My favorite version of the Easter Hymn

[Heavy_Metal]

One of the biggest bummers this year for me, like I'm sure many of you, was not getting to play on Easter Sunday. So, for our listening pleasure............

From Easter Sunday 2010, this is the Second Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir and Orchestra (Memphis, Tennessee) directed by Dr. Gabriel Statom, and our very own Bloke on his Thor. It's the best version of this hymn I've ever heard, and we found a brass/organ version of the same basic arrangement that works for us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... gsHV8X7YSs

[gwwilk]

Thanks, I needed this!

Extremely well done. Most impressive was the choir's processional during the number. It's very difficult to stay together when doing that, but they didn't skip a beat. I suspect that a musically talented congregation's singing along with them had something to do with that. I sang in a church choir that tried a processional like that, and it wasn't pretty.

I could hear Bloke, who was perfectly in tune, during the intro until the organ with it's just tuning overwhelmed him for most of the rest of the piece.

[KorKoro]

Really impressive. Almost makes me go to church again. Although, I get tired of seeing all the cracks in the walls.

KorKoro

[prairieboy1]

Thank you for posting this. A beautifully done rendition! I enjoyed especially listening to our own "Bloke"!

[SteveP]

I recall this link being in a thread at the other place. Thanks for bringing it over here!

[Heavy_Metal]

Bloke had originally posted the link in an older thread on TN. I was impressed enough to start a dedicated thread for it so we could find it more easily, and bump it every February or so.

YouTuba has a couple other clips of this same John Rutter arrangement. It's worth searching, but I like this one best.

[Heavy_Metal]

Annual bump!

[Heavy_Metal]

Bump!

[bort2.0]

The piece that always reminds me of the origin of the phrase "pull out all the stops"

[Doc]

I listen to this every so often. Great stuff!

[Heavy_Metal]

Annual Bump!

[bort2.0]

We gon' need the Fat Bastard version of this now...

[Heavy_Metal]

Annual bump- looking forward to playing the brass/organ version again this year!

[bloke]

I've been cycled back into working at that church again fairly regularly, but not Easter. For well over a decade since that year, I've been working two miles down the street from that one at another well endowed place (brass quintet and timpani) both on Easter Sunday and at night on Christmas Eve until about 12:30 in the morning. I'm covering probably 60% bass trombone parts and 40% tuba parts playing euphonium and tuba, and I usually put a really large mouthpiece on the euphonium so it's more like a French tuba. If I finally get the valve section to that bass trombone cimbasso project completed, I might use that instrument there, but honestly I think the euphonium with the oversized mouthpiece is better for those charts. It still has a tuba sound which the organist/choirmaster likes. As a nice bonus, it plays in tune.

Knowing how many zillions of dollars both of those churches have spent on architectural improvements, additions, and upgrades is mind-boggling.

Memphis Tennessee it's probably now closer to 3/4 black population than 2/3, and the church in the video is pushing really hard to attract black members, having hired black worship leaders as well as music so there's perhaps a 60/40 mix of black ministers up in the altar area each Sunday. One of the most fortunate hires has been Dr Leo Davis, who retired as choirmaster from a huge black church with an amazing choir called Mississippi Boulevard Church. Leo isn't leading the choir at the church (in the video linked above), but he's now the organist and pianist. He's probably at least 70 years old, but his chops are still absolutely awesome, and he can do everything from Bach to gospel, so he's a perfect fit.

https://www.2pc.org/about-us/our-staff/ ... l/1680803/

[Heavy_Metal]

Wasn't Samuel Metzger the organist when that clip was recorded?

[bloke]

Wasn't Samuel Metzger the organist when that clip was recorded?

possibly...
PRIOR to that choir director, there was another one (named John Hodges - claim to fame: "studied with Bernstein"...nice guy/great musician).
Either during John's tenure (or Gabe's...the one in the video) a female organist was hired...They brought in a cut-down Memphis Symphony (yet bloke) to rehearse the Saint-Saens "Organ Symphony" (one time through), she then (fifteen minutes later - after the patrons/congregants filed in) played about a thirty-minute solo recital, and then we came back out (having been given a de facto c. 45 minute break) and played the complete "Organ Symphony" with her (to finish her "introducing-her-to-the-congregation" recital).

so - after the above "too much information/rhetoric"...I don't know.

Memphis has had some fine organists, but one (undeniably) virtuoso organist...
John Hooker (a handsome fellow, who played downtown at Calvary Episcopal Church for quite a few years.
After that, he moved up (way up) into the Episcopal (not local, national) Church hierarchy...now: retired...an astonishing organist...
https://www.facebook.com/revdrhooker/

[Heavy_Metal]

That would have been well worth hearing.

The John Rutter Easter Hymn arrangement for brass and organ is here. Its fanfare is shorter:

[bloke]

@Heavy_Metal

This was that very same Easter Sunday...Vaughan Williams - O Clap Your Hands

LOTS of tuba...You guys like tuba, yes?

[Heavy_Metal]

Nice!

Was that the way RVW wrote it, or was it an arrangement? If the latter, do you remember who the arranger was?

[bloke]

Nice!

Was that the way RVW wrote it, or was it an arrangement? If the latter, do you remember who the arranger was?

...??

There are tons of organ/choir on youtube, and (for obvious reasons) fewer orchestra/organ/choir versions.

I believe RVW wrote all the parts.

There's a pretty nice recent (orchestra) English version on youtube...I like this one (linked above) better.
(' sounds - at least, so me - more like some people excited enough to actually clap their hands.)

' plenty good players, more singers, certainly a more auspicious occasion...but (maybe...??) it's just the the mike placement (too far out?) and the conductor's interpretation ("accurate" vs. "joyous"...??)...OK (regardless of how excellent), I've never much liked the "everything is forte-piano" style of brass playing.