DDOA News Jan 2020 Draft 2

March / April 2020 Number 77 Derby & District Organists' Association Registered Charity No. 510567 Newsletter DDOA Events 2020 Saturday 14th March Visit to organs in Repton, Newton Solney and Winshill. (See page 8) Tuesday 28th April Evening visit to St Edmund’s, Allestree. (See page 8) Saturday 13th June: Visit to Lincoln Cathedral and St Peter & St Paul Church, Lincoln. Tuesday 7th July: Talk by Richard Brice. St Peter’s Belper. Monday 28th September: Seminar on ‘Organ Practice’ led by Dr Tom Corfield. St Matthew’s, Darley Abbey. Saturday 17th October: Association Lunch, Horsley Lodge. Celebrating Louis Vierne (1870 - 1937) Monday 16th November: AGM and Chairman’s Evening. The 150th anniversary of Louis Workshop Vierne’s birth falls this year and the Our afternoon workshop focused programme devised by Stephen on Op.31, the 24 pieces in ‘free Concerts & Recitals Johns and Tom Corfield celebrated style’. David Cowan has studied and Saturday 28th March, 7.30pm his music in magnificent style at St played extensively in France and St John’s, Bridge St, Derby. John’s Church and Derby Cathedral was clearly a Vierne devotee and a Derwent Singers directed by Richard in February. We had a practical lover of these works in particular. Roddis with Tom Corfield, organ. workshop, led by David Cowan, a The ‘free style’ in the title identified talk shared by Stephen and Tom, - Kodaly, - these pieces as departing from the Walton, - Dove and in the evening, a recital given strictures of composition rules by Alexander Binns and Edward Solo organ pieces. Tickets £12 or £10 in promoted by the Paris Conservatoire advance from www.derwentsingers.org.uk Turner. at the time. They are miniatures, Vierne’s life spanned a golden extremely varied in style, form, Good Friday 10th April, 7.00pm period of French organ music and if mood and difficulty, but, in David’s Derby Cathedral. - Bach time travel were possible, Tom words, always “well crafted”. In Derby Cathedral Choir with Heart of Corfield would elect to visit Paris in David’s opinion they fulfilled the England Orchestra, directed by Alex Binns. 1900 when the memory of Franck dictum that “perfection is achieved, Tickets £10 & £15 from 01332 202231 or was fresh and so many great not when there is nothing more to www.ticketsource.co.uk/derbycathedralmusic composers were flourishing: add, but when there is nothing left Guilmant, Saint Saëns, Debussy, to take away.” The score, set on Ravel, Widor, Dubois, Dupré and so two staves, is annotated for organ or Saturday 18th April on. The stature of Vierne’s organ harmonium, but Vierne frequently National Organ Day Event compositions was every bit as used them as recital pieces with St Modwen’s, Burton-upon-Trent worthy as the great works of the pedals. (Vierne regarded the 10.00am-1.00pm mainstream repertoire of orchestral harmonium as “pitiful caricature of a See the organ, carillon and clock. and instrumental music. Stephen pipe organ”, so this annotation was Opportunities to play and visit inside the and Tom chose several CD extracts probably a publishing ploy to organ. Children and adults welcome. that left us in no doubt about this. broaden the market for sales.) The Refreshments available. The great monuments of Vierne’s number of pieces, 24, is significant output were the Six Symphonies, in that they employ all the major and minor keys. For the workshop, Photo: ‘Vierne in Context’ - Talk by Stephen Vingt-quatre pièces en style libre, Johns and Tom Corfield (Stephen reads the Op.31 and Vingt-quatre pièces de David, offered valuable insights in rules of improvisation by Marcel Dupré.) fantaisie. the performance of four of these pieces. Arabesque (played by Suzanne Blagg) The improvisory character of the melody probably takes its inspiration from the swirling patterns of visual art. Phrasing: One should aim for a seamless legato, allowing the melody to breathe from time to time. There is much use of the whole tone scale which gives it a distinctive different character from major and minor keys. Expression: With such complex rhythms it is not easy to find a ‘motive force’, so one must experiment to see what works; one Andy Storer, Laurence Rogers, David Cowan, Suzanne Blagg and Richard Brice strategy is to slow down in rising phrases, then more momentum on indications of general ‘Vierne in Context’ the way down (like a roller coaster?) colouring. It is helpful to After tea and refreshments provided by understand the difference Rosemary Corfield and Pam Storer, between French and English Stephen and Tom gave a talk which helped traditions in combining stops; us understand the influences on Vierne’s in general stops of similar music. We learnt how at the very pitch are more easily blended conservative Paris Conservatoire Vierne on Cavaillé-Coll organs than attended the group classes of César with English, whereupon