Features
Scroll down for features from the current issue of Choir & Organ Magazine or click on the links below to jump to a specific article.
- Sacred head sore wounded
- Court case
- Raising standards
- Practice room: Robert Sharpe, York
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Sacred head sore wounded
Credit: copyright vibrant image studio
For two thousand years people have reflected through words and music on the death of Jesus of Nazareth. James MacMillan reveals what this event means to him, and how he has expressed it in his St John Passion
Before I heard any of the great Bach Passions I was aware of the Crucifixion narratives through hearing them recited each year as part of the Church’s liturgy. Every Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday there would be a reading of Matthew, Mark or Luke, depending on the three-year cycle. On Good Friday we would hear St John’s Passion account. Sometimes there would be a participatory aspect to the recitation, where the words of Christ would be delivered by the priest while other characters would be read by deacons or lay readers. The congregation would interject the words of the crowd or ‘turba’.
There is an ancient history to all of this. The ritualistic recitation of the Gospel Passions dates back to the 4th century, and the chanting of the text began in the 8th century. I myself have taken part in chanted Passions on Good Friday since my undergraduate days in Edinburgh, where I drifted under the influence of the Dominicans. Nowadays I am well used to singing the Narrator’s part in an English plainsong setting of the St John every year with a couple of Dominican friars in Glasgow, where my little schola interject with the angry responses of the turba. I am always awestruck at the stark, relentless nature of this way of doing it, and at the dramatic impact it has on the assembly as they relive the last hours of Christ’s mortal life. It is the spiritual highlight of my year, and I have real difficulty singing the final section. In the Catholic liturgy, at the words ‘It is accomplished; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit’ the congregation fall to their knees; they remain there in prayer before hearing the final part of the narrative, where the legs of the two thieves are broken and Jesus is pierced in his side. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus then take the body away and place it in a tomb. Every year I wonder if my voice is going to crack at the final phrase, which strangely is the only one which blossoms into a little melisma: ‘Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was near at hand, there they laid the body of Jesus’.
James MacMillan: St John Passion
Christopher Maltman (bar), London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus / Sir Colin Davis (dir)
28 February at 7.30pm, Barbican Hall, London
James MacMillan gives a pre-concert talk at 6pm
Box office: 020 7638 8891 open Mon-Sat 9am – 8pm, Sun 11am-8pm (£2.50 booking fee)
In person at the Advance Box Office in the Barbican centre
(Mon-Sat 9am – 9pm; Sun 12pm – 9pm)
Secure online booking at lso.co.uk/lsostlukes (£1.50 booking fee)
20% discount on all tickets for Choir & Organ readers; see magazine p.51
Court case
Credit: Kenneth Tickell
How can a new organ be made to look at home in a chapel that is nearly 400 years old? Kenneth Tickell and Nicholas Shaw talk to William McVicker about the new instrument in Lincoln’s Inn
London’s four Inns of Court, located near the western boundary of the City, are home to some fascinating architecture and are imbued with extraordinary history. Lincoln’s Inn Library holds the Black Books – a continuous series of records from 1422, and the oldest records of any of the Inns. They contain the minutes of the governing body of Benchers and record the life of the Inn, its fabric and those called to the bar. Additionally, they record the process of acquiring an organ by William Hill for the chapel, and the roles of the various musicians employed at the Inn. Among the associated documents is what must be one of the most complete tender records, including minutes of the discussion with the consultant, Dr Hopkins, of Temple Church.
The Chapel of Lincoln’s Inn, built by J. Clarke, is a Grade 1 listed building. It was built between 1619 and 1623 and is constructed on a raised, open-vaulted undercroft. It is a plain rectangular building, originally consisting of three bays with a wooden roof and gothic-style windows. Inigo Jones is said to have had some input into the chapel design, John Donne laid the foundation stone and Sir Christopher Wren later undertook repairs to the building.
By 1856 the original organ (Flight & Robson, 1820) had been replaced by a 33-stop instrument constructed by William Hill. This organ was subsequently rebuilt by Hill, Norman & Beard between 1905 and 1912. The casework was extended, tubular-pneumatic action was provided, and the pipework was transposed and radically revoiced. Only the silent central choir case survived to give an impression of the colour and decoration of the Victorian case. The organ was last rebuilt, with neo-classical additions, in 1969 and was perhaps a rather typical example of an instrument which had substantially lost its way. The combination of six episodes of organ-building work between1912 and 1969 left the organ confused mechanically, visually and tonally; the advice of two independent consultants was to start again.
