ISSUE 45 AUTUMN 2012 THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF …

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T H E WO R S H I P F U L C O M PA N Y O F M U S I C I A N S

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Whenever I am asked about myprofession I usually reply simply thatI am ‘a musician’ or ‘a teacher’. Thisalmost invariably prompts a‘supplementary’ question, “Oh, whatdo you play (or teach)?” I then try toexplain that a career as a musicianoften involves much more thanmerely playing or teaching aninstrument, and is, in effect, a‘portfolio career’ – a bit of this, atouch of that, and a smattering ofjust about everything else. Indeed, Ioften reflect on how fortunate weare as musicians to earn ourlivelihood through a range ofactivities which can be as infinitelyvaried as it is artistically rewarding.

Despite having been born in theshadows of Gloucester Cathedral(literally) I was never a cathedralchorister, though I did sing from anearly age in two local church choirsand studied organ with the cathedralorganist, Dr Herbert Sumsion, aclose friend of Elgar. I was onlyabout eleven when my curiosity inthe Square Mile and its history andtraditions was first aroused. Myfather was employed by a companywhich built railway carriages. ItsChairman, Sir Leslie Boyce, wasLord Mayor of London in 1951/2. At theChristmas Party that Sir Leslie gave in1952 for the employees’ children Ibravely took along my autograph bookfor him to sign, which he did mostwillingly. I still have it to this day.

Gloucester Education Committee, whoplucked me out of my local grammarschool and transplanted me into boardingschool in Bristol, oversaw my secondaryeducation. At Clifton College I studiedpiano with the legendary one-armed

Director of Music, Dr Douglas Fox OBE,and also studied organ, French horn andclarinet. The highlights of my teenage yearswere playing the solo piano part inconcertos by Beethoven and Rachmaninoff,and in Franck’s Variations Symphoniques.

On leaving Clifton in 1960 I wasawarded a scholarship to the Royal Schoolof Church Music, which was then located inmagnificent and extensive grounds atAddington Palace, Surrey, the 19th-centurycountry home of Archbishops of

Canterbury. Here I gained valuableexperience as a church musician,honing my organ-playing and choir-training skills, and forging usefulcontacts in the world of the organloft. The following year I was luckyenough to be awarded the firstOrgan Scholarship at New College,Oxford. Working daily with aprofessional choir under theguidance of Dr (now Sir) DavidLumsden was an invaluableexperience and stood me in goodstead when I later came to trainchoirs for conductors such as YehudiMenuhin, Sir David Willcocks, andSir Charles Mackerras. When Igraduated Sir David suggested thatmy career would probably be verydifferent from that to which I thenaspired (i.e. to be a cathedralorganist). To be honest I did notbelieve him, but how correct heproved to be. Had anybodysuggested then, for instance, that I would spend 20 years of my lifewriting computer software foridentifying the composers ofanonymous 16th-century musicalcompositions (see PH 32, Spring2006) I would probably havewondered which one of us should

go to a darkened room and start takingthe tablets!

I spent 1964-7 at King’s College,Cambridge, pursuing doctoral research,at the conclusion of which I was short-listed for the post of Sub-Organist atWestminster Abbey. I recall that therewere just two of us in the final selectionprocess. I came second! Fortunately, I hada ‘plan B’ in the form of an offer of twolinked positions in Washington DC – oneat the College of Church Musicians

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A JACK OF ALL TRADES…AND MASTER OF…The New Master: Professor John Morehen

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Editorial teamEditor Emeritus Adrian Davis Editors David Cresswell Jeff Kelly Chris Lawrence Adrian Mumford Designer John HawkinsPR Committee David Cresswell (Chairman) Simon Goodwin Judith Rich Clerk Margaret Alford

Magazine co-foundersJohn Iles and Adrian Davis

The Worshipful Company of Musicians6th Floor 2 London Wall Buildings London EC2M 5PP Tel 020 7496 8980 Fax 020 7588 3633E-mail [email protected] www.wcom.org.ukRegistered numbers of the CharitableFunds 310040 and 264303

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Diary 2012-20138 November Installation Court &

Dinner Drapers’ Hall 6.15pm

21 November MBF St Cecilia Festival St Paul’s 11.00am

12 December Carol Service St Michael’s Cornhill 6.00pm

201330 January Informal Lunch

Cutlers’ Hall 11.00am4 February Concordia Foundation

Wigmore Hall2 March Livery Club Musical

Museum Visit Kew All day

10 April Livery DinnerStationers’ Hall 6.30pm

19 May Jazz ‘Winners gig’Soho Jazz Club 7.30pm

20June MidsummerBanquet Mansion House 6.15pm

27-30 June Livery Club Versailles France

1 July Maisie Lewis Concert

11 July Informal LunchTBA 11.00am

15 September Jazz CompetitionSoho Jazz Club 7.30pm

13 November Installation Dinner Goldsmiths’ Hall

(administered by Washington NationalEpiscopal Cathedral) and a Lecturership atAmerican University. I jumped at theopportunity – a decision which led to oneof the happiest periods in my life, andwhich marked the start of a lifelongassociation with an exciting city I regardas a second home. As resident music criticfor The Musical Times I hadcomplimentary tickets for concerts atWashington’s Constitution Hall. On oneoccasion I invited an organ pupil toaccompany me to a concert by the BostonSymphony Orchestra under ErichLeinsdorf. As a student at New EnglandConservatory, in Boston, she had sungunder Leinsdorf at the Solemn PontificalRequiem Mass for the late PresidentKennedy. Now, forty-four years later, thatstudent still accompanies me to concerts,though in a different role – as my wifeMarie!

On my desk at Washington Cathedralone morning was a telegram offering methe post of Sub-Organist at St George’sChapel, Windsor. It was an offer I couldnot refuse. I took up the post two daysafter the Funeral of HRH The PrincessMarina, Duchess of Kent, and five daysbefore another Royal Funeral – that ofKatherine Peebles, former Governess toPrince Charles and Princess Anne. Aperquisite of my Windsor appointmentwas a grace-and-favour penthouseapartment in Windsor Castle, withmagnificent views over the River Thamestowards Eton. My regular duties involvedplaying the organ or directing the choir forthe Chapel services, at which the RoyalFamily were often present, sometimes enmasse. Among many events that remain in the memory were the spectacular annual Services of the Order of the Garterand – at the other end of the emotionalspectrum – the funerals of military heroessuch as Earl Alexander of Tunis andViscount Slim.

By this time I was spending much of mytime editing Renaissance music, and Isuspected that my future probably layoutside church music. In 1973 I wasappointed to a Lectureship in Music at theUniversity of Nottingham. Thus began avery happy 30-year association with theUniversity, culminating in my appointmentas Professor of Music (1989) and, finally,as the inaugural Head of the School ofHumanities (1998-2001). Establishingfrom scratch a coherent academic Schoolembracing Archaeology, Classics, Music,Philosophy and Theology was an excitingchallenge. In the process I discovered thefoibles of archaeologists, classicists,philosophers and theologians, andconcluded that musicians were perhapsnot quite as eccentric as I had previouslysupposed.

On taking early retirement from theUniversity in 2002 – a step which Mariedescribes as ‘the ultimate promotion’ – Iassumed the honorary position ofFellowship Director of the Guild ofChurch Musicians, and joined the Guild’sCouncil and its Academic Board. Ten yearsinto retirement I remain active as editor,adjudicator, examiner, critic, reviewer andkeyboard player (just about), and I haveeven had the audacity to dabble incomposition. My increasing involvementwith the Musicians’ Company hasreinforced old friendships (severalLiverymen are former students) and hasgenerated many new ones. I look forwardto getting to know our hugely talentedLiverymen, Freemen and Yeomen evenbetter during the exciting year that liesahead.

