February- March 2009
Competition prize this month:
Win a "Mewsician in Training" mousepad
Peek inside!
Organ-isms: Anecdotes from the World of the King of Instruments
What happened to January?
1. Competitions going and coming:
Congratulations to winners Lynley Clarke and Bryan Jones who will each receive a copy of book "The Organist's Dictionary of Real Meanings" from the previous competition.
Our
next competition is for all those knuckle-thwacking
music teachers and 5-minutes-practice-a-week pupils out there. Music
teachers and music pupils (and it doesn't have to be organ, although
that of course would be a happy coincidence) are asked to write one
sentence telling us why their music teacher or pupil should receive this
prize: a mousepad* showing Kate, a true Mewsician in Training.
So if you are are teaching or learning music, this is a golden opportunity
to reward your mentor or your student by winning them this handsome mousepad.
Entries close on March 20th. (*Guaranteed mouse-free)
Enter
the competition here.
. .
2. Carlo Curley concert postponed
Carlo Curley has had to postpone his tour to Australia and New Zealand due to ill health. We wish him a speedy recovery and hope he will be back on the bench soon. There will be two major solo organ concerts during the year, when we can welcome back Christopher Herrick on 2 August and Martin Setchell with a guest artist on 15 November. And don't forget, the Friends of the Organ AGM on March 19th, 7.30pm at the School of Music.
3. Anecdotes from Allegro
Readers in the
UK and Europe will be pleased to note that “Organ-isms:
Anecdotes from the World of the King of Instruments” is
now available from Allegro Music, 43 The Hop Pocket Craft Centre, New
House Farm,
Bishops Frome, Worcestershire, WR6 5BT, UK or their website at Allegro
Music.
Organ-isms can
also be bought online directly from our US-based
CafePress shop
for $24.95 USD. If you live in the United States or Canada this
might be the best option for you. To read more
and order directly from CafePress,
go here . And, to accommodate antipodeans, you can order from www.pipelinepress.com (and
don't forget to read some of the comments from readers while you're
there)
4. Dudley Savage - link with the past
One of the last links with the heyday of the British theatre organ has been lost with the death, last November, of Dudley Savage. On this page (http://www.nzorgan.com/vandr/savage.htm) David Bridgeman-Sutton recalls the man that he remembers well through the 20-plus years broadcasting span of Dudley's programme As Prescribed. Before he died, Dudley was able to witness the re-issue many of his recordings on the Plymouth Royal Cinema John Compton organ in a double CD disc called Perfect Partners. You can hear samples, visit a picture gallery and order the cd here (http://www.perfectpartners.me.uk)
5. Websites to womble through
Here is a collection of random music videos that I couldn't resist passing on. The Reverse Organ is a fun party trick (didn't little Wolfie M. do something similar?) , a wonderful comedy routine is entitled Rachmaninov had big hands ; and for the inventive types, see Fran and his Balloon Organ . To summarise:
- Reverse:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekmlBF3-N-Q&feature=related - Rachmaninov: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifKKlhYF53w
- Balloon Organ: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDTygFNhA5A&feature=related
On the more serious side, here's a website that you will want to play with time and time again: the Christchurch Cathedral (the New Zealand one) website. The interactive 3D gigabit pictures of the rose window and the interior of the cathedral is truly addictive. Read instructions on how to get the most out of the controls and let your mouse finger do the rest.
4. Lastly but far from least: Australian bush fires
I make no apologies for this off-topic item. Of all the images and reports of the appalling fires that razed the state of Victoria in Australia this month, two were especially poignant. The image of the little burnt Koala (called Sam by her rescuers), drinking from the bottle proffered by a firefighter, was one. The other was remarkable amateur footage filmed by survivor Brad Price. As you watch, please remember the victims, both human and animal. Donations to help them will be welcome for a long time - please see if you can help, even if only a little.
- Koala:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP74LmbCIxU&feature=related - Brad Price: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM7iBVP0GvI&feature=related
Thanks for reading - please email me if you have feedback or suggestions for the next newswotsit which will be out in about 3 weeks. Meanwhile, back to my cookery console.
Jenny