EXETER BACH SOCIETY

Patron: Peter Hurford Esq., OBE. DMus. FRCO
Hon President: Alderman Ramon Yeo

Registered Charity No. 1120011

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Patron: Peter Hurford Esq., OBE. DMus. FRCO

Ramon Yeo

Our People

Ramon Yeo

Honary President

The origin of the Exeter Bach Society dates from the early 1950's when a young organ student, Ramon Yeo, was being taught by Reverend John Dams, Priest Vicar at Exeter Cathedral, who was an avid student of Bach and an accomplished performer of his organ works. That fortunate young organist spent the next fifty years exploring Bach's music and as a subscriber to the Neue Bach Ausgabe has collected scores of the complete works.

In 1995, as Mayor of Exeter, the now sixty-year old organist had the opportunity of calling a public meeting to determine if there was support for forming a Bach Society in Exeter. The meeting took place on Bach's birthday, 21st March, and was attended by around twenty five people who elected a steering committee.

After ten years as Chairman of the Society, Ramon Yeo has retired but continues to take an active interest in the Society as Honorary President.

Peter Hurford

Dr Peter Hurford

Our Patron

Born: November 22, 1930 - Minehead, Somerset, England

The English organist (and composer), Peter Hurford, studied initially with Harold Darke, the famous and much-respected English organist and composer. He then read both music and law at Jesus College, Cambridge University, graduating with dual degrees. Through study in Paris with the blind French organist André Marchal, Hurford explored the music of the Baroque period, with a particular emphasis on J.S.Bach and the French masters, and he acquired something of his teacher's brilliance as an improviser.Peter Hurford's own singular notions of authentic performing style also took form at that time and were soon regularly implemented before the public once he had received an appointment as music master (organist and choirmaster) at St. Albans Abbey in 1958.

There, he experimented, rebuilt the organ to comply with his convictions, and soon began to attract the attention of other English organists unsatisfied with the traditional and often heavy-handed Baroque style customarily heard in English churches. He conceived the idea of an organ competition in 1963, partly to celebrate the new Harrison & Harrison organ designed by Ralph Downes and himself. This venture was successful mainly because of the young Hurford's rapidly growing stature in Britain and overseas as a result of his refreshing notions of authentic performing style. There, organists and organ scholars were able to gather to hear and discuss performances and share scholarly findings regarding performance style, registration, repertory, and audience building. This has grown into the St Albans International Organ Festival, a world-renowned festival of organ music with competitions whose past winners include many of the great names in modern organ music including Dame Gillian Weir, David Sanger, Thomas Trotter and Kevin Bowyer. Many a competitor counted himself fortunate to have received an autographed copy of Hurford's recordings of Bach's complete organ works.??

Peter Hurford has enjoyed an enviable reputation for both his organ playing and his musical scholarship. The latter has produced not only revised ideas about performance of early music, but also different notions about the construction of the instruments upon which such music ought to be played. His extensive recordings for the Decca/London label have passed into the realm of the legendary and his live performances have attracted positive reviews, as well as stimulating numerous discussions regarding performance practice and the art of organ building. He is best known for his interpretations of Bach. His expertise is not limited to Bach, however - he is expanded to Couperin on one side and the Romantic period on the other. His playing shows excellence in attention to stylistic detail. His playing style is noted for clean articulation, and a sense of proper tempi. His often-brisk tempi and variety of registration decidedly changed organ performance. After decades at St. Albans, Peter Hurford resigned to fulfil the demand for solo performances. By that time, his recordings had made his name a familiar one even to those who had not heard him in live performance. In addition to his concert appearances, Hurford began to devote time to teaching and made himself a welcome visiting scholar in numerous venues, especially in England and the USA. After having worked out his ideas during several decades of lecturing and performance, he assembled them in written form in his book Making Music on the Organ, published in 1988 (Oxford University Press). The simple, direct title conceals a wealth of carefully considered issues and effective solutions to them.Peter Hurford also achieved some renown as a composer of organ works and choral pieces. Mostly dating from his St. Albans years, some of them are flowingly lyrical while others are joyously animated. All reflect Hurford's skill and inclinations as an improviser.

Peter Hurford's largest recording project was putting on disc the complete organ works of Bach, a project that began in the 1970's and lasted 12 years.

Nicholas Marshall

Our Director of Music

We are pleased to announce that our new Director of Music is Nicholas Marshall.

