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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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It seems just like yesterday that the lateIvor Mairants, a liveryman of this

Company, asked my wife Pat and me tojoin him, and his late wife Lily, at aWorshipful Company of Musicians’banquet. “The Worshipful what? I said”.

I had at that time been involved in musicfor over 40 years as a professionalmusician, musical instrument distributor,music book publisher and distributor,record producer, concert promoter, musicmagazine publisher and author. I had alsoserved for many years on the UK MusicIndustries Association General Committee –and yet I had no idea that there was a Cityof London livery company devoted tomusic and musicians, or of the valuablework it did in helping musicians andpromoting music. The rest is history. I wassoon swept away by what the Musicians’Livery Company did – by its liverymen,and with its wonderful concert and social

Development and Enhancement

A word from thenew MasterMaurice J Summerfield

activities, including that first banquet – and subsequent similar memorableevenings. I found the Company wassomething that fitted in perfectly with mynow 55 year unending love of all goodmusic – with its camaraderie, concerts,conferences, charitable work and manyawards to deserving young musicians.

I entered the Livery in 1998 and waselected to the Court in 2003. Due tounexpected events, including the sad earlydeaths of Philip Jones and Terry Pamplin, Ihave achieved the great honour ofbecoming Master of the Company fouryears earlier than had been anticipated.Even in my relatively short time with theCompany I have seen many importantchanges. Ladies are much more in evidencethan they were just a few years ago andnow play a growing and important part inthe administration of the Company.Immediate Pastmaster Petronella Burnett-

Brown was of course the first Lady Masterof the Company – and what a marvellousand exemplary year she has just completed.We currently have one lady HonoraryCourt Assistant, three other lady court

At times of economic constraint it issingularly gratifying to record the setting

up of a major new trust fund thanks to amost generous donation from the ConcordiaFoundation.

The Concordia Foundation Artists Fund,administered by the Worshipful Company ofMusicians’ is a new trust which will enable usto add a third Wigmore Hall concert to theMonday Platform series in the 2009/10 andsubsequent seasons. It will also providemonetary awards for selected performers.

The concert to be given on Monday 11 January 2010 will be the second of thethree Musicians’ Company concerts, the othertwo, supported by the Maisie Lewis Fund,

take place on 12 October 2009 and 28 March 2010.

In expressing her thanks to the ConcordiaFoundation’s Trustees and its Founder andArtistic Director, Liveryman GillianHumphreys, the then Master, Petronella

Burnett-Brown emphasized the additionalsignificant opportunity that will arise forthe support of talented artists in gainingperformance on one of the world’sgreat platforms.

In addition, it is foreseen that anexcellent model has emerged whereby

the experience and skills of the Musicians’Company can greatly enhance the valueof such a monetary donation.

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THE COMPANY OFFICE

Clerk Margaret AlfordEditors Adrian Davis

Paul Campion Patricia NorlandJeff KellyAdrian Mumford

Designer John HawkinsPR Committee David Cresswell

(Chairman)Simon BloomfieldJudith RichMaurice Summerfield

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 clerk@wcom.org.ukWeb www.wcom.org.ukRegistered numbers of the CharitableFunds 310040 and 264303

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Diary 2009-1016 December Carol Service

& SupperSt Michael’s Cornhill6.00pm

11 January WCOM Concordia ConcertWigmore Hall7.30pm

27 January PMAP DebateGSMD6.30pm

16 February Pancake Race!Guildhall YardMidday

February Livery Club Event at Trinity CollegeAll-day

19 March United Guilds ServiceSt Paul’s Cathedral11.30am

29 March WCOM Maisie Lewis ConcertWigmore Hall7.30pm

14 April Livery DinnerSaddlers’ Hall6.30pm

assistants who are future Masters inwaiting, and our Clerk who continues toadminister the Company office and manyof the Company events in her ultra-efficient, reliable and energetic way.

Another big change in recent years isthat the Company’s activities are nowmuch better known to the wider world ofmusic. I would like to take thisopportunity to pay tribute to the editorsof Preserve Harmony and the PublicRelations Committee for their excellentwork in this area. A further importantchange in the Company, during the lastfew years, is the level of quality jazz musicnow featured in the Company’s annualcalendar. As a jazz musician myself theJazz Committee’s successful efforts are

particularly close to my heart – and would not have been thought possible 20 years ago. Finally – I must not forgetthe Outreach programme and theinvolvement of our yeomen – anotherrelatively new Company activity, whichhas had great success.

What can you expect in my year asMaster? I believe, due to the depressedstate of the world economy – which Iknow you are all aware of – it will haveto be mainly a year of consolidation.Interest returns on the Company’s fundsare at an all time low – even though somerecovery does seems to be in sight. Mymain task in the next 12 months will be toensure that all the Company’s currentcommitments are met. I believe this will

The thorny task of remainingimpartial to a subject I’ve always

felt uneasy about is possibly aschallenging as music competitionsthemselves. Having shunned that worldfor many years, the curious task ofcontributing a perspective on this verytopic presents me with as much anopportunity as a curious dilemma.

By nature I am extremely competitive;with 2012 approaching it puts me inmind of the noble Greeks who inventedthe Olympics but even then it was moreabout participating, the process oftraining, and the philosophy ofachievement than winning.

So where does music fit in with allthis? What place does art have in theworld of sport that essentially pits oneagainst another in a duel?

Or what place does sport have in theworld of art that offers a philosophicalperspective on the world as we view it?

Music represents consciousness butsport often represents ego and althoughmusicians need to tap into that sourcewhilst the industry requires a certainlevel of competition, the main focusshould be about the art itself, notjostling for first place.

Art is how we interpret it – there’s no winner, no best. So what’s thepriority here?

Presumably the ‘winner’ of acompetition, not just in music, will bethe most polished, prepared, impressive.Consider musicians like Alfred Cortot

or even Yehudi Menuhin: flawed at theexpense of poetic genius, especially theformer, but genius, undoubtedly. Howwould they fare now? The very idea of art emerging from competition when it’sso personal is patently absurd. Myfavourite musicians, by virtue of the factthat they existed in the same era, were ineffect ‘in competition’ with each other. But how can I compare Heifetz withPiatagorsky, or Menuhin with Milstein?What would happen if they entered acompetition together?

‘Play safe, rank high, win prizes incompetitions, and launch a career.’ Thatmay seem the easiest, and sometimes only,route to take in a feverish world sofocused on competition.

What a pity. Where is the courage toreward individuality over standardisation?We are in serious danger of losing voicesthat will stand out in history.

Perhaps the universe has a differentpulse right now which affects the world atlarge but I do feel it’s more than that andthis obsession with turning music into acompetitive sport has been, I feel,devastating for the industry.

Of course it has been advantageous,even crucial, to some wonderful artists inthe past (Oistrakh, Kogan, Neveu et al.)who have benefitted from competitions.But wouldn’t they have thrived anyway?Menuhin didn’t (need to) touch them. You can hear it.

“Grow naturally and with life’sexperiences – absorbing all elements of

MUSIC OLYMPICS‘Cellist Jamie Walton is a Company freeman, a former Maisie LewisYoung Artist and the Artistic Director of the first North YorkshireMoors Chamber Music Festival, which was inaugurated in August 2009.Here Jamie expresses his personal thoughts on music competitions

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not be a problem thanks to the soundfinancial management we currently havewith our Finance Committee. Whilstmentioning finance I must also pay tributeto the Development Committee.With much hard work over thepast few years the ‘green shoots’of some extra funding for theCompany’s many awards andactivities are beginning toshow. I do plan, during myyear as Master, tointroduce to the Livery more of mymusical instrumentindustry colleagues as Iknow they will be a greatasset to the Company.