John Morehen’s edition of three majorcollections of Elizabethan popular music –Pammelia (1609), Deuteromelia (1609) andMelismata (1614) – will be published in theseries Musica Britannica in November 2012to mark the inauguration of his Mastership.

The Master at the organ of the Megaron Concert Hall, Athens, with resident organistNicolas Kynaston

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A reception for current and prospectiveCorporate members took place onTuesday 12 June in the dignified settingof The Old Library of the Guildhall inthe City of London. Background music

Thanks to the generosity of ProfessorBarry Ife, the Principal, we were able tohold this year’s lecture at the Guildhall.Just as well, as an audience of over 100music therapy professionals, practitioners,students, teachers and Company membersgathered for this fascinating and valuablesurvey of music therapy and itsincreasingly important place in communityhealth.

Professor Leslie Bunt MBE , this year’sHonorary Fellow, began his career-longjourney in Music Therapy at the Guildhallunder the guidance and tutelage of JulietteAlvin, the founding pioneer of the coursewhich still thrives. Leslie’s gift for bringingthis subject vividly to life and for engagingus was immediately apparent through anactive listening exercise inviting us toconsider the opening of the slowmovement of Schubert’s great two ‘celloquintet, first without and then with the score. For most of us, there was amanifest difference between the initialspontaneous and ‘emotional’ response andthe second one, more considered, possiblyintellectually based. The subsequent liveimprovisation by members of the TherapyDepartment of the Guildhall in response to

the Schubert showed with great immediacythe innate ability of the music to provokefurther feelings and the differing ways ofexpressing these both individually andcollectively.

The subsequent sequence of films ofmusic therapy in action were both movingand revealing. The ways in which thetherapists were able to use music toconnect, to bring life and to engage withchildren with cancer, motor neuronedisease sufferers and people with severemental and physical handicaps werepowerful. It was clear that it was theunspoken language of music, of rhythmand harmony, that brought a renewedquality of life and experience to a broadrange of sufferers. Music was seen to bemuch more than a catharsis, as a way intoaccessing, releasing and expressing feelingsand emotions of vital importance, not onlyfor the patients, but for us all.

In highlighting the work of musictherapists, Leslie Bunt not only showedhow essential a service this is incommunity health but also the criticalimportance of the training that Guildhalland others provide. We were reminded ofthe ways in which music therapy serves the

was provided by an excellent jazz trio ledby trumpeter Laura Jurd, our DankworthJazz Composition 2011 prize winner.

Special guests were Liverymen KarlJenkins CBE and Carol Barratt. After awarm welcome to the guests fromPastmaster Nigel Tully the main section ofthe evening was taken up with a Questionsand Answers session with Karl Jenkins andthe Master, Alderman Dr. AndrewParmley. The Master had taken the place,at short notice, of Pastmaster Leslie Eastwho sadly could not attend due to a chestinfection. Karl made it very clear to the

Musicians’ Company Hon.Fellow’s Lecture

Professor Leslie BuntGuildhall School of Music and Drama 21 May 2012

community and how it can work inpartnership with other care professionals.

I can only echo the sentiments of pastMaster Leslie East writing about thislecture for the British Music TherapySociety… “how lucky we are to have inour midst people like Leslie Bunt who,through determination, courage andimmense belief in the power of music, hasdone so much to improve the lives of thoseless fortunate than ourselves.” We are alsodoubly lucky to have Leslie as one of ourHonorary Fellows and for making acontribution of such distinction and value.

audience how important the Musicians’Company’s support is to talented youngmusicians. Our award winner YeomanJessica Grimes then demonstrated on herclarinet one of her typical entertainingMusicians’ Company Outreachprogrammes which she has given inmany Inner London schools anddeserving institutions. Then the newCorporate Members’ Industry Awardwas announced.

The formal part of the reception wasfollowed by wine and canapés and itwas obvious that the guests had beenimpressed by our speakers and hadenjoyed an entertaining two hours withCompany members. Representativesfrom existing Corporate membersBoosey & Hawkes, Music Sales Limited,Sound Technology, [Summerfield MI,]Trinity College of Music and VictoriaCollege of Music attended and we weredelighted to welcome colleagues fromDenis Wick Ltd and Peters Edition, bothcompanies that have expressed interestin membership. Thanks must be given toPastmaster Dr Andreas Prindl who hadarranged with Lloyds to make thisspecial venue available to the Company.

Pastmaster Maurice Summerfield

CorporateMembersReception

Professor Leslie Bunt

The Master with Karl Jenkins

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… it was, of course, a spectacularoccasion. Having been told by letter thatI was invited to join the Musicians’Company party attending the LiveryLuncheon at Westminster Hall tocelebrate Her Majesty The Queen’sDiamond Jubilee, I was then invited tosit at the Queen’s table! We were told toarrive between 10.30am and 12 noon, atwhich time the doors would be closed.

… we assumed Her Majesty wouldarrive at 12.30 and had been briefedthat we should not leave the Hall onceshe was present. That meant all comfortcalls were to be made beforehand. So, atabout 11.30 I headed for the restrooms,which were mostly outside in the yard…Anyway, I had some very friendlymoments with other ladies in the queue,not to mention gentlemen, who weremortified to find that they had to queuealso! I met one or two old friends thatway…

… at about 12.30 champagne wasserved and everyone fell on the canapés.After standing for nearly 90 minutes, Iwas grateful that they suggested we sitdown. I then realised that the TVcameras had been on us for all this time.There was the National Youth Orchestraplaying, wonderfully, especially thebrass, who seemed to want to outdoeach other… we passed the time and Ichatted to others on the table, includingthe Lord Great Chamberlain who

mentioned he would escort the Queen intothe Hall, (good thing he did as I might nothave recognised him, because he donnedan amazing uniform)…

… finally, a fanfare announced theRoyal Party’s arrival. They sat at differenttables, well spread around, I thought. We,of course, watched the Queen; we hadbeen told to acknowledge her arrival witha bow or curtsy. The speech of welcomewas followed by Grace, then the mealbegan. Although the wine flowed, theQueen had a gin and Dubonnet. Neithershe nor I ate much, but I was delightedwhen the dessert arrived, and there was atiny, warm egg custard amongst the threepuddings…

… I was distressed to see the number ofyoung uniformed men, obviouslywar wounded, in the Hall. EveryLivery Company has links withthe armed forces, and so theyinvited those who deservedrecognition to be present that day.The whole emphasis of the daywas on youth, which I think waswhy I was selected to be on thattable, because of my involvementin the Company’s OutreachProgramme.

Then the call was for the LoyalToast and it felt strange, for once,to be drinking the toast “TheQueen” with the Queen actuallythere in front of us. The Toast hadhardly died away when the Queenstood, we all stood, and she andthe Royal party left the hall by thedoor right next to us. We allthought that was it, but not a bitof it. A brief wait, in silence, andthen we heard the tramp of feet asthe Yeomen of the Guard enteredthe Hall by the main door. They

lined the gangway between the tables;the Hall staff lined the gangway fromthe side entrance, and then in came theRoyal Party. The orchestra played again,and first came the Queen, the Prince ofWales and Duchess of Cornwall,followed by the Duke and Duchess ofCambridge and finally Prince Harry. Wewere within inches of them. How goodto see that the Duchess of Cambridge isevery bit as stylish and pretty as herphotos suggest, and Princes William andHarry are two very handsome youngmen…

… after all the excitement I realisedthat I hadn’t thought of the cold for overan hour, but I did now! I couldn’t waitto get outside and find Andy, who hadpromised to meet me afterwards. He,poor fellow, had been stopped all theway along because the roads wereclosed. But he worked his way towardsVictoria, miraculously found a taxi andmet me opposite the Houses ofParliament, brandishing my oldest, mostbattered pair of flat shoes… Andy hadseen the event on TV and had recordedit for me, so that I could re-live themoment, and so that the grandchildrencan see it when they next visit.

