The organist librarian

Purcell Hear my prayer in 2 parts. Love those clashes. Played Bach aria Descent from the Cross from St Matthew passion and Fantasia in C minor. Elaine is back Praise the Lord!Enjoyed Anne-Marie Garton's sermon today about Mary pouring nard over Jesus' feet. We even got hand cream to smell! That's a first!  Revd Lucy Winkett packed room at St Paul's. She spoke so movingly on the Cross. We can look away, or look, or be looked at. The link with the empty tomb and Eucharist vital. We must contemplate atrocities now. Half the nations of the world torture. It is easy to have a lukewarm response to suffering until it comes to us. Be near me Lord when dying, that I may fight befriended.... The cross of life. Everywhere there are mothers and children uncomforted. Duck for lunch. Evensong Willan setting got changed to Batten. Benediction - organ too loud again. The Durrells and Victoria both excellent. 

To Mass. Chat to Ann Lennox on Skype. Produced servers rota. Clare came for coffee. To Spiritual directors supervision group at Holy Trinity Clapham. Along with 2000 others St Paul's cathedral first evensong (Purcell Hear my prayer, a modern anthem. Sadly could not get a single word in the psalm!) then Rowan Williams who was slower and clearer. Good to see William Rhind, Brian Pearce, Ken, Alan, Ivor, Alan Rainer and Sally.

We sang Panis angelicus in 2 parts and I was playing well after the trip to Ware. Andrew Moore and Purcell Trumpet tune. Practised Bach.  At Evensong at St John Upper Norwood we sang Dyson in F and Edgar Bainton's And I saw a new heaven always a treat for tenors.  Richard Pilliner played really well at Christ's chapel Dulwich 2 of the pieces from memory! Nice eats and wine. Adrian, Terence and the Wests there.

2 superb Proms. Carolyn Sampson and Iestyn Davies with Joseph Middlelton at the Cadogan hall singing Purcell arranged Britten, Mendelssohn and Quilter. Met the Rowntrees and Liz spoke to Petroc. Monday mornings have been expensive with fruit tart and cappuccino at Peter Jones. We celebrated with a delicious lunch at Cóte. Dresden staatskapelle with Barenboim playing Mozart 24 and Bruckner 3 - stunning. Fascinating talk on Capability Brown with Anna Pavord and the irrespressible Ian.  Very sad to hear of the passing of Heather Brokenshire. She had dementia and had to go in a home as Fred could not cope. 

Lovely concert by Emma Tring at St John Upper Norwood especially the amazing Ariel by Jonathan Dove - the sea in one shh sound! Lovely to see Robin Martin  and Mary and all the kids! Liz's cakes very good! Lunch in the garden.  Magic Prom at the Sam Wanamaker playhouse with Arcangelo. The venue is perfect for Purcell, Locke, etc. Is this a Prom first? A bass trying to kiss a tenor? Hilarious. Beautiful singing too from Katherine Watson, Samuel Bodsen and Callum Thorpe conducted by Jonathan Cohen. A special mention for the percussion and theorbo! Got to the cathedral in time to do incense at vespers. Liz at Gershwin John Wilson prom - now watching it on BBC2.

Tuesday swam 24. To Trinity House Chapel Court for session with Chris Chapman - turned out to be  Angus Anderson talking about his painting The Fall based on Paradise Lost. It was a stimulating reflection on institutional evil - he used to work for GLC. I came home for lunch and Liz went to Acton. The train to London Bridge was packed and my train was stopped due to somebody on the line at Streatham Common. Result I reached Chiswick Park at 6.30 instead of 5.30 having left at 4. Nelson was great and said stay for the second session so I drew the portrait on the board and painted the imprimatura and white highlights - we are using egg tempera! Glad the Toplises took the Mastersinger ENO tickets as I would have been very late for it! Got to Acton at 9. Wed Louise was working at home so went to music as normal. Sean fell over but seemed OK. Picked up Ciaran from school. We both went to ENO and sat in dress circle for Purcell's Indian Queen with additional material and excellent dance...

Woke early and the dropped off so missed my swim. To cathedral for 1.30 to do first welcomer/guide duty with Jennifer. The red robe and badge certainly work but it's cold and tiring standing around. Quite a few spoke to me and asked general questions. Watched the lovely St Vincent de Paul school nativity - alas no traditional carols. Fr Brian is chaplain. Saw Ann Welch, Kate and Salvatore. Finished at 4 and went to Late Rembrandt at National Gallery - very overcrowded and lots of small pictures. Free concert in room 8 inspired by Michelangelo and Barocci in the room. The Consone quartet from RCM played Haydn, Purcell and Schubert on period instruments. Home to watch The Khans and butternut squash for dinner. Watched Sue Perkins on the Mekong - a great series. Michelangelo Entombment (is the lady on the left texting?) Haydn quartet in F minor and Purcell Fantazias played with old bows. Barocci Madonna of the Cat Virgin and child with St Joseph and the infant John the Baptist...