More than one liveryman has said to me– I suppose your year will be ‘The Year ofthe Guitar’ for the Company! Well the

answer is yes and no! TheCompany’s Ivor MairantsGuitar Award, now in its12th year, is already one of

the world’s mostimportantcompetitions foryoung guitarists. Ido plan to havesome fineguitarists playfor us atCompanyevents but I amconfident

overall the spectrum of music performedand supported by the Company during myyear will be as wide as it has ever been.There are, as the old saying confirms, onlytwo types of music – ‘Good & Bad’. TheMusicians’ Company will continue, duringmy year as Master, to promote andsupport ‘Good’ music from every field ofmusic including classical, opera, choral,brass band, jazz and more.

I end with a very big thank you to mywife Pat who, in our 46 plus years ofmarriage, has always given me 100%support for all my many musical activities- including of course in recent years mygreatly increased involvement with theWorshipful Company of Musicians.

intellectual and artistic offerings on theway.” These are words I can still hear ringclear from my teachers MargaretMoncrieff-Kelly and William Pleeth.Neither encouraged competition, believingthat my idiosyncratic tendencies wouldnot be understood in an environmenteffectively, if not intentionally,championing uniformity over uniqueness.I can’t help but feel fortunate to haveescaped the clutches of such an industry.

At the grassroots stage the competitionbusiness can be healthy. It may encourage

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a child to practise, to understand andappreciate all aspects of taking part as anaspect of growing up – but the focus, ifthere is to be competition, must be onmusicality. That may be stating theobvious, but you’d be amazed.

If you have conviction and focus, onecan succeed without the need to sellyourself below value. As a youth I did ofcourse take part in awards andcompetitions to pay for my education – Iwas grateful for the results but the processmade me feel cheap and unprincipled. The

politics horrified me and I decided earlyon to turn my back on that world. Myvoice has been allowed to grow frompersonal experiences, not practice rooms.That was the way I found artisticfreedom, and avoided being stuck withset musical ideas dictated by others.

Both art and sport are worthy, but it’sbest not to compare or confuse them;long live the differences between thetwo. If music is personal, let’s keep itthat way!Freeman Jamie Walton

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Iwas sure that current liverymen wouldlike to know how this award started,

and what has happened to at least someof the medallists, so I set off on thisjourney of discovery.

As Music Director of the NYO I alwayswanted to know more about thebenefactor, Liveryman Wing CommanderBulgin, but was restricted by time, so youmay imagine my delight when I recentlysucceeded in tracking him down, aftermuch surfing of the web and many phonecalls – all necessary as there was nodetailed information in either theMusicians’ Company or the NYO’sarchives. We did know that Bulgin firstoffered this annual award in 1954, andstipulated that it was to be nominated bythe Director of the NYO to the mostoutstanding member of the orchestra.

Obviously Bulgin was a passionatemusic-lover, but through my investigationsI learned that he was an engineer whofounded a pioneering enterprise, A FBulgin and Company PLC in 1923: it isstill in business as part of ElektronComponents Ltd., though there are noBulgin family members involved. With thehelp of Paul Bennett, the PublishingManager of Elektron Components Ltd.who knew nothing about this award untilI phoned him, but whose enthusiasm was

instant, delved into his company’s archive,and within a few days sent photos andpress cuttings, some of which are includedhere. Bulgin, it appears, was also amember of the RSA and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, anda founder of the Radio and ElectronicComponents Manufacturers’ Federation.Clearly he was a man of strong principles,excellence, integrity, and, from the outset,provided the highest level of service tocustomers, as well as offering secure andrewarding employment. Those principleswere, and still are, matched by those ofthe NYO, so it is not surprising that therecipients with whom I have spoken wereboth spurred on, and humbled by therecognition the medal gave them. Theywere also in awe of the magnificent award ceremonies, which, in the earlyyears, often took place in the MansionHouse or Guildhall.

The NYO was founded in 1947 by the late Dame Ruth Railton; the firstcourse and concert took place in April1948, as part of the first Bath Festival ofMusic! Ruth Railton was still only in hermid-twenties. Today’s laws relating tochildren and young people would nothave allowed the event to take place at all in the trusting manner in which it was set up – although then, even therestrictions of post-war rationing proved

no deterrent - but that is another story. There have been 52 Bulgin winners in

all with no awards made in 1966, 1969and 1978. The first recipient in 1954 wasthe leader of the NYO, Miles Baster. Hewas a King’s Scholar at Canterbury, then astudent at the Royal Academy of Music, afinalist in the Carl Flesch InternationalCompetition and a Boise TravellingScholar before forming The EdinburghQuartet, which he led for 35 years. Healso founded the St Cecilia Orchestra, and taught at the Royal Scottish Academyof Music and Drama. Miles retired toWest Cornwall where he died in October2004. His distinguished career certainlyset the perfect marker for future BulginMedal winners.

In 1955 Colin Gough was chosen -another violinist and leader of the NYO –and, as it happened, a member of whatwas to become one of the NYO’s mostdistinguished dynastic families – TheGoughs! Colin, though clearly a mostgifted musician, became an internationallyrenowned Professor of Physics at theUniversity of Birmingham, in the rarefiedfield of ‘superconductivity’. Now retired,he is an Emeritus Professor of Physics, andstill lectures on such subjects as ‘TheScience and Application of HighTemperature Superconductivity’ and,furthermore, on such subjects as ‘The

Liveryman Dr Jill White was Director of Music of the National Youth Orchestra (NYO) of Great Britain between1993 and 2002. Here she tells the story behind one of the Musicians’ Company’s prestigious awards.

BULGIN MEDAL WINNERS

Arthur Bulgin OBE

Young Arthur as a member of theRoyal Flying Corps, 1918

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Bailey’s Grand Hall. A previouslyunannounced interlude delighted theaudience when, half way through theconcert, the choir made way for theMaster (violin), who was joined byRoger Gifford (recorder) to performthree movements from Telemann’sSonata Op. 2 Nos. 1 & 2.

The idea of using the Grand Hall asa venue for a concert had beensuggested by Roger some time ago, andit was particularly apposite that CC21should take part as both Roger andClare are members although, unlikeLiveryman Virginia Harding, they werenot singing in the choir on thisparticular occasion. Taverner’s DumTransisset Sabbatum and his setting ofthe Mass Gloria Tibi Trinitas wereinterspersed with Tavener’s TwoHymns to the Mother of God and TheLamb. This powerful and spiritualmusic, combined with the joyousfreshness of the Telemann and the sheergood fortune of being in such aremarkable setting meant that all thosepresent will look back with greatwarmth upon this shared experiencefor many years to come.Liveryman Jeff Kelly

On a sunny Wednesday in May, 99liverymen, their guests and

members of the Judiciary enjoyed aunique event in the world’s mostfamous court. The evening, which washosted by Mr Alderman and SheriffRoger Gifford and his wife Clare,comprised a fine concert of a cappellachoral music, followed by a receptionin the Judges’ Dining Room. As theMaster, Mrs Petronella Burnett-Brown,explained in her programme preface,the concert was not just about enjoyinggood music “although that is reasonenough in itself” it was also to raisefunds to endow the Prince’s Prize, themost prestigious prize awarded by theWorshipful Company of Musicians.

Gathered beneath Mountford’s great,Edwardian dome, the audience enjoyeda performance of music by JohnTaverner (1490-1545) and JohnTavener (1944 - ), brilliantly sung bythe Choir of the 21st Century (CC21),directed by their conductor, HowardWilliams. Although the music of thesetwo composers may be separated by450 years, the programme presented amost cohesive musical experience in thehighly atmospheric accoustic of the Old

Stradivarius Secret: Physics of the Violin’.Colin is also an expert in acoustics; hisbrother, Howard, was an NYO cellist whowent on to became a Director of BOC andan NYO Governor and one of hisdaughters, another violinist, UrsulaGough, won the Bulgin Medal in 1990!After studying medicine at Cambridge shethen chose music for her career.

