The organist librarian

Swam, late at mosaic thanks to roadworks at Royal hospital but we had a great view at Cadogan Hall. I liked the first piece by Xenakis. Colin Currie is amazing. Interesting to watch but would have turned it off on radio! Trying to draw a percussionist impossible but interesting to note that his head stays more or less still! Saw Steve Murphy. Returned scores to Westminster music library. To Ben Uri gallery lovely David Bomberg exhibition. Interesting discussion about Sibelius 5. Estonian Festival orchestra with Paavo Jarvi Arvo Part who was present, Sibelius 5, less happy with Grieg piano concerto - poor tuning from woodwinds, too fast for the hall. Encore Claire de lune. 

Buses to Euston, The trains via Birmingham were fine and it is easier and cheaper going that way! Passed Malvern - great views. Taxi very helpful and arrived 3 p.m. Warm welcome from Julian, Dom Brendan and the abbot. Not many have come. Vespers and compline - food as good as ever. Watched University challenge and Natalie Klein on music to infuence politics. Up for 6.30 a.m. 12 years since Alan died! Feast of St Thomas Cantelupe so today became Guardian Angels. 8 a.m. Mass Robert Sholl on Messiaen and Part - prefer the latter. After lunch walk in garden. To Hereford cathedral and saw mediaeval choir book, chained library and Mappa Mundi. Tea at the deanery and lovely garden down to the river Wye. Very friendly. evensong was good - Wise and easy Stanford anthem as boys are new. They sang the long psalm 18 well. The stained glass windows for Thomas Traherne are great (Tom Denny) and new St Ethelbert and St Thomas shrines are lovely. Wine at dinner and Fr Dennis is here! Watched Bake off...

Swam.  Bravo  Benjy Bloor  for brilliant playing at St George Hanover Square and great to hear some Howells. A programme full of sunshine incl Hollins and Vierne!  The Found exhibition at the Foundling museum is worth a visit and Ironbaby by Anthony Gormley is very moving in its simplicity. A baby on the floor - a powerful comment.  Interesting works by Colin Matthews and enjoyed the Dresden bells. Das Lied von der Erde with Alice Coote followed by the 16 (actually 34) Bach and beautiful Part. Took an hour to get to Acton.  BFG with the boys. Excellent film and followed by Pizza Hut.  East West Divan with Daniel Barenboim Liszt and Wagner - great sound. The preProm talk on Wagner was a little dull.

Lie-in reading the Rabbi's daughter. I fell on my knees one entering the gallery last night - just got knocked in the rush and I'm OK but found I was dropping things today including tea on my trousers. Had a horrid dream about being in a hired car with Ann in the front and Liz in the back and we somehow ended up on a river beach and had to get out quick as the car sank. Paul was in a small digger spinning round and round! To St Stephen Wallbrook for Richard Hall and Midori Jaeger playing Brahms, Martinu and Part on cello and piano - quite mesmerising - my drawing not very good. To Whitechapel gallery but unimpressed by Paolini. To the Tower to see the amazing poppies. To Morley college for the open day. I was early but there seemed to be no proper system in place and art students had to go across the road any way. Met Stephen Wright the drawing tutor who is very nice but they seem to want you to do 2 terms which is expensive - £18 a session! To Rachel Leach's intro to the ...

Practised and timed recital pieces. First rehearsal of the Couperin chants. I played Willan on Aberyswyth and Ley on Down Ampney, Last hymn was "God be with you" to Randolph by Vaughan Williams - not played that before! After lunch to the hall with our blue folding back supports. Lots of teddies about for the Michael Rosen Bear Hunt prom - lovely to see so many Liverpool kids involved. Ciaran and Jonah really enjoyed it! The conga in the Prom was great and the illustrator Tony Ross was excellent - he signed Rosario's programme and she gave it to me! To talk on Britten. Second prom  Orchestre de Paris with Paavo Jarvi- Part, Britten violin concerto beautifully played by Janine Jansen, Berlioz Corsaire and Saint-Saens 3. Thierry Escaich was just too loud drowning the brass!.