Had a good practice after service and we started singing Kyries again (Murray setting). Nigel came to rehearse at 2.15 with his new wife Susanna. An interesting programme including Willan (who grew up in Beckenham) Fiocco, Purcell and Simper. 21 there and met Joyce Perry 87 who lived through the war in Beckenham. Her relation is 94 and still playing! Britten on The Choir.

Sunday and Liz at Acton where she went to Mass and to James's house. I played Purcell at Mass and photocopied the remainder of the recital programmes - Debbie has done a lot but not the tricky one for the 16th so it is all done. Came home to get my tie and drove to Park hill to deliver leaflets about Thursday to Les. Never been in that park before - it was an interfaith picnic but very few there and it was cold! Adrian arrived 2 p.m. to practise (his fourth session). Very pleased that 30 came as several people in the morning had said they were not coming. St john's folk supported it well and Fr Paul looked great in a grey suit.I turned pages and pulled out stops. People liked the arrangement with the blue chairs facing the organ and delighted that John Mander came. Gordon Jacob, Bach the Dorian! and Schubler chorales, Boyce, Stanley, Haydn, Mozart, Whitlock (worked very well) and Crown Imperial. The chance to hear the organ from down below confirmed the warmth of the sound in ...

Swam 20. Do not like Liz's haircut much - too short. I loaded up the pots in the car and she took them to the tip - she fell over the old washing line. Set off early and went to Balham library - delay as only 3 staff on and not pleased when 3rd staff member came up to desk and did not ask who was next - result woman queue jumped - sent a message to Jeremy. Cannot remember her name - she used to work at York. Got to Heythrop around 12 noon which was OK. Schola out in force for Dominic's debut. The Purcell Hear my prayer actually was OK but little sense of ensemble singing. Everybody grimly holding on to lines - 8 part and the tuning is tricky. Gemma was OK if a little bossy - I found it hard to hear her. I played Purcell, Watson and Karg-Elert. Michael Holman gave a great tribute to Rocco who finishes his degree next term and is posted to Japan by his order! Went to coffee and told Sr Mary about Rocco concelebrating at the cathedral - I will miss it! To Acton on 452  - long det...

Woke at 3 a.m. fretting over the Lamb of God business. Up early and did programmes for the organ recitals.Liz was at the premiere of MacMillan Mass for the cathedral. Corpus Christi Mass followed by procession and Benediction. I was amazed to see the congregation standing during the blessing! I played Crown imperial. Practised some Purcell and Stanley. The choir sat at the front so no sung psalm. The church was laid out for the Big lunch with a bouncy castle in the side aisle and people turned up in droves. Did get some lunch and then to meet Liz who came to Kent House instead of Selhurst. She got a lift to Mary's and contacted Louise. Neither of us had our phones so an hour was wasted! After stirfry Liz went to Fulham for a silver jubilee server and I went to evensong where we sang Brewer in D and The King shall rejoice. Adrian played Crown Imperial and Bridget did a subtle National anthem version as we came in. Broadcast evensong from St David's cathedral and watched Simon R...

Had a nice lunch. At evensong we sang Batten and Purcell O Lord my God. Watched Father Brown, Antiques road show. The Village continues to be pretty bleak!  Interesting story from Canon Moger yesterday about a faithful churchwarden who had been a builder and was moved to tears by a simple service where he could light candles, burn incense and move stones. He said he had found God. Some of is are doers and need to do something like sprinkle holy water on a coffin (even at a crematorium!), soil on the coffin, lay a flower or light a candle. Liturgy can be too static. Another story from yesterday wedding party wanted Harry Potter theme as the rings were delivered by an owl!

Finished 3 articles on scriptural reasoning and Comparative Theology  - I think SR should be followed up. Listened to choral evensong featuring Purcell from Durham and Songs of praise from St David's cathedral. Second new toilet seat installed. Moving programme from Auschwitz about music in the camps.