In 1956, the award went to apercussionist, Alan Suttie. He was born inFife, moved to Northampton aged two,studied the piano and percussion and wonhis place in the NYO aged 13years. Afterstudying privately with James Bradshaw,the then timpanist with the PhilharmoniaOrchestra, and the NYO ‘Timp Prof’, (in fact the NYO paid for Alan to travelto London to have private lessons withBradshaw) - Alan entered the professionas a freelance percussionist. He soonbecame the timpanist with the BBCSymphony Orchestra, but then won aGulbenkian Scholarship to studyconducting, which, in turn, led to anAssociate Conductorship with the ScottishNational Orchestra. From there heprogressed to freelance conducting,including the staff conductor of the WelshNational Opera, and simultaneously Headof Winds and Percussion at theNorwegian State Academy of Music inOslo. Alan is now retired inNorthamptonshire.

Were I to continue in this vein it isobvious that it would take a whole editionof Preserve Harmony, because everyone,whether they are no longer with us, orenjoying retirement, or at the height oftheir careers, or still ‘rising stars’, they allhave amazing biographies, be theymusicians or in other professions.

In any context, it is invidious to selectjust a few, but space permits only a short‘roll call’ from 1954 to ‘my’ time. Notsurprisingly, each one included will beknown to our liverymen, as they have, soto speak ‘made their mark’ in the musicprofession. I regret that too many must beleft out, but maybe I will be permittedanother ‘bite of the cherry’! So, withapologies for omissions, I include: the lateIona Brown, Christopher Seaman, JohnBraithewaite, Anthony Pay, Colin Lawson,Paul Barritt, Mark van der Weill, RichardWatkins, David Briggs, AnthonyMarwood, Edward Dusinberre, GeoffreySilver, Lucy Wakeford, David Pyatt,Catrin Finch, Clare Duckworth, SarahWilliamson, and Robin Ticciati.

Now that I have embarked on thisjourney my curiosity and pleasuremotivate me to collate brief biographies ofall the medallists! That should keep meout of mischief for a long time, and it mayprove a useful archival document for boththe Musicians’ Company and the NationalYouth Orchestra of Great Britain! Here goes.

Heard at the Old Bailey!

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In common with many, I have fondchildhood memories of listening to the

Christmas Eve broadcast from King’sChapel. For those of my parents’generation, now octogenarians, thebroadcast was a new event in the calendar,for, while the first ‘festival’ took place in1918, the first BBC relay came in 1928(making it, although this could not havebeen realised at the time, one of theearliest BBC traditions).

Since 1928 the Festival has gainedincreasing fame. The BBC’s own coveragehas been extended from the ‘HomeService’ (now Radio 4) to include relayson Radio 3 and the World Service: LP andCD recordings of versions of it havebroadened its reach, and it is also nowbroadcast on some 250 Public radiostations in the USA, and, through theEBU, to countries in Europe. It has beenimitated the world over, and modernmeans of communication have rendered itbetter known than ever, especially now itis available on the Internet.

What are the qualities which sustainedsuch a degree of interest over all theseyears? As I mentioned earlier, many listento the service in childhood. Childhoodmemories stay longest with us, andalthough, as we grow older, we developour own views about organised religion,many of us, perhaps, retain important anddeeply rooted feelings and memories

about Christmas. But, as we becomeincreasingly busy and preoccupied, I thinkthat, for those who have the chance tolisten to the King’s service, it offers anopportunity to be quiet for a while and toallow the directness of the traditionallessons, which tell the Nativity story (not‘spun’, on this occasion, by preaching),and the relative simplicity of the music ofthe carols old and new, to speak to ourinner selves howsoever they may.

For the practising Christian, the servicecan be both a celebration and anaffirmation of faith. But it is clear that italso speaks to people who approach itfrom a very wide range of religious andspiritual standpoints. It may be notedthat, whether or not an individual is anadherent of Christianity and/or theChurch, the history of the last 2000 yearshas been very strongly influenced by thelife of Jesus Christ.

For over 25 years, I have had theresponsibility, privilege and challenge ofpresenting the music for this great annualservice. My New Year postbag (and now,e-mail box) tells me that many feel a senseof ownership of it, so they can feeljustified in expressing strong opinionsabout it. It is always nice to receivesupportive comments, but I always takeseriously the critical ones, too, (some ofthese being vividly expressed!) since theCollege always reviews each year’s

offering, and takes correspondents’ viewsinto account.

At first, I was upset by those whodisliked the newly commissioned carol Iintroduce each year, but I have held to thebelief that refreshing the tradition withnew material is right, and more recentlycomment has been more on the lines of‘who is writing the new carol this year?’.

Everything, or a great deal, anyway, isin the planning. I start with an empty‘template’, commission a composer, placethe new carol after a lesson to which itssubject relates (it is very important for allthe carols ‘match’ a lesson), add in the‘must haves’ assemble a list of other‘possibles’, and agonise over which toinclude and which to omit.

Delay final decisions until the printers’deadlines (Radio Times for the BBC,Cambridge University Press for the Orderof Service). Assemble copies of the music,mark them for performance (I dislikewasting time in rehearsal dealing withthings that can be organised by carefulannotation of the scores). Rehearsalschedule to be arranged so that everythingis known confidently for the day, but not‘overcooked’, so that there will besomething extra and special for the actualservice.

Keep outwardly calm, but inwardlybraced, for the moment just after 3 pmwhen I beckon forward the treble chosento start Once in Royal David’s City.

Another Christmas has begun for thosein the chapel and the listeners around theworld. My Christmas begins at 4.30 pm!

Stephen Cleobury is always pleased toreceive enquiries from potential membersof the Choir.

Beginnings of a traditionLiveryman Stephen Cleobury, who was recently appointed CBE, reflectson the beginning of a Christmas tradition that has grown to reach aworld-wide audience

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When the Company decided toinitiate the Eric Iles Prize at the

National Youth Brass Band of GreatBritain a couple of years ago, it wasnurturing a source that has inspired aconstant stream of the nation’s topbrass musicians for more than half acentury. At the NYBB’s inaugural courseat Bradford during Easter 1952, the firstday auditions gave the principal cornetchair to Maurice Murphy, aged 16. In2007 Maurice retired after 30 years asprincipal trumpeter of the LondonSymphony Orchestra, and a careerduring which he became one of theworld’s most admired orchestraltrumpet players. Not least, Maurice isuniversally revered for his playing onthe sound tracks of the Star Warsmovies, and Superman, Indiana Jonesand Harry Potter.

The flow of NYBB talent has beenunabated over the ensuing decades. Alist of past members reads like a Who’sWho of the brass world. More than2000 brass students have benefittedfrom attending NYBB courses. Thisyear, for example, yet another fantastictalent emerged. The amazing 12-year-old Peter Moore won the BBC YoungMusician of the Year title, the youngestever winner in the 30 years of theprestigious competition. Peter was amember of the first National Children’sBrass Band of Great Britain founded byNYBB in 2004. Like Maurice, Peter’sinitial development was nurtured inbrass bands and he plays with theLeyland Band.

The Company initiated the NYBBprize in 2007 in memory of Eric Iles(1900-1972), following an award fromthe estate of his widow who died in2002. Eric was the son of John Henry

Iles (Master 1932/33) and father ofPastmaster John Iles. John has fondmemories of his introduction to brassband music. He recalls: “Following mygrandfather, John Henry, a greatentrepreneur of the brass band movement,Eric was also a great supporter of brassbands as Chairman of Belle Vue Gardens,Manchester. Until the 1980s, Belle Vuewas the home of numerous brassband competitions (including theprestigious British OpenChampionship founded there in1853) and it was where, as ayoung boy, I was first introducedto their wonderful music.”