… so many memories of a wonderfullunch: the Queen’s Dubonnet arriving onour table fifteen minutes before she did;seeing so many of the Royal Family atsuch close quarters; Black Rod verysmart in his black coat, breeches andruffles; the Lord Great Chamberlaintelling me that his beautiful uniform hadbeen made for his grandfather; he wouldnot be able to have one made nowadayshe said – far too expensive, with all thegold embroidery on it…

Liveryman Patricia Norland Prindl

Notes from a Luncheon…

The Musicians’ Company party at Westminster

Patricia Norland Prindl with the Lord GreatChamberlain

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The British trumpeter, Philip Jones, wasrenowned for forming theinternationally famous Philip JonesBrass Ensemble in 1951 and playing apivotal role in the renaissance of brasschamber music, both in the UnitedKingdom and throughout the world. Fordecades the Ensemble championed notjust the early and Baroque brassrepertoire, but also the work of manycontemporary composers, giving nearlyninety World Premières, many worksbeing commissioned by Philip himself.He enjoyed the long-term commitmentof many fine players including ElgarHowarth, John Fletcher, Michael Laird,Ifor James and Frank Lloyd, makingfifty recordings and touring over thirtycountries. In recognition of his servicesto music, Philip Jones was awarded theOBE in 1977 and the CBE in 1986.

Although Philip’s crucial role inpromoting brass chamber music iswidely known, some of our more recentreaders may be unaware that, at hisuntimely death in January 2000, he wasJunior Warden of The WorshipfulCompany of Musicians, having been amember of the Livery for many years.

This special concert is being arrangedin association with the Company, byLiveryman Dr Ursula Jones OBE tocelebrate both the memory of her latehusband and also the glories of the brasschamber repertoire. What better way todo so than to provide a platform forsome of the most talented youngmusicians from the UK’s majorconservatoires at St John’s, SmithSquare? We asked Ursula to tell us more.

Liveryman Jeff Kelly

PH: How did you and Philip first meet?Ursula: My first encounter with Philipwas over the phone in the ‘50s when Iworked in the office of the PhilharmoniaOrchestra where I was in charge ofbooking the orchestral players. I offeredhim a date to play in a performance ofthe Verdi Requiem, for which I neededextra trumpets. He told me that he wasunable to do the date because he had animportant cricket match. For me, cricketwas the same as croquet, and I couldn’t

believe that he would turn down such animportant concert date to play croquet!However, I engaged him again for somedates later, and eventually he “engaged”me. We married in 1956.

PH: How did the two of you becomeinvolved with the Livery?Ursula: Philip had been a Liveryman andoften took me to Livery events. After hisdeath, the Musicians’ Company invited meto become a member in 2003.

PH: What does The Worshipful Companyof Musicians mean to you personally?Ursula: I value the WCM’s support ofmusical performances, especially thesupport the Company gives to youngmusicians at the start of their career.

PH: You must be very excited about theconcert. How did it come to fruition?Ursula: I give an annual prize in memoryof Philip to some UK music colleges forthe best student brass ensembles, and inrecent times I have been impressed by howmany excellent brass ensembles haveemerged. At last year’s brass ensemblecompetition at the Royal Welsh College ofMusic and Drama in Cardiff, no fewerthan twelve different groups competed forthe Philip Jones Prize, and severalperformed new works composed by fellowstudents. The concert in February seemedto me to be a natural progression inproviding a platform for such talent andenthusiasm.

PH: There are so many excellent concertvenues in London, why choose St John’s,Smith Square?Ursula: I think St John’s, SmithSquare is an ideal venue forbrass chamber music. Philipmade several recordingsthere for Decca with his brassensemble. It has a perfect size, isa pleasant place and good for sound.

PH: What for you will be the mostsignificant aspects of this celebration?Ursula: The two main reasons formounting this event are:1 To give outstanding young brass players

the chance to perform in London, and

2 To remember my late husband, PhilipJones, who pioneered brass chambermusic, both here and abroad.

PH: Are you hopeful that there will bean on-going musical legacy followingthe concert in February and, if so, whatwould you like that to be?Ursula: I hope this event will be the firstof an annual Celebration of BrassChamber Music to show that brass canbe as interesting and attractive as astring or woodwind ensemble.

PH: Finally, we know that your life is avery busy one. What is your favouriteform of relaxation?Ursula: I love going to concerts, theatreand opera, and I like skiing andmountaineering.

A CELEBRATION OF BRASS CHAMBER MUSICIn memory of Philip JonesA concert to be given in association with the Worshipful Company of Musicians on Saturday, 16 February2013 at St John’s Smith Square, London.

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By encompassing both jazz and classicalstyles, this important award seeks tobroaden the musical horizons of aspiringguitarists and help those selected for theaward to launch their professional careers,through a range of financial and otherbenefits, including recital opportunitiesand a Wigmore Hall audition. The IMGA’sprofile has been much enhanced by theinternational success of former winners,who are bringing the classical guitar to theattention of a new and remarkably wideaudience, not only in some of the world’smost prestigious venues, but also throughnumerous recordings and appearances onmajor radio and television networks.

While the majority of the contestantsthis year were British, there were a numberfrom France and Italy giving added interest

RECORDING PREMIERELATIN SERENADE FOR THECITY OF LONDONThose liveryman who attended the 2009Installation Banquet will have heard theworld premiere of ‘Latin Serenade for theCity of London’ by the Argentiniancomposer Jorge Morel performed by theStell Guitar Duo. This work is dedicated tothe Worshipful Company of Musicians andwas commissioned by Pastmaster MauriceSummerfield as a gift to the Musicians’Company on the occasion of hisinstallation as Master. The composer’soriginal score is now in the Companyarchives. The first recording of this workhas just been released on the LuthierMusic CD label release ‘Latin Dialog – TheMusic of Jorge Morel’ – Luthier LMCD007.The work is played on the CD byguitarists Jorge Caballero and ReneIzquierdo.

The Board of Trustees of the GuitarFoundation of America has voted tohonour Maurice Summerfield with its‘Industry Leadership Award’ in recognitionof Maurice’s extensive career as aproponent of music which has influencedgenerations of guitarists worldwide. This award is part of the GFA’s Hall ofFame. And its Industry Leadership Awardis given to entrepreneurs and artisans thathave made significant or visionarycontributions to the advancement of theclassical guitar and its community.

Maurice has been invited to receive thisprestigious honour at the 2013 GuitarFoundation of America InternationalConvention’s Award Ceremony which willbe held in on 30 June 2013.

to the adjudication. In accordance withstandard procedure they were required toplay a selection from Ivor Mairants’s JazzSonatas, plus one item from a set list ofworks by composers as diverse asBrouwer, Ginastera, Rodrigo, Rózsa,Tansman and Lennox Berkeley, himself aPastmaster of the Musicians’ Company.

