapel, though. I daresay the east end is a good deal more "authentic" than the baroque makeover had been, and at least they didn't mess around with the back row of stalls, with hinged misericords and quirky individual carvings on the underside, which are original (probably 1390s). Although possibly these once extended all down the north and south walls, so some of them might have been dumped... I was surprised to find almost identical seats in Norwich Cathedral, of the same date. It takes no stretch of the imagination to surmise that they were made by the very same carver! (As well as being the top bureaucrat-lawyer-economist-theologian-benefactor-postfeudalist in the country at the time, William of Wykeham had years of experience overseeing building and engineering projects, so he knew where to get the best craftsmen...)

[W.Kearns]

What an extraordinary story, Quilisma. Thanks so much for passing it on.

[Pegasus]

And some posters seem to be getting picky about organs.....so what's wrong with the one we heard today???

The organ was just a bit cold for me. Especially with little acoustic behind which to hide. Having looked at the specification you posted earlier, ardcarp, I guess the absence of any stringed-toned stops contributed to making the instrument sound very crisp in the softer, sostenuto passages. I suspect rather well-suited to the intricate part-writing of some loud Rheinberger or Reger, but I am an English Romantic at heart ...

[ardcarp]

but I am an English Romantic at heart ...

Nothing wrong with that, Pegasus. But I think Mander did produce an English-sounding instrument and didn't go down the road of so many Oxbridge colleges, i.e. installing something aping the north European classical tradition which is quite unsuitable for accompanying trad Anglican repertory. But one can hardly expect the resources of, say, Hereford Cathedral (nor as you mention a spacious acoustic) in a school chapel. Maybe your post was just a little harsh?

[Pegasus]

Maybe your post was just a little harsh?

I struggled manfully through Evensong on an instrument by Aubertin recently, and certainly concede your point about the fad for north European (neo-)classical tradition. Increasingly, I do enjoy a really "comfortable" console to aid my failing (!) technique. Harsh or otherwise, I'm not in a blinding hurry to get to play this instrument. (As much my own failing than the organ's?!) I thought the service was very good - the best, surely, in recent weeks - and I'm glad you enjoyed the organ too. À chacun son goût.

[ardcarp]

D'accord.

[Quilisma]

To those with quibbles about the organ, I don't think it's too unpolitic for me to confirm that the following type of exchange isn't exactly unknown:

Conductor: [Name of whoever is playing the organ], do you have anything a bit louder/quieter/brighter/mellower/more colourful/more idiomatic? [Delete as applicable]
Organist: Er, no, I'm afraid not: sorry! Unless you want this... (Demonstrates another registration.)
Conductor: No, certainly not that! Oh well...

That's not to say it can't be made to produce a very musical accompaniment, but I'm told that the organist needs to employ rather more strategy than on some other organs!

[Quilisma]

But, whatever some organists seem to think, there's more to a choir than an organ, and if an organ only offers a certain number of possible sounds it shouldn't mean that the choir has to be similarly restricted!

[DracoM]

Sigh! And there I was seeing a new contribution to the Win Coll thread to find.................oh, never mind.

[Quilisma]

My thoughts entirely, Draco! Did nobody else listen? (And really I should apologise for fuelling the organ cul-de-sac...)

[Androcles]

New boy here so I hope I get the etiquette right...a fine evensong. Can anyone provide information about the final hymn which I had not heard before? Thanks.

[Nick Armstrong]

New boy here so I hope I get the etiquette right...a fine evensong. Can anyone provide information about the final hymn which I had not heard before? Thanks.

Hello Androcles Nice to see a newcomer

I happened to catch this Evensong and agree, good stuff. I enjoyed the canticles which I hadn't heard before - Francis Jackson in G

As regards the hymn, you presumably found it in the listing here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n1rxc - Final Hymn: Let earth rejoice, let all creation sing (Stogursey)

Did you want more info than that? If so, others here may be able to help, because other than that Stogursey is a village in Somerset, that's all I know!

[Androcles]

Thanks Caliban - I was wondering who had composed the tune and whether it was published

[ardcarp]

Welcome from me too, Androcles. As Caliban says, Stogursey is a Somerset village (derived from Stoke Courcy, I think) and has a finer than usual organ for a small west country parish. (Sorry, Draco.) The hymn was of the 'public school hymnbook' type, but isn't to be found there. I wonder if the tune was Malcolm Archer's own, given his past involvement with the Bath and Wells diocese? Surely someone can tell us?