The organist librarian

Today is my last Sunday morning "off" before St John Caterham from next week. I did consider going up to the Temple church or even the Shakespeare walk but I'm glad I didn't in view of the marathon crowds. I realy enjoyed the service at St John Upper Norwood and we sang Sumsion in F and Lloyd Webber Sing the life, National anthem and Jerusalem!! I need to find the quote but Alexander McCall Smith hs something about our patriotism being influenced by what we ate for breakfast as a child! Maybe something in that? The children like  the idea of a new tree in memory of their grandparents - Dennis wants two! At evensong we sang Noble in B minor and Greater love with Liz singing the solo. Bridget conducted and Fr John played - toccata and fugue in D minor at the end. Watched the Queen, marathon, Indian summers and Antiques roadshow. 

Pictures show the Queen and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at the opening of the hall in 1951. Tuesday and the Royal Gala concert marking the reopening of the Royal Festival Hall. We had to be there at 3 p.m. because of security. 600 singers from 7 choirs took part and I sat between tenors from the Billingshurst choral society and the London Philharmonic choir. Paul Daniel conducted. The concert started late. The front stalls were full of sopranos in orange and altos in green, tenors in pink tops and basses in brown. After the National anthem, we sang Zadok the priest. The Sixteen and the Adventist chorale combined in a sensational version of Purcell's Come ye sons of art. Watching Ken Burton's face was an inspiration! The London Philharmonic strings then played Elgar's Introduction and Allegro. What a fine work this is and I don't recall hearing it live before. In the interval there was champagne and I spoke to Julian Lloyd Webber about his father's music. Also...