Franck. These predominantly concentrated greater care is needed here. on improvisation. Clues about the Chromatic notes: The key accepted approach to improvisation at the signature has five flats, yet in time come from a manual written later by some bars every note has an Marcel Dupré which had at its heart a accidental. Careful planning toolkit of structures and techniques which is needed to achieve good could be applied to any given theme or legato; the left hand my be themes. After a very short period at the needed to assist the right class, Franck died and was succeeded by hand and in general fingering Widor who pursued a contrasting agenda needs to be planned for focusing mainly on repertoire. A student consistency. Also, it is would be called upon to play a piece after important to focus on the which Widor would analyse the release of notes so that rests performance in minute detail. The other do not suffer. great formative influence on Vierne was David Cowan as registration assistant to Andy Carillon access to instruments built by Aristide Cortège (played by Andy Storer) (played by Laurence Rogers) Cavaillé-Coll who towered above most A strongly chordal piece with the Unlike the others, this whole tone scale frequently piece, based on chimes, creating augmented chords. These demands a strict tempo. Like sort of chords have a less familiar Cortège there are rapid feel than major and minor ones, registration changes which so informal exercises are require an assistant if sometimes useful to gain registration aids are absent. confidence with them. Full and vigorous use of the Registration: Expression is mainly swell pedal is called for the achieved with sudden contrasts terse crescendi, diminuendi with reeds crashing on. Cavaillé- and subito markings in the Coll organs with ventils made this middle section. Although the very easy to achieve. If there are score has only two staves, no registration aids, a registration the big chords on the upper assistant is necessary! stave are better divided Articulation: Care needs to be between the hands whilst the Vierne’s console, preserved in Notre Dame, Paris taken over releasing keys. pedals hold the bass ostinato. Staccato requires consistent The minim chords are shortening by a defined amount, another example of defined usually to half length. release, taking a quaver out of each, to achieve a Élégie (played by Richard Brice) consistent marcato. Vierne Registration: Vierne was known makes subtle contrasts to vary registration from one between legato and staccato performance to another, so to achieve solo effects. registration markings on the score may be treated flexibly as Close-up showing Cavaillé-Coll’s ventils and couplers 2 other French organ builders in the 19th Century. His tonal and technical innovations made possible large instruments which could rival an orchestra in expressive ability. This was the sound world which gave birth to the great organ symphonies of Widor and Vierne. Stephen spent some time setting the scene for the Second Symphonie which would feature in the evening recital. Here we learnt about the themes like dramatis personae which interact with each other within and across the five movements. Vierne’s canvas is huge; his fertile imagination seems to know no bounds as he develops and augments themes and creates thrilling climaxes worthy of any romantic German symphony for orchestra. Tom gave background to the Pièces de Ed Turner and Alex Binns at Derby Cathedral fantaisie,composed in four suites of six pieces between 1926 and 1927. The range of styles is (45 minutes) was stunning. His command of registration amazing, from Clair de lune, every bit as gave a rich diet of contrasts and thrilling climaxes. impressionist as Debussy, to Carillon de Westminster (based on the famous chimes) in Symphony No.2 in E minor which each iteration of the theme becomes 1. Allegro risoluto aggressively more chromatic. Perhaps the most 2. Choral bizzare is Fantômes, a surreal conversation 3. Scherzo between a number of spirit characters. What 4. Cantabile range! What colour! What imagination! 5. Final The range of Vierne’s expressive abilities reflect It was then the turn of the Assistant Director of Music, Ed the heights and depths of his inner life shaped by Turner, to beguile us with more Vierne magic: external circumstances. Born blind, an operation restored enough sight for him to get about, From the 24 Pièces de Fantasie recognise people and read large print at very close 1. Fantômes range. During his life he suffered a fractured leg, 2. Clair de lune marriage collapse, glaucoma, the death of a son 3. Carillon de Westminster and brother, a rift with his assistant Dupré, typhoid fever, depression and heart problems. He died The afternoon talk had given us a taste of the fantastic in during a recital at Notre Dame on 2nd June 1937.

Load more