New Year resolutions (2009)

[gwyn]

I played for a funeral at a local anglican church on Christmas eve, they had two hymns: "The Lord's my...", and "Abide with...".
I guess that the local funeral directors suggest these when asked by the family what to have. Had I been asked I'd have offered some seasonally more appropriate possibilities.

My New Year's resolution is to get together with local church music leaders and clergy to put together an advice booklet on appropriate musical items for funerals and requiem masses. I have a feeling that this may have been a resolution from a few years back that didn't ever come to fruition. "This time though", he said, resolutely.

Anyway, Nadolig Llawen i chi gyd, a Flwyddyn Newydd Dda.

Gwyn.

[musicus]

Does no-one else have any New Year's resolutions?

(Mine is to practise (even if it's only the hymns )

[Nick Baty]

To programme more items into our lovely new Yamaha Clavinova so I can have a couple of Sundays off a year – that would make all the difference.
To cancel one choir practice in six.
Both selfish resolutions but I'm knackered.

[organist]

Poor you Nick! I cancelled last night's practice which proved to be good as we were offered free tickets to Mozart Requiem and Schubert's 8th at the Cadogan Hall with a new orchestra Orchestra Europa and the BBC singers. Excellent soloists but did not like the chorus mixed up - they sing very soloistically and piano isn't in it for them!
I was fed up with the choir last week. There is constant chatter between items at practice and they more or less refused to learn a new anthem for tomorrow although I pointed out that we had 2 sessions to learn it. It was set high for sopranos but wasn't that difficult. The local RSCM man is coming on March 1 (so is the Bishop!) so after I have chatted to him I will set down some guidelines about behaviour during practices and services! I am too angry to do it at the moment and it takes a lot to get me annoyed!