The Diapason an International Monthly Devoted to the Organ and the Interests of Organists
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THE DIAPASON AN INTERNATIONAL MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE ORGAN AND THE INTERESTS OF ORGANISTS Sixty·f·ollr,II )'el.r, No. 10 - Wllole No. 766 SEPTEM8ER, 1973 SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL ORGAN FESTIVAL St. Albans, England June 24-30 by James Linon James Litton It a faculty member of We.tmin,l.r Chair College, and otgonisl-chairmoster of Trinity Church, both In Princeton, New Jeraey Madrigal, by the St. Alba,,', Sing.rs in 51. Albans SchaDI amphitheatre. At the cnd oC a \'el)' (ull Sunday. aud Luigi Taglia"ini (rom Imly, The pac)';'L"l1 with thrL'C large suug services. illlerpretation elimination occupied the The SC\'clIlh IlIIcrnational Organ FI.'S· "Rosc Sen icc," The official opening the St. J\lhans Uach Choir and the TiI major rart of Ule first three days oC the li\'al at St. Albans in England brought sen icc included a colllmissioned Tt: lurd B:lch Festiv31 Orchcstra performed Festh'a. and while Ihis re\'iewer was tqgcthcr lIIal!}' olIlstanding performers lJellln by H)'ran Kelly and olhcr chor:al Ihe JI:lch IJ Mhwr Mall under the direc unable to hcar all the competitors. it fWIII :111 pilrlS of Europe and North lIlusic b,' Uuwl:uul. William Smith of tion o( I'cler Hur(ord. Soluisl'i werc must be said that. 011 the whoIc. the America. It was a gathering of "slars" Durham. aud fohn Ireland. Unlike most Felicit), Palmcr, soprano; Sarah Walkcr. quality of pla)'ing was nul on thc ex - urgauis15. conductors, singers. record. cathedral choll's ill England, St. Albans aito; Wynford Evall5, tcnor; and Julyon pectcd le\'cI (or such an important er pJaycn. guitarist and mallY others. has no school for the choir boys, and Dodsull , bass. Petcr Hurford is well e\'CIll , and during the finals the judges J'crhaps the J;fcatL'St "slar" of all was ~lr, Hurford's singers come Crom six knOWll in Amcrica as a \ irtuoso organ relt thai no first prize could be gil'cn. the building Ilsctr - the ancient .Abbe)" schools ill 51. Albans and surrounding ist. bul rcw ha\c had Ule opportunity Still, there \\'as much excellent. ir not Church of St. Albans. now the t:llhcllrat lowns. The)' rehearse at 8:00 AM before to sec him in action as 3 conductor. exceptional playing by the young or of the Diocese of St. Albans. Unlike Ulan)' organist !I. he is an expert ganists, This illlprt.-ssh'c building, wilh its l'Onductor. with the ability to lead the Each night of thc weel:. featurcd 3 great central lower construch.'1l from highly profrJ.S ional orchestm and soloists major concert which was usually rollow Roman bricks taken (rum lhe Roman :md the well tlOlincd chorus in 3S beauti cd by a late night e\'cnt of a lightcr city of VCfulam. once situated Ilcar the (ul a pcr£ormance of thc B Mi,IOT M dJS nature, The Monday night concert set PH.'SCut Abbey Church, provided a per· as one is able to hear in most concert the theme for thc rcmaining c\'ening fect acoustical, architcctural and cn· halls. This was an understated reading e\'cnls, The prognun featured V3riOUS \'irolllUcJltal sclling for the many pro. uf the work. and there was great aUen· artists with the organ used in ensemblc grams, whether orchestral. 5010 org::tn, tioll to the mu ~ i ca l line throughout the or as a solo instrument interspersed sello !'("Corder, choral. chamber concerts M,us, \\'hcll drama and e.xcitement wcre throughout the progr.am. There was or chot:ll conccrts and senices. it woulrJ called for. it was there. }'el C\'cn with olily oue fnll solo orgoln r«ital tJuring he tliUicuh to fintl one builtling in rather brisk tcmpi the entire work had Ihe cntire Fcsti"al. Monday c\'elling's ~ orth America which could fulfill the a \'Cry relaxed. bUI cxp3llsh'c reeling. COllccrt opcned with thc choir or men dcmands of slich dh'ersc musiClI farc. It was a stunning close to an exciting and hoys of St, Albans Cathedral singing \\fithout doubt thc human "sI3r" o( opening day oC the Festival. Ihe lIIotet, Eme,ulemu5 i" ",dillS by 'ViI thc festh'al was l'eter Hurford, organist Ham Byrd, The choir sang from behind aud master of the dloristers at St. AI . Ihe choir ScrCCIi while the audience was bans. and artistic director of thc festi iu the na\'C of the calhcdral. The dra, nd, His imagination. organizational ma.tic impact (rom the acoustical adv.3n ability. tremcndolls cncll;)', and superb "tCe o( ha\'ing a polyphonic motet sung