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Harold Smart Composition Competition Winner Announced

The annual Dr Harold Smart Composition Competition held by the Royal School of Church Music has been won by David Manners. His setting of a text by Bishop Timothy Dudley-Smith, entitled Llangarron, was chosen from a record field of entries.

In previous years, entrants to the competition have usually been asked to compose an anthem, but this year the genre was hymnody, to mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of the first edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern. Bishop Timothy Dudley-Smith wrote a new text especially for the competition - 'How shall we sing salvation's song'- which brought in a record number of 236 entries.

The competition was adjudicated by a panel chaired by Tim Ruffer, Head of Publishing at the RSCM, and was sponsored by Hymns Ancient and Modern (HA&M). The other judges were hymn tune composer John Barnard, Anne Harrison (editor of the RSCM's Sunday by Sunday liturgy planner), Matthew Owens (Organist and Master of the Choristers at Wells Cathedral) and Stephen Rogers (Production Director at HA&M).

David Manners is a singer, singing teacher and Lay Clerk in the choir of St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. He has composed some liturgical pieces which are used by the choir at St George's Chapel. Mr Manners said: 'It is a real thrill that the adjudicators chose Llangarron. The tune is named after the place where my Grandmother grew up, and with her passing this year the name seemed appropriate. With such powerful words as inspiration the tune was a joy to write.' Mr Manners receives a prize of £500, and his hymn was included in a service at St Paul's Cathedral on October 24 to celebrate the anniversary of Hymns Ancient and Modern.

Tim Ruffer, Chair of the panel, commented: 'With over 200 entries, the judges had quite a task sifting through them. Those that were worthy of a second look were the ones that successfully negotiated the natural stresses of Bishop Timothy's wonderful words, and also took into consideration the restrictions that congregations place on the range and complexity of a hymn tune. Llangarron quickly established itself as a hymn tune with a great melody that reflected the words beautifully. It is the judges' hope that congregations will find this hymn a joy to sing and uplifting to the soul.'

The full text of the hymn and more information about the competition can be found on the RSCM website, www.rscm.com/haroldsmart. An interview with Bishop Timothy, in which he discusses his text for the new hymn, can be found on an RSCM podcast.

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RSCM Issues new 'Bridge Building' Music Collection

A new photocopiable collection, Songs, Psalms & Spirituals, has just been published by the Royal School of Church Music. This is the fourth collaboration to be edited by church musicians David Iliff and John Barnard. It includes works from a wide range of composers, including John Dankworth, Graham Kendrick and Malcolm Archer, as well as arrangements of well-known Afro-American spirituals. The collection of over 50 accessible pieces has been assembled with ordinary choirs in mind, including those with limitations on the numbers of available voices. It draws on music spanning thousands of years from the Psalms of David to spirituals moulded out of the slave trade era and contemporary songs. Some psalm compositions are for congregation and choir, including Psalm 23 and a lively setting of Psalm 150 by John Barnard, himself a highly-regarded hymn-tune composer.

This collection also contains a number of songs from composers such as Stuart Townend and Graham Kendrick; most such as Kendrick's 'Here is bread' have been arranged for three or four part choir. John Barnard hopes that choirs who tend to reject this style of music will like the fact that they can sing it in harmony. He believes harmony of a deeper kind could occur in churches where tastes differ. 'I hope it will be bridge-building within those church communities that tend to pull one way or the other.'

David Iliff, currently Organist at Great Malvern Priory, hopes the pieces will add to church services. 'Hymns are excellent but they tend to be 'of a kind' and we feel the variety offered by these songs, psalms and spirituals adds a richness to worship that's often missed out.' Songs Psalms & Spirituals comes with a CD-ROM containing two and three part arrangements of some items including many for sopranos, altos and men. Like the previous collections from the same team, The RSCM Carol Book,The RSCM Carol Book Supplement, andSeason by Season, churches and schools with a Christian Copyright Licence (CCLI) may photocopy these pieces - something which schools will find invaluable. 'We know the financial pressure on schools these days,' says John Barnard. 'We believe we're supplying the kind of material they can use, and that the latest collection will certainly appeal.'