In addition, each contestant wasencouraged to talk briefly about his or herinvolvement with jazz. One of those, whohad had relatively little previousexperience in this field, was BenjaminBruant, but his interpretation of theMairants showed an instinctive flair;unfortunately, this was followed by arushed performance of the openingmovement of the Tansman. Showing finercontrol in the latter and, in general,

excellent tonal quality, togain 3rd Prize, was JonathanWiseman, while the playingof Marta Dolzadelli,particularly in the Rodrigo,impressed the jury with itssense of line and rhythmiccomposure, thus earning her2nd Prize.

The winner, who ispresently studying at theGuildhall School of Music &Drama, was FrancescoScelzo; his outstandingaptitude for the guitar andclear musical convictions, adefinite requirement for awork such as Ginastera’sSonata, gave his programmethe edge on this occasion.

As in previous years,Margaret Alford, theCompany’s Clerk, expertlyadministered thecompetition; PastmastersAdrian Davis and MauriceSummerfield attended asauditors. Sponsors includedthe D’Addario Foundationfor the Performing Arts,Classical Guitar Magazine,Mel Bay Publishing Inc.,Intellitouch Tuners, ManuelRodriguez Guitars,Chanterelle Verlag, andEdiciones Joaquin Rodrigo.The panel of adjudicatorscomprised Michael Lewin(as non-voting Chairman),Eleftheria Kotzia, GrahamDevine and Gary Ryan.

IVOR MAIRANTS GUITAR AWARDMarch 2012

Administered by the Worshipful Company of Musicians and now wellestablished on the circuit of influential guitar competitions, the 14th IMGAtook place at the Coopers’ Hall in the City of London. Here Court AssistantMichael Lewin reports on this year’s competition.

Francesco Scelzo

Maurice Summerfield with Stephen Dodgson

COLIN COOPER 1926 – 2012Colin Cooper, editor of the UKmagazine Classical Guitar, died on 25 August 2012 following a massivestroke the previous evening. Althoughnot a liveryman Colin attended theannual Ivor Mairants Guitar Awardmeetings over 12 years to offer his professional and valued opinion onthe format of the competition. He was also a jury member for thefirst ten competitions and will begreatly missed.Pastmaster Maurice Summerfield

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Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera is describedas ‘the most successful theatrical show in history’. After25 years and over 10000 performances, it is the secondlongest musical in the West End and third longest runningWest End Show overall. In New York, it holds the recordas the longest running Broadway show in history.

Just past its 25th anniversary, it is interesting to lookback on the crucial contributions that two members of thecompany contributed to its success. One was FreemanRichard Stilgoe; while most lyrics were by Charles Hart,Richard wrote the originating book with Lloyd Webber

and contributed additional lyrics to Phantom.He was also the lyricist for Lloyd Webber’shighly successful Starlight Express. The otherwas the conductor of the show at Her Majesty’sTheatre London for the first nine months,Liveryman Mike Reed.

By 1986, Mike had known Andrew LloydWebber for a long time although not had a

chance to work with him. That came as Mike joined therehearsal period for Phantom at a relatively late stage.However, Mike had been no stranger to musicals, startingconducting even during his time as a Foundation Scholarat the Royal College of Music. [It was while at the RCMin 1970 that Mike formed an enduring violin/piano duowith Past Master Petronella Burnett-Brown.] Just beforestarting work on Phantom, Mike was conducting Barnumat the London Palladium with Michael Crawford whowas Lloyd Webber’s first Phantom.

It seems surprising now, but Mike reflected that none ofthose preparing Phantom had a real appreciation of theextraordinary critical and popular success of the showuntil the opening night. It was at once, and longremained, the ‘hottest ticket in town’. So what are theingredients for success? Design, costume, performanceand direction were extraordinary, but musically Mikenotes that the melodies are ‘like old friends’; LloydWebber ensures that they permeate the score subliminally.But while the tunes are easily ‘hummable’, Mike ratesPhantom – through composed and operatic – as a‘difficult show to conduct’ needing a classical techniquewith a crucial sense of pacing and ‘driving through’.

Mike’s background placed him ideally to take on thischallenge.

The popularity of Phantom was confirmed in 1987when Mike led another extraordinary success, conductingthe original cast recording; it was the first album in Britishmusical history to enter the album chart at number 1.

After nine months conducting Phantom, what next?Mike stayed with Lloyd Webber, working closely withhim on the musical preparation of the next musical,Aspects of Love, also havingactive input in the harmonisationand orchestration. Another hit, itopened in the West End in 1989,Mike conducting for severalweeks. He again conducted thecast recording, the single fromwhich (Love changes everythingsung by Michael Ball) was in the charts for a remarkable 14 weeks. As with Phantom,Mike also supervised theBroadway productions.

In 1991, Mike conductedJoseph & the Amazing TechnicolorDreamcoat at the LondonPalladium, a time when Lloyd Webber was riding high.Working for the ‘Really Useful Company’, there was onetime when Mike was undertaking the musical supervisionof no less than six shows running concurrently in London.In 1998, Whistle down the wind was Lloyd Webber’smusical based on the 1961 film of the same name. Again,Mike was responsible for musical preparation, conductingthe opening series of performance and the cast recording.He also conducted Lloyd Webber’s 50th birthday concertat the Royal Albert Hall in 2001.

Since Mike’s ‘Lloyd Webber years’ he has gone on toguest conduct leading UK orchestras (he is founder-conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Pops Orchestra), to be the music supervisor on numerous shows, toconduct Royal Variety Shows, and to compose awardwinning musicals. But being ‘in there’ at the music iconwhich is Phantom of the Opera takes a lot of beating.

The Phantom of the Opera at 25

Reflections fromLiveryman

Mike Reed indiscussion withEditorial Team

member, Liveryman Adrian Mumford

Andrew LloydWebber withTrevor Nunn and Mike Reed

Mike Reed

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The MidsummerBanquetHeld at the Guildhall 2012

Speech from the Master

Speaker Sir Nicholas Kenyon

The Master wi

LiveryDinner

In April, the annual Livery Dinner was held at theStationers’ Hall. The speaker was Freeman of theCompany, Richard Stilgoe (now ‘Sir’ Richard). Wellknown for his brilliant, humourous poems, Richardpenned ‘the Birth of ‘Cello’ especially for the occasion.That, along with many others, can be downloadedfrom his website, www.richardstilgoe.com onpayment of a modest donation to his designatedcharity, The Orpheus Centre.

It was also the occasion on which Alfred Brendelreceived the company’s Gold Medal from the Master(which had been awarded back in 2009). He sent aletter to the Master after the event which isreproduced here:

Livery Dinner the Master withAlfred Brendel

Entertainment from NYJO2

The Master and Senior Warden greet Liveryman Tim Hoggarth

ith the loving cup

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All the competitors who made it to thisfinal stage of the competition treated adistinguished panel of adjudicators and afairly small but warmly appreciativeaudience to extraordinarily high standardsof musicianship. Of course, to havereached the finals at all meant – as theMaster said when announcing the result –that each competitor possessed technicalfluency of an exceptionally high order.That much could be taken for granted andthus what the judges and audience alikewere looking for was maturity ofapproach, insight and sensitivity to acomposer’s intentions and vision.