The Eric Iles Award consists ofa cash prize awarded to thewinner of the annual HarryMortimer Memorial solocompetition amongst NYBB members andis accompanied by an invitation toperform as guest soloist at the GreatNorthern Brass Festival at BridgewaterHall, Manchester. The first winner wasPaul Duffy, 18, a full-time music studentat Salford University and now the sopranocornetist with the famous Black DykeBand. The 2008 winner was MatthewWhite, principal euphonium player of theNYBB, also a member of Leyland Band,Lancashire.

The NYBB was founded by Dr DenisWright and his wife Maud, who wereinspired to gather together 92 teenagebrass players at Bradford’s ThorntonGrammar School not knowing quite whatto expect. The organisation, administeredby a charitable trust, has not looked back.Following Dr Wright, there have been fivedistinguished music directors includingGeoffrey Brand, Arthur Butterworth, DrRoy Newsome and Elgar Howarth. Guestconductors have included Harry

Mortimer, Eric Ball, Michael TilsonThomas (when the band appeared atThe Barbican with London SymphonyOrchestra Brass), Sir Charles Groves,Derek Bourgeois, Edward Gregson andJames Watson. Recent concert venuesinclude the Royal Albert Hall, RoyalAcademy of

Music, Queen Elizabeth Hall, RiponCathedral and the BridgewaterHall, Manchester.

The band has been at theforefront of commissioningnew major brass band works.Composers who have recentlycomposed for the band includeDavid Bedford, RichardRodney Bennett, MartinEllerby, Peter Graham, ElgarHowarth, Bramwell Tovey,

Errollyn Wallen and Philip Wilby.Currently the artistic director isBramwell Tovey, the internationallyacclaimed orchestral conductor, musicaldirector of the Vancouver Symphony(which was awarded a Grammy in2007) and principal guest conductor ofthe Los Angeles Philharmonic at theHollywood Bowl.

Bramwell talks with infectiousenthusiasm about the NYBB: “I wasborn in Ilford in Essex and brought upplaying music in Salvation Army choirsand bands. Brass bands were myintroduction to music. When the NYBBapproached me I was anxious to getinvolved because I believe so sincerely inwhat they are doing. I see doing this asgoing straight back to my roots andgiving something back. I have enormousrespect for the people who have lookedafter the band over the years.

“Brass bands came from a really solidworking-class tradition – from the

Nurturing top brass at an early ageThe National Youth Brass Band

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In May 2009 Alan Pope stormed tovictory as musical director of Camborne

Youth Band. After ten years of absolutededication Alan’s band achieved thegreatest national title available to a youthband – the National Premier YouthChampions of Great Britain.

With modest self-effacement, Alan,when interviewed, awarded the success tothe hard work of the players. However,those that know him well will argue thatthis is only part of the story and thatmuch of the success is down to thepersonality and drive of Alan himself.

His success with the Band is due to acombination of tradition, talent, drive andfocus. He grew up in an area of WestCornwall rich in Brass Band tradition.From his home he could see the remainsof the mining industry around which inthe late eighteenth and early nineteenthcenturies small tin mining communitiesestablished brass bands with playersdrawn from the tin mines.

Alan’s father, a bass player, encouragedAlan to join a local band at the age offive. Alan showed early signs of brasstalent when he was asked to play for alocal championship band. He continuedthroughout his childhood to improve hisplaying and unlike other children of hisage remained totally focused on hisdream, travelling several miles to practisethree days a week. Bands of that timeconsisted of older men and often when theband went to competitions Alan was somuch younger than the other players thathe was chaperoned by his parents. It cameas no surprise that Alan at the age ofeighteen joined the band of the RoyalDragoon Guards. As principal cornet hetravelled the world playing at prestigiousroyal gatherings, for heads of state and asbacking for famous singers from the musicindustry.

Alan set about building a group ofyoung people in this tradition, teachingmost of the players from scratch to play

Westward Ho!

mines and the industrial north – andfiltered down to the south. The vastmajority of the volunteers and peopleon the board have been part of that andthey have dedicated themselves tomaking it work. I am involved in twocourses a year, one as a full conductorand the other as a tutor and adviser.The kids give the band tremendousloyalty and there is a real desire to playas well as possible.

“Some children come from reallydifficult backgrounds but they come in,do the work and become a member. Bythe end of a course you realise whatincredible people they are. When we didour recording last year I found myselftreating them as I would myprofessional musicians – that is, withgreat courtesy but also with greatmusical demands – and they respondedso well. I always say to the staff that Iget much more out of it than I put in.When you can throw your energy atkids in this way and hear them respond,I get enormous satisfaction andstimulation from that.

“Music is a language through whichkids can express themselves. It givesthem a sense of harmony and workingwithin the framework of a communitytowards a common goal. When I see akid develop from being really shy andwithdrawn to being a confident member

Up-and-coming brass star: MatthewWhite, euphonium student. 2008 winnerof the Company’s Eric Iles Award

MID SUMMER BANQUET 2009

of the band, the transformation iswonderful.

“The professional orchestras I workwith are real crackerjack outfits, but theend result with the NYBB has turnedout to be just as satisfying. It can behard work but it reaps its rewards nine-fold when you get to the end of theweek and the kids are playing to such ahigh standard. It’s a great experience.”Liveryman Robert Mulhollandfounder member NYBB of GB

The Bishop of London Richard Chartres, The Master, Liverymen and guesAlderman and Sheriff Roger Gifford

Barbara Willis with Isabel, Linda and Mrs Gina Ficker The Reverend and M

Alan Pope’s successes have been recognised in Cornwall through anumber of awards from local radio, the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall, thelocal council and the Cornish Gorseth. His most prestigious to date hasbeen the 2008 Mortimer Medal presented to him by The WorshipfulCompany of Musicians

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An invitation from the MillenniumStewards: The Master; Pastmaster

Peter Fowler; Junior Warden PaulCampion and Court AssistantAndrew Morris (the self-dubbed‘Gang of Four’) to celebrate the tenthanniversary of the reintroduction ofStewards to the Company, was clearlynot to be missed. So, not surprisingly,three-quarters of all Stewards to haveoccupied the post since 2000 mettogether to enjoy an evening of goodcompanionship, delicious food andwine, coupled with an elegant settingand delightful music.

In his book Apollo’s Swan andLyre, Pastmaster Richard Crewdsoncomments that in the early 1600s“The office of Steward makes its firstappearance; two Stewards were to beappointed annually to takeresponsibility for arranging andunderwriting the quarterly CourtDinners” and that “Every assistantattending a dinner was obliged tocontribute twelve pence, but theStewards would have to make up thedeficit if there was one.” Happily,although the cost now is rather more

than twelve pence, no one present wasrequired to pick up any deficit whenwe gathered in the enchanting settingof the Princess Marie Louise Room atthe Oxford and Cambridge Club inPall Mall. Not only is the O&C thepresent Master’s Club, it also benefits from Liveryman and past Steward Alistair Telfer being its Secretary.

Judging by the warm and animatedgreetings at the reception, the enthusiasticconversation throughout dinner andthe rapt attention during Companyprize-winner and Yeoman EleanorTurner’s splendid and well-chosen harp recital, all those present obviouslyagreed that this event embodied somuch of what makes the Musicians’Company such a remarkableorganisation. I am sure that all those Stewards, past and present, able to attend will join in thanking the ‘Gang of Four’, Alistair and his staff. Their hard work, organisationskills and attention to detail guaranteedthat we shared a truly memorableevening together.Steward Jeff Kelly

brass instruments. Once the playing wasestablished Alan knew that this alonewould not bring the Championship title.The young people needed the disciplineand dedication that he himself possesses.This he fostered through frequent practiceand competition. It is not acceptable tomiss practice!

