Rome

Chorus trips to Rome. Giulini conducting the B  minor mass with us surrounding the St Cecilia chorus. I took Ethel and altos to Castelgandolfo. 
Gurrelieder we had been told not to sing out so at the concert I let forth top B and the little Italian next to me got a shock. Shampoo walked off at the first rehearsal as the professional Italians did not know it. Balatsch rehearsed them.
My favourite church Sant Anselmo for Benedictines singing chant.

Nellie and Andrew Moore

P.1048 I had back trouble. P.1050 Nellie went home. I read FJ's book about Bairstow. P.1067 Liz commissioned Fr Andrew Moore to write a special piece for me and she presented me with the Mayhew book containing my prelude on "Aurelia". A perfect choice "the church's one foundation" . I was delighted and have played it everywhere. We first met Dom Andrew when I discovered his music when playing at Belmont Abbey. One of the brothers said he lived at Little Malvern where Elgar is buried. Straight after lunch we drove there and found the grave surrounded by chickens! On ringing the Presbyte ry bell a tall dark haired priest  looked me up and down and said "Good afternoon". I replied saying  had just discovered his organ music. "Do come in!" We were ushered into a lovely room looking towards the Malvern hills with a grand piano and beautiful painting of Provence. Music was played! We me t him at Downside abbe y where he wa s b ursar and I played the superb enclosed Compton much loved by Dom Gregory Murray. I think this was the Three choirs at Hereford 1994 but we have stayed at Belmont several times and knew Dom Alan Rees. Dec 94 letter from Sister Sheila. Dec 3 sang tenor  solo in Rejoice in the lamb. I sigh tread the rest of it. Adrian conducted the Croydon Bach choir at St Mildred's. Donald Rose often sang for me. Louise sang in this concert. John Beer and Joy and Geoff. Susanna Martin and Terence in the altos.Jan94 organ festival at Fairfield Hall James O'Donnell, David Flood and Timothy Noon I have never played this organ. 3 June the Abbey  launch  of RSCM appeal. Bishop Tim Bavin preached.

 Jean Castledine and Barry Smith at Guildford cathedral

Giulini's 80th birthday - he phoned up to say thank you!

A letter from Dom Andrew

Touring Europe

 At Tivoli with Ole and Olive. Olive lived to be a 100 and Liz went to her party. She was Mum's cousin. 

p 598 video of us making music. Ann and Paul enjoyed their visit and the children got on well together. p.615 a chorus tour of Europe. This was indeed fantastic. We performed Beethoven 9 with the European community youth orchestra and Giulini in Copenhagen (the maestro on our plane) Olive and Ole came to the concert at Tivoli. We had our own train to go from Amsterdam (Concertgebouw) to Lucerne and one of the trumpeters at the party there after the concert tried to get me to go and swim in the lake! Munich they fed us all before the concert which we thought was like sabotage. The most touching thing was Giulini speaking at the final rehearsal saying to the young musicians saying that they needed to find the right person to live with and encourage them in their music making. Louise cut her head diving. This was the Brittany camping holiday. I have never liked camping unlike Liz but I did offer to go again. The children turned this down as they said we had disappeared too much = Carcasonne and Landevennec. The whole idea was that the campsite staff looked after them but they did not like this. The weather was good. p.616. 617. 618 Dennis taller than us. p.621 my report in the Johannian. p.646 I gave Liz "Unveiled" an excellent book about nuns. p.655 Christmas and photos p.656 p. 659 Janet Baker talking about Bairstow. p.663 plans for improvements at Addiscombe and an increase in salary! The plan to pay for lessons for young organists never got any takers. Later the pipe organ was replaced. p.671 the anthem Dad wrote for the confirmation of Dennis and Louise at Addiscombe 18 May 1993.

Gerry Haines was Dennis's sponsor - Dennis loved doing amateur radio with him. Josie sponsored Louise. Archbishop Michael Bowen confirmed them. In 1993 we sang at St Anne's cathedral Leeds with Brentwood cathedral choir and Andrew Wright. Adrian conducted the St Matthew passion and we enjoyed Cantemus events. Dennis was 16 and spent 3 weeks in Hanover and we entertained Stefan from Germany. Louise was head chorister, gained her Bishops award and sang at Derby cathedral with RSCM Abbots Bromley course.
Bruce went to the Bath course for the first time and was playing euphonium and guitar. Mum and Dad moved to Glyn Close.
From 1993 Christmas letter

Opera

Figaro at  Caterham 1983 with Stephen Hope

St Margaret's music hall 

The programme for Figaro at Streatham Hill school May 1983

Louise in Croydon minster robes. 