My left eye became increasingly sore during the day. Liz went off to college. To St Laurence Catford for recital by Hannah Parry-Ridout. Purcell, De Grigny and Bach Wedge very well played. Had coffee with Christopher Town and Michael Toplis recovering from seocnd carpal tunnel operation. On train and tram to Croydon only to find the NHS walk-in full up so came home and completed coursework. Watched Prom of Yeomen of the Guard. To Vespers and Mass Fr Paolo immediately noticed my eye! After mass went to walk in but it closed at 8 so to Mayday A & E. Eventually came outside and rang for an appointment upstairs with Croydoc and saw dcctor who sad it was a bad infection so antibiotics, ointment and drops! Watched part of Royal British legion festival of remembrance form the Albert Hall. It has again been updated. BBC Director general resigned which is sad. Bishop Welby of Durham is to go to Canterbury.

To All Saints Warlingham for my first free lance - £30. Lovely churchyard which is very large and touched by war graves - RAF man aged 21. Service went well - Thorne Mass and Purcell "O God the king of glory" which I conducted. Fr Jeremy doesn't decide the Eucharistic prayer until he gets to it!?? How helpful is that to the visiting organist! Played Bach Ascensiontide prelude on the fine William Hill organ. Many appreciative comments! To St John's for an excellent lunch provided by the choir. Good to have Louise with us and had a lovely chat to Ruth. Bishop Christopher was there. Tea and then evensong with "How lovely are thy dwellings" (so much better in German) Stanford in C and I was glad. Nicholas Ansdell-Evans played a super piece at the end. Nice to see former choir and congregation members. Tommy Hewitt-Jones very reassuring about the All Saints business. Fr Leonard is the problem  - he was friendly and agreed to open the church for the torch relay. W...

Swam 30 or really 29 and a half as others too slow in slow lane! Another nice day. Home all day yesterday doing reading and finished the Goddard book which I now have to review for essay 1. Watched Who do you think you are American version. Liz catching up on TV she missed. To Patrick Hopper's recital at Beckenham. Dorio there. I parked at Arena to get the tram - much more convenient and no hold up on South Norwood Hill despite the works. He played Bach, Langlais, Andriessen and Mulet very well. Watched Larry Lamb's Who do you think you are. He has a Jewish uncle in L.A. and a granddad who was a showman and disappeared. Reading Tariq Ramadan's book. Important speech by Baroness Warsi at the Vatican reported in the Tablet. More reading and interesting article on Jesus and the temple by Tom Wright. Practice OK no Marie  or John and Jenny left early. Seem to be getting cold feet over the Somervell. Good TV programme on Purcell.

LIstened to The choir featuring choir of St Thomas New York directed by John Scott and Songs of Praise from Anglesey. Bank holiday Monday Liz to Aylesford for servers Mass. Train and bus via East Croydon to Bromley for Sarah Baldock's excellent recital. Alain, Purcell, JSB, Howells, Vaughan Williams and Whitlock. It was a tribute to her teacher David Sanger. 2 buses back quite quickly. Nearly finished The Monotheists!

There was a good congregation for the service. We had a quintet and we sang Psalm 121 to Barry Rose's chant, Thou knowest Lord and Nunc Dimittis to Tonus peregrinus - the latter 2 unaccompanied as the keyboard is so naff! I played Vierne Epitaphe, 2 Brahms choral preludes and angel's farewell from Gerontius at the end. The hymns were Praise my soul, Lord of all hopefulness, Love divine and Immortal invisible and we used "O Lord hear my prayer". There was time for me to light 4 candles for the grandparents and all the names were read out. Arnold's 5th symphony on way home and William Mathias on The Choir with Stephen Cleobury.

Liz set off early as she was acting as sacristan for the morning so Gerry could play in the folk group. At Coulsdon we sang "If ye love me" by Tallis and Bairstow in E flat. We rehearsed Gibbons and Croft for evensong and I felt so confident after the conducting workshop and was using some of the techniques I had learnt. Vickie says the church will pay for it! I practised and then to Purley for Mass. David Palmer group and it was far too long. Blessing of water with sung responses then sprinkling then Gloria. A good young cantor for the acclamations. Canon Frank went on rather long about the need for all to evangelise. It was a Mass for new members of the congregation followed by a reception in the hall but by then it was 1.15! To Dulwich to meet Liz. Restaurants all full so had soup in cafe and then to Christ's Chapel for excellent recital by Timothy Penrose counter-tenor and Norman Harper. The organ has been rebuilt by Drake and is ideal for Purcell and Gibbons. Timothy...

34 lengths. Lovely in the park at lunchtime. Shredding lots of old material. Prom was Sir Roger Norrington conducting Purcell, Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn 3. The last programme of "Desperate romantics" and the death of Lizzie Siddall movingly done. It has been a colourful series inaccurate but well done.