Songs, Psalms & Spirituals may be purchased from RSCM Music Direct. Price: £50.00 (£37.50 affiliate price; £43.75 individual member price). RSCM Catalogue number: BO346. Tel: 0845 021 7726

Senior Church Administrator Joins RSCM Council

A senior church administrator in the Church of England has joined the Council of the Royal School of Church Music. Helen Simmons, Director of Finance and Operations of the Diocese of London, is now a member of the RSCM's governing body which comprises leading church musicians, as well as members with business, marketing, education and legal expertise. She was appointed as Director of Finance and Operations at the Diocese of London last year. Before that Helen held similar posts with a number of charities including Jewish Care, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Crisis (formerly known as Crisis at Christmas). Mrs Simmons also served as Trustee and Vice Chair of the Charity Finance Directors' Group and is currently Treasurer of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

Commenting on her appointment, Lindsay Gray, Director of the RSCM is pleased to welcome her to the charity. 'Helen brings to the RSCM not only her financial skills, but long and considerable experience of working in the charity sector.'

Church Needs More Youngsters, says Survey

The need for churches to devise ways of involving more young people is one of the issues highlighted by a survey of church music in Wales. The survey, carried out by the Royal School of Church Music, also asked questions about sung services in Welsh, the make-up of choirs and music groups and the supply of organists.

Most of the ninety churches which responded to the survey are affiliated to the RSCM, and come from all parts of Wales. Nearly 70% hold a service in Welsh, for most of which the musical content is hymns. 60% of respondents hold an evening service; 15 referred specifically to holding the service of Choral Evensong. The organ is still the main instrument of accompaniment for services, although one quarter of the responses also reported having a music group. Two-thirds of respondents have a choir, and amongst the music for services, psalms are still widely sung.

The survey reveals some important facts about church choirs. The membership of most of them is made up of adults, though a shortage of men is apparent. The number of young people singing in choirs also seems to be low with only two churches claiming to have between 11 and 15 in their choirs. 50 respondents skipped this question about young people in its entirety, and very few respondents made any mention of recruitment initiatives. In his report of the survey's findings, Stuart Robinson, RSCM Coordinator for Wales says that the process of recruitment isn't necessarily as complex as churches might think. 'There are many examples of churches which have been successful [with recruitment]. Young people are the Church of Tomorrow, and what better way to involve them from a young age than by giving them something active to do, singing from the choirstalls rather than passively sitting in the pews.'

Despite the difficulties, there's much cause for optimism, says Stuart Robinson. 'I have been struck by the extent of the music-making across churches in Wales; quite simply, whether they are small or large in number, people love to come together and sing to the Glory of God.'

The RSCM will be using the results of the survey to help shape its provision of training for church musicians in Wales.

'Pull Out all the Stops' - Royal Festival Hall Organ Update

Southbank Centre has raised £375,000 towards the complete refurbishment and reinstallation of the historic Royal Festival Hall organ, since it launched its fundraising campaign, Pull Out All The Stops, in September 2010. The total cost of the project is £2.3 million, and thanks to the generosity of the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), who awarded this project £950,000 in June 2010, and the public - more than 1,000 people have sponsored pipes and many more have given through donations - Southbank Centre has £975,000 to raise in the next two years.

The campaign to sponsor the organ's pipes, ranging from one foot to 32 feet long and from £30 to £10,000, will enable Southbank Centre to restore the remaining two thirds of the organ to its former glory and reinstall it back into the heart of the Grade 1 listed auditorium.

Southbank Centre and Skylon, the Royal Festival Hall restaurant, have joined together to raise funds for the Pull Out All the Stops campaign. Southbank Centre has auctioned 11 of the artist-designed beach huts on Queen's Walk, part of this summer's Festival of Britain 60th anniversary celebrations, including those created by Phill Jupitus, Sadie Hennessey and Bill Mitchell. Three artworks - Geraldos' Mirage, Say Cheese, and Neon Bunting by Craig Wheatley and Joby Williamson - that were commissioned for Skylon's art exhibition, Tonic, which also commemorated the anniversary, were also bid for. Alan Bishop, Chief Executive of Southbank Centre, said: 'I'm delighted by all the support we've received and would like to thank everyone who has donated to this campaign. Raising £375,000 is a fantastic achievement. However, having £975,000 left to raise is no easy undertaking, and every donation, small or large, will be very gratefully received in helping refurbish and reinstall this historic instrument back in to the Royal Festival Hall auditorium.'

The work is being carried out by Harrison and Harrison Ltd, the company that originally built and installed the organ in 1954, and was responsible for the first phase (one third of the organ) of the refurbishment. The first phase, the restoration and reinstallation of the Swell, Great fluework and Pedal Principal 32ft stop, was completed as part of the major transformation of the Royal Festival Hall, which reopened in June 2007.