Nicholas was born in Plymouth in 1942, the son of musical parents (his mother was a professional cellist and his father conductor of the Haigh Marshall String Orchestra and Western Philharmonic Orchestra). He read music at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and then studied composition at the Royal College of Music under Anthony Milner. He also studied privately with Sir Lennox Berkeley. While at Cambridge he was active as a composer, having his first works published during this time.

After leaving the Royal College he returned to Devon where he took up an appointment as music teacher at Dartington Hall School and Dartington College of Arts. His works for children include a number of dramatic works and two operas. From 1980 to 1985 he was the artistic director of the Ashburton Festival; he also became a choral conductor, and has continued to be involved with choirs ever since.

He has given many recitals as a piano duettist and as an accompanist, and has also continued to compose, with a steady output that includes incidental music for radio plays, orchestral, choral and chamber music. A CD of his music came out a few years ago and a second CD is in the planning stages.

Nicholas retired from full time work in South Devon in 1999 and he and his wife Angela moved to Budleigh Salterton where he has become fully involved with the musical life in the town, in particular the recently started Festival of Music and Drama. He now conducts the Budleigh Salterton Festival Orchestra which gave its first concert in August last year, including the Poulenc Organ Concerto in which Andrew Millington was the soloist. The Festival Orchestra will be giving two concerts in the 2007 Festival the first of which will include the world premiere of a new Bassoon concerto by John Gardner.

Nicholas recently, replying to questions, said, "I am very pleased at the prospect of becoming the conductor of this excellent choir, with its extensive Bach repertoire, and am looking forward to planning some exciting programmes with them next season."

We welcome Nicholas to the Exeter Bach Society.

The Members

'Engine Room' of the Society

There would be no Exeter Bach Society without the members. Whereas they cannot have extensive CV's as the eminent people above, they are undoubtedly the 'engine room' of the Society. They are ordinary folk who love singing, particularly singing J S Bach, who turn up Thursday by Thursday throughout the winter months to learn and rehearse the music for the next concert. Some have done it? for years. Others are less experienced. But the important thing is that? we do it together. There is no greater joy than when a difficult section of the music suddenly clicks and all comes together. We enjoy our social time together as well during the weekly coffee break and at parties at the end of concerts. Why not join us?

EXETER BACH SOCIETY Patron: Peter Hurford Esq., OBE. DMus. FRCO Hon President: Alderman Ramon Yeo Registered Charity No. 1120011