The Prince’s Prize was ultimatelyawarded to the clarinettist, FraserLangton, who displayed all those qualitiesin abundance and, in addition, had theadvantage of a talented and extremelysympathetic pianist in James Willshire.Indeed, across the board, all the pianistsdemonstrated impressive skill going waybeyond what is sometimes described asmere “accompanying” – in each instance,every piece was a joint enterprise of well-matched talents, working sympatheticallytogether, although the less-than-idealacoustic of such a small hall made onewish, from time to time, that the piano lidmight advantageously have been lowered!Fraser, who is already an experienced andwell-travelled soloist, phrased the

Australian Robert Clerisse’s beautifullyrhapsodic Promenade with imaginationand abundant, sweet tone. That wasfollowed by Rory Boyle’s captivatingBurble, commissioned by Fraser only lastyear and which required not onlyconstantly changing fingering but also theuse of three adjoining music-stands inperformance! It is a piece of infinite varietyof tone colour, hugely demanding oftechnique yet holding no terrors for ourvirtuoso, who threw off the work’sexceptional difficulties with masterlyaplomb. Perhaps the highlight of his recitalwas Debussy’s Première Rhapsodie,

written a century or so ago as a test piecefor the Paris Conservatoire. Once more,the tone was warm and sweet, thephrasing imaginative and the intonationnear flawless.

Fraser Langton was certainly a mostworthy winner, but Mikhail Nemtsov andhis sister Elena won both the audience’sheart and the Mrs. Prudi HoggarthAudience Prize with an astonishing displayof passionate and remarkably matureplaying. Mikhail drew wonderfully full-blooded, rich tone from his instrument inthe Debussy D minor sonata (with onlyoccasional lapses in intonation), the firstmovement truly “sostenuto e moltorisoluto”, the pizzicato in the Serenadedeft and determined and the extraordinarytechnical demands of a very “anime… etnerveux” final movement despatched withease. For his final piece – an ambitiouschoice – he played Piazolla’s Le GrandTango, technically formidable (not least inits testing syncopation) but he managednevertheless to maintain a rhythmic

Walter Willson Cobbett was born inBlackheath in 1847 and made his fortuneas a businessman. The business he co-founded in 1879 is a parent of present dayBBA Aviation, but it is not for that that heis best remembered. It was said of him thathe gave to business the time he could sparefrom music, and it is his contribution tothis art, and particularly to chambermusic, that still claims our attention.

From his first youthful encounter withBeethoven’s Op 132, he was devoted tomusic; and to within days of his death in

1937, he played the violin. On retiringfrom business in 1905, he was elected amember of the Worshipful Company ofMusicians; and so began his second careeras a sponsor and promoter of chambermusic. His self-elected mission was, asHerbert Howells put it, to instil “a nationalchamber-music consciousness”. To this endhis initiatives were diverse: competitions,commissions, journalism, lecturing, anencyclopedia, the establishment of a freechamber-music lending library; and hisenergy was tireless: merely to consider his

journalism, he contributed 60 articles tothe second edition of the Grove’sDictionary, as well as significant quantitiesof articles to the Musical Times, MusicNews and the Music Student.

On joining the Musicians’ Company, hewas encouraged ‘to do something formusic in the name of the Guild’ and hadthe idea for a competition. He thought thelength and difficulty of much chambermusic led to its neglect, especially byamateurs. As he said, ‘in literature thereare the lyric and the epic poem, the shortstory and the long novel; in the orchestra,

besides thesymphony, theoverture and thesymphonic poem;but... in chambermusic there isonly one formthat counts…’ Hesought to createthe chamber-music equivalent

THE PRINCE’S PRIZE FINALS 2012

Cobbett’s PhantasyEndowed by W. W. Cobbett (Master Musician 1928-29) in 1924, theCobbett Medal is one of the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ mostprestigious prizes. But what do many of our readers know of the manbehind this Award? We asked Dr David Maw, who holds Lectureships atOriel and Christ Church Colleges, Oxford, and is Organist of ChristChurch Hampstead, to write about this intriguing character and hisinfluence upon the Company.

Princes Prize winner, Fraser Langtonwith Judge, Sarah Walker Princes Prize Competitors left to right:

Mikhail Nemtsov, Fraser Langton, Yuka Ishizukaand David Butt Philip

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of the lyric poem: a form of moderatelength and ready accessibility. It struckhim that the old English Fantasy might berevived to this end; and he offered £50(roughly £3,000 now) for the compositionof such a piece for string quartet. Theresponse was excellent: 67 scores weresubmitted. The first prize was awarded in1906 to William Hurlstone, tragicallydeceased before he could claim it.

Encouraged by the success of thecompetition, Cobbett organised anotheralmost immediately, this time for a“Phantasie” piano trio. Again 67 scoreswere received, and the first prize wasattributed to Frank Bridge, winner of thesecond prize in the previous competition.The formula was clearly a successful one,and Cobbett organised another fivecompetitions prior to 1920, all but onededicated to the composition ofPhantasies. After 1920, he endowedmoney for chamber-music prizes at theRoyal College of Music, where phantasiescontinued to be composed until the 1950s,

Benjamin Britten and Elizabeth Maconchybeing notable contributors.

Cobbett realised early on that thephantasy (his preferred spelling) had apotential beyond the gimmickry ofcompetitions. In 1910, he commissioned12 phantasies for various instrumentationsto consolidate the genre, with works byBridge, Vaughan Williams and Bowenamongst them. He wished to cultivate akind of music that specifically suited theBritish composer, and the extent to whichhe succeeded can be seen in the range ofphantasy-type works composed beyond hisinfluence. The likes of Dunhill, Howellsand Ireland, who had won Cobbett prizes,went on to compose further phantasies.Others such as Bax, Moeran and Rubbracontributed to the genre quiteindependently. Phantasy composition wasalso essayed outside the confines ofchamber music, as in Bax’s Phantasy forviola and orchestra and Goossens’s twoPhantasy Concertos.

There were, however, tensions in

practice. Cobbett saw the phantasy assomething like the eighteenth-centurydivertimento: a light and immediatelyappealing music that could be used even asa background for banqueting. Youngcomposers eager to make their mark onthe world wanted to write moresubstantial works, ones that were difficultto play and demanding to listen to.Cobbett regretted this tendency, butultimately it won through, and the HighModernism of the post-war period led tothe death of Cobbett’s phantasy.

Yet although short-lived, and althoughtransitory as repertoire, the phantasy hasan important place in twentieth-centuryBritish music history. It showed composersthat chamber music could and should betaken seriously; and it encouragedexperimentation with musical form andinstrumentation in ways that post-warmusic has explored more thoroughly. Inshort, it left a clear mark on the musicallandscape. Cobbett’s phantasy was, then,very much fact.

tautness. One would have liked to hear agreater dynamic range, perhaps, in orderto enhance the contrasts in mood betweenthe sections of the piece but this wasundoubtedly a tour de force. This is a‘cellist of remarkable promise andindividual talent.

The evening had opened with theAllegro Vivace from Beethoven’s secondviolin sonata, played by Yuka Ishizuka andSimon Lane (perhaps the most impressiveof the pianists). Yuka played with powerand confidence, the phrasing well-shaped,with appropriate contrast between playfullightness and sombre introspection. Forthe intriguing piece of minimalism whichfollowed, Graciane Finzi’s Phobie, Yukaadopted a suitably dry tone and plangentintimacy, coping well with the rhythmicdemands, that dryness of tone marking herplaying in the Allegro ma Non Troppofrom Richard Strauss’s sumptuous violinsonata which followed. More suppleness,sweetness of tone and romantic abandonwere missing until the closing pages, which

properly became a truly “carelessrapture”.

