The organist librarian

Up at 6.30 a.m. 4 in choir so I accompanied John Harper's Benedictus on the organ instead of the keyboard. Played Peeters Canzona and Finlandia. Can't believe Liz's Dad died 1997 a kinder gentleman it would be hard to find and always immaculately dressed. We also sang Bernadette Farrell's Lord you search me and you know me. Am on buses only one train an hour and even that uncertain plus 2 changes. On today's service sheet. A personal prayer to use after Mass and during the week.. Dear Lord, I might think that I can't do much to make the world a better and fairer place. Help me to see myself as a little drop of rain making ripples in a big puddle. In your strength, and for your glory. Amen. Helped on teas at Friends of Grangewood Park. Sold a lot of prizewinning cakes. The chocolate and Guinness one excellent. Saw Dennis Woodhouse and Molly. Also Karen Jewitt and community choir. 3 p.m.Mass at St Mary's but I do think children should be encouraged to stay in...

Archdeacon Moira told us about Zimbabwe.I rather liked her comment that the problem with the C of E was everybody trying to be nice and not facing up to tough decisions! John means God's gift and he certainly was ready to be tough and speak out. We had a prayer for Windrush Sunday. We sang Benedictus set by John Harper and I played Meditation on Slane by Erica. Thiman and Dubois Toccata. To Purley Oaks on the bus to change the Honda Jazz. We now we have blue one! Very nice. Cleared out junk from old car. Collect for Windrush Sunday 24th June Almighty and everlasting God, we praise you for the gift and blessing of the Windrush generation. We thank you for their service to this country in so many essential roles and for all they have given to the building up of our national life. Enrich our understanding, deepen our appreciation of one another, banish ignorance, prejudice and fear and knit us together by the power of your Spirit who is the bond of love. Through Jesus C...

Trinity Sunday so played Willan on Nicaea, Wyton on St Patrick's Breastplate and Harper Triptych. We sang "Holy, holy, holy" and "How shall I sing that majesty" to Coe Fen - what a tune! Had a chat to Paul about contacting local mosques which I have been doing. Practised and Liz was home early from cathedral. Worked on Knitter essay. Dennis arrived looking well and we had a nice lunch and worked in the garden in the sunshine moving stones and compost to fill the new wooden raised beds. To Holy Trinity Sloane Square for the opening of the splendid 4 manual Harrisons organ by David Goode. A full church paying £12 each! Champagne at the break. Martin Ball, Christopher Town, Gloria and Michael Toplis, Michael Armstrong and an organist from Buffalo who played for 2 years at St Mary's Cambridge. Met Stephen Smith who does organ recitals.com and Michael Brough who's toccata was played. Bach Wedge (with score) Schmidt, Alain, Durufle, Mendelssohn, Parry, Durufl...

Music Sunday began with a broadcast celebrating the New Methodist hymn book. At Coulsdon we sang John Harper's choristers prayer and When in our music God is glorified. I play John's Triptych of the Holy Trinity. We also sang O praise ye the Lord and Angel voices. Sean turned up and is an good treble for 8 - great potential and the girls responded well too. Practised pieces and picked up Liz. Did not go to lunch at church for couple over from Oz as we had chicken at home. Dennis was at Glyn Close. Put away the 2 collapsible greenhouses as Liz has done most of the planting. Fox got at boxes in front garden. To St John's for joint service with All Saints The Word revealed 400th anniversary of King James Bible. Some good hymns and Handel and Mendelssohn "How lovely are the messengers". Tom played Suite Gothique. Had tea before service and nice to see Martin from Glyn Close. Surprisingly we did not do Tom's SAB anthem. He and Bridget enjoyed the dinner last night....

Worked Saturday and before I left tidied up and hoovered as Ciarán and Louise came to stay! To St Anselm Tooting for Mass. Ciarán awake at 7am Sunday - I worke 3 to 5 am so read Tablet - I did crossword. We sang Boyce Alleluia at Coulsdon and first outing for the John Harper settings. Molly rehearsed and I got tradecraft stuff and practised for my recital. After lunch took Ciarán and Louise home. He is trying a step and enjoyed the lake this morning. At St John's sang Gibbons short service and Ireland Greater love - Liz did the solo. Howells Psalm Prelude Set 1 no 1 at the end.Martin Baker remarked that he only played Howells twice a year at the Abbey - not enough I say!

