The organist librarian

We sang "Never weatherbeaten sail" by Thomas Campion. "Old age deafs not their our ears." Played Nimrod, Adagio from Elgar cello concerto and Peter Hurford on Song 34. The copy was bought by Dad in 1959 and he gave it to me March 1972.At evensong we sang Murrill in E and God be in my head by Philip Wilby. The chant by Sanders for the psalm lay very high and was quite exhausting to sing! Adrian conducted and Richard played. Lovely evensong from  Exeter today. Winter coat on as it was chilly. We had steak for lunch. Programme on the Met.

Played Sidney Campbell on Grafton, Willan on St Peter, Postlude on a ground Murrill and we managed to sing Aston I give you a new commandment. Took boys to Friends of Grangewood park summer fair and Ciaran coloured a dragonfly and we designed a mural. My photos on display. Then to Kevin Ingram's lovely garden for President's Sunday lovely food. Drove to Acton in Lou's car and boys slept well. Watched Eurocup final. Monday walked Sean to nursery. He was a little reluctant but gave me a kiss and I went to mosaic and grouted Sean - looks great and then tai chi. A quiet afternoon tidying up and doing various things. Drove to Maidstone for official visit .Impressed by Peter the visiting gentleman and good chat to Michae Reidy. Fr Petre from Rome was present. The turnout for dinner was low - it was Chinese and quite nice. No speech, no joke! Home by 11 and got petrol. 

Woke with a wierd dream about my brain wiping out Islamic and Indian material and then reinstating it all! No swim again. To mosaic and gesso on board which was much admired and did more work on the mirror. Tai chi and then we all went to Jack's for lunch. My eggs royale were cold but hash browns were hot and plenty of coffee. Chatted to Sean.Took bathroom mirror to be fixed. I was lucky to find my glasses lens on the bedroom floor.   Played the Royal Festival Hall organ! Wow! The only big organ in London I have not played is the Royal Albert Hall. I played Murrill Postlude on a Ground which I also played at Westminster Abbey. William McVicar spent an hour explaining the various stops. Some of the organists played too long as we had to be out by 10. I played the organ before the rebuild when Dad came and Ralph Downes came to demonstrate the organ. He showed us a Hill sound! 

Have now done all the recital programmes and copied them. Played Rosalie Bonighton on Hanover and Postlude for ordinary time, also Francis Jackson East Acklam prelude. Only 11 at service taken by Fr Herbert. 23 came to Adrian's excellent recital and I turned for him.Lovely cream tea. At evensong we sang Murrill in E and Walton's Litany. Watched Antiques roadshow and Domingo at the BBC, also Magna Carta today.

Played John Cook, Bach, Wyton and Thiman on Veni creator. Straight to Selhurst and got fast train so I arrived during the first hymn at 12.15 Mass. Liz was serving with Mark. The confirmation was lovely and full of joy - we did our catechist bit helping the young people to go up. Boys and girls from Westminster school were also confirmed. Widor Toccata again at the end! Group photo and then I was off back to Selhurst. 34 came to Ian Verran's excellent recital - £107 in the collection! Quite  a few answered the questionnaire - most came from Ian's connections. He played Offenbach, Strauss, Saint-Saens, Buxtehude, Pachelbel even Chopin and Sousa. All sounded great! Dennis came and took him back to Glyn Close. To evensong where we sang Murrill and Ives Listen sweet dove. A lovely tune by Harold Darke. Dennis is considering moving down to London and changing jobs. Watched Songs of Praise, D day and programme on twin with breast cancer.

At evensong we sang Murrill in E and I waited for the Lord and Adrian played Mendelssohn 3 - always a treat! Listened to Robert Quinney live from Peterborough cathedral playing the Wedge, CPE Bach, Brahms, Francis Pott and Elgar sonata - excellent. Put Bruce and EJ's photo in the clock. Advertised events on Face Book and webinar. 

We had snow flurries Saturday and a little this morning but the wind made it very cold.  Drove to West Dulwich and left car there. Timothy Penrose welcomed us to All Saints Dulwich and I played Oldroyd and Murrill on the organ which came from Barnes. I was at the opening recital. The church has been beautifully restored after the 2000 fire and much improved. Adrian gave me a lift to Goose Green and John Webber gave us tea and a short recital - the vicar told us the history. I had to leave after the Sweelinck. The organ is a Walker. Vespers and Mass for Palm Sunday with Canon Christopher. Watched Come dine with me episodes. Sunday took Liz to West Norwood. The Palm Sunday procession went ahead and I took my pitch pipe so they started on B flat! I then made my way back through the church ready to play Ride ride on when they arrived and all went well. I played St Matthew Passion final chorus at the end and we practised. To British Museum to see the outstanding Pompeii and Herculaneum...

By car to Clapham as trains in a mess. 6.7 miles nearly as far as Coulsdon! Arrived 9 a.m. and time to sort out things. Vicar very pleasant and is to be area Dean. People friendly. Good cantor for the psalm. Difficult to judge volume as console is under the pipes but told it was fine. Men in congregation sing well and descants in the Thorne setting! All went well and got paid as well. There are 6 applicants including youngsters and professionals so unlikely to get it! Rehearsed There is a redeemer using Bluthner piano. Did some work on Helios. To St John's for evensong - Murrill in E and Mendelssohn Verleih uns frieden. Antiques roadshow - fell asleep. Downton Abbey took a sad turn. Servants programme very interesting. Good evensong from Bath.