The only vocalist was David Butt Philip,a tenor who, in addition to collecting aclutch of distinguished awards over thelast few years (including our own JohnChristie Award), has some impressiveconcert performances and operatic roles tohis name. It is not difficult to see – andhear – why: this is a full-toned, virile andmuscular voice which might have beendesigned at birth for the great Verdi andPuccini tenor roles, were it not for the factthat, surprisingly, David started life as abaritone and, even more surprisingly,remained such until as recently as 2010.His ambitious programme took us throughfive composers, in four languages, in onlytwenty minutes – a tour de force ofOlympian achievement – demonstrating,in the process, linguistic dexterity andobvious acting ability. He would, however,have been better advised to reveal greaterbreadth of his talent by the inclusion ofsomething to show us the other, moreintimate aspects of his voice – I longed tohear an introspective Schubert orSchumann lied. Arias from Traviata andButterfly and one of Mahler’s Lieder einesfahrenden Gesellen demonstrated the sizeand power of the voice, if not thenecessary sense of sheer desolation in thelatter, and there was certainly some scalingdown in the Werther and Onegin arias –indeed, he established his credentials as asuperlative Lensky within moments.

In sum, therefore, four – no, eight! –young artists of extraordinary talent andpromise, from all of whom we shalldoubtless hear much more in the future.

Liveryman HH Judge Tim Pontius

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WCOM Young Jazz MusiciancompetitionCongratulations to the winner, Trumpeter

Laura Judd, pictured below

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Back in May a party of Liverymen and their guestsassembled in the historic Maid’s Head Hotel, inthe shadow of Norwich Cathedral, ready to enjoya cultural weekend arranged by Livery ClubPresident Virginia Harding. After settling in wemet up with local guide Assistant Chris Lawrenceand set off for a short walk through medievalbuildings in the historic centre to ‘The Last WineBar’. The origin of this intriguing name turned outto be the City’s ancient shoe trade rather than adetermination to survive alcoholic armageddon!

Saturday morning found us en route by coachto the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts on thecampus of the University in the city’s suburbs.Robert and Lisa Sainsbury began ‘acquiringthings’ in the 1930s and donated their by thensubstantial collection to the University in 1973. Itis housed in the first major public building to bedesigned by Norman Foster – airy and spaciousyet giving visitors a real connection to the objectson display. These span 5000 years of artisticendeavour, and it is really quite illuminating to seea 50-year old Giacometti bronze ‘StandingWoman’ alongside a 1000-year old carving of afemale Shinto deity. Ancient musical instrumentswere in evidence too, notably some beautifullydecorated Maori flutes.

Our next port of call was Chris Lawrence’smagnificent early 18th Century house inWymondham which he and his wife Judith havespent many years lovingly restoring. Particularlystriking was the exquisitely rococo decoration ofthe drawing room. After a pub lunch we spenttime looking around Wymondham Abbey,founded in 1107 but still very much in use –indeed we narrowly avoided a wedding and wereentertained by a practice session on the JamesDavis organ of 1793.

The musical highlight of our trip was on a‘Music and Dining’ evening at the Creake Centre,home of the Yorke Trust, founded by theinternationally-acclaimed double bass player,Freeman Rodney Slatford OBE. In 1991, the Trustwas able to buy a delightful former Independentchapel, built in 1738, together with one of theseven (!) village pubs. Here Rodney hasestablished a thriving centre of musical andartistic education where opera and choral musiccourses are run. Each month sees a music anddining evening with a different theme. We wereentertained at a ‘Festival of Britten’, featuringcellist Freeman Jamie Walton accompanied on thepiano by Simon Lepper. They gave enthrallingperofmances of ‘cello sonaras by Britten andShostakovich and the evening ended with one ofBritten’s last works, the solo Cello Suite No 3, apiece which Jamie Walton acknowledged as afavourite and played with absolute passion.

Chef Robert McNaughtan had created an

LIVERY CLUB VISITS

THE NEW LIVERY CLUB PRESIDENT, JENNY CHISMOUTLINES PLANS FOR 2012 – 2014

I have always enjoyed joining in the day and weekend visits ofthe Livery Club. The Club gives opportunities for Liverymenand Freemen to meet socially in less formal circumstances thanofficial Company events. This year I joined the Committee andthen found I was elevated to President in one meeting! VirginiaHarding’s two years have been wonderful. She came throughwith an extremely varied programme – all most enjoyable. I dohope that many of you will be able to join in the various visits Iam planning.

On Saturday 2 March 2013 I have planned a visit to theMusical Museum at Kew Bridge. The Company has visitedbefore when the Museum was in a rather damp church. Now itis in a splendid purpose-built modern building. It is easy toreach by public transport and parking is available. We willassemble over coffee and biscuits;take a guided tour with livedemonstrations followed by lunchin the Concert Hall. LiverymanMichael Broadway will entertain uswith his music. We will also be ableto enjoy theatre organ music on theMighty Wurlitzer, which will befun.

Weekend in Versailles Thursday27 June – Sunday 30 June 2013.Thursday will see us travelling onEurostar and coach to Versaillesfor a performance of Mozart’s DonGiovanni in the Versailles PalaceOpera House. We stay at HotelNovotel Chateau de Versailles. OnFriday we will explore ChateauVersailles (the Hall of Mirrors,Grand Apartments of the King andQueen and the King’sBedchamber). In the afternoon there is the option of visitingMarie-Antoinette’s Estate Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon,Queen’s hamlet, French and Anglo-Chinese gardens, Frenchpavilion and Temple of Love. We can also go to the NightFirework Show. We are also looking into the possibility ofoffering an evening at the ballet at Paris Opera as a furtheroption. On Saturday we explore Versailles town and theCathedral St Louis with the option of visiting Versaillesgardens for the Eaux du Musicales in the afternoon. After earlysupper we make our way to the Royal Serenade and Fountainshow at Versailles. On Sunday we will go to the Spectacle duEquestre (dressage, song, artistic fencing, Kyudo – Japanesearchery – and dance) before returning home by coach andEurostar.

My plans thereafter going into 2014 have still to be finalised. I am keen to have an event with military music. Because of theQueen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics in 2012 it has beendifficult to get their attention but I will keep trying. I will alsoinvestigate a visit to Elgar’s Birthplace Museum near Worcester.Bath has a music festival each year at the beginning of Juneand could possibly be combined with a side trip to WellsCathedral School. Details of these, and other plans, will becirculated as arrangements are firmed up.

NORFOLK WEEKEND

Jenny Chism

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appropriate menu: plain and simpleEnglish food as preferred by BenjaminBritten and Peter Pears. But in doing so hereminded us that with good cooking, goodpresentation and a smidgen of imaginationEnglish fare can compete on equal termswith those continental fripperies we are sooften served!

Sunday morning was focused on theCathedral, where we attended animpressive Sung Eucharist including musicby Langlais and Tournemire. Our church

VIRGINIA HARDING: ANAPPRECIATION OF THE LIVERY CLUB PRESIDENTSince its inception, the Livery Club has grown in popularity asa result of the efforts of each President, who is elected to servefor two years. With each Presidency comes an opportunity forthe incumbent to provide a diary of events that stimulates andprovides social fellowship for our liverymen and friends. It alsoprovides a challenge to the incumbent to provide a balancedprogramme of events over a two-year period. The President for2010-12, Virginia Harding has given us an exceptionally wellorganised programme that has been valued and enjoyed by allconcerned.

Some of the many highlights that Virginia has organised

include: a programme of music at Dulwich Picture Gallery; aweekend visit to Yorkshire, including a private recital atHarewood House; an inspirational concert at Goldsmiths’ Hallpreceded by supper; and a weekend visit to Norwich whichincluded a ‘Music and Dining Evening’, providing an insightinto the life of Benjamin Britten.

All of the activities have been organised in a most thoroughmanner and have demonstrated the extensive knowledge of,and contacts within, the music profession possessed by ourPresident. It has been a privilege to have the guidance that hasbeen provided to the Livery Club over the last two years and awell-deserved and sincere vote of thanks comes from everybodywho has benefitted from Virginia’s tenure as President. Thankyou Virginia!

