Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I have just returned from a quite extraordinary organ concert in Westminster Cathedral. My love of organ music was set off, like a firework, when as a little boy of eleven years, at the end of my first service in the CH chapel, Mr McKelvey blasted out Widor's Toccata which I'd never heard. At the end I was the only one in the chapel apart from him and I asked him about this wonderful music, got talking to him, and on his advice started piano lessons, joined the Chapel Choir and Choral Society, and the rest, as they say, is history. A love and understanding of keyboard and choral music has been one of the mainstays of my life. I have often thought of this inspiring man and wish I'd had the chance to thank him personally, but never met him again after I left the school. Perhaps he can read this message in heaven, and if so, I would be glad.

Widor's Toccata was a big favourite of our organ mistress at Hertford (Miss Taverner) and was usually played at the leaving service, as we all loved it too.

Our Organist/Choir Master peers over the top of the Organ when he is about to play Lang's "Tuba Tune" as a Voluntary -- especially for Myself !

Why ? --- Dr C S Lang --- director of Music CH in the 30s and 40s --- it is a great tune, but one would never imagine Dr Lang, having that sense of humour !!!

Our church organist likes playing Lang's tuba tune from time to time and then always come up to me and says "The composer of that piece of music taught at your old school I believe..." Hmmm, I did know that Martin...

Still, we did Eastern Monarchs at our 9 Lessons last year!