Following a working party, set up in January 2005, and a formal tender process, Kenneth Tickell & Co. were chosen, and their instrument was completed in January 2010. The builder (KT) reflects here on the process, joined by Nicholas Shaw (NS), the latest in a line of distinguished organists to the Inn (including W.T. Best and C.H. Trevor).
The inaugural recital of the Kenneth Tickell organ in Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, London, will be given by James O’Donnell on Monday 15 March at 7pm.
Raising standards
Credit: copyright Edward Webb
David Hill launches a new series on conducting choral classics with J.S. Bach’s St John Passion
In the same way that a cantata was effectively part of the Propers for a given Sunday or celebration, the setting of the Passion text at Good Friday Vespers was an integral part of the worship. Nowadays such lengthy liturgies no longer exist, and performances of the Bach Passions are most likely to be incorporated within Lent or Holy Week as a concert or act of devotion.
The St John Passion was written between the end of 1723 and the start of 1724, Bach’s first year in Leipzig, and received its first performance on Good Friday, 7 April 1724. It is clear that over the years, with each new performance in Leipzig, Bach made significant alterations and changes to the work. It was performed again in 1725 but in a revised form: the opening and closing choruses were interchanged and arias added. In 1732 Bach provided a third version of the work and in 1739, following further changes, he began work on a fair copy version of the work which he abandoned after the tenth movement. The fourth and final version appeared in 1749 – a year before the composer’s death – and is the version most commonly heard and performed.
Scale of performance
Those wishing to stage a more ‘authentic’ performance might well wish to employ just a few singers and instrumentalists, even drawing the solo voices from within the vocal ensemble. Unquestionably, this would be a closer encounter with the scale of performance Bach would have directed. And in a modest-sized church, and with confident singers, this could be very special for all present and involved. ‘Authentic’ as that might be, it would not suit larger churches, cathedrals and most concert halls where the number of performers have some bearing on the level of impact for audience or congregation. A chamber choir of 30–45 will require the string strength approximate 3/3/2/2/1. Placing the violins opposite each other allows them to be heard equally well. The violas can then be placed next to the cellos and bass in the middle of the sound assisting ensemble and balance. With so few bass instruments, their sound is more effectively felt with their instruments facing the conductor and speaking out to the audience beyond. The wind instruments can be located behind the violas and cellos. While this conventional layout works well, much of the solo obbligato will sound too distant. If there is room, experiment with the wind players to the side (behind either 1st or 2nd violins) or even in front of the violas, cellos and bass. Seating is vitally important as it entirely affects the balance of voices with instruments.
Practice room: Robert Sharpe, York
Robert Sharpe at the Walker organ
When C&O put out feelers to find a cathedral organist for this series, ‘You need Robert Sharpe at York – he’s got two!’ was the resounding response, writes Graeme Kay.
Robert left Truro Cathedral in 2008 to take up the post of director of music at York Minster, succeeding Philip Moore who in his turn had followed Dr Francis Jackson. Now happily settled with his family in no.1 Minster Court – home to Minster organists since T. Tertius Noble took up residence in 1897 – Robert finds himself the inheritor of an instrument built for Francis Jackson by J.W. Walker, in the wake of their head-turning rebuild of the Minster organ itself in 1960. On his retirement in 1982, the Dean and Chapter bought the organ, thereby securing its future on behalf of all Dr Jackson’s successors. The organ sits in an upper room so elegant that it rates a mention in Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s The Buildings of England: commending the pleasing aspect of this group of canons’ houses, Pevsner notes that ‘The music room or “saloon” on the first floor of no.1 has a fine mid-18th-century stucco ceiling, with rococo decoration and an ornate wooden fireplace.’
Walker organ
The Walker organ stands opposite that fireplace, extending some five feet into the room. ‘Francis told me it had made a big difference to him to have it here,’ Sharpe explains. ‘He was doing a lot of recital work and recording in the 1960s. It’s a child of its time, reflecting the fact that British organists were opening their ears to neo-baroque ideas.’ In tribute to Dr Jackson, Sharpe waves his i-Phone in the air, triggering discreet loudspeakers suddenly to fill the air with the sounds of Cocker’s Tuba Tune in Jackson’s famous EMI recording. Even at full organ, the small Walker doesn’t overwhelm the room: ‘Unusually,’ says Sharpe, ‘the Positive didn’t originally have an 8ft, but included a 1ft Octave; but my predecessor Philip Moore wanted more flexibility, so Geoffrey Coffin’s firm replaced the Octave 1 with a Rohrflute 8.’