Alan also knew that success would bedown to keeping the players together. Inthe early 1900s brass bands in Cornwalllike the Methodist chapels were the centreof the community. Alternativeentertainment did not exist. There arenow numerous opportunities available toyoung people through youth organisationsand schools. Alan had the challenge ofsomehow ensuring that going to Bandremained more attractive than joiningother activity groups. Asking the playershow this has been achieved, they will tellyou that it is because of the friendly,sociable and family-like atmosphere of themovement. Over ten years Alan hasplayed an enormous part in thedevelopment of the young people, as theyhave moved the various stages ofchildhood through to young adults. Manyof the original players are still associatedwith the youth band and although too oldfor competition, on their return fromuniversity or after work, they will sit in onpractices and play at concerts.

Alan chooses music for the youth bandwith as much care as every other part ofhis job. He mixes the programme withboth traditional pieces and those morerecently composed for brass. Although astaunch believer in tradition, he recognisesthat a failure to move with the times willsend the young players to other moremodern music genres. The Band isparticularly successful in entertainmentcompetitions where there is a mixture ofdemanding contest pieces and music thatentertains. The knack of choosing theright music for competitions has beencritical to the success of this young band.

Since the demise of mining in theCamborne area, the surroundingcommunities have experiencedconsiderable economic hardship. Alan’sphilosophy has always been that no young

person should be denied access to playing a brass instrument. The playersare loaned both their instruments anduniform and only pay a small amounteach week to cover the running costs ofthe organisation. The local community hasrallied in support of Alan and frequentlycontributes to fundraising efforts ofplayers and families. The vast sums ofmoney needing to be raised each year totake the children to competitions aroundthe country demands considerable hardwork. This working together has alsohelped to foster a family atmospherewithin the Band and its supporters and, ateach competition Alan has been able torely on a group of very enthusiasticCornish supporters to share in hisachievements.An anonymous admirer

THE STEWARDS’ FEAST 2009

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10

LIVERY CLUB ACTIVITIES

And what a weekend it was! Leipzig isa city with music credentials par

excellence.Robert and Clara Schumann lived there,Mendelssohn lived there, Grieg stayed

there regularlyand Bach wasCantor for 27years. Oh, and ithad been a hometo musicpublishers too,with bothBreitkopf &Härtel and C F Petersestablishingthemselves in

Leipzig. The city’s recent history made aninteresting background, with the “behindthe iron curtain” regime having left alegacy of mouldering properties, now nextdoor to new construction and renovation.

Livery Club President Alan Paul hadorganised an almost non-stop feast ofmusical delights for the 34 Liverymen andtheir partners who braved the Fridayflight from the now much-improvedTerminal 5. After an introductory walk

Three dozen members of the LiveryClub spent an exquisite day in the

North Downs on 18 July, focussing on themusic of Ralph Vaughan Williams and hiscontemporaries. We met at Denbies, justnorth of Dorking, which is the largestprivate vineyard in England. VaughanWilliams had a very close connection withDorking, and lived there with his first wifeAdeline from 1928 to her death in 1953.He was the first conductor of the LeithHill Musical Festival and held thisposition for 45 years, introducing to theSoutheast a number of composers, such asPurcell, not well known at the time. Anumber of his works were composed inthe town, especially his later symphonies,and some commentators sense the spirit ofthe Downs in them. We were given alecture on his life and works in theimpressive Surrey Performing Arts Library,which is part of the winery building – anexample of benevolent capitalism. It holdsBritain’s largest collection of Vaughan

into town, guided by Alan, we dined inthe vaulted Thuringer Hof. Saturdaymorning dawned with a visit to theSchumann House for a talk, tour andconcert of Schumann lieder by KatrinStarick and Stephanie Fahrendorf. Thiswas followed by a short walk to theMendelssohn House where we alsorejoiced in a talk and tour, learning thatMendelssohn was the first conductor touse a stick, followed by a performance ofhis Trio No.1 in D Minor by AndreaDuca, violin, Constance Ricard, ‘cello andMi Na Park, piano.

Lunch, in our case, was a coffee and‘Bach’ cake in the Café Kändler, namedafter the Meissen porcelain maker.Fortunately, it is right opposite theThomaskirche where queues were alreadyforming for the packed-out afternoonconcert. The highlight of this was theperformance by the in-house Thomanerchoir and soloists, plus the GewandhausOrchestra, of Bach’s Cantata BWV 37:Wer da gläubet und getauft wird. It wasfascinating to hear this music in theacoustic of the very building for which itwas written.

The evening saw us in the spacious

surroundings of the Leipzig Opera House,built in the Communist era in surprisinglyopulent style. Our musical fare wasMozart’s Don Giovanni, with excellentsingers and orchestra (the Gewandhausagain!) marred only slightly by a strangeset and bizarre costumes.

Sunday morning offered a variedprogramme. Some opted to view themonumental Leipzig Hauptbahnhof,reputed to be the largest railway terminusin the world. Built in 1909-15, its morethan 20 platforms are spanned byimpressive steel arches and even thespacious staircase halls have finelymoulded ceilings. Others, however,returned to the Thomaskirche for theLutheran service, with the ThomanerChoir again under the direction of UllrichBöhme. The near-capacity congregationwas expected to read music, the servicesheet giving the soprano line. A hasty

Williams published material and manyartefacts from his career.

After lunch we were treated to a recitalby Yeomen Jane Gordon and Jan Rautio,members of the Rautio Trio, who areMaisie Lewis winners. They played theoriginal (1914) version of The LarkAscending, just where Vaughan Williamswould have heard larks, Frank Bridge’sRomanze, and two selections fromBritten’s Suite for Violin and Piano. A

beautiful concert, not hindered by Janehaving a fishbone stuck in her throat atlunch (removed quickly with JenniferPaul’s help) nor by Jan playing a portabledigital Yamaha piano, which soundedsurprisingly good. An amusing tour – bylittle train – of the winery, with a tastingof the excellent Denbies wines, wasfollowed by another ride through thevines themselves, with great vistas of BoxHill and as far as Sussex and Kent. Werode close to Leith Hill, where VaughanWilliams lived in the family home as aboy from 1874, and saw the sameunspoiled views he would have lovedmore than a century ago. I found this oneof the most imaginative, informative andenjoyable Livery Club visits ever and weall congratulate President Alan Paul fordevising it. Among other pleasures wasthe participation of some new Freemen,and Liverymen we haven’t seen enough ofin recent years.Pastmaster Andreas Prindl

A Weekend in Leipzig

Music in an English Setting

Alan Paul at the piano

At the Mendelssohn House

The Denbies Estate

11

On a lovely summer’s day over fiftymembers of the Musicians’ Company

and guests enjoyed a visit to LacockAbbey, the home of the Master, PetronellaBurnett-Brown. On arrival we wereushered into the spectacular hall forrefreshments and an introduction to thehistory of the house and family by JanetBurnett-Brown, sister of Anthony, theformer Master.

During a tour of the house we learntthat the abbey was founded in 1232 andconverted into a residence from 1540 byWilliam Sharington after the dissolutionof the monasteries. It has been occupiedby his descendants to the present day, oneof the most famous of these being WilliamHenry Fox Talbot who was a pioneer ofphotography in the Victorian era. We sawthe central bay window, which appears inone of the most famous earlyphotographic images in 1835.

We were then treated to a recital by therenowned organist, Andrew Kirk, Director

of Music at St Mary Redcliffe Church,Bristol and the Master, who describedherself as “a violinist who sings”. Welistened to a broad range of music from

the tenth century to Benjamin Britten andfrom singing to violin to organ solo. Apersonal highlight was Petronella’sexquisite rendition of an excerpt fromVaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending.During the course of the recital Petronellaplayed three different violins, (not all atthe same time!) including a nine stringNorwegian instrument, all of whichdemonstrated the many facets of thefiddle. The family’s dogs padding aroundthe hall added to the warmth andinformality of this special occasion.

After walking through the orchard andchurchyard to the pretty village of Lacockwe enjoyed a delicious home-made lunchat the “Sign of the Angel” Inn. There wastime to explore the beautifully preservedvillage, which has been the film locationfor many historical dramas, beforeheading home.

