Naji Hakim improvising at Lincoln Minster 1993 Part 1

Naji Hakim improvising on the old French carol Noel Nouvelet and part of Poulenc's Gloria recorded at the Lincoln Minster Arts Festival in 1993. This was recorded off-air from a BBC Radio 3 broadcast the following year (I think). I remember playing this piece over and over again, loving its construction and the beauty of the Magnificent Father Willis voices. In particular near the beginning the Noel is heard played on the gorgeous 8' Claribel Flute, which has a whistful 'liquid' quality, allied with the
gentle Swell strings is exquisite.

The organ was one of the last masterpieces of Father Henry Willis, built in 1898, it had a 32' reed added by Willis II in 1903 and Harrisons added pedal dulcianas, choir diapason, mutations and mixture in 1960 but left it tonally unchanged. It was overhauled again in 1998. The great, choir, solo and parts of the pedal are in the main case, but the swell and pedal 32s are in the north triforium. Without doubt one of my favourite organs, it has a chameleon qualities, able to sound very English, and very French when needed.

It is perhaps dangerous to listen back to an improvisation, something created in the moment and then left to the ether, but when you have great skill and ability such as demonstrated here, repeated listening reveals both structure and form Hakim has given to these two themes, and created new music.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Naji
• Hakim
• Pipe
• Organ
• Orgue
• Orgel
• Lincoln
• Minster
• Improvisation
• Noel
• Nouvelet
• Poulenc

[OwizzleSpindles]

Just to be utterly pedantic, it's Lincoln Cathedral not Minster!

[JFSnail]

confusingly I've heard it called both Minster and cathedral, the Radio 3 announcer before the pgram said minster, so am sticking with it! :-)

[a55b47]

Well, it's not exactly Dupré, but it's not bad ;-) Great pix.

[JFSnail]

There are very few who can match Dupré, but I have been a big Hakim fan for years, and love his improvs.

But, eurgh, video quality ain't so hot on this one! I'll have to go HD next time! oh well, its something to look at while while the music plays ;-)

[EccentricRichard]

@OwizzleSpindles - yes, it's a cathedral, but, like its brother in York, has always been called Minster. Now, it would be more to the point to take issue with the jumped-up parish churches which have recently acquired Minster status, like Halifax (4m Harrison, 1920s) and Croydon (1900s Hill rebuild H&H 1969, 4m+p, 58ss)...

[OwizzleSpindles]

Hence the name: The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln

[OwizzleSpindles]

@diapasonukful It's a Cathedral no if's or buts, unfortunately there was no Monastic living at the Cathedral due to it being in the process of being built. In terms of the School, it couldn't be called The Cathedral School as it was amalgamated from The Cathedral School (for Choristers), St Josephs and Stonefield House so the name was already taken. Was a Chorister at Lincoln and pupil of the Minster School

[diapasonukful]

@OwizzleSpindles yes and also it is a minster..... The Minster School, Lincoln?!?

[irkibby]

On the Hymnbooks at the place itself is stamped Lincoln Minster. A Minster was the mother church of an area. Some of these minsters became cathedrals, some of them didn't.

[WatchBlueSkies]

a wonderful record !

[OwizzleSpindles]

@JFSnail Lol, I was a Chorister there and it defo is The Cathedral of the Virgin Mary! :D

[OwizzleSpindles]

Although, I do love the way he uses the Fr Willis organ to his full advantage!