Don Basilio 

On the right is Susanna played by Veronica Stephen Rose played for this

With David Smith St Margaret's hall

With Bartolo and the Count

As Bardolpho in Falstaff

Louise in Croydon Minster robes

p.428 review of Madam Butterfly my "fussy Goro which was an exemplar of marriage broking Japanese style". The second Figaro   was with orchestra and Paul Kelly a t Harlequin Redhill. Oct 89 Clive Letchford sang the count.Dennis had beaten the bounds of the Tower of London again. I think the chronology might be wrong here as Butterfly was definitely our last opera with COSi because we ran out of money. I recall twice singing Figaro, Falstaff and Butterfly. I also sang the circus master in Act 2 of Bartered Bride at the Harlequin theatre Redhill, October 1987. One of the performances was delayed because of a bomb scare. In the end we went ahead without an interval. I think Dennis was with me. Paul Kelly conducted. Donald Madgwick did not mention me in his review but commented on Keith Chaundy (also in the chorus) and Veronica Gilbert and the excellent dancers. I also recall going to La Boheme at St Margaret's hall with piano sung by the tenor who sang Curzio. I sang the toy seller in our production and the chorus gathered round my empty tray where I had the words! Verdi's Falstaff is an ensemble piece and great fun. The problem was a producer who knew Shakespeare but had little knowledge of opera. I saw Falstaff at Covent Garden a few weeks after our version and realised how much more I could have done with my drunken character. p.429 photo of me in Butterfly so the date must be 1990. p. 449 Josie and Teresa visited and more cassettes. p. 449 mentions the Queen Mother's 90th birthday parade. I have found an account of this for the St John's church magazine.

Thanks from Clarence House

 It really was the most marvellous day and we sang in the choir for the RSCM. John Scott conducted. p.451 children on cassette. My trip to La Scala Milan to sing the B minor mass with Giulini. Visited Lake Como. The organist at these 3 performances was dreadful and played wrong notes! p.455 me playing for a confirmation. I used to go and meet the candidates and it was a great joy when one asked for the Gathering Mass because he liked it and also requested that we did not sing Taize Ubi caritas as it was sung so much at St Joseph's college! p.459 mention that Mum liked the intermezzo from Cavalliera Rusticana a lot on her radio show a favourite of my Grandma. p.461 Louise singing Rutter at Midnight Mass this was Angel's carol which has become a firm favourite at our Christmas singing sessions at the piano. Louise was in the Croindene singers with Chris Phyllis and went to Truro with them. At one point we were driving between St John's, Croydon Parish church (later became the Minster) and Addiscombe dropping Louise at the PC and Dennis at St John's. Dad mentions my new appointment. This was the long awaited promotion from senior assistant to branch librarian at York Road library. A large building to the North of Clapham Junction. The separate children's library at Winstanley had been closed so we had a children's section and a large hall where we ran an over 60s club. I used to buy cheap presents for the raffle and biscuits. One table complained that they never won! I was there for 3 years and turned it around. The locals were very anti-Council having elected Labour councillors only to find the Tories were moving people out and selling their flats after refurbishment. Of course it was a perfect place to live right near the main station. There was certainly poverty and anything involving food attracted flocks of kids!

Figaro 1989

1987

Thanks from Fr Anthony

Vol 2 page 240 Christmas and a new photo of the family. p,244 1987 Michael Bourdeaux in Sydney. Anna Gabler died. She had organised an annual playing of the Klemperer recording of the St Matthew passion and we would sing the chorales. p.246 contact from Francis Albert Woodhouse in Victoria, British Columbia. p.247 Dennis joined St John Upper Norwood choir. p.248 60th anniversary service of the RSCM at the Albert Hall and we both sang. Cardinal Hume prayed during the anthems - it was wonderful to see that. Ronnie Jones came from Pretoria and Australia was represented. Dennis, Gwyneth, Paul and Neil were in the audience. Gillian Weir and Roy Massey were among the organists.

Lionel Dakers wrote to everyone  to tell us how much the Queen enjoyed it.

2 Dec Diamond jubilee evensong at the Abbey Nicholson singers directed by Michael Fleming and Martin How played Harris Faire is the heaven Stanford in C Te Deum

This means we sang at the 50th and 60th anniversary celebrations and the last service at Addington Palace. 

