October 2005
Notes and News (Soundboard October 2005)	Show Menu

ORGANISTS ON THE MOVE

Note from Editor: It is hoped to keep readers up to date with organists’ appointments, relocations, etc., but to do this he needs to be informed. Please pass on news as appropriate; everything is not heard on the grapevine!

David Bedlow has been appointed to St Brigid’s Church, Cabinteely.

Stuart O’Sullivan has resigned from Christ Church, Bray.

Andrew Johnstone is on a year’s leave of absence from Christ Church Cathedral.

Tristan Russcher has been appointed Acting Assistant Organist at Christ Church Cathedral.

David Baskeyfield has been appointed joint organ scholar at Christ Church Cathedral and St Patrick’s Cathedral.

NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Since the last issue of Soundboard, we have two new committee members:

Hilary Dickinson Guter, who is Director of Music at Adelaide Road Presbyterian Church. A music graduate of the University of Dublin (TCD, she has lived abroad for the past twenty years. Hilary is a music teacher and accompanist and has joined the Committee because she wishes to share with colleagues in Ireland her experiences of working as a church musician in other countries.

James Pasley, who is one of the team of organists in the Lucan and Leixlip parishes. He is Chief Software Architect for Cape Clear Software, Dublin 4 and has agreed to join the Church Music Committee because he believes his experience of music as it evolves within a growing parish with be helpful to the work of the committee.

ORGANISTS’ MAILING LIST

Do you circulate SOUNDBOARD to your choir and clergy? Additional copies are available for a small charge. Contact David McConnell on (01) 497 3745, or e–mail him at info@churchmusicdublin.org

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editor,
Like Adrian Somerfield (Letters, May 2005), I attended St Columba’s College in the 1940s, and thus am also familiar with Joseph Groocock’s tune for ‘Alone with none but Thee, my God’.

However, when in 2001 RTE announced a competition (celebrating 75 years of radio) for composers of church music, I composed my own setting of these words, which was joint prize-winner in the Anthems and Motets category, and has since had several performances, including one by the choir of Christ Church Cathedral.

It’s a mainly unison setting with a middle section for unaccompanied SATB, which can also (if necessary) be sung (accompanied) in unison. If anyone is interested (or just writes) I’ll gladly post him/her a copy. Should somebody actually decide to use it, I’d be glad to know and could send more copies on request.

Ruarc Gahan, Knocknaboley, Hollywood, Co Wicklow.

CROSSWORD WINNER

Only six correct entries arrived to Crossword Puzzle 8 (was it too difficult? Surely not!) and these came from Janet Ashe, Eric de Courcy, E. Ashmore, Trevor Whitehead, Adrian Somerfield and William Yeoman. Well Done to all. The lucky name drawn from the proverbial hat was that of Janet Ashe, and to her the token prize of a musical tea towel has been sent.

POSI News 

As part of the Cork 2005 European Capital of Culture celebrations, the Cork 2005 International Pipe Organ Festival was held 21-25 May 2005. We visited and heard a number of Cork's major organs including St Fin Barre's Cathedral (the world's only cathedral organ in a pit), St Peter & Paul's magnificent 1860s Bryceson & Morten (with its strong French accent), St Patrick (Bandon) 1830s 3-manual GGG-compass (unknown maker), former St. Luke's 3-manual Conacher and several others. Among the recitalists were Cork organists Colin Nicholls, Ian Sexton, Antoinette Baker and Norbert Kelvin, Dublin organist Ronan Murray, international organist and professor of organ performance Tim Rishton and Paris organist Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin. The organisers look forward to presenting the Cork International Pipe Organ Festival again in 2008.

The next meeting of the Society will be held on Saturday 12 November, starting at 2.00 p.m. at the Church of the Assumption, Milltown. Following that visit, we will go to St Philip’s Church of Ireland in Milltown where, following a visit to the organ, the 2005 AGM will be held. After the meeting, it is hoped to visit a third church, but this is not confirmed yet. Further details from Norbert Kelvin, UCC, Tel. 021 490 3037, E-mail: N.Kelvin@ucc.ie

SUNDAY BY SUNDAY

This is the title of a new CD of organ music from Christ Church Leeson Park and played by Derek Seymour. Featured on the CD is music by Festing, Buxtehude, Handel, Stanford, Hindemith, Thalben-Ball, Seymour, Pachelbel, Bach, Wesley and Stanford.

The accompanying booklet includes notes on the music, it lists the succession of organists (a lot of well-known names appear here), it describes the organ, and gives a short biographical note on the performer. It also contains a very nice pen-and-ink sketch of the church.

The price is €15, and orders with payment should be sent to Derek Seymour (E-mail: seymourdw@eircom.net) at ‘Tanglewood’, Pottery Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin. A portion of the proceeds are going to the Methodist Centenary Church.

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