Tutorial Videos
A selection of tutorial videos to help you get the most out of your organ.
Musical Tutorial Series - Festival Voluntary
Part of our Regent Classic Musical Tutorial Series in 2017. Our organist Jonathan Kingston plays this piece on our instrument built especially for the Boston AGO of 2014. This has 69 speaking stops spread over 3 manuals and pedals.
Musical Tutorial Series - Elgar - Imperial March
Part of our Regent Classic Musical Tutorial Series in 2017. Our organist Jonathan Kingston plays this piece on our instrument built especially for the Boston AGO of 2014. This has 69 speaking stops spread over 3 manuals and pedals.
Hymn of the Month - O Thou Who At Thy Eucharist Didst Pray
Part of our monthly series. Our organist Jonathan Kingston plays on our Envoy 23 which is a very popular church instrument
Choral Accompaniment 2018: Maurice Greene, Thou Visitest the Earth
Enjoy Maurice Greene's well-known harvest anthem, with Jonathan Kingston and our professional singers in the charming setting of St Mary's, Chalgrove.
“O Thou the Central Orb” words by H.R. Bramley. music by Charles Wood
For our 2018 tutorial series we’re concentrating on the organ as a means of choral accompaniment. Accompanying a choir requires that the instrument supports boldly in a limited number of places, but recedes at many other times to allow the vocal parts to come through. It is also heard in solo role joining choral sections together or providing an introduction that sets the tone for what is to follow.
In this series church choral music was chosen to illustrate the accompaniment of various parts of the liturgy and to highlight some well-known anthems. Many of the pieces will be within the range of typical church choirs. Listening to these performances you can hear how well just four professional singers — Emily Armour, Elspeth Marrow, Joseph Thompson and Jack Lawrence-Jones — bring these pieces alive.
Golden Sheaves by Sir Arthur Sullivan played by Jonathan Kingston
Sullivan is the musician part of the Gilbert and Sullivan duo who formed a partnership that can be compared to Tim Rice and Lloyd Webber of their era. Gilbert’s lyrics were made to shine when combined with Sullivan’s music and their collaboration resulted in great operatic pieces such as “The Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado”.
Sullivan wrote his first composition at the age of eight but really began to flourish under the training of the Reverend Thomas Helmore, master of the choristers at Chapel Royal. Helmore encouraged the young Sullivan’s composing talent and arranged for one of his pieces, “O Israel”, to be published in 1855, Sullivan’s first published work. To add to his early accolades in 1856, the Royal Academy of Music awarded the first Mendelssohn Scholarship to the then 14-year-old Sullivan, allowing him to study first at the Academy and then in Germany, at the Leipzig Conservatoire.
Let us with a gladsome mind played by Jonathan Kingston
The Hymn of the Month this time is “Let us with a gladsome mind” which is a text written in 1623 by John Milton (1608-1674), the famous poet and author of Paradise Lost. This is set to the hymn tune Monkland, by John Antes (1740-1811), a Moravian minister and composer. Monkland’s melodic contour is a great match for the hymn text.
O Thou Who At Thy Eucharist Didst Pray
Played by Jonathan Kingston In this “Hymn of the Month” we present you with the hymn song “ 0 Thou who at Thy Eucharist didst pray ” by William Harry Turton (1856 -1938). This is accompanied by the hymn tune “Song 1” from the outstanding English composer and organist Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625).
Orlando Gibbons was a great English composer, organist, and virginalist of the late Tudor period. He was born in Oxford and came from a musical family. His father and brothers all being accomplished musicians in their own field. In his teens he sang in the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge. King James I later appointed Orlando a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal and he served as an organist there from 1615 until his death. In 1623 he became senior organist at the Chapel Royal. He also held the position of organist at Westminster Abbey.
Hail the day which sees him rise
Played by Jonathan Kingston. This month we present the hymn “Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise”, by the great hymn writer Charles Wesley (1707 – 1788). This hymn is usually sung to the Welsh tune LLANFAIR, attributed to Robert Williams (1782 – 1821), even though some historians have certain doubts about his authorship. This hymn was written for Ascension Day, but it is also suitable for any service with a theme of Christ’s royalty or sovereignty.
Jesus Christ is risen today
Played by Jonathan Kingston
For this month’s hymn we have appropriately selected the Christian Easter hymn, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”. The author is unknown but early manuscripts suggest that the hymn was written in Germany in the 14th century. The hymn is most frequently set to the hymn tune “Easter Hymn” which was composed in the Lyra Davidica in early 18th century by William Henry Monk.
Although little is known about the origin of “Jesus Christ is risen today” it brings together the two great themes of Holy Week and Easter, the Cross and the Resurrection and celebrates the message of Holy Week and Easter – Christ crucified and risen.