In November Liz celebrated her 40th birthday with a party at home

Photo shows

Mrs Barber, Joyce, Ethel at the party

Grace and K

p.249 the organ pipe which we now have presented on leaving Tasmania. page 253 about the people at the RSCM service at the hall. Ray Holland sang next to me. p,255 mention of us visiting Sydney the following year and swopping houses. Willoughby East rectory from mid-March 1988 to the end of April. page 257. and 262 and 263 video of the RSCM service. p.264 Louise First communion and Dennis beating the bounds of the Tower of London - quite an occasion and the guests were shepherded in for tea afterwards by a Warder with a huge axe! Dad mentions my red Philharmonia orchestra tie which I wore quite a lot! I think it was sponsored by Dunhill! 3 performances of the B minor mass with Giulini in Rome. Chorus masters Balatsch and Neumann. Soloists Elly Ameling, Anne Sofie van Otter, Thomas Moser, Andreas Schmidt

Bruce beating the bounds with St John's choirboys

28/6/87 Louise made her first communion

3 August Prom Gurrelieder with Jessye Norman and Pierre Boulez Andrew Greenwood was chorus master. The programme mentions the War requiem at the Opera House which was a tribute to Peter Pears. 

7 Nov Our Lady's choir took part in RSCM Southwark Diocesan festival at Southwark cathedral conducted by Lionel Dakers organist Andrew Lumsden. The Advent Carol service at Addiscombe started in darkness and included the Magnificat Sumsion in A.

The same month Sunday Dec 27th there was a nine lessons and carols at St Margaret's with Mick Elfred as priest in charge. The brass were Richard Riley, Roger Snewin, Cyril Birkbeck, Neville Squires and Nigel Irvine. Gwyneth and Roger helped form the choir. Roger was on the RSCM committee and played trumpet and organ at Lee. Richard was the son of a soprano in the chorus and a brilliant trumpeter. Midnight Mass at St Margaret's 1987 was a simpler affair with well-known carols and there was a christingle on Christmas Day.

1985

With Margaret (Peggy) Woodroffe many years later in Ireland she was one of the original members of the choir

P. 192 Mum and Dad stayed in Spa Hill and this worked really well. We played the organs of Hereford, Worcester and Salisbury cathedrals. Best of all Ralph Downes came to demonstrate the Royal Festival Hall organ and Dad asked if I could play! He was charming that day and showed us a Hill English sound! That night we sang the Missa with Giulini. Dad went to the Sons of the clergy p. 194. Dad mentions a recital by Ronald Frost in Hereford. I started to play at Our Lady of the Annunciation, Addiscombe. dad gave a recital there on 25th May with a collection for Ethiopia. Fr Farmer gave  the first recital there in 1974 pm the 2 manual Conacher which came from Hammersmith. I was initially asked to play for the 11.30 a.m. Mass. I never had a contract (a mistake!) just a letter from Monsignor John Moran. This fitted in well with St Margaret's. Later the problem was Easter and Midnight Mass!

25th October signed by Archbishop Michel Bowen and the brass players Roger Snewin, Neville Squires, Richard Riley, Nigel Brianbourne? Bob Duffield and singers R Barber. This was a combined effort with the folk choir and we finished with Trumpet coluntary

Page 198 mentions Broad Heath Elgar's birthplace and Chartwell also the Nicholson Singers under Michael Fleming at Salisbury with Chris Dowie at the organ. This was a regular Bank Holiday event for us and Michael took us all over the place! Mark Gordon Lennox was born 29 September 1985 - great joy! 17 June a lovely letter from Walter Macfarlane head of St John's. He mentions Alan Foden, John East, Michael Matthews, Stan Trollip, John Thing, Anthony Gear.

 From the chorus newsletter 1986 how the children saw us!

A letter to CMQ about visiting organs. I had an unhappy experience in Boscombe where we knew the choir director (She had been at St Chad's). Having spent an evening chatting to the parish priest about the new organ he refused to let me play it! I don't think it was published. 

I have a copy of my article for the Old Johnnian magazine and I mention Mum and Dad meeting Old Johannians at the London reunion. I sang Caspar in Amahl and the night visitors in 6 churches and every time it snowed! John East was directing the choir at St Etheldreda's Ely Place. 