Thursday finished at 2 and met Liz at the Royal Academy. The Treasures of Budapest very well displayed with brown walls. Odd how the really great paintings stand out in such a collection - Raphael, Goya, Monet, Toulouse Lautrec. Interesting to see work by some of the artists mentioned in Caravaggio: a life sacred and profane by Andrew Graham-Dixon which I have just finished. Tea in the friends room and a stroll round Fortnum and Mason - brilliant presentation of tea! Walked to St Martin's in the Fields where we had chicken supreme in the cafe. Our Metro offer seats in the upper circle were good and we thoroughly enjoyed Faust which I had not seen on stage. Delicious chocolate icecream at 2nd interval.Lovely music and orchestra under Edward Gardner on great form. Toby Spence excellent and a brilliant production and more religious than I expected. We met John Almeida on the train.Friday staff meeting and Julian came to do PRP interview. At choir we tried the John Harper settings.

We set off on Monday to Euston. In the end we got the underground from Brixton. Changed at Chester where we met Anne Holt and at Llandudno Junction we met Fr Martin from Downside. We were collected at the station by Sister Jean and had our session with Fr Henry Wansborough on the new translation of the psalms - he is such an interesting speaker and humourous. It was great to see old friends again like Sr Madeleine Cuddy and Fr Philip. Abbot Richard from Roscrea and Fr Aelred from Northern Ireland were excellent cantors. We soon settled into the monastic routine of mattins and Vespers with sung eucharists for Anglicans and Catholics. John Harper produced some fine simple settings and gave excellent talks about liturgy and music. The food was very good. On Tuesday I skipped workshops (might have tried zither!) to go with Liz on the tram up the Great Orme and then on the cable car back to the pier. We saw the Barbary sheep and enjoyed the fine views and display at the top. We all missed F...

Music for a summer’s evening Croydon Parish Church marathon Friday 10th July 2009 9.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. played by John Woodhouse ACertCM FGMS Director of music St Andrew Coulsdon and President of Bromley and Croydon Organists Association Prelude on “Aurelia” Father Andrew Moore (b.1954) This prelude on the tune for “The church’s one foundation” was composed to mark John’s 50th birthday in 1996 and published by Mayhews in the book Consecration. The tune is in the right hand with a gentle accompaniment in the left hand. John has had many years of ecumenical involvement and so the hymn is an appropriate choice. Father Andrew is now a parish priest in Portsmouth. Suite from “The Water Music” George Frederick Handel (1685-1759) Introduction, Minuet, Air, Siciliana, Hornpipe, Aria, Bourree, Finale What more suitable choice for a quiet evening than the well-loved music of Handel whose anniversary we mark this year? 2 Songs without words Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) arranged by John E.West ...

David Frost used all the prayers I sent him on Sunday morning to mark the RSCM 80th and 60 years since Sir Sydney Nicholson died. We sang the RSCM prayer by John Harper, Nicholson in G and "When in our music God is glorified" to Stanford's "Engelburg". I played Martin How's Elegy in memory of Gerald Knight. We took photos for the recruitment leaflet.

At Coulsdon there was a baptism and we sang Darke in E and "The Lord hath been mindful of us" by Wesley. The hymns included "Oft in danger, oft in woe" and "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds". My playing of Elgar's "Chanson de Matin" and Pomp and Circumstance March No.4. Liz acted as cantor at vespers at short notice last night - she had served at the big Polish Mass. She cooked a nice lunch of mackerel with orange and onion, mushrooms and courgettes. At evensong there were 6 in the choir and I sang bass and acted as cantor. We sang John Harper's RSCM Choristers' Prayer, Rutter's "I will sing with the spirit" and Dyson in C minor which is in unison. The choir sat on one side of the chancel and the small congregation on the console side.Teresa included one of the prayers for musicians I had provided. I played Francis Jackson's voluntary on "East Acklam" as we sang "For the fruits of His creation" ...