Please find attached the menus choices for our NDOA Summer evening meal on Saturday 6th June 2015, 6.00pm for 6.30pm, at ‘The Traveller’s Friend’, Crookham Common, Thatcham. RG19 8EA, kindly organised by Ann Turner, our Social Secretary. Please complete the form and send to Ann with your cheque by Saturday 30th May. We will be in the conservatory, which seats up to 30 so a few more places are available than usual.
*Organ Recital in Bradfield College Chapel
Since the last events update another recital has been arranged locally in Bradfield College Chapel. This is to be given by James Perkins, Chapel Organist at Bradfield and colleague of our lunchtime recitalist, John Mountford. This is on Saturday 6th June 2015 at 12 noon, the same day as our evening meal, so why not attend both events and make a day of it!
*Recital at Douai Abbey
The following day on Sunday 7th June 2015 at 7.30pm is the recital by James O’Donnell, which is being organized by the Nicholas Danby Trust. It is at Douai Abbey. Please see the link below: celebrity-organ-recital-by-james-odonnell
*Our regular NDOA Thursday Lunchtime Organ Recitals 2015/16 at 1:10pm at St. Nicolas Church, Newbury (admission free with retiring collection) continue as follows:
JUNE 11th Alistair Davis (St. John’s, Stockcross) JULY 9th Rosemary Evans (St. John the Evangelist, Newbury) AUGUST 13th James Paget (St. Mary Magdalene-in-Paddington) SEPTEMBER 10th Stephen Holmes (St. Michael and All Angels’, Lambourn) OCTOBER 8th Roy Woodhams (Rector of Cranleigh, Surrey) NOVEMBER 12th Jonathan Holl (Windsor) DECEMBER 10th Jill York (Reading)
JANUARY 14th John Halsey (Windsor Parish Church) FEBRUARY 11th Gillian Blythman (Thatcham) MARCH 10th Christine Wells (St. Mary the Virgin, Hambleden) APRIL 14th John Mountford (Head of Co-Curricular Music, Bradfield College)
*Three NDOA members are giving Sunday eveningOrganRecitals atHoly Cross, Ramsbury at 7pm (admission free with retiring collection) as follows:
Sunday 3rd May 2015 - Rosemary Evans Programme: Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565 J.S. Bach Amazing Grace Traditional arr. Peter Hamburger Prelude and Fugue in E minor Nicolaus Bruhns Panis Angelicus Cesar Franck arr. Henry Geehl Toccatina for flute Pietro A. Yon Trumpet Voluntary John Stanley
Sunday 5th July 2015 - Steve Bowey
Sunday 6th September 2015 - Gillian Blythman
*The Incorporated Association of Organists (IAO) President, James Lancelot (Durham Cathedral), is giving an Organ Recital in Winchester Cathedral on Monday 4th May 2015 at 4pm. Tickets are £10 from Winchester Cathedral Box Office on 01962 857 275 orwww.winchester-cathedral.org.uk This event is preceded by a unique gathering of mechanical organs dating from 1878 to 2013, in the Cathedral Close from 11am – 4pm.
*Oxford & District Organists’ Association (ODOA) have organised a Workshop for Organists led by John Wellingham on Saturday 16th May 2015 11am - 4.30pm, with a break for lunch at St Nicolas Church, Church Hill, Forest Hill, OX33 1EB. The cost of the workshop, including tea/coffee, but not lunch, is £20 for ODOA members, or £22.50 for non-members. There is space for 12-14 players. Anyone wishing to join should send an e-mail as soon as possible to Peter Stutfield ([email protected]) who will gladly provide further details. This event is strongly recommended for organists who are keen to improve their technique: ‘The event is open to all, and previous events have been much appreciated and great fun! John Wellingham is an inspirational teacher for players of all levels. Workshops such as this have been around for some time now; they were pioneered by the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) under the name 'Reluctant Organists', but in our experience such players are often very keen! They are aimed at those who play for services when no-one else steps forward, perhaps in response to gentle ministerial persuasion, and who may have had no formal organ tuition. Their contribution to worship in churches all over the country is immeasurable.’
*Wednesday Lunchtime Organ Recitals at Reading Town Hall at 1pm. Tickets £5.
Wednesday 20th May 2015: David Pether Wednesday 1st July 2015: Eton College student Wednesday 4th November 2015: Rosemary Evans
*Finally, NDOA member, Frances Lofthouse has kindly written a resumé of Christopher Burrows’ interesting talk, which he gave at our AGM in March. Christopher is one of our student members, currently studying for an MA at Durham University. His speciality is the music of J.S. Bach. For those of you on e-mail the portrait referred to is on the final page of this newsletter.
Talk given by Christopher Burrows about J.S. BACH
‘The NDOA’S AGM this year coincided with JS Bach’s 330th birthday, and so very appropriately we were treated to a fascinating short talk by Christopher Burrows who had delved into some of the finer detail of Bach’s compositions.
Beginning with the one and only portrait of Bach painted towards the end of his life, and using the natural number alphabet, where a=1, b=2 etc, up to z=23 (k, u, and w left out) he showed how the coat Bach is wearing has 14 buttons, significantly illustrating B = 2, A=1, C=3, H=8. Thus Christopher drew us into some musical detective work, to uncover other subtle aspects of Bach’s organ compositions. Not only was Bach fascinated by numbers, but there are illustrated in his music other aspects of his personality. Christopher particularly drew our attention to five characteristics of Bach, talking and playing (from his laptop) pre-recorded examples of the musical excerpts, the notation of which we were given.
Using the Adagio from BWV 564, he showed Bach in a humourist mood; a whole range of keys which never settles down. Also this is illustrated in the Ab major fugue from Book 1. Then we moved to Bach, the mathematician, illustrated in BWV 542, the Fugue in G minor. From there, a quick leap to Bach in an expressive mood, and subtleties of ‘Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam’; (BWV 684) running water, water droplets, and even the tune dipping under, showing the act of baptism. Christopher reasoned that the well-known ‘Giant’ Fugue (BWV 680) is more likely to demonstrate the rises and falls of human nature, than any giant, hence would appeal to German Lutheran thinking. Yet another thoughtful suggestion was that the St Anne Fugue in Eb, (BWV 552) illustrates the Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Altogether some interesting and refreshing ideas here, and thank you to Christopher for his presentation and analysis.’