Liveryman Alun Hughes

music expert pronounced the morning asbeing of a ‘first class standard’.

Then to Houghton Hall near King’sLynn. A very stately home indeed,residence of the Cholmondeleys, one of thethree families who serve as Lord GreatChamberlain in rotation. Not only did wesee the immaculately kept house andgrounds, we also savoured a specialDiamond Jubilee exhibition focusing onthe family’s ceremonial role.

A particularly memorable – for some! –

exchange occurred during this visit:Your correspondent: ‘That’s a nice old

piano over there!’Expert Liveryman (severely) ‘Harpsichord!’Your correspondent: ‘That’s a nice old

harpsichord over there!’Attendant (sniffily): ‘Built in 1983!’So at least the trip was educational in

one respect, even if your correspondenthad to console himself by drooling overthe remarkable collection of modelsoldiers assembled by the 6th Marquess in

The Norfolk Weekend Group at the home of Court Assistant Chris Lawrence

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YEOMEN SUCCESSThe careers of our Yeomen and CompanyPrizewinners continue to growimpressively. Concerts, competitions andchart topping albums are much inevidence. Matthew Rose, baritone, wasawarded an ‘Exceptional Young TalentPrize’ in the Critics Circle Music Awards.Not content with taking major roles hereand internationally, Matthew has startedhis own summer festival in Alfriston,Sussex. For the ENO this season, JuliaSporsén is lead in Julietta, Duncan Rocksang Donald in Billy Budd and, morerecently, Papageno in The Magic Flute.Duncan and Manus Noble (guitar) alsodelighted audiences at the Rye Festival.Kathryn Rudge and Natasha Jouhl (freshfrom Garsington Opera) perform withGlyndebourne Touring Opera this autumn.David Butt Philips and Ashley Riches willappear in a new production of Meyerbeer’sRobert le Diable in the autumn season atthe Royal Opera House. Following 22weeks at the top of the classical musiccharts with his debut album Mediterráneo,Milos Karadaglic’s new album Latino iswell up the charts too. Ksenija Sidorovaassisted Nicola Benedetti by creating anaccordion part for Nicola’s new albumSilver Violin. The BBC Proms featuredcomposer Anna Meredith’s work HandsFree performed by the National YouthOrchestra. Rebecca Afonwy-Jonesappeared in Opera North productions.Jessica Grimes was interviewed briefly byRadio Three when she performed at theProms with the young musicians’Aldeburgh World Orchestra, conducted bySir Mark Elder. Amy Dickson judged thecomposition competition for the PresteigneFestival and later performed the winningcomposition.

The annual Yeomen’s party is a highlightof the year and a wonderful occasion toshare the companionship andachievements of our Yeomen members. Onthis occasion last May it was doublyspecial. First, because it was held in a trulyextraordinary place – The Old Library atLloyds in the heart of the City, courtesy ofPastmaster Andy Prindl. Embedded in thespace age creation of Richard Rodgers liesan oak panelled time capsule that remindsall visitors of the historic traditions that lie

C O M P A N Y

YEOMEN’S PARTYMaking the Difference – all thosethings not covered at college

On Saturday 7 July Virginia Harding,our Livery Club President, arranged avisit to Hammerwood Park on theoutskirts of East Grinstead followinglunch at the White Horse Inn, Holtye.This interesting Grade I listed countryhouse was built in 1792 by BenjaminLatrobe, architect of the White Houseand Capitol in Washington D.C. andtoday houses a fine collection of musicalinstruments, particularly early pianosand harpsichords. The building is boththe family home of David and Anne-Noelle Pinnegar and a venue for musicalevents.

Our tour guide – the eccentric (to usehis own word) David purchased thehouse in 1982 upon graduation fromImperial College, London, aged 21 years,with the challenge of restoring thebuilding to its former glory as a singleresidence. It had been mutilated into flatsin the 1960s, then purchased by LedZeppelin in the 1970s and had fallen intoserious dilapidation. David marriedAnne-Noelle in 1990 and together theyhave worked upon the restoration of thehouse and acquired many historic

the first half of the 20th Century!A more adventurous group from the

party gathered late on Sunday eveningheading for an unknown destination,

there to hear ‘Bow Down’, by HarrisonBirtwistle from 1977. A theatre piecemore than an opera, it turned out to be aspare fusion of primal story-telling withsnatches of folk song and ritualdrumming. Deep in the countryside theforest clearing setting was enchanting,although it should perhaps be said thatfew would seek out future performances.

So ended a thoroughly enjoyableweekend: uniformly dull and greyweather-wise, but vibrant and interestingother-wise, thanks to the stalwart effortsof Virginia Harding and ourindefatigable Clerk Maggie.

Liveryman Peter Williamson

HAMMERWOOD PARKmusical instruments. We were shown manyinteresting facets of the building, whichhouses a copy of the Elgin Marbles, andwere given descriptive explanations ofthe Greek mythology and murals.

David’s knowledge of the differenttechniques of tuning must be second tonone. His explanation of “Meantonetemperament” and “Unequaltemperament” was simplified by theanalogy of watching television in blackand white or colour. Unequaltemperament tuning, as used commonlyprior to the death of Chopin in 1849,provides interesting tone colours andresonances. Our tour included a pianorecital by Adolfo Barbarino todemonstrate such earlier pieces as theywould have originally been performed bytheir composers. The afternoon endedwith a splendid tea in the Conservatorywith massive slices of home-made cakeserved by Anne-Noelle. We willremember two quotations from the visit– “Life is too short for cheap wine” and“A piano should be touched, not hit”!

Liveryman Neil Cocking.

Rodney Slatford with Virginia Harding,Simon Lepper and Jamie Walton

Liverymen and friends at Hammerwood Park

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And as we write, news reaches us thatYeomen Alexei Osokins and JaysonGillham, finalists at the Leeds PianoCompetition, took respectively fourth andsixth prizes.

SCHOOLS OUTREACH –SUMMER TERM 2012This term, ten of our Yeomen presented toover 600 primary school youngstersduring eleven workshops covering fourLondon Boroughs. The enthusiasm andinterest engendered in the children by ourYeomen has to be seen to be believed.Many of these children have neverexperienced a classical instrument playedlive. Their delightful reactions confirmthat what the Yeomen do – enrichingchildren’s lives – is very worth while. Some children will soon start to playinstruments themselves under the ‘WiderOpportunities’ scheme. One teachercommented enthusiastically that “now thechildren know more about these musical

behind the oldest of insurance exchangesand its origin in Edward Lloyd’s CoffeeHouse in the 17th century. Second, becausewe used the occasion to bring a panel ofthree great musicians to address the thornyquestions of what they do not necessarilyteach you, but which can be critical inbuilding a successful career.

The idea for the panel came from theinterview with Christopher Hogwood (PH42) who had chaired the Prince’s Prizejudging panel. Along with the pianistSusan Tomes and Marshall Marcus, theCompany Hon. Fellow for 2012/13, theyanswered questions from a large andappreciative audience made up of Yeomen,members of the Livery and guests.