Michael died 2006 his influence through RSCM and Nicholson Singers was enormous

1981

Me singing at Wembley

Dennis starts school at St Chad's

At the party Lynn, Grace, John Thing, Sheila, Freda Curtis, K, the Goldthorpes

Very fine concert of the Mozart C minor mass with Muti. We started to record it at Kingsway hall but Cotrubas cancelled on the Friday. Louise was growing fast and tried to get up the slide in the garden! Liz sang the Bruckner Te Deum with Haitink. Matacic conducted Bruckner and Dvorak. Repeated in Barcelona. Page 134-137, 139-141  In March Mum and Dad arrived. We had 30 at a party in the garden March 22. We earned some money distributing census forms. Took Mum and Dad to Lingfield and Chartwell which they loved. We went to Eastbourne, RSCM, Chessington Zoo, Hampton Court. We went to Bath and Sherborne where we sang with Martin How. We all went to London Zoo and Fenton House and Kenwood House. Beethoven 9 with Jochum. Liz sang Elijah with Fruhbeck. Sang at Canterbury and Chichester cathedrals. A member of staff was caught stealing money. To Bournemouth again and a lovely day on the Isle of Wight. Visited Liz and Don in Pinner - Liz knew Liz from guides. July 28 we went to the Royal wedding fireworks in Hyde Park. It was a huge crowd and exits were closed. We ended up walking to Marble Arch to get out - not happy! We watched the whole thing the next day Diana and Charles. K had given us life membership of the National Trust and we loved going to Sheffield Park. The Rossini Stabat mater was memorable for all the wrong reasons. The Prom was on TV. Giulini was very angry at the rehearsal and Mende who had taken over as chorus master that year did extra rehearsals. We did record it at Watford Town Hall but it was all a bit of a strain. Giulini's wife was there and she had been very ill. I comment that I missed the children - they had gone to No 99. In September we had lunch with Nellie on the way to Prudhoe. We visited Holy Island, Cragside, Allenheads, Durham, Richmond, Ripon cathedral, Lichfield, Birmingham lunch with Sybil,
Stratford. 1300 miles in all!
I note in my diary conflict with Jane Allen when I moved to Balham to be senior assistant. She insisted on having the main doors open in winter so I got my coat. She also wanted the money counted on the desk in public! Madness! For somebody who had a management degree she knew nothing about dealing with staff. Dad commented "How many Brownie points do you need in Wandsworth libraries?" Page 147 Dad says that I started playing at St Margaret's, Chevening Road, Upper Norwood after Easter. Liz had spotted this in the Church Times. A daughter church of All Saints there was a small committed congregation and a Bishop organ with an addition of 15th and 22nd which was rather shrill. I think St Chad's had never used my talents properly - I played for some Masses and sang in the choir but the strain of Friday practices in addition to chorus and two late nights at the library was beginning to tell. I wanted more time with the children and was lucky to have a day off during the week as I did alternate Saturdays. St Margaret's used New English Hymnal which I loved. Page 148 Pope John Paul II visiting |England. This was Fr Farmer's biggest mistake. As he had been choir director at St George's cathedral he was asked to bolster their choir. Instead of taking all of us, he selected singers. This caused immense resentment. We did go to Wembley and the cathedral choir sang. When he left in the helicopter instead of singing Hail the day that sees him rise the crowd sang He's got the whole world in his hands! The visit to Canterbury cathedral with Archbishop Runcie gave us great hope for ecumenism - hopes which have been dashed by Rome and women clergy. Liverpool was also a major highlight which was televised. 

Paris

On 10th October 1973 Liz and I were in Paris with Giulini singing Verdi requiem. We sat in the gardens of the Musee Rodin and chatted. She said "Are saying what I think you are saying?" I never actually asked her or got on one knee! Of course we were deliriously happy and the ladies of the chorus who had been watching progress were delighted. On the charter plane back free champagne! We rang Oxford Gardens and announced we were engaged. Dad said "Oh!" Never asked him either! They must have seen it coming a mile off! I recall asking Liz if I had to walk her home which was de rigeur in Africa! She longed for me to kiss her. I was shy and obsessed with music and religion. Mum and Dad were delighted. Later on I announced I would become a Catholic. Dad said "You don't need to do that" but I was determined not to be split at the altar. Liz got permission to come to C of E services (!) at St Mary Abbots and I went to Our Lady of Victories Masses where she sang in the choir. So I started preparation at Ealing Abbey with Brother Benedict the abbot. He was so kind and said "Never abandon where you came from - it's how you got to this point". n our 25th we tried to contact him - he had left and married a widow with 6 kids! I was receieved on a miserable evening in a side chapel - no Easter Vigil for me. Liz's Mum had also been through this when she became RC soon after marrying Dad. In those days their wedding had been a quiet affair so they wanted the best for their daughter. At one meeting I got annoyed and said it was our wedding but it was smoothed over. We bought a lovely engagement ring and the date was set. The programme from the Verdi requiem with the Orchestre de Paris is interesting as Charles Spencer is given as President of the chorus but chorus members are  not listed. The soloists were Scotto, Cossotto, Bergonzi and Arie.