musicianship ha\'c dcveloped this fcsti · hy an im'isible choir. hut filling Ule \ '011 frmn a relatively small gauu!'ring of Hans Ha.elbOc1c. ",I'it huilding " 'ith sound \\'a~ c:k'Ctrif)'· o'1,r.mists into .1 musical C\ ent of \\'orld iug . The choir thl'lI proCt.'SSt.'1l to their widc signific... Ulcc during the past dL'Cadc. (Co"tinued, Jmge 12) The o\cra)) theme of Ihis year's fest-i ,~dlool three tla)s each wt.'C).;" and sing "oIl. as in P:Ist (esti\als at St. Albans, was Evensong on thcse sallie da)s 3ftCI' the placing uf the organ as a musical school. On \\'eekcnds the choir bo)s arc instrument into the mainstrcam o( cur joined by altos, tellors and b3Sst.'S alld rent TlllIsic making, Unlikc Amcrican the Cull choir sings a Saturday En!u· nrlr-lIlists' br.tlhcrings. St. J\lbans fcatured suug as well as two or threc servin'S Simon Lindley d.manltrates resal and chamber cltsclllllle concerts, a guitar pro· un Sundays, Quite a demanding schedule pasitjy by N. P. Mand.r. Ta the risht i. gram, an orchestral COllcert. choral IOU· fur ho),s who ha\'c as mau)' extra curric· positiy by Cburch and Co. sic. carl)' mllsic performed 011 earl~' in· ular ad"'iliL'S as their I\merican counter· strumclllS, a cabaret party. m:ulngals. partst clJtcrtainlllcnt b)' Thc Kinbos' Singers. II is an excellent choir, and their Donald Swan and his Cyngers. anti non singing compares well with the ullusual· John Birch r.la .... lIlusical happenings such as tont's. a swim Iy high standard o[ choral work which party, a. Ft."5th'al Club and a final great nne rinds IUday throughout England ill Ox Ruastl Each d:,y was well scheduled cathcdrals, collcgiatc chapels and mau)' and while there wcre suWcicnt c\'ents parish churches. Dr, Lee H, Bristol, Jr .• The core o( each I'csti\31 at St. Albans to rill the day. the schcduling and pace the cxccuth'e $Ccretary and \'ice chair is a compctition for young organists Ull wcre relaxcd cllough S(l Ihal therc was m.lIt of lhe Joillt Coltlmission Oil Church dcr the age of 31. both in inlcrpretatiou ue\'cr a feeling of being rushed. 1I0r Mmic or Ihe Episcopal Church in the aud in imprm'is.lIion, This )car there W:IS thcre an O\'cr,s:llur:ation or lIlusic, L Ilih.'tl States. was the prcacher for this u'ere 24 comllCtitors from C3nada. During the wcek-Iong rcsth'al, the upening scl'\'icc of the Festival. I:rancc, Hollantl, Non,·a)" . Switzerland, regular Cathedml sen'iccs continucd as 1\ lion· festival e\'eut, but one which the Unilt"tl, Kingdom and the luitcd during: 311)' wt.'l'k in the life or the was important in thc )ife or St, Albans States. At the intcrprelatioll eliminations cathedral. The sung scn'ices, cspcciall)', C.llhedt:ll. W3S the mid,aCtemoon "Rose the competitors were required to play werc illlc.-grated iuto Ihe main C"CIllS or Sen icc," This wa!l a diocesan service the Tl'io Sonata If ;'1 C "'mar h)' Bach. the Fl'sth'aJ. an Sunday. Junc 24 there during which members oC UIC dioCL'SC aud a major wor).;, wrillen betwcen 1835 were thrce sung scn'ices. a 9: 15 Parish <lud parish m:nlc a pilgrimagc to the aud 1925. Those who wished to enter Euch,u'ist (St. ,\lbans, unlike most Eng. IIIcdic\'al shrinc o( St. Albans in the the imprm'isatioll competttion were Iish Cathedrals, SCf\'es as a parish dlUrch GlIhedral. and prescnted 3n of(cring or asked to impru\'isc all a di3tollic thclnc, with a large and acth'e membership, ir. ruscs £rum their br.trdens, This was a Judgcs iucludcd I'iet Kce from the addition to being a diocC!';an cathedral) simple, bUI lIIIUstlally Ulo\'ing service • ':"\elhcrlands, John Birch frolll England . •111 11 :(10 Matlins (oHicial opening scr with enthusiastic aud c)(cl'llcnt congre· Catharine Cnllier {rom the. nited \'icc ur the reslh al) , alill it 3:00 Diocesan galiunal singing, Sta.tt."5. Hans HaselbOck from Austria, e Letter to the Editor THE DIAPA~ON EllablUhed In 1909 (T,.Qdemark re&uursd DI U. S. Potent Olfle. ) Saga":!. , ,\Iouutaill I'w,"illcc, n·GO; (JIll' tlf the few Germ:Ul CltlCS In sur· I'hilippincs, July. 1973 ,'h'c the Thirty Ycars' War IIlISea,hl'd, s. E. CRUENSTEIN. Publu"', (1909·1957 ) To the Editor: hilt ~\rJl Schnitger must ha\'e knuwlI One of the IIU)!!t I... h..'htalll pipc organs that there wcrc literal dL'SCrtS lIe:nby ill the country is lhe Charles and l.aura :IS indications of the reduclion of tJle SEPTEMBER. 1973 ROlnT SCHUNEMAN Mclin Mcmurial Orgom in the First Gennan population from twenty mil· fdifor E",lIIgcliClI LUlhcl'a1l Church in Lorain, lion to SIX, ,lIId he lIIust ha\'e grown Ohio.