Work on the central section of the organ is currently taking place at the Harrison & Harrison workshop in Durham, and includes the restoration of Sir Leslie Martin's iconic central architectural monogram; the construction of a new wooden frame for the restored soundboards; the repair and cleaning by hand of some 5,000 pipes; the renovation of the reservoirs and wind system that power the organ; and a complete overhaul of the electrical transmission system.

Work began earlier this year, involving 40 organ builders, and will take more than two years. The organ will be reinstalled by the end of 2013 and the balance of the 103 stops will then be carefully adjusted to the Hall's new acoustic, before it is reinaugurated in 2014, 60 years on from when it was first installed in the Royal Festival Hall in 1954.

Photo courtesy: Hayes Davidson, Nick Rochowski

Stephen Farr honours David Sanger

Sunday October 17, following his BBC Proms debut, saw organist Stephen Farr present the second David Sanger Memorial Organ Concert, an all-Bach programme, on the University of Strathclyde's newly-built Maurice Taylor pipe organ. The organ was constructed by the Austrian Organ Builders Koegler Orgelbau, and was installed in the University's Barony Hall last year under the supervision of David Sanger in his capacity as Organ Consultant to the University.

Tragically, a matter of only days after the Public Launch of the Organ - in which David Sanger participated as a guest Organist - his death at the age of 63 was announced. An outstanding Organist in his own right, his recording career started before he had reached the age of thirty, and soon after he came to international attention with successes in the competitions at Kiel and St Alban's. Whilst his international stature as an executant is beyond question he also distinguished himself as an editor of organ repertoire, a frequent fixture on the competition jury circuit, and as a consultant. In the latter role he played a crucial part in some of the most significant restoration and building projects of recent years, the last of which was the new Koegler instrument at Strathclyde University.

Described as 'one of the brightest and most active English recitalists' who 'plays with immaculate finish and buoyancy', Stephen Farr is widely regarded as one of the finest organists of his generation, with a virtuoso technique and an impressive stylistic grasp of a wide-ranging repertoire. As one of David Sanger's students, Stephen Farr won prestigious prizes and awards including the Royal College of Organists Performer of the Year in 1988 and prizes at international competitions in Odense, St Alban's and Paisley. He has held Organist posts at Christ Church Oxford and Winchester and Guildford Cathedrals, and has enjoyed recognition as a solo performer at international level, with appearances in North and South America, Australia - including a concerto performance in Sydney Opera House - and throughout Europe. He has a particular commitment to contemporary music, and earlier this year he made his BBC Proms debut as a solo recitalist performing a major new work - 'The Everlasting Crown' - which was written for him by Judith Bingham.

The Edington Organ Project - an update

The Edington Organ Project - the Edington Music Festival Association's fundraising appeal to provide a new organ for Edington Priory Church - was officially launched on the final Saturday of the eight-day Festival of Music within the Liturgy at the end of August, as announced in the last issue of The Organ.

Early indications are that, with the Appeal being promoted throughout the week's services, donations from people attending the Festival are around £40,000, a heartening boost towards the target of £400,000, of which about half had been raised or pledged before the 2011 Festival opened.

The Organ Project's Patrons, Lady Barbara Calcutt, widow of one of the Festival's founders Sir David Calcutt, and international organist Simon Preston CBE, spoke briefly to festival goers at the launch. Both stressed what an important role the new organ will play in the Priory Church throughout the year, and what an integral role it plays during the Festival itself, even if at the moment the choristers sometimes find the current instrument's errant pitch something of a challenge! Mark Venning, Chief Executive of Harrison and Harrison, the country's leading firm of organ builders from whom the new organ has been commissioned, gave an insight into the present instrument's shortcomings, and the ways in which the new organ will be able to fulfil the bigger demands which will be placed upon it over the coming years. The Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, John Bush OBE, and Festival Director Ashley Grote, encouraged everyone to spread the word about the Organ Project to friends wherever they might be; the Festival already counts among its supporters music lovers from America to New Zealand as well as throughout the UK.

The next event will be on Friday December 9 at 7.30pm in Edington Priory Church when musicians from the festival return to perform a Concert of Music and Readings for Advent. Tickets for this event, in aid of church funds, are £7.50 and further details are available from 01380 830733, and on the Edington Music Festival website, www.edingtonfestival.org.