Wed woke early so read Boyle. Ciarán do you like Christmas? No. Do you like Father Christmas? No. Do you like presents? Yes. Who comes at Christmas? Grandad! To interfaith group - did talk about our trip. Delay getting the keys but all was well. Met Liz at Chiswick and took C home. Wrote Christmas letter and spent Thursday a.m. sending off copies so no work done. Both of us to British library to see magnificant illuminated manuscripts exhibition - very good free audio guide and too much to take in really. Liz served at John Lewis carols and I went to Heythrop for Advent vespers. Offered help but really not needed. Started with schola in evening dress lined up in sanctuary - ony front row sang motet! Then they move to the gallery lighting our candles and soloist sings first verse of O come O come which is marked as full! Ladies then start verse 2. Excellent homily from the acting principal. Psalmody unaccompanied. Durufle, Part, Palestrina, Tavener and Howells. To Walker room for mince...

Wed 18th a lie-in and to osteopath Imogen who treated my hamstring.I need to do tai chi and exercises before swimming! Then got trains to see Ciarán for an hour. He had a cold and sniffles and not too happy. On overground to Islington for the recording of the Merlin soundtrack. We were able to watch the film and worked well until 10 p.m. Rob Lane had composed some of the music at 3 p.m. that day! He kept the Destiny theme until last so when he said we might not do it we all agreed to do it! It was certainly the best bit! Home by 11 p.m. but tired. Liz had gone to Birmingham having got Dad's book copied and it will be bound there. Thursday Scherezade and Tchaikovsky's 2nd symphony from Proms. Friday staff meeting and started to sort out basement stuff. Philharmonia orchestra prom on BBC4 with Part, Ravel and Scriabin. Finished reading "A thousand splendid suns" a truly great book and started "Wolf Hall".

Maundy Thursday arrived at church to find Vincent Coggin had been and disconnected the flute but was unable to tune as he had no assistant in Holy Week - a lot of use! I used the piano for some of it as we sat in the transept. Vickie washed feet for the first time and we sang "To mock your reign". Psalm 22 went well at the end. Liz was at the cathedral. Good Friday Liz left the car at Victoria for me as she attended the liturgy. I got the train at King's Cross and had a quiet time after the rehearsal. Had a simple lunch at M & S and saw the end of the procession outside King's. Went to evensong at King's with the men only - plain chant and a 3 part motet. The performance went really well and the composer was most complimentary - I never got to speak to him. Jean and her friend accompanied me on the train home - a fleet of taxis got us to the station in good time. What a wonderful work it is! Saturday I was working but I did hear bits of the broadcast and it so...

Photos by John Scott. Sunday we sang Byrd 4 part mass and we both had solos. Best of all Mawby Ave verum. Quite a lot of people at Eucharist 10 a.m. Dean was at pains to explain restrictions on not sharing chalice and no contact at the Peace - where will it all end? Coffee afterwards and then tenor John Scott gave us a fascinating architectural tour about Pearson and he lent me an interesting article. To Real Ale house and had local bitter and shared roast lunch with Liz - too full after big breakfast! Evensong featured Holst Nunc Dimittis, a lovely chant by Robert Walker for unaccompanied psalm and Arvo Part Beatitudes. Boellmann Toccata at end from Vickie (who is moving to Hamilton for 2 years). Taxi to station where we enjoyed cream scones on the platform and then a 6 hour 6 p.m. train trip to Paddington. Got tube and train to East Croydon and taxi home by 1 a.m. Listened to Prom - Holst First choral symphony (very fine) Delius Brigg Fair and Enigma variations.

July 4 American Independence Day. Drove to Kew and were late for the chorus coach which fortunately waited for us. Nice lunch at restaurant in the cathedral close next to the military museum - I had steak pie. Rehearsal went well and most impressed by the lovely new font. People playing with the running water! Had tea and enjoyed evensong Purcell - boys and 6 men. Vierne Epitaphe. The concert itself drew a good audience and went very well. Part, Mendelssohn, Kodaly Laudes organi stunningly played by Daniel Cook and Faure Requiem. Home by midnight which was good going and a lovely sunset as we approached Stonehenge. Sunday I had the morning off from Coulsdon and Kevin Shears played. To Provincial President's Sunday at Aylesford - only Norwood brother there despite Bill having postponed President's Sunday. The mass was not inspiring and the homily incomprehensible! Met Gerard Goodhind who knew Martin Hall well. Not as well attended - nice tea and sat in glorious sunshine with J...

