Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Having considered some points raised in other threads, I think it might be interesting to hear a few opinions on how people think C.H. is doing on the P.R. front, both on a local and national level. Firstly, I could offer my wife's observations from her place of work (in Horsham). Despite the fact t...

All of which reminds me.... Apologies in advance to those of a sensitive nature - The bocker whose job it was to clean the bogs in Mid.B. had a habit of regaling anyone who would listen to him about his latest discoveries therein : "Gawd, it was THAT big, buggered if I can shift it, can't get i...

So, did they cease before 1958, because I don't remember 'em ?? Nope! Alive and kicking in the 70s...... The worst 'house' trade in a senior house was the cleaning of the filth pit known as the 'kitchen' (2 rings, a toaster and a sink which no-one really knew how to use). The khazis were a doddle i...

LAMMA LOOKER. The Welshman you are referring too, must surely be NORMAN T FRYER. (My Housemaster in Col. B) )Not the Maths teacher I'm thinking of !) I believe NTF commited suicide on moving from C.H. to another school. In his day, he played for London-Welsh. 'Bogie' Fryer - he taught me as well. H...

It was the time when you had to be back in house - before it was locked... Yes, well, that would be logical. It's just that I don't think any of the houses were ever actually physically locked. Nothing much ever was, really. The Music School at night, the back doors of the dining hall to stop you s...

I remember a couple of us sneaking away from C.H. one Saturday evening to see the Jam play at the Lyceum (must have been 1978, I think). A great gig, and no-one missed us. A couple of girls in my year habitually did that kind of thing too. They'd sign in in house at lock up on Saturday night and th...

In the holidays we'd be off to the Marquee to see The Who, Small Faces, Moody Blues and - a big CH favourite - Spencer Davis. Those must have been interesting times! I remember a couple of us sneaking away from C.H. one Saturday evening to see the Jam play at the Lyceum (must have been 1978, I thin...

Not too sure about valve trombones.... Apparently they came into being in 1820's Vienna - the slide-trombone being descended from much older instruments. As with any valved instrument, faster passages of music and ornamentation are made easier, and I suppose that intonation must be a bit easier for ...

His clear unforgettable tone was marked with a constant vibrato, the result of a boyhood accident when a mule kicked him in the face, resulting in partial paralysis! As a (mostly ex-)trombone player myself, I struggle to imagine how that might work. Could it be replicated by a visit to the dentist ...

my brother's a brass player, and I remember him saying vibrato was commonly used on the cornet and euphonium, but not the trumpet given the already shrill notes being played. brass bands tend to use a very fast vibrato, whereas for e.g. a saxophone section in a big band would use a slower vibrato (...

Ahhh.. the North-South divide.... So many possible comments. I daren't be that rude though... Which reminds me - when I was in the CH band one of the euphonium players was from Yorkshire. Now he REALLY loved his vibrato. Plus he used to play on the stereotype a bit, coming out with comments like &q...

Vibrato is usually used inappropriately, and by players trying to cover up poor technique. :roll: ....and by brass bands. Although players in brass bands often have an excellent technique, I find the constant use of vibrato very off-putting. excellent technique doesn't include playing vibrato when ...

eloisec wrote:Vibrato is usually used inappropriately, and by players trying to cover up poor technique.

....and by brass bands. Although players in brass bands often have an excellent technique, I find the constant use of vibrato very off-putting.

Vibrato should NEVER be used by the amateur, but almost invariably is. It does something to disguise the imprecise pitch of the untrained singer, but otherwise has little to commend it. For choirs it is anathema; the sound of a wobbly soprano is the most dire thing about many amateur groups. No won...

Didn't he keep bees as well?