I’m sorry that this Tamesis is rather late, particularly as many of you must have been waiting for information about the Philip Thorby recorder day, but I have only just got back from my holidays. I had expected that the form would go out in my absence, but when Hazel checked with her regular music supplier she discovered that half of the music that Philip had requested could not be identified! So it was decided not to send the form out after all and everything has been waiting for me to get hold of Philip and sort out the problem. I know this gives you less than three weeks to get hold of the music and, if you want to take part in master class, learn some of it.

While I was away there was a power cut and I lost all the messages on my answering machine, which I know was full at the time, so if you are waiting for me to phone you back about something I suggest you ring again. I have now bought a new answering machine with a back-up tape, but its telephone tends to go dead after you have been talking for a few minutes so it will have to go back to the shop when I can find the time. I can’t win!

The TVEMF AGM will take place on Sunday 10^th November at 1.45 during the lunch break of the baroque chamber music day at Burnham Grammar School. We usually stop for lunch at 1 o’clock and eat in the staff room, so if you are just coming for the AGM you are most welcome to bring your lunch and join everybody any time after 1pm. Our AGMs usually only last about 20 minutes.

The Forum is again hosting a stand at the Early Music Exhibition (25^th - 27^th October) which this year will be held at the new Trinity College of Music site at the old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. This is always a most entertaining and useful event, with the opportunity to buy music, be tempted by all the instruments which the makers bring along, listen to concerts and recitals and of course bump into your friends. This year the venue alone would make it a worthwhile visit and I believe you can even get there by river bus. If you would like to help man the stand for an hour or two, please get in touch with Chris Thorn (01494-523581, christhnildram.co.uk) who is co-ordinating the arrangements.

There were some anxious moments when I thought the Renaissance Day on August 31st was going to be badly supported, but in the end we had a very respectable turnout of 28 assorted singers and players which made it very satisfying from my point of view as the organiser. As is often the case on these occasions there were things left behind afterwards - I have custody of a couple of recorders this time but fortunately the owner is known. I still have a jumper from the previous event but again am aware of the owner and will return it soon. However if anyone lost an inflatable cushion a year or so ago, it is still unclaimed. Sadly there is no trace of a missing pair of glasses possibly left at Burnham School. I am in no position to criticise people for leaving things behind as I have been an offender in that regard more times than I care to remember. Most of the items were rescued, though in the case of a box file of music left in a certain school I only got the music back, which I thought showed rather poor taste on behalf of the culprit!

I managed to attend two excellent concerts in the Early Music Weekend of 6th-8th September on the South Bank. Unusually, both featured vituoso curtal-playing which I always enjoy. Apollo and Pan are a group comprising violin, curtal and organ who play early 17th century Italian music very stylishly. The other group was La Fenice, directed by the Jean Tub�ry who is a charismatic and very French cornettist, . The ensemble is of two cornetts, two sackbuts, a curtal with both a harpsichord and an organ. Again they played early 17th century music but from Germany, Holland and England as well as Italy. I thought it was wonderful. This was apparently their first appearance in this country but do try to hear them if they return.

Our next event is unusual in that it focuses on Italian baroque recorder sonatas but I'm sure Philip Thorby will have much of interest to say about performance of baroque music in general so even if you do not play the recorder it is worth considering coming.

I had a different perspective of this playing day to those I have attended previously; my car had broken down, and I asked David Fletcher, the organizer, for a lift since my house is pretty much on the way to Burnham from his house; the reply was: "That’s fine, if you don’t mind going a bit early".

We arrived at Burnham Grammar School at 9:30am and were greeted by the administrative manageress who let us in and checked we had all we needed (a distinct improvement over one particular occasion I can remember when the necessary doors at the school had not been unlocked for us, leading to the unusual sight of spinets and other bulky items being passed in through open windows!)