Holy Week is upon us after a busy Lent. Highlights of Lent have been the faith sharing group and reading "Approaching Easter" by Jane Williams and "Holiness" by William O'Malley. The Islington concert was also memorable although I still do not like the Arvo Part 7 Magnificat antiphons. It seemed weird not to sing Magnificat with them and were they nto meant to be sung as separate items rather than as a group? The opening of Part's "Which was the son of.." certainly sticks in the mind! Edward very pleased by the concert. Practice last night went O.K. still a lot of chatter but we got through everything. A good day today with glorious sunshine to enjoy and got a lot done. At Vespers and Mass Fr Swavek was most impressive in a red chasuble. George and Paul were there. Came home late and watched "Dido and Aeneas" of Purcell. There is a fine Easter letter from John and Ann Alexander.

Wed March 25th to the Queens gallery to see the beautiful Breughel to Rubens exhibition with excellent commentary featuring our friend Jenny Scott! We had tea at a nice Italian place nearby and I went to Lent group and then to extra chorus rehearsal. Thursday Liz went to Birmingham with Jet in the van to take Bruce's stuff and she returned on Saturday and all is well. I went to chorus on Thursday evening and to choir practice on Friday on public transport so decided to go straight there and practise. I am not playing Bairstow's Toccata prelude on "Pange lingua" this Maundy Thursday. I have revived a fine piece by William Wordsworth on "Nicht so traurig" instead. The tune is set to "Go to dark Gethsemane". I kept up the pace at rehearsal but at one point I told choir to shut up so I could explain the plainchant pointing of the psalm. I was mot embarrassed but really there was no alternative! Friday's interfaith lunch gathering at All Saints was ...

Woke late so no swim today. I was tired after yesterday's exertions. Started emailing people who have not used the library in the last 6 months. To the lovely Van Dyck exhibition at Tate Britain. Wonderful clothes and horses and dogs to match aristocratic profiles. I must go again and get the audio guide. The booklet costs £2! To chorus and Edward was gatting rather tetchy. He seems to think we have time to learn by heart Bruckner motets - fat chance with my lifestyle! We worked on one of the Part pieces. It's sad that the concert had to be moved to Islington Union chapel and there will be no organ. Peter Wright is disappointed.

Saturday was quiet so caught up on displays and admin. At Mass we had extra servers because the servers dinner followed. Victoria forgot to ring the bell the first time! Amici Choro sang really well. Lauridsen Ave Maria and Byrd 4 part Mass. Caroline was singing. Saw Vicky and Gareth afterwards with lovely baby Lydia. The dinner was a great success - 50 came and the Hinsley Room was transformed. We were sitting with Victoria's parents Shaun and Annette from the US and they are returning home. Imagine our surprise when the Cardinal joined us and was on great form talking about retirement and cooking and shopping in Chiswick! Canon Christopher, Paul and David Grealy completed the party. Excellent buffet and lots of red wine. All the chaplains joined us. It was a delightful evening! John was not at Coulsdon so I played the bass part in Tye anthem and we sang Nicholson in G. I practised and then joined Liz at King's College hospital to see Grandma who has osteoporosis hence the b...

Thursday to Wellcome collection to see display "War and medicine" pretty gruesome but fascinating. Did not see clip of nurse Vicky Treacy in Darfur whcih we had seen on Faye's Face book. To chorus and Rachmaninov Vespers movements. The Arvo Part "...And he was the son of..." proved to be witty and fun! Edward very enthusiastic about it all. Friday to take practice. Molly making real progress, Karen back but coughing - she was chatty. The CD of the new Alan Smith anthem very helpful. Dom Brendan likes the blog!