I have been astounded by the delights of FACEBOOK...Thanks to Zuckerman I am reconnecting with some old mates from my chorister days at Hereford Cathedral School. This is for them and anyone else who wants to know...
I was just speaking to my (76 yr old) Mum about the people I am reconnecting with from that time and she reminded me of this incident:
Richard Lloyd, the organist (see photo), had been on at me to get my hair cut for a while and finally told me not to return to the choir until it was chopped. So, far from smoothing the way for her young son to integrate with the establishment, my firebrand mother marched into Lloyd's rooms in the cloister and insisted on my human rights being honoured "it's his hair and only a European court will make my son cut his hair!". Of course Lloyd hated me ever after, for allowing himself to be bullied by this formidable lady...
Epilogue - the day after I left the choir, I went and had my hair cut for the first time in three years and made a point of walking past said organist in the close with a cheery "Hello, Sir!"
I can still remember the look of confusion I caught on his face as he watched me disappearing into school house...
Mum reports that I said to her that night as I sat down to tea: "What a relief to get rid of all that ruddy hair!"
I think my rebelliousness was probably my only sanity in those days...
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ABOUT GERRY:
Gerry has been a full time Massage therapist and teacher for over 25 years. He also qualified as a UKCP registered Psychotherapist (TA) in 1999.
He is the creator of The NO HANDS Massage Therapy System, which is now one of the most popular Massage approaches in the UK. He has also recently launched the PSYCHOLOGY OF CHANGE, a unique new approach to making lasting change within your life. To learn more about these courses go to www.nohandsmassage.com
He is the creator of The NO HANDS Massage Therapy System, which is now one of the most popular Massage approaches in the UK. He has also recently launched the PSYCHOLOGY OF CHANGE, a unique new approach to making lasting change within your life. To learn more about these courses go to www.nohandsmassage.com
I wonder if RL had had his cassock tugged by the Dean and Chapter to get the choir in shape. I remember he obviously knew Alan Bluff and I were going out to smoke when we stayed with him during Choir-time. That seemed to amuse him. Once he took 3 or 4 of us in the Rover to see Worcester play in the JPLeague. When the No.6 girls came round with free cigs and offered them to us 12 yr-olds he actually urged us to accept! Still got the program sheet. Gary Sobers was out for 2!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nick - That would be the same RL who banned me from singing at the Royal Albert Hall because i stayed on playing a school cricket match and missed my only ever practice...
ReplyDeleteDoes anything look cracked, here, or is it just my glasses?
Gerry
I have good and bad memories of Richard. On the plus side, he and his wife (who had a gorgeous home in the Cloisters when I first joined the choir) treated me with great kindness and understanding during me early days. I was terribly unhappy at both HCS and in the choir - so I made out that I was ill. Perhaps I was ill? I often slunk out of evensong claiming I had pains in my abdomen and the Lloyd household treated all of that with sympathy. He also gave me enormous encouragement to develop my musical as well as vocal skills - because I wasn't that good a singer (and I think I only got in the choir as a favour to my Dad). But RL managed my development pretty well and I gained a huge amount of general musical theory from him.
ReplyDeleteBut on the negative side, two things: 1) I recall him provoking a stand up row with one of the Lay Clerks - a guy called Howard Gregory, cantoris bass. They had a pretty violent disagreement that ended with HG storming out of full practice (this was in the Cathedral on a Saturday pm, and very public, and very shocking). Even as a kid, I remember thinking "you've lost it there - and that's bad management..."; and 2) he increasingly wouldn't use any of his choristers to sing solos. We were always twinned up to do solo pieces and this felt like a betrayal of trust. It made me incredibly unhappy when, during the Hereford Three Choirs of 1973 (I was proud beyond words to be Head Chorister for that event) he made every single solo an ensemble piece involving up to six choristers. To this day, I can still see the Worcester organist Christopher Robinson looking in astonishment when RL made these decisions.
As for rebellion, he had no idea what to do when on one occasion, the top four choristers didn't sing a note during evensong. We felt we were the only ones doing the work and wanted to make a point - well it was the 70s and going on strike was endemic. My rebelliousness was nipped in the bud within 5 minutes of leaving the cathedral - Dad gave me a bollocking that lasted the entire journey home and during most of dinner. I never struck again....
Fascinating story, Nigel. My memory must be a bit bitter and distorted because it was always GB that got the solos ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's not so Steve; Lloyd never picked me to do solos during services as he knew only too well that I couldn't keep it together as I suffered terribly from 'stage fright'. The only solos I ever did was on that album, which was recorded at night in the Cathedral and not in front of a congregation.
ReplyDelete