Marshall challenged the Yeomen todecide who they were and what they reallywanted. He talked of the spirit ofentrepreneurship in 18th century London

Nurturing our YeomenOf special note, The Jacquin Trio(pictured), featuring Yeoman JessicaGrimes, won the prestigious St-Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Music Competition.As a result, requests for concerts have beencoming in regularly and they now havesecured many engagements, includingseveral for the Park Lane Group. Anoutstanding event for our Yeomennurturing team was the party held atLloyds of London (featured elsewhere inthis issue of Preserve Harmony). Anotherhighlight was the market held in GuildhallYard during the Celebrate the Cityweekend. Several Yeomen joined The Clerkand The Master on the Company’s stall tosell their latest CDs. Yeoman Ed Farmer,(conductor of the London Arts Orchestra)made much of the opportunity to selltickets for his concert at Goldsmiths Hall.

Performance OpportunitiesPerformance opportunities found forYeomen are running at around 45 ayear. Strong relationships have beenformed with St John’s Smith Square, StLawrence Jewry and St Olave HartStreet. The Company has funded Yeomanperformances at the Manchester Mid-DayConcerts, Brighton Festival, and the RyeFestival. The newly-formed PerformanceOpportunities Working Group has focusedinitially on building relationships with theLondon Clubs and with Concert Seriesand Music Societies in Greater London;responses from all have been encouraging.

Upcoming Yeomen ConcertsYeomen concerts are found on theCompany website: please click on the‘Yeomen’s Notes’ tab on the ‘Home’ page.The nurturing team would be delighted iffirst you took a moment to look at theconcert lists, and then went along to theshows to support our talented Yeomen.

when there were no established channelsbut a need to design new things andapproaches. Susan was concerned thatmusic graduates needed to be employablein the ‘real world’. There were worryingtimes for performers with a continuingdilution of classical music series. Shecommented on the lack of wide coveragefor the BBC Young Musician of the Yearcompared to the performing dog onBritain’s Got Talent. Chris challenged theaudience to ask whether they were goodenough, and compared the industry to theUS car industry basing its future on pastglories and a general lack of preparedness.He also picked up the need to acquireentrepreneurial expertise.

Liveryman Derek Aviss countered theassertion that conservatoires were toofocused on soloists saying this view wasoutdated. He said that 75% of Trinity’s

graduates were working in the professionfive years after leaving. Nevertheless, therewas a consensus that more could andshould be done.

In the lively debate that followed. Itbecame clear that the greatest need was formentoring. All agreed that this wasfundamentally important. Chris pointed tothe past importance of the BBC andrecording company producers in fulfillingthis role – one that was now muchdiminished. The Company was seen verymuch as a mentoring organization and itwas clear that there was considerablepotential and value for doing this withinthe Yeomen programme.

The panel was followed by refreshmentsand the chance for all to connect with thepanel members. Contacts were made andnumbers exchanged – doubtless buildingthe basis of future mentoring relationships.

Y E O M E N N E W S

instruments, their choices will be so muchbetter informed”. Liverymen and Freemenare very welcome to accompany our visitsto schools to see what our Yeomen do.Volunteers for this important Outreachwork are very welcome to join us too.Please contact Nicolas Chisholm, theOutreach Workshops Coordinator([email protected]).

The Jacquin Trio

Trombonist Phil Dewhurst instructingchildren using vuvuzellas

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16 Published by The Worshipful Company of Musicians 2012. Registered at Stationers’ Hall. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinions of either the Court or the editors. Printed by Bakershaw Limited, Tyne & Wear NE12 9SZ

Unless otherwise stated, individual contributors retain their copyrights, and no part of this publication may be reproduced without prior permission.

HONOURSKnights Bachelor:Richard Stilgoe (Freeman)CBE: Michael Berkeley (Company Gold Medal)OBE: Colin Drummond (Liveryman)CVO: The Right Reverend GraemeKnowles (Freeman)Hon D Mus, Anglia Ruskin University:Ron Corp (Liveryman)Officier de L’Ordre des Arts et desLettres (of the French Republic):Professor Kevin Thompson (Liveryman)

WELCOMESNew Court Assistants Jeff Kelly(October 2012) and Alun Hughes (October 2013)In the Livery Office, welcome toAmanda Ratcliffe as Assistant to theClerk (pictured right).New Corporate Member:Denis Wick Products Ltd.

AWARDS:WCOM John Christie & RichardLewis/Jean Shanks Awards:Katherine Watson

Allcard 2012 Winners:Stephanie Edwards, Tianyun Jia and Jane Lindsay

Busenhart Morgan Evans Award:Andrea Tweedale

Goldman Award:Louise Kemeny

Carnwath Piano Scholarship:Qiaojing Dai

COURT NEWS

BE MERRY!A brand new CD, from Priory Records, of Christmas music from the City ofLondon will be available for purchasefrom 1 December. Sung by the Choir of StMichael’s Cornhill, directed by PastmasterJonathan Rennert, it features carols of rarebeauty, especially commissioned by theMusicians’ Company over the past tenyears, alongside old favourites includingHarold Darke’s In the bleak midwinter. Anideal Christmas present and a contributionto the Company’s charitable activities!Order as many as you can NOW.

Single CD price: £10 eachMultiple CD price (2 or more in any one purchase) @ £8.50 eachP&P for credit card orders: single CD £2, 2 to 5CDs in one package £2.50 6 or more CDs post free

Contact the Company office to place your order: E: [email protected]

THE LORD MAYOR’SSHOW 2012As its official website says, the LordMayor’s Show “has floated, rolled, trotted,marched and occasionally fought its waythrough almost 800 years of Londonhistory, survived the black death and theblitz and arrived in the 21st century as oneof the world’s best-loved pageants.”Claimed to be the oldest, longest and most

popular civicprocession in theworld, this year’sShow has aparticularsignificance forthe Musicians’Company.Following hiselection, held inGuildhall on 1 October, CourtAssistantAlderman RogerGifford will, on10 November,become the latest

holder of this ancient Office, first recordedin 1189.

As his Mother Livery Company, theWorshipful Company of Musicians willplay a prominent part in both theceremonial and the celebrations, havingboth a carriage and a large float in theLord Mayor’s Show. The latter will, ofcourse, feature live music and be attendedby an entourage from the Company to flythe flag for the Company.

Whether you are going to accompanythe Musicians’ Float, view the parade fromone of the stands, from the roof terrace at

SIR BERNARD LOVELLOBE, FRS31 AUGUST 1913 – 6 AUGUST 2012Sir Bernard Lovell was clothed with ourCompany’s livery in 1960 and electedMaster in 1986.

As a young man Sir Bernard was anenthusiastic pianist and, latterly, being achurch organist was one of the greatpleasures of his life.

He was one of the most distinguishedphysicists and astronomers of the 20thcentury and is best remembered forestablishing Jodrell Bank Observatory,where he constructed the then-largeststeerable radio telescope in the world,which now bears his name. Sir Bernardwas knighted in 1961 for his importantcontributions to the development ofradio astronomy.

In 2009, Lovell spoke of a claimedassassination attempt during the ColdWar, when the Soviets allegedly tried tokill him with a lethal radiation dose. Atthe time Jodrell Bank telescope wasbeing used as part of an early warning

system for Soviet nuclear attacks. Lovellwrote a full account of the incident, tobe published only after his death.

Sir Bernard was surely one of theGreat Britons of the 20th century.

Pastmaster Paul Campion

Harmony will be published later in theautumn.

CONTACT PRESERVEHARMONYPlease note the new email address formembers of the Preserve Harmonyeditorial team: [email protected]

Juxon House or by joining the thousandslining the route between Mansion Houseand the Royal Courts of Justice, we will allbe part of an event that links ancienttradition directly to the 21st century.

We hope that as many of you as possiblewill share such a significant day for bothour new Lord Mayor and the Musicians’Company. A special souvenir Preserve

Assistant Roger Gifford