We should like to thank Petronella forher warm and generous hospitality andfor sharing with us her historic home andmany thanks, too, to Maggie Alford forhelping to make it such a memorable visit.Guest Carolyn Wagstaff

retreat during The Peace left time to arriveat the impressive Gewandhaus concert hallfor the morning concert, featuring DenisMatsuev as a storming soloist in theRachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3followed by Brahms’s Symphony No 1, allunder the baton of Axel Kober.

We boarded our coach in the afternoon,initially for a conducted tour of thesuburbs of Leipzig, including sight notonly of Schiller’s house but also of arestored 100-year-old tram on a Sundayafternoon outing. We pressed on to Halle,birthplace of Handel, where we touredfirst the Market Church where, placedabove the altar, was a small organ whichhad been played by the master in hisyouth. The high point, however, was thevisit to the excellent Handel Housemuseum, with audio presentation inEnglish in every room, plus the equallywell displayed musical instrumentmuseum, all followed by tea in thecourtyard.

Sunday evening saw us in the CoffeBaum, an historic old restaurant once thehaunt of Mendelssohn and Schumann andfriends. Those lucky enough to draw acomposer’s name in Alan Paul’ssweepstake were able to sit at the table,which the composers frequented. In lieu ofthe Thunder and Lightning polka, wewere treated to real Donner und Blitzen

whilst we ate, fortunately reaching a finalcoda before going-home time.

All was not yet over and our finalmorning took us to the Blüthner pianofactory, via the vast (and ugly) Battle ofthe Nations Monument in the Leipzigsuburbs. At Blüthner’s we were welcomedwith old-world charm and courtesy byIngbert Blüthner-Hässler who proceededto give us a conducted tour of the

spacious and well-equipped factory, nowconcentrating on the production ofgrands. We concluded with an impromptuperformance on the largest concert pianoin the showroom by Alan Paul, to whomall our thanks must go for a mostmemorable weekend, most ably assistedby Maggie Alford, our ever charming andfaithful Clerk. Liveryman John Norman

Lacock Abbey visit

The Leipzig Gewandhaus concert

The Blue Parlour

12

Liverymen may have heard of our newCorporate Membership programme

and wondered what it entailed. Thisinitiative, recently approved by theCourt, is meant to bring us closer toleading companies in the music industry.The first three Corporate Members areBoosey & Hawkes, SummerfieldMusical Instruments and Music SalesGroup. We hope to have others soon.The Musicians’ Company is only thesecond livery to have CorporateMembers (the other is the Stationers,with a very successful similarprogramme). We feel it is a welcomeaddition to our structure and ouractivities.

In 1943 my late husband, John Hosier, whowas then fourteen, wrote to BBC Radio’s

Children’s Hour. He had been thrilled by thedramatisation of John Masefield’s Box ofDelights and wanted to know who hadcomposed the music played throughout theseries. Here is the reply he received:

The British Broadcasting CorporationBroadcasting House, London W131 December 1943

Dear Sir,We are delighted to know that you enjoyed“The Box of Delights” so much. Here is a listof some of the music which was used in it:

‘A Carol Symphony’ (sometimes called“Noel Fantasy”) by Victor Hely-Hutchinson.The “Boy” music was the introduction to‘Variations on a Nursery Theme’ by Dohnanyi.‘L’Apprenti Sorcier’ (Dukas) ‘Pictures at anExhibition’ (Moussorgsky) Symphony No.1(Szostakowicz).

We are interested to hear your view thatthe Children’s Hour is less popular than it wasa few years ago. I think this is probably partlydue to the war. In peacetime listeners couldhear Children’s Hours on six differentwavelengths. Now there is only one, and weare reduced, as you know, from an hour toforty minutes. This inevitably results in lessvariety. Many good broadcasters are in theForces and can only come rarely to themicrophone. When peace returns we willcertainly have more scope.Yours faithfully,

May E. Jenkin, Assistant Children’s HourDirector

1973 that he knew howto bring dead people oranimals back to life, andenclosing detailedinstructions, is now aninternational expert on stem cellresearch. We had a joyful reunion earlier thisyear when Professor Anthony Hollander said itwas all because his letter was taken seriously,winning him a Blue Peter badge, that he hit theheadlines last year when the team he led gavea Spanish woman a new windpipe – the firstsuccessful operation of its kind in the world.

All the royalties from Dear Blue Peter arebeing donated to the John Hosier Music Trust,which liverymen may remember supportsimpoverished young musicians in the UK andalso Hong Kong. If Dear Blue Peter does well wewill be able to increase our Scholarships, givingmany more young students the opportunity toproceed to postgraduate studies, for which nogovernment or local authority grants areavailable. John would have been delighted!

Short Books, 2008, ISBN 978-1-906021-49-8Liveryman Biddy Baxter

No marks at all for calling a child “Sir”, it’scertainly not in the style we would use today.But full marks for the content and for taking myhusband’s comments about the music so seriously.He certainly treasured the reply enough tokeep it amongst his papers for 66 years.

It was this correspondence that inspired meto compile Dear Blue Peter, a collection of 50years of letters and latterly emails to what hasbeen described as Britain’s favourite children’sprogramme.

By the late 1970s Blue Peter was receivingan average of 7,000letters a week.Original, moving, oftenvery funny andsometimes abusive,the correspondenceprovides a uniquesnapshot of life in thesecond half of the 20th

century – of peoplefrom all over Britain

and beyond, and from every conceivablebackground.

A little boy called Anthony, who wrote in

The Worshipful Company of Musicianshas always had good, if indirect, ties tothe music industry, through its manyLiverymen who are executives ofcompanies in that field. These includemusic publishing and examinations,musical instrument making, recordingsand instrument sales. There is a longconnection with organ builders, forexample (as there is with organists.) Nowwe are aiming to add companiesthemselves, which will not be members inthe sense of Liverymen, Freemen orYeomen, but, rather, active supporters ofour endeavours. Their executives will beencouraged to participate in Companyevents, and to attend our formal dinners,

giving both sides a chance to get toknow each other better. We trust thatsome will wish to apply for Freedomstatus. Younger members of their staffwill be welcome at our many eventswhich are either completely free or costlittle: Jazz in Finsbury Circus, MaisieLewis concerts, the Bach Cantata, or thebeautiful Evensong in St Paul’s.Corporate Members make an annualcontribution to Company charitablefunds; this can be used to help fund newCompany Fellows, outreach or otheractivities. Publicity about their supportwill be given in Preserve Harmony, theYearbook and concert programmes.Pastmaster Andreas Prindl

Our Corporate Membership Programme

Dear Blue Peter

John Hosier

13

Are you aware that 2011 will be the400th anniversary of the King James

Bible? The 2011 Trust, chaired by the Rt Hon

Frank Field MP, has been established tocommemorate this great work that hadsuch an impact on our history, music andculture. Its aim is to reach as many peopleas possible, both in this country and

Having fallen under the charismaticspell of Herbert Von Karajan in my

youth I jumped, when the opportunityarose to join a small but enthusiasticgroup, organised by Opera In Style. Thistrip was arranged to visit the SalzburgSummer Festival – made especiallyexciting, due to the centenary of VonKarajan’s birth.

The Summer Festival was founded in1920 and Von Karajan was instrumentalin founding the Easter Festival in 1967with a performance of Wagner’s DieWalküre with the Berlin Philharmonic.

Our first opera was Verdi’s Otello onthe vast stage of Grosse Festspielhaus. TheVienna Philharmonic, conducted byRiccardo Muti together with the ViennaState Opera Chorus, held the productiontogether. The set was modern with vastglass walkways and the traditionalcostumes made the intimate scenes seemlost. Even poor Maria Poplavskaya asDesdemona had to be strangled as no bedwas provided for her Willow Song.Alesksandrs Antonenko as Otello lookedthe part but his voice never really tookcommand of the central role.

