Cathedralling
Well. What a bloody anti climax!!!!!!!!!!
I was asked by Anthony Hunt to deputise at Salford Cathedral ooo in early December. I only got the music and the date for when I was playing on Xmas eve, via email, which I didnt check until the 28th......thus giving me not very long to learn anything. The Mass setting was the "Gathering Mass" by Innwood and its very simple, nice and quite fun. Two of the hymns, however were from Carols for Choirs - "As with Gladness" and "FIrst Nowell". Now I learned the whole damn lot and lost hair and sleep over learning the various alternative harmonies etc...turns out...they werent needed. joy. Also, Anthony dropped a bit of a bombshell on me by saying, via TEXT of all things he didnt have a copy of the Alleluias for the Gospel Acclamation to hand and I should find it on youtube and learn it from there......so that was fun.
I was so embarrassed at not knowing my way around the organ - four manual Makin- with a 32 note pedal board (ARGHGH! I hate em) and those sodding short throw draw stops where you cant easily tell whats on or not. Also, the stops for the Solo division were divided on either side of the console...without any apparent order. My tempi was a bit iffy - it always is - and I am massively unused to playing with a conductor, either never had one or if working with a choir leading from the organ bench. SO that was a verticle learning curve. Due to my Dyspraxia I find I can just lock up or go wierd if trying to read music,play watch the conductor and count. Same happens with a metronome but not with someone counting out the beat next to me. strange. I do remember a few lessons at Wakefield Cathedral where I just locked up from trying to do too many things/too many inputs. And this is why Ant cant drive. It all very well locking up or freazing on the organ bench but not in a car. As the service progressed I got a lot more confident but still got a bit lost (the Catholic Mass is similar to the High Anglican one but with some very slight but important differances) and wasnt expectingto have to improv. a lot of the music ot "fill in". I enjoy improv so that was good.
Alas! jsut as I was beginning to actually stop panicking, stop stressing and relax and let the music flow instead of playing like a hunched up cripple with a slipped truss....guess what? The Organ broke down. SO all my ARHGGH!! STRESS! for learning the "First Nowell" and all its vriations for each verse ended up not needed as did my postlude. grr...
Anyway.....the Choir master said I just need pracitce and experience (Im going to see if Antony gives lessons and if so for how much) and my accompanimental and immprov skills were good. I am not expecting to be asked back, however...but thats just me.
All in all, several sleepless nights, actually being physically puking my guts up from performance anxiety for nothing. Always the same....
I was asked by Anthony Hunt to deputise at Salford Cathedral ooo in early December. I only got the music and the date for when I was playing on Xmas eve, via email, which I didnt check until the 28th......thus giving me not very long to learn anything. The Mass setting was the "Gathering Mass" by Innwood and its very simple, nice and quite fun. Two of the hymns, however were from Carols for Choirs - "As with Gladness" and "FIrst Nowell". Now I learned the whole damn lot and lost hair and sleep over learning the various alternative harmonies etc...turns out...they werent needed. joy. Also, Anthony dropped a bit of a bombshell on me by saying, via TEXT of all things he didnt have a copy of the Alleluias for the Gospel Acclamation to hand and I should find it on youtube and learn it from there......so that was fun.
I was so embarrassed at not knowing my way around the organ - four manual Makin- with a 32 note pedal board (ARGHGH! I hate em) and those sodding short throw draw stops where you cant easily tell whats on or not. Also, the stops for the Solo division were divided on either side of the console...without any apparent order. My tempi was a bit iffy - it always is - and I am massively unused to playing with a conductor, either never had one or if working with a choir leading from the organ bench. SO that was a verticle learning curve. Due to my Dyspraxia I find I can just lock up or go wierd if trying to read music,play watch the conductor and count. Same happens with a metronome but not with someone counting out the beat next to me. strange. I do remember a few lessons at Wakefield Cathedral where I just locked up from trying to do too many things/too many inputs. And this is why Ant cant drive. It all very well locking up or freazing on the organ bench but not in a car. As the service progressed I got a lot more confident but still got a bit lost (the Catholic Mass is similar to the High Anglican one but with some very slight but important differances) and wasnt expectingto have to improv. a lot of the music ot "fill in". I enjoy improv so that was good.
Alas! jsut as I was beginning to actually stop panicking, stop stressing and relax and let the music flow instead of playing like a hunched up cripple with a slipped truss....guess what? The Organ broke down. SO all my ARHGGH!! STRESS! for learning the "First Nowell" and all its vriations for each verse ended up not needed as did my postlude. grr...
Anyway.....the Choir master said I just need pracitce and experience (Im going to see if Antony gives lessons and if so for how much) and my accompanimental and immprov skills were good. I am not expecting to be asked back, however...but thats just me.
All in all, several sleepless nights, actually being physically puking my guts up from performance anxiety for nothing. Always the same....