We then proceeded to unload David’s car - I carried the bulk of the sixty box files full of music to the assigned music room (what a collection!), leaving David to deal with his instruments, spare stands, refreshments and associated paraphernalia. I thought of David loading the car up earlier in the morning while I was taking it easy at home... not to mention the long Friday evening before when I know David was finalising the grouping of the twenty-eight singers and players for the four sessions the day would hold. Everyone who was expected turned up, so there was no need for last minute changes to the groupings and we all headed off for our respective rooms (apart from David who had left himself unassigned to ensure smooth running of the start of the day.)

Those of you who know me will know that I have a bad memory for names, both of people and of pieces of music; as I type this I cannot remember much of the details of my four sessions. What I remember in overview is:

Session 1: a group of six loud wind instruments - all players I have played with on many occasions in the past with generally most successful results. So, imagine my surprise when things really didn’t gel; we were struggling with a fairly routine G. Gabrieli canzona when David popped his head around the door to see if we were all OK - we roped him in to do a spot of conducting and things took a distinct turn for the better! (I found out later that David had already performed this duty for another group before us... must have been the atmospheric conditions.)

Session 2: a two four-part choir session with one choir of voices, SATB and the other instruments: cornetto, alto sackbut, tenor sackbut, bass curtal. Although all of the singers were good, one is worth a particular mention here, since Gerald Place is a professional tenor, being both a member and director of the Gesualdo Consort (check out their web-site at: http://www.musiclink.co.uk/gesualdo/); he very quickly settled into the r�le of our director. This, coupled with truly brilliant selection of works by our alto sackbut player, turned this into the best session I have ever had at any of these TVEMF playing days. Our ensemble was good, the balance and tuning was excellent (a fact commented on on more than one occasion by the singers); I was particularly impressed in the piece where the vocal choir had about forty or fifty bars on their own before the instruments joined in... the tuning of the instrumental entry agreed perfectly with tuning of the voices (I did notice Gerald surreptitiously check the tuning with a fork about eight bars before our entry, but I don’t think he needed to take any corrective action at that point).

Lunch: this was the usual jolly affair in the staff room (which now boasts an excellent wall-mounted water boiler, so waiting for the trusty old TVEMF urn to boil is no longer an issue at Burnham.)

Sessions 3 & 4: these were both good sessions also (though my lip stamina wasn’t really up to four full sessions of cornetto playing in one day, so I did flag a bit towards the end); I also had a pleasant surprise in meeting another cornetto player in the forum in session four.

Packing things away and tidying up was nowhere near as arduous as the morning activities had been, since many TVEMF members are happy to stay behind a bit and help out - thanks to you all!

In summary, I had a most enjoyable day; it’s always interesting to see how the music and chemistry goes in the groups... I got more of an inkling about just how much time and effort David Fletcher puts into these events, so I really must finish this write up with the three words:

After booking, the thought occurred - am I mad to give up a Saturday and travel ninety-odd miles? Having previously experienced David Allinson’s mix of scholarly and technical skill plus entertainment, I made the effort - and was not disappointed!

After ‘warming up’ the morning began with a romp through ‘All Creatures now’, which thankfully gained subtlety under David’s direction. From then on most pieces were new to me, despite participation in several ‘Jubilee inspired’ events throughout the year.

Croce’s ‘Ora tra l’herb’ e I fiori’ - set to the words of ‘Hard by a Crystal Fountain’ was interesting, having evidently been the inspiration for ‘The Triumphs of Oriana’, (edited by Thomas Morley - 400^th anniversary in October). We went on to sing Morley’s madrigal by way of comparison. Also from the collection was Morley’s ‘Arise, Awake’. We heard that, contrary to common belief, Queen Elizabeth did get to hear these madrigals and did not object to the title of ‘Oriana’, although after she’d heard the words, ‘Long live Oriana’ umpteen times, she may have grown a little weary. The exhaltation to ‘live long’ may not have helped much either at that stage of her life!

The jollity was interspersed by more contemplative works - ‘Nolo Mortem Peccatoris’ well illustrated Morley’s expertise in word setting. After a sing-through of ‘Death hath Deprived me’ (written by Weelkes in remembrance of Morley) David’s comment was ‘patchy’, but this had more to do with our sight reading than the piece itself, which revealed itself as a touching epitaph - including a bass line descending to a rich bottom D to illustrate ‘… is dead and laid in grave’.