The next morning we were privileged tohave a backstage tour and we walked theset of Don Giovanni which we were tohear that evening. This particular stagingwas set in a forest on a revolving set,which, with the help of excellent lighting,worked well for me. In this production theDon was sung by Christopher Maltmanand his servant Leporello sung by ErwinSchrott, held the whole evening togetherbrilliantly. Our third and most interestingopera was Gounod’s Roméo et Juliet.With Ronaldo Villazon as Romeo andAnna Netrebko announced as Juliet, thiswas a hot ticket as they say. Unfortunatelyfor us Anna withdrew when she becamepregnant so Nino Machaidze took overher role. The two lovers looked great, andsang the parts beautifully. The vocalcompetition was upped by the PageStephano sung by Cora Burggraaf whowon the audience’s approval. TheMozarteum Orchestra was thrillinglyconducted by a young Canadian YannickNezet-Seguin who is certainly a name towatch in the future – perhaps one day toeven take over Von Karajan’s mantle.Liveryman John Sargent

around the world, whether in cathedrals,village churches, universities or schools.As a musician you know how often thistranslation has been set to music over thelast 400 years. Why not plan aprogramme round the KJV in 2011? TheTrust has a website: www.2011trust.orgwhich will carry all the events planned forthe celebrations – you can put them on

yourself! In addition to the Trust’swebsite further details of liverymen’sevents will appear nearer the time inPreserve Harmony.

If you would like to contact me with any queries, please do so at,caroline.watts@2011trust.org (my married name!). Liveryman Caroline Loeb

A post card from Salzburg

The King James BibleCalling all Directors of Music, Choral Conductors, Teachers etc!

OUTREACHUPDATESince reporting in the last issue of thismagazine, yeomen have been furtherinvolved in Outreach in schools inIslington, and there have been twovery successful visits to a school inNewham.

Neil Luck, a LambertScholar and composer, wentto the Elizabeth GarrettAnderson School, to workwith year 11 pupils,preparing for their GCSE.His session was sosuccessful that he hasbeen invited back forthe coming year, atpart cost to theschool.

AmyDickson,who is alwaysso willing to helpthe Company,went with hersaxophone to twoIslington schoolson consecutivedays, one ofwhich was aschool forchildren with specialneeds.

We have already reported thatKeziah Thomas, (a winner of theLondon Harp Competition), duringthe Spring Term fulfilled a wish of themusic specialist at Rokeby School,Newham, taking her harp into theschool to play to the GCSE students.To see the amazement on the faces ofthe boys, when they saw the goldenharp being wheeled in by Keziah, wasso uplifting, and then to see the joywith which, together, they exploredthe music which could be made uponthis instrument, was one of the bestexperiences so far. Therefore when,some weeks later, Leslie BoulinRaulet, violinist, also went to Rokeby,she was most warmly received byKevin Thomas and his GCSE pupils.She “wowed” the boys, who werecompletely absorbed by herperformance, and lined up forphotographs and autographsafterwards.

From their reports, we know thatthis first year of Outreach has been athoroughly satisfying experience forall concerned, yeomen, schools, andaccompanying liverymen. Liveryman Patricia Norland

Amy Dickson

14

The London International String QuartetCompetition started life in 1979, thebrainchild of Yehudi Menuhin. Then therewere few competitions for chamberensembles. Today there are many. TheLondon competition is now held on atriennial basis, a reflection of theproliferation of competitions and thedifficulties of raising sufficient funding tomake the prizes meaningful.This is where our Company stepped in.With the organisers seeking a first prizefund of £12,000, the Musicians’Company, led by the Master, utilising thediscretionary funds made available to eachMaster during his or her year, offered tocover the first prize. Petronella Burnett-Brown, being a string player herself,seized the opportunity to support aproject close to her heart. And theCompany gained the kudos of beingassociated with this prestigiouscompetition.At the final on 6 April in the WigmoreHall, the Master was on hand to presentthe winners with the Company’s cheque.After a performance of high quality by allthree finalists, the Danish String Quartetwas judged to be the winning ensemble.Competing against the Signum Quartet

from Germany and the French QuatuorVoce, the jury thought the Danes theoutstanding group not just on theperformance of Brahms’ C minor Quartetin the final but also on the evidence of theearlier rounds (which included thecompulsory set piece, Thomas Adés’sArcadiana). That the Danes did not have it all theirown way is attested to by the fact that theAudience Prize went to the SignumQuartet, the group placed third by thejury. For many it was the Signumrendering of Ravel’s Quartet that reallycaught fire on the night. But the marks

Competition News

The Worshipful Company of Musicianshas an answer to those questions. It hasbeen running a successful competitionfor young jazz musicians since the early1990’s, with what must be a uniquemethod of selecting the winner: a groupof six performers gets nominated by ajury. The group meets for the first timeonstage, on the night of the final. Theyall perform the gig together as a pick-upband. No arrangements, no dots, juststandards. But also no tricks, nobackstage deals between jurors. Whenthey’ve finished, the audience casts itsvotes, and there is just one winner. It’sall live, it’s all played out and decided inthe moment. For one night only each

year, the collaborative art of playing 0 isperfect, but it definitely works. And thisyear the competition, the first to be heldat Ronnie Scott’s, brought forward anindisputable winner in drummer ShaneForbes. Near the end of the first set Shanecame across with real presence andproduced a solo of life kicking energy. Hehas the advantage of being slightly older

Jazz at Ronnie Scott’sFor as long as there are music competitions there will also be questionsabout them. (see also page 2) Should there be competitions in the firstplace? What happens to the also-rans? Is the jury system nowdiscredited? Might there be a better way to pick a winner?

carried forward by the jury from theprevious rounds must have swung the voteto the Danes and their triumph clearlyreflected their aptitude in the semi-finalwhere a Beethoven work was required,and the preliminary round when Haydnand Mozart had to figure.They walked off with significant spoils –including four of the other cash prizes,including one for their Beethoven - andtheir first prize gave them a recordingwith Landor Records, a month’s residencyat the wonderful Banff Centre in Canada,and recital tours in Germany and the UK.We must hope that our Company’s namegoes with them as they set off on theircareer.Pastmaster Leslie East

Events at St John’s,Smith SquareThe most prestigious of Company prizesgive young musicians the opportunity ofperforming at the Wigmore Hall as theyembark on professional careers. But whatof their next steps? A particularlywelcome development, for whichconsiderable thanks have to go to GeneralManager Paul Davies, are concerts at StJohn’s Smith Square, and it is good toreport that this spring featured threerecent major Company prize winners atthe well-established Thursday Lunchtime

The London International String QuartetCompetition 2009

The Master with the Danish String Quartet

15

The Prince’s Prize This year’s competition was held at theRAM. The Master, Petronella Burnett-Brown, Assistant Dr Andrew Parmley andProfessor Sebastian Forbes, from SurreyUniversity, adjudicated. The selectedfinalists were: Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, mezzo-soprano,2009 Allcard Award winner;Ashok Klouda, cellist, 2009WCM/Concordia Foundation Young Artist;Ksenija Sidorova, accordionist, 2009Maisie Lewis Young Artist;Eleanor Turner, harpist, 2008 Maisie Lewis Young Artist.The audience was asked to vote for itsfavourite performer to be awarded theMrs Prudi Hoggarth Audience Prize of £200.

Rebecca started with an aria fromMozart’s Clemenza di Tito.This wasfollowed by two songs from Berlioz’s LesNuits D’Eté and it was evident how much she loved singing them. Twocharming songs by Barber followed and to conclude she demonstrated hertremendous range with a dramatic ariafrom Ariadne auf Naxos.