To All Saints Upper Norwood for 10am sung Eucharist and Dennis came as well. Church is lovely and vastly improved. Organ sounds good if a little loud. Choir of ladies, girls and Martin. St Anne's Mass for Sanctus. Fr Leonard very friendly and Christine is church warden (lives opposite Clare). To Festival hall to meet the family for lunch - wet and crowded. They had been to an OAE concert for tots which wasn't entirely successful. To Tate Modern to see Tacita Dean's Film in the turbine hall which I enjoyed, Alighiero Boetti: Game plan which left me rather cold and Yayoi Kusama which was crowded. I liked the room with the polka dots in the dark and the amazing lights in the mirrored room. Met Annalisa who used to be in the chorus! To the cathedral for Gary Sieling's excellent recital of Dyson, Murrill and Stanley Vann - very well played. Saw Jane and Gloria Toplis there too.

To Purcell room for hour with Stefan then there was an hour when we sang nothing and finally got away at 1 p.m. To M & S at Clapham Junction to get black shirt as Brice must have taken his back! Reminiscence group - 6 all very vocal about childhood some in extreme poverty in Battersea. Saw RA. To St Paul's cathedral and first to play. Simon Johnson changed stops and I played Murrill's Postlude on a ground as I did at Westminster Abbey. Big thrill to have the tuba at the end! Simon saw Adrian and myself out. I hailed a taxi to the Artists entrance Royal Festival Hall and was early as a result. Concert went very well although I think the pros were still too loud. Train home and liz picked me up after coming back frm confirmation class. She was upset at Stefan's result which was poorer than Edward's and saying she must have lessons.

We sang Statham in D and Mendelssohn "O for the wings of a dove" and took photos at the end for recruitment purposes. I played part of Mendelssohn 3. The new folders and copies had arrived and the choir processed from the back during the first hymn. Enjoying Mendelssohn all day on radio 3. John Sessions was hilarious pretending to be interviewed as Mendelssohn and taking sideswipes at other composers. We had delicious trout for lunch. Evensong at 5 p.m. went really well with Adrian Adams at the organ. We sang Murrill in E and O for the wings again. The introit was "Good Joseph had a garden" to the Cherry Tree carol and the responses by John Sanders. I wonder if Mendelssohn would have enjoyed the Wagnerian aspect of them being based on the Dresden amen much used in "Parsifal". At the end we all sat and listened to Sonata No.3 in A.

Baptist Church organ, Maidstone Saturday had a hot bath in the hopes this might help my right leg twinges which seem to come and go. Liz took me to Kent House to get train to Bromley South and then train to Maidstone East. Reading "The Tablet" as we traversed the garden of England. Arrived at the Baptist church on the dot of 1.30 p.m. The Walmsley organ has a fine decorated case and may have been in the Brighton Pavilion. Andrew Cessana and Lucie Prior demonstrated it and as it is 100 years since it was installed in the church I marked another centenary by playing Murrill's "Postlude on a ground". David put a major chord at the end of Mendelssohn 6 fugue - yuk! His slow movement was far too loud. We then moved to the fine Parish church of All Saints where Lionel Marchant demonstrated the Lewis organ by playing Alan Ridout Canticle of the Rose movements. I played Richard Proulx and Andrew Moore Nobilmente. The organ is sadly at the side losing much of its effect...

To chorus on Thursday at 7 p.m. Edward quite rightly insisted on silence and no talking. We worked on 2 Mendelssohn motets both new to me and the Kodaly Laudes organi. Swam 40 lengths both days. My right leg twinging, left hip bruised but O.K. A fall certainly shakes you up! Friday left 4.30 and was acolyte with Liz at solemn vespers with combined choirs of Westminster Abbey and the cathedral. Splendid David Beavan Magnificat, Ave maris stella setting and Mendelssohn Ave Maria. Congratulated Ian on his marathon success. He was sun burnt from watching cricket! To church and practised Mendelssohn 3. I got annoyed during practice over arguments about Murrill's tempo settings - if I'm conducting I set the speeds! Also a dismissal after one sing through of a Hildegard of Bingen item. Music must be given a chance! Why do we dismiss things so quickly? In any case such discussions should be at meetings not at practices! Altos stayed to rehearse Murrill and I kept reasonably calm. Louis...

To rehearsal and worked on Faure requiem and Kodaly Laudes organi. It seems a pity we are not to do the Rachmaninov in Salisbury on July 4th. Edward sang a hilarious Hungarian round at the end and one about Czech composers too! Friday the young auditor from Deloittes came and seemed happy with everything. I enjoyed the park at lunch time. To choir practice and at one point said "Ladies and gentlemen we do not need a 5 minute chat about this!" Sorted out future programme and decided no evensong in June and said service on Ascension day. Deanery evensong looking positive and social events too. Ella and Molly doing well. Worked on Murrill in E for evensong and the Mendelssohn for May 10th. At the end I said the altos would practise Murrill but Janet walked out!!! Carried on without her with Audra and Monica! It is Murrill's birth centenary on May 11th.

To Coulsdon where we sang Nicholson in C, chanted psalm "Thy word is a lantern" and "Fairest Lord Jesus". I played the Widor Toccata reasonably well and practised. To Cumnor House sports ground for Kevin's President's Sunday. It stayed dry and there were around 30 there including kids. No new recruits alas! Lovely BBQ and food and enjoyed chatting. To evensong for 4 pm rehearsal and David Steer came. Murrill in E went well, Psalm 96 to Gerald Knight's fine chant, With a voice of singing Martin Shaw. I played Martin How's Elegy in memory of Gerald Knight who was born 100 years ago this year. I knew him when I was 12 - rather an austere figure. Mum said he could stay in Hobart if he behaved himself and he was good as gold. There had been clashes with Dad in the past and Dad never got the recognition from RSCM which he should have had. I played Finlandia - it was Liz's Dad's favourite and it is his anniversary (10 years). Watched a hilarious pro...