With two organs to choose from at home, Sharpe tends to use the Walker to rehearse for upcoming recitals involving later repertoire: ‘The keys on the Aubertin are slightly short, so it’s harder to practise romantic music on it.’
The aforementioned Aubertin is Sharpe’s personal pride and joy – a substantial investment made with the full backing of his family: ‘In cost terms, not helped by the Euro exchange rate, it’s in the range equivalent to buying a very large 4x4. But to put that into perspective, it will sustain me through my career, much as a string player might invest in a top-quality violin or cello.’
Aubertin organ
The Aubertin project began after Sharpe grew tired of the sound of his digital practice organ. He explored many options and spoke to numerous respected players, and in the summer of 2007 he and his family went to visit the Bernard Aubertin works in eastern France. They came away impressed by the high levels of craftsmanship, and the fact that Aubertin makes all the components himself, drawing on a remarkable stock of wood seasoned over 40 years. ‘Bernard made one for Sir Michael Scholar – president of St John’s College, Oxford – and this is its sister,’ says Sharpe. ‘My priority was to have a domestic organ with beautiful sounds; it wasn’t a matter of just building a stop-list. I knew I had to be content with the specification – there would be no room to say, in ten years’ time, I wished I’d done this or that instead.
‘But tonal beauty, plus quality of craftsmanship, is what Bernard is all about: he won’t countenance anything outside of tradition. For example, as well as the quality seasoned wood used in the construction, the hand-carved keys are boxwood with chestnut and ebony, and the hand-turned stop knobs delineate each division by the use of applewood, pearwood and chestnut. Bernard even writes the vellum stop labels himself.’
Aubertin organ
As Robert Sharpe lovingly demonstrates the organ, it’s clear that all of the keys in its Thomas Young temperament are usable, with slight colour variations; the touch is very responsive and each stop, singly and in combination, does a lot more than the specification might suggest. ‘It works for solo and accompaniment, and its warm sound makes it suitable for practising a wide range of literature.’ Sharpe goes on to whip off the front panel under the keyboards, to show how he can fake a tremulant by pumping his foot gently on the bellows. ‘I went to hear Bernard’s biggest organ, St Louis-en-l’Île in Paris. It has ravishingly lovely stops – I wanted something beguiling on a smaller scale, and that’s what I got. Of course you can trip yourself up if you attempt romantic repertoire on these short keys, but it’s only a couple of minutes’ walk from here to the Tuba Mirabilis in the Minster; if I go from the Aubertin to the big Walker, it does make the Minster organ feel very safe.’
Aubertin organ
As Sharpe sets off to rehearse the Minster choir for Evensong, he remarks that the Aubertin is located in the very room in which Noble wrote Noble in B minor. If any more composer stardust were required to light up no.1 Minster Court, he motions to a gorgeous set of lilac and gold robes hanging next to the organ: ‘They’re Sir Edward Bairstow’s Durham doctorate regalia,’ he explains. ‘Dr Jackson has recently given them to me for safekeeping and for putting on display for the public from time to time too!’
Robert Sharpe’s house organs, York
J.W. Walker (1962)
Two manuals, 61 notes
Radiating and concave pedal board, 32 notes
Great (Manual I)
Stopped diapason 8
Gemshorn 4
Blockflute 2
Larigot 1 1/3
Positive (Manual II)
Rohrflute 8
Nason Flute 4
Nazard 2 2/3
Principal 2
Pedal
Sub Bass 16
Spitzflute 8
Nachthorn 4
Couplers: II–I, I–Ped, II–Ped
Bernard Aubertin (2008)
Two manuals, 56 notes
Straight and flat pedalboard, 30 notes
Aubertin organ
Clavier inférieur (I)
Portunal 8 (oak, closed bass, open from g)
Suavial 4 (oak, closed bass, pierced tenor and metal treble)
Clavier supérieur (II)
Bourdon 8 (pine)
Salicional 8 (bottom 10 from bourdon, then open wood; metal treble)
Pédale
Cor de nuit 8 (oak, stopped)
Flute 4 (oak, open)
Shove coupler I-II
