Saturday 2 January 2010

Musical Mishaps #1

An occasional series, but don't worry many many stories.

On Christmas Day I sang in the Choir at Midnight Mass and we sang lots and lots of carols. Practically every single one in fact apart from, 'The First Noel.'

Went to bed at 2.30am, got up at 7.30am, texted Mulier Fortis a 'wakey wakey' text, had my birthday breakfast (cereal and coffee, yum) and went off to pick up the rest of the choir. All was going to plan until the crucial 'ding' for the beginning of 9am Mass. For I had switched off the organ because it makes that motorised windy sound. Either side of the manuals is a fair amount of stuff, piled up to the top of the swell keyboard, so you can't see the switch or any useful red or green lights. Actually, I don't know if there are any lights...

Anyway, 'ding,' went to play the intro to 'Once in royal' no sound, switched the thing back on, thought I'd left enough time for the pressure to reach critical, but hadn't, started to play and got a drunken glissando up to pitch.

I'd like the lack of sleep to be taken into account, though as we finished 'Hark the Herald' the real organist returned to do the 10.30 Mass.

1 comment:

berenike said...

hahaha, I did that when playing at Mass at the cathedral in Edinburgh once.

I was never asked back, but I expect that was because the choir master realised that I wasn't just being modest when I said I wasn't very good!