Ashok played a variety of compositions.His rendition of the first movement ofBeethoven’s Sonata in C began pensivelyand became very powerful. Later, thecontrast between the melodious yearningof the Andante from Rachmaninoff’s

A special prizeand more gig-hardened than some of theother competitors, and that was the vitaledge. And that edge was maintainedthrough the next number, the first halfcloser. Someone – probably bassist PercyPursglove – had called All the Things You Are. But with a mischievous timesignature: 7/4. Appearances can bedeceptive, but it was Pursglove and Forbes who looked most settled ridingthat groove.

The competition can only have onewinner on the night. But the othercompetitors bear witness to the depth oftalent, the vitality and bench-strength ofthe young UK jazz scene. Henry ArmburgJennings is a trumpeter and flugelhornplayer capable of starting a solo on a slowblues in the jejune mode of Harry SweetsEdison, but of finishing it like a blisteringRoy Eldridge. Tenor saxophone playersAlam Nathoo from Trinity and GeorgeCrowley from the Royal Academy bothboth have extraordinary technique, andare developing interesting and individual

voices. Bassist Percy Pursglove , also nomean trumpeter, is the completemusician, with superb agility around thebass, but also exemplary time and agreat sound. And pianist Pete Edwardsis a regular member of the young bandRhythmica, which is getting increasinglytalked about. The tricky task ofbreaking the ice at the beginning of theevening had fallen to the safe hands oftwo past award winners, singer TinaMay and pianist Jim Watson. Mayreally caught the audience’simagination by setting the scene foran evocative, exquisitely musicalversion of Fisher and Segal’s I KeepGoing Back to Joe’s, Watsondelicately sketching out abeautifully articulated bass line.May billed Strayhorn’s ChelseaBridge as impressionistic, andWatson duly laid on somebeatifully atmospheric andlyrical accompaniment. Sebastian Scotney

Sonata op 19 with the Finale of the SoloSonata by the Hungarian Sándor Veresscould not have been greater.

Ksenija began with a Bach Overture InThe French Style which showed off hertremendous dexterity.This was followedby Flashing by Arne Nordheim, a modernpiece requiring not only her fast fingersbut also the flat of her hand and her fiston the keyboard! She finished withLondonow’s fast, furious and tunefulScherzo toccata.

Eleanor broughtthe competition to aclose with music byFauré, expressivemusical evocations ofBuenos Aires byPiazzolla, and deFalla’s melodious andhot-blooded SpanishDance.

The judgesunanimouslyawarded the Prince’sPrize to Ksenija Sidorova and she alsoproved to be winner of the AudiencePrize! Ksenija will use part of her awardmoney to have her accordion privatelytuned, which is an expensive processcosting £1000! As there are no tuners inEngland, she will have to travel to eitherGermany or Bulgaria. Congratulations toall performers!Liveryman Susan Cornish

Recital series.It is clear that each ofthese performers richlymerited their awardsand we wish them wellas they develop theirprofessional careers.Furthermore, PaulDavies has organised anew lunchtime seriesfor our award winnersas follows:

12 November. Brian O’Kane cello 11 February. Leslie Raulet violin25 February. Amandine Savary piano 25 March. Rautio Piano Trio 6 May John Myerscough cello

Further details are available on theCompany website. A more enjoyable wayto support our Yeomen could hardly beenvisaged. Liveryman Adrian Mumford

Also at St John’sOur thanks are also due to FreemanProfessor Michael Thorne of AnglianRuskin University, who organised aseparate fund-raising concert which tookplace on 26 June. The Company receivednot only the proceeds of the retirngcollection but several individualdonations. Ed

Ksenija Sidorova

John Escreet andMarian McPartlandin New York

16 Published by The Worshipful Company of Musicians 2009. 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.

IN MEMORIAMWe record with regret the recentdeath of Liveryman Douglas Craig

RECENT COMPANYAPPOINTMENTS AND AWARDS

COMPANY TREASURYMaurice Hart: Honorary Treasurer Emeritus

Pastmaster Gavin Barrett: Honorary Treasurer

Mrs Patricia Kidson: Deputy Treasurer

NEW LIVERYMENWe congratulate: William Scott, Christopher Butler,Michael Reed, Richard Lynne, Peter Berry, Ulla Kite, Margot Mouat,Philip Morris, Gillian Lawson,Rev’d Ronald Corp, Lady (Jean) MacGregor and Ben Pateman

NEW AWARDWe are delighted to announce thecreation of the Busenhart-Morgan-Evans Choral Conducting Bursary,awarded to Lawrence Blyth at theRoyal Welsh College of Music & Drama

JOHN CHRISTIEAWARDSoprano Natasha Jouhl has won the 2009John Christie Award, which wasestablished in 1965, in John Christie’smemory. The Musicians’ Company andthe Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Trust now

provide an enhanced scholarship for apromising member of the Glyndebournecompany to fund private study. Natashavaliantly stepped up from her role as FirstWood Nymph to cover the part ofRusalka following Ana María Martínez’sfall during the performance on 22 August.

SILVER SWAN AWARDThe Silver Swan Award is given toliverymen who have performed specialservice to the Company. At the OctoberCourt Liveryman Judith Rich became thelatest recipient: “The award of the SilverSwan is completely unexpected but hugelyappreciated, not just for its merit butbecause it will send a signal to allliverymen that service to the Companycan be given in so many ways – allvoluntary and certainly involving personalcommitment. I am honoured to be sorecognised and accept it with deephumility”

A SONG TO SING – OOn 9 February 2010 Paul Campion willgive a talk to the Recorded Vocal ArtsSociety entitled: From Sir Charles Santley to Kate Royal –Singers of the Musicians’ Company

The RVAS organises talks on singers andsinging and guests/non-members arealways welcome. The venue is TheSwedenborg Institute Hall, 20-21Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH,near Holborn tube station. Starting time is7.00pm and there is a modest entrance feefor non-members. Further enquiries toPaul Campion – Phone: 020 7987 7259

The Master:JS Bach: St Matthew Passion, ‘ErbarmeDich’ sung by Janet Baker Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D,Kreisler, 1926 JS Bach: Double Violin Concerto in d,Menuhin and Oistrakh (2nd movement)Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor,Menuhin as a boy with Elgarconducting. Brahms: Piano Sonata no 3 in f,Ashkenazy Byrd: Ave verum corpus natum Mendelssohn: ‘Caro cibus’ and ‘In hacMensa novi Regis’ from Lauda Sion Harold Darke: In the bleak midwinter

If allowed a luxury, Petronella wouldlike full score of St Matthew Passion!

The Senior Warden:Mendelssohn: Octet in Eb Op. 20,Melos Ensemble

Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez, John Williams JS Bach: The Goldberg Variations,Gould Beethoven: Fantasia for Piano, Chorusand Orchestra in c Op.80, Katchen Django Reinhardt: Solo Improvisations1,2,3Charlie Christian and the BennyGoodman Orchestra: Solo FlightOscar Peterson Trio: TenderlyBarney Kessel and The Poll Winners:Satin Doll (Duke Ellington)

Maurice would need ‘at least 80 piecesof music to survive, 800 to ensure mysanity and 8000 to be happy’; andwould ‘make every effort to smuggle inall Cecilia Bartoli’s recordings under thebasic law of human rights’.

ERRATAWe apologise for errors in PreserveHarmony 38: to Liveryman JohnEwington (p4) and to both PastmasterPeter Fowler and Milos Karadaglic (p15),whose scholarship was at the RoyalAcademy of Music and not the RCM.

DESERT ISLAND DISCSIt is said that ‘a picture paints a thousand words’: might the same be said about thechoice of a piece of music? One of the longest running of radio programmes, DesertIsland Discs asks guests to select just eight records to accompany them to a desertisland, the choices intending to reveal something of their personality along the way.

In a light-hearted moment, the Master and Senior Warden have been asked toidentify their own eight discs that they could not be without;

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