An Organist’s
Diary
by Andrew Cesana
Writing “An Organist’s Diary”
in early December gives me an opportunity to reflect on the past
year and to give further news about the organ world, including
events in and outside of Kent.
First, it is with
sadness that I have to inform members of the death of Alan
Harwood, Organist of St. Martin’s Church, Salisbury, on 10th
July 2003 after a six-month battle against prostrate cancer, aged
57 years. A three-hour vigil of organ music was held at St.
Martin’s on Sunday evening of 20th July following Evensong
and his funeral was held on Monday 21st July, which was a Solemn
Requiem that included plainsong and music by Mozart. Over 500
people, including Barry Ferguson, who was representing the RSCM,
attended the service. Following the service, the committal took
place privately at Salisbury Crematorium, but those who attended
were able to attend the buffet at Salisbury College near St.
Martin’s Church. A memorial concert has been arranged at
Salisbury Cathedral, to take place on Saturday 17th January 2004,
for those who were not able to attend the funeral, but,
hopefully, those not able to attend the concert would be able to
commemorate Alan’s life in some special way on the same
date. What also is poignant for Alan was that just before his
death, one of his articled pupils at Bishop Wordsworth’s
School, Ben Davis, was appointed as the Organ Student at
Salisbury Cathedral. A fitting tribute indeed!
Also, I have to
inform members of two further deaths. First, that of Dr. Brian
Blackwood, President of the Brighton and District Organists’
Association, who died following a heart attack whilst on the
Association’s trip to Dieppe on Saturday 13th September 2003.
His Requiem Mass took place at St. Mary Magdalene’s R.C. Church,
Brighton on Thursday 9th October 2003. We send our condolences to
his family and to the Brighton Association on the loss of their
President. Secondly, members who were on the trip to St. Albans
in 1998 will be saddened to learn of the death of Bill Walker,
Curator of the St. Albans Organ Museum, in August 2003, after a
long illness. His burial took place in Scotland following his
funeral at the St. Albans Organ Museum.
Unfortunately, it
was also learned that, during the summer, Sir Edward Heath, our
distinguished Honorary Member who we had the privilege of meeting
during our visit to Salisbury recently, was taken ill whilst
attending the Mozart Festival in Salzburg, thereby necessitating
his return to London to the King Edward VII Hospital for further
treatment. Our thoughts are still with Sir Edward and we remember
the time of our meeting with him. He has in fact contributed the
foreword to the new book by Ian Bell about the Royal Albert Hall
Organ which will be published shortly.
Two days after
Alan Harwood’s funeral in July, I attended the Sarum College’s
Improvisation for All course. The course tutors were Martin
Baker, Daniel Moult, and Andrew Smith. It seemed poignant to
return to St. Martin’s Church as, regretfully, we did not
have the opportunity of meeting Alan Harwood in June. I
thoroughly enjoyed improvising a Tryptique on Ave Maris Stella in
the style of Pierre Cochereau at the organ of Salisbury Cathedral
fairly early on the Saturday morning of the course, and I
sincerely apologise if it caused disturbance in the Cathedral
Close!
Our
congratulations must be extended to Robert Fielding, Director of
the Centre for Liturgical Organ Studies on his appointment as
Organist and Director of Music at Romsey Abbey with effect from
January 2004. The Walker organ of 1858 is a lovely instrument. It
would be great if the KCOA could visit there.
I heard Chartres
Cathedral Organ again during August although I fell ill whilst
with the Knights of Our Lady Chapter there. I also went to Belgium
in September on the Organ Tour with Philip and Pam Carter from Bristol
who organised the tour to Spain last year in which our current
President participated! The Belgian tour is reported elsewhere in
the Journal.
As I think more
about the challenges ahead for 2004, it must be said that it will
be an active one. I was elected onto the IAO Council at the last
AGM at Beverley Minster and I will succeed Nigel Groome as
President of the Bromley and Croydon District Organists’
Association in April 2004 at St. Margaret’s Church, Lee
which houses a fine 3 manual Walker, restored by Harrisons in
1999. Their Annual Dinner will be held on 26th June 2004 at St.
Mark’s R.C. Church Hall, West Wickham. Their last meeting
incorporated a visit to Wimbledon Parish Church, with the
3-manual Hunter of 1925 excellently demonstrated by Norman
Harper, Director of Music, and to the fine 3-manual Walker of
1912 at the Sacred Heart R.C. Church, superbly demonstrated by
David Gammie the Organist there with music by Bach, Whitlock and
Weitz. Robert Rathbone, the Director of Music talked about
the instrument beforehand. A KCOA meeting there perhaps?
It has been a
good year which saw the acceptance of Dr. Rowan Williams’s
Patronage of the Association in May and the good support from the
members. Michael Keays, Organist of Aylesford Parish Church has
copies of his Requiem CD at £6 each and he can be contacted at
2, The Beeches, Aylesford, Kent. Our Committee will continue to
work hard to maintain the high standard of meetings and my role
as an IAO Councillor will, I’m sure, help this further. Let
us not forget that 2006 is the Diamond Jubilee of the
Association. Any ideas? I hope you all had a Happy Christmas and
may I wish you a prosperous New Year.
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