Little Stanmore Suite (2006)
I – Come for tea! (Overture)
II – The blacksmith’s donkey
III – Canons in the park
IV – James Brydges’ knees-up
V – The pigeon and the woodpecker
VI – Ach, mein Wig hast blown off!
On occasions, I like to visit St. Lawrence Whitchurch in Little
Stanmore (which is really Canon’s Park) to tinkle on the organ
Handel once played; even though the only original rank of pipes
is the open diapason on the swell. The church is beautiful and you
get a sense of what it might have been like during the time Mr.
Handel was employed by the Duke of Chandos, the well tempered Mr.
James Brydges. His mausoleum is rather splendid, situated to the
side of the main church building in a very peaceful setting, with
lots of marble! When he was alive, the painted gallery at the back
of the church would have been a great place to entertain the ladies
during the morning service, and nurse one’s head against the
pains of a self-inflicted night of indulgence. Nonetheless, Little
Stanmore is a place of immense historical significance and (even
though he was only there for three years) Handel’s presence
is still felt, sort of. The original keyboard he used to play is
in a glass case to the north of the chancel (during the winter a
large amount of mould can be seen gathering on the ends of some
of the keys) but the organ in the church is ‘modern’.
Messers Goetze and Gwynn have done a good job recreating a suitable
instrument inside the beautifully ornamented baroque case, which
was carved by Grinling Gibbons around 1715, and the action sounds
quite authentic even when no stops are drawn. All in all, St. Lawrence
Whitchurch is a place to be seen; a time-capsule just off the B461
between the ends of the Northern and Jubilee lines, which could
use some visitors!
The very first time the Messiah
Was sung by an amateur choir,
They hollered and spluttered
And somebody muttered,
“Let’s set all the copies on fire!”
(Limerick by Martin Stacey)
Work for solo organ or harpsichord
Duration: about 5 minutes / 6 pages spiral-bound with covers
Buy the music! price
£5.00
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