However sombre the music, the mood is always lightened by David’s sense of humour - often food related - for example his comment on the phrase ‘you stately nymphs draw near and strew your paths with Roses' - that it must have been a little sticky - especially on a warm day! Generally appreciated is David’s good humoured way of correcting mistakes, enabling participants to ‘have a go’ even at the risk of getting it wrong. Next time we meet, I look forward to hearing David’s rendition of ‘Angels’ by Robbie Williams - is there no end to this man’s talent?!

More than eighty enthusiastic students, old 'regulars' and youngsters alike, gave Layton and Christine Ring a festive and affectionate farewell on their retirement in the thirtysecond year of the summer school which they founded in 1971 and which has flourished ever since under their direction. There has been continuity and change; and although oldies like me may look back nostalgically to younger and more simple~minded days, when very moderate ability was often considered to be 'authentic' and even a virtue, the early music world has inevitably changed, and for the better.. Standards at NORVIS have improved enormously both for students and for the final choral-orchestral concert. The recorder playing and viol playing are of an excellence which would have astonished a student of thirty years ago (I know; I was there). The assurance, rhythm, intonation, and tone quality of the recorder students (some scarcely into their 'teens), the fine viol playing / lute playing / singing by students, were most impressive. The introduction of 'Baroque Strings' into the course has been a welcome development, for amateur violinists and gambists in general still have much to learn about each other's instruments, their repertoire and character.

There was a memorable concert by the tutors, tailored to Layton's special interests and achievements. Byrd, Purcell (including the fine anthem 'I will give thanks', with its famous bass solo, and 'Three Parts to a Ground', from Layton's edition), both Lawes brothers, and - of course - Delius; Layton's arrangement of the 'Aquarelles' for recorders and strings was convincing, sensitive, exemplary of what can be done in this way. Much more, of course, at this concert and other times, than can be itemised in this account; I note only the Masque in 'Dioclesian', a most impressive finale to the week.

The tutor/student ratio at NORVIS (14/86 this year) has always been high, and the team of tutors has changed little over the years. Their styles are interestingly different, but all have the knack of encouraging even the less competent, criticising to be sure, but constructively and tactfully; and they get results.

Layton and Christine will be missed - not 'sadly', for they have earned their retirement - but very much missed nevertheless. NORVIS cannot be the same without the mercurial, poetical, inimitable, loveable Layton. What of the 'new management'? Ralph Woodward will take over as Music Director, and Terry Gill as Chairman and Tutor Organiser. Both have been popular and effective tutors at NORVIS for many years. They will have the continued support of all present Committee Members, Secretary, and Treasurer, so we may look forward with confidence for the future, although there may be a problem in 2003 with accommodation at Hild and Bede, where a major refurbishment of residential quarters is under consideration ('and about time too', many of us would chorus; nothing wrong with the excellent catering, though!) Shall I be there in 2003? I hope so!

Saturday 5th October, 2pm - 6pm

at Oxford School, Glanville Road, Oxford

We are offering three activities this time :

(a) Early Brass Workshop (coached by Gary Howarth) exploring 16th Century music for cornetts and sackbutts. Some playing experience preferable, and you will need your own instrument.

(b) Medieval Band, which this time will focus on music from 13th and 14th Century Spain, both instrumental and vocal. We have some Medieval instruments available, but any additional ones (including recorders) would be welcome.

(c) Renaissance Consort, for mixed strings and wind, looking at 16th and 17th Century English music for broken consort. Again, please bring a suitable instrument if possible.

Fees for the Workshop are �6 per person or �13 per family (children over 10 only). For more details or a Registration Form, please phone the Music Service Office at 01865 798855 as soon as possible.

Spinet. Hugh Craig 'Gemini' model, fully overhauled March 2002, by maker. �2,250.
Contact Simon Pickard, 01242 579016.

I am looking for a 2nd hand Baroque Bassoon (415). Brendan Chawke bjchawkeindigo.ie