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	Ramon Yeo Our People Ramon Yeo Honary President The origin of the Exeter Bach Society dates from the early 1950's when a young organ student, Ramon Yeo, was being taught by Reverend John Dams, Priest Vicar at Exeter Cathedral, who was an avid student of Bach and an accomplished performer of his organ works. That fortunate young organist spent the next fifty years exploring Bach's music and as a subscriber to the Neue Bach Ausgabe has collected scores of the complete works. In 1995, as Mayor of Exeter, the now sixty-year old organist had the opportunity of calling a public meeting to determine if there was support for forming a Bach Society in Exeter. The meeting took place on Bach's birthday, 21st March, and was attended by around twenty five people who elected a steering committee. After ten years as Chairman of the Society, Ramon Yeo has retired but continues to take an active interest in the Society as Honorary President. Peter Hurford Dr Peter Hurford Our Patron Born: November 22, 1930 - Minehead, Somerset, England The English organist (and composer), Peter Hurford, studied initially with Harold Darke, the famous and much-respected English organist and composer. He then read both music and law at Jesus College, Cambridge University, graduating with dual degrees. Through study in Paris with the blind French organist André Marchal, Hurford explored the music of the Baroque period, with a particular emphasis on J.S.Bach and the French masters, and he acquired something of his teacher's brilliance as an improviser.Peter Hurford's own singular notions of authentic performing style also took form at that time and were soon regularly implemented before the public once he had received an appointment as music master (organist and choirmaster) at St. Albans Abbey in 1958. There, he experimented, rebuilt the organ to comply with his convictions, and soon began to attract the attention of other English organists unsatisfied with the traditional and often heavy-handed Baroque style customarily heard in English churches. He conceived the idea of an organ competition in 1963, partly to celebrate the new Harrison & Harrison organ designed by Ralph Downes and himself. This venture was successful mainly because of the young Hurford's rapidly growing stature in Britain and overseas as a result of his refreshing notions of authentic performing style. There, organists and organ scholars were able to gather to hear and discuss performances and share scholarly findings regarding performance style, registration, repertory, and audience building. This has grown into the St Albans International Organ Festival, a world-renowned festival of organ music with competitions whose past winners include many of the great names in modern organ music including Dame Gillian Weir, David Sanger, Thomas Trotter and Kevin Bowyer. Many a competitor counted himself fortunate to have received an autographed copy of Hurford's recordings of Bach's complete organ works.?? Peter Hurford has enjoyed an enviable reputation for both his organ playing and his musical scholarship. The latter has produced not only revised ideas about performance of early music, but also different notions about the construction of the instruments upon which such music ought to be played. His extensive recordings for the Decca/London label have passed into the realm of the legendary and his live performances have attracted positive reviews, as well as stimulating numerous discussions regarding performance practice and the art of organ building. He is best known for his interpretations of Bach. His expertise is not limited to Bach, however - he is expanded to Couperin on one side and the Romantic period on the other. His playing shows excellence in attention to stylistic detail. His playing style is noted for clean articulation, and a sense of proper tempi. His often-brisk tempi and variety of registration decidedly changed organ performance. After decades at St. Albans, Peter Hurford resigned to fulfil the demand for solo performances. By that time, his recordings had made his name a familiar one even to those who had not heard him in live performance. In addition to his concert appearances, Hurford began to devote time to teaching and made himself a welcome visiting scholar in numerous venues, especially in England and the USA. After having worked out his ideas during several decades of lecturing and performance, he assembled them in written form in his book Making Music on the Organ, published in 1988 (Oxford University Press). The simple, direct title conceals a wealth of carefully considered issues and effective solutions to them.Peter Hurford also achieved some renown as a composer of organ works and choral pieces. Mostly dating from his St. Albans years, some of them are flowingly lyrical while others are joyously animated. All reflect Hurford's skill and inclinations as an improviser. Peter Hurford's largest recording project was putting on disc the complete organ works of Bach, a project that began in the 1970's and lasted 12 years. Nicholas Marshall Nicholas Marshall Our Director of Music We are pleased to announce that our new Director of Music is Nicholas Marshall. Nicholas was born in Plymouth in 1942, the son of musical parents (his mother was a professional cellist and his father conductor of the Haigh Marshall String Orchestra and Western Philharmonic Orchestra). He read music at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and then studied composition at the Royal College of Music under Anthony Milner. He also studied privately with Sir Lennox Berkeley. While at Cambridge he was active as a composer, having his first works published during this time. After leaving the Royal College he returned to Devon where he took up an appointment as music teacher at Dartington Hall School and Dartington College of Arts. His works for children include a number of dramatic works and two operas. From 1980 to 1985 he was the artistic director of the Ashburton Festival; he also became a choral conductor, and has continued to be involved with choirs ever since. He has given many recitals as a piano duettist and as an accompanist, and has also continued to compose, with a steady output that includes incidental music for radio plays, orchestral, choral and chamber music. A CD of his music came out a few years ago and a second CD is in the planning stages. Nicholas retired from full time work in South Devon in 1999 and he and his wife Angela moved to Budleigh Salterton where he has become fully involved with the musical life in the town, in particular the recently started Festival of Music and Drama. He now conducts the Budleigh Salterton Festival Orchestra which gave its first concert in August last year, including the Poulenc Organ Concerto in which Andrew Millington was the soloist. The Festival Orchestra will be giving two concerts in the 2007 Festival the first of which will include the world premiere of a new Bassoon concerto by John Gardner. Nicholas recently, replying to questions, said, "I am very pleased at the prospect of becoming the conductor of this excellent choir, with its extensive Bach repertoire, and am looking forward to planning some exciting programmes with them next season." We welcome Nicholas to the Exeter Bach Society. The Members 'Engine Room' of the Society There would be no Exeter Bach Society without the members. Whereas they cannot have extensive CV's as the eminent people above, they are undoubtedly the 'engine room' of the Society. They are ordinary folk who love singing, particularly singing J S Bach, who turn up Thursday by Thursday throughout the winter months to learn and rehearse the music for the next concert. Some have done it? for years. Others are less experienced. But the important thing is that? we do it together. There is no greater joy than when a difficult section of the music suddenly clicks and all comes together. We enjoy our social time together as well during the weekly coffee break and at parties at the end of concerts. Why not join us?