David Drinkell R.I.P.

Yesterday was a day of mixed feelings. Earlier I had bought myself a digital organ so I can practice at home so I was upbeat. When I arrived home and turned on my computer it was not long before I saw that David Drinkell has died: then I was downbeat. With social media this news gets around fast but folk are able to send condolences quickly and share their sorrow.

I first met David when I went for Organ Scholarship auditions at Bristol University in 1977: he was in the choir I had to rehearse in a short anthem. They had inserted various wrong notes for candidates to spot. I think he thought this such fun that he almost gave the game away; he was clearly pleased and encouraging when I managed to spot his wrong bass note.

Later, when my sister got married in Peterborough Cathedral in 1978, David came up and improvised before the service whilst I was in the Song School going over the anthem with the choir and Christopher Gower. (At that time the Great manual had a 32' stop which, of course, David explored.)

At university David was known for his improvisation skills as well as his love of Vaughan Williams but he was a really jovial character. His knowledge of organs in the UK was second to none - it was as if he had played them all.

When I toyed with a small desktop music publishing company David produced a few gems for me to add to the catalogue and the photo above used to be on the website along with his biography. Back in 2010 this was what he wrote about himself.

David Drinkell was born in Colchester, Essex, England in 1955 and was organist of local churches from the age of twelve. He studied at the universities of Bristol and Cambridge and is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, Associate of the Royal College of Music and one of the forty holders of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Diploma in Church Music.

In 1979 he moved to the Orkney Islands in the north of Scotland, where he was Master of the Music at St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, and in 1988 he was appointed Organist & Master of the Choristers at Belfast Cathedral.

David came to Newfoundland in February 2003 as Organist & Choir Director of the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.  He has played or conducted throughout the British Isles as well as in Paris, Norway, New York and Ontario. He is the only organist to have played in all 31 cathedrals of the Church of Ireland and, in 1993, was one of eight Essex-born cathedral organists taking part in the Essex Man Organ Gala at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. Shortly after arriving in St. John’s he commenced weekly lunchtime organ concerts at the Cathedral, which are now an established feature of the music life of the city. In 2007, he was invited to give concerts in the Cathedral of St-Pierre and to direct the Cathedral Singers of Ontario on a visit to Norwich Cathedral, followed by concerts in Belgium and Holland.

Although we had not been in touch regularly for a few years I knew that he had moved to Canada as he had sent me photos of his house. He was latterly Director of Music at Christ Church Cathedral.

A kinder more generous and helpful chap one could not hope to meet. He knew the meaning of fun without being silly or unkind. Heaven is the richer and we are the poorer.

Adagio in E

On my piano, I have been looking at some organ music I used to play when I was an organ scholar many years ago and later organist at Higham Ferrers (when the older [completely] pipe organ was there).

I happened upon Frank Bridge's Three Pieces and although I used to play the Adagio I saw that I had started to learn (but didn't finish) the first piece in the set Andante Moderato. Well, I don't have an organ to work on at present as my reader will know.

I then spent a good 30 minutes looking at the manual parts of the Adagio in E. Later on I found this video of the late John Scott which shows his mastery of the console. I was interested by some of his fingering to allow access to stops and pistons. Brilliant.

Organist Needed?

I have been available to stand in as a holiday organist this summer but have had few responses to adverts and messages on social media.

I played at King's Sutton on 14th July and at Bilton this morning. Organists Online really covers the area inside and around the M25 although there have been others on there. Facebook can yield a few jobs but, on the whole, the Church of England does not seem to want organists very badly - or so it would appear. Jobs are advertised on the Church Times website but I fear the organ is become less popular as an instrument.

I heard recently about a vicar who sacked the choir by email because they were "in the way" so the organist resigned. Young priests there days seem unfamiliar with 'traditional' church music and give way to popular demand.

I am glad that I had my time as a church musician but I reckon it will not be long before pipes give way to guitars and drums.

Political Correctness

In a conversation today I was chatting about a fire in a famous old building, just after the start of the new millennium. I'd better not say where.

Apparently, it is known who started the fire: and why. However, in order not to damage racial harmony the culprit was never brought to justice.

PC gone mad!

Emotional Wreck

I am so exhausted I am a wreck. When I get like this a good cry usually sets me straight and releases pressure. I know a few triggers to bring on the tears. One of them is the ending of the Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" - Tracy's Death.

I've never really liked the voice of Louis Armstrong but I now associate it with this song and regard it as the classic performance. I thought I had heard that it was one of the last songs he recorded (which made it more poignant): he was certainly too ill to play his trumpet.

Anyway, the hope that the happy couple had after their wedding was so quickly dashed and - as one gets older - one realises that time is running out.

Bad ringing

I have been getting fed with bell ringing for a while now - as my 1 regular reader will know. One of the main reasons is that standards seem static. Also...

• These days people do not expect to do any work between ringing practices.
• Nobody seems willing to advise others how to improve their ringing ("Your backstroke lead needs to be closer") so standards stay the same.
• We ring the same boring methods.

In short I am jaded. I am getting older and in the remaining ringing years I have left I should like to ring some new things. I am perfectly happy to help learners but there has to be something to keep ringers at my level interested. Another local tower is at a standard way beyond mine and I do not see the need to learn methods on 10.

I am starting to look at the adjacent branches and guilds.

The Next Election

In answer to my previous post, I now know that I will vote for my current MP at the next election. I emailed him a few nights ago and he responded with a very full answer (probably pre-prepared, although he did personalise it a bit) and it is clear that he and I see exactly eye to eye. There are a few good ones left. Sadly, as he pointed out, it is the Parliamentary machinery (not just the MPs) who are out to stop Brexit.