4 Hours to Kill in Oxford?

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threebikesmcginty

Corn Fed Hick...
Location
...on the slake
MacB said:
I do like the idea of bike in back, shame we don't have a people carrier anymore. It's a Honda Civic now, no problem with bike in when rear seats are down but that may miff No1 sons friends a little:biggrin: I can see some experimentation tomorrow, see how much I need to dismantle bike to fit it in. Take both wheels off and it's got to be feasible.

Your thinking's wrong, similar to this but bike not tree ...

dre1455l.jpg
 

dellzeqq

pre-talced and mighty
Location
SW2
to go back to the OP. The underground section of Blackwells bookshop is well worth a visit. It's a space thing. And, if you can get in, spend a while in the Catholic Chaplaincy designed by Ahrends Burton and Koralek in St. Aldates. High Modernism.
 

yoyo

Senior Member
There's Evensong at Christ Church at six and the walk round the Meadow is very pleasant.
 
OP
OP
MacB

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
Well, made it there and back no problem, sadly the weather wasn't conducive to ambling around Oxford. Had a little drive around but spent most of the evening reading. Took a Ben Elton book, Blind Faith, and read about 2/3 of it.

Despite the weather there were plenty of bikes in evidence. The only surprising thing was the lack of lights. I reckon 90% of the cyclists I saw either had no lights or what they had were woefully inadequate. I appreciate that there isn't the need for lights to see by but I saw very few rear lights.
 

yoyo

Senior Member
Cubist said:
Why go to Christ Church, when Magdalen is closer to O2 and much better music........?

That's a matter of opinion..... Are you an ex Magdalen pupil / chorister? Our sons were choristers at Christ Church from 1992-2000. I can't say I would recommend the school at the time but they fared very well in the end.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
yoyo said:
That's a matter of opinion..... Are you an ex Magdalen pupil / chorister? Our sons were choristers at Christ Church from 1992-2000. I can't say I would recommend the school at the time but they fared very well in the end.
Yes, 1972 to 1976 in the choir, and left the school in 1982.
 

yoyo

Senior Member
Cubist,
Rivallry is healthy in its place but there are many special and unforgettable moments in a chorister's career. I hope you had a great time in your years at Magdalen. Were both schools sharing the Games' pitches on the Meadow in your time?

Sorry to go off topic.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
yoyo said:
Cubist,
Rivallry is healthy in its place but there are many special and unforgettable moments in a chorister's career. I hope you had a great time in your years at Magdalen. Were both schools sharing the Games' pitches on the Meadow in your time?

Sorry to go off topic.
Yes, especially when our island playing field flooded. I have particular memories of an interhouse senior rugby final played on Christchurch Meadows. It was one of the toughest matches I ever played, none before or since so tough!

Reason I mentioned the music was because our chapel lent itself to a far more natural unforced singing style when compared with the somewhat harsher, more strident tone needed by a Cathedral Choir like Christ Church. In fact our ante-chapel gave a bell-like resonance to our voices, and was always the favoured place for recording. My father sang in Coventry Cathedral Choir, and the treble voices were even harsher there. We also had the benefit of Dr Bernard Rose, quite simply a musical genius who wrote to suit the choir, the accoustics, the mood and the decade. It was challenging stuff to sing at times , but boy was it good. Similarly I suppose the Choir had benefitted historically from the likes of Wood and Stainer. Bernard Rose's responses were some of the most beautiful ever written IMHO.
 

yoyo

Senior Member
Cubist,

The Rose responses - now you really are talking. They are fabulous. I too am a fan of Bernard Rose's music and use his books (High Praise) for trebles with my school choirs. I agree about the sound of the various choirs but Christ Church really suited our youngest who sang like an operatic diva from the age of six. He could never have been tamed! For me, Christ Church was made for Palestrina and Byrd with the Walton Twelve thrown in - Son 2 was one of the soloists for this. The St. John Passion every Easter was also a major highlight.

Do you still sing / play an instrument?

I am an organist - at a school.
 

Cubist

Still wavin'
Location
Ovver 'thill
My favourite memories in terms of music around Magdalen were some early Venetian stuff, Monteverdi, Gabrieli etc . Rose used to use the accoustics in the antechapel to fully exploit the antiphonal stuff. As a treble it was a joy to sing, very exciting especially when you had eight parts going at once.

Other memories of course were May morning on the Tower, a superb tour of the Netherlands (I missed out on a Tour to the US by a term:sad:)

I don't sing much any more. My adult voice is unspectacular and baritone, only really lending itself to bit parts in Gilbert and Sullivan etc!
 

yoyo

Senior Member
I can understand Monteverdi and Gabrieli being some of your favourite memories. We used to hear about May morning at Magdalen. The tours were certainly opportunities. Our oldest's first tour was to Australia with one of the concerts in Sydney Opera House - he almost ruined a holiday in the Highlands beforehand perstering me about what he'd do if he was homesick.... In the event he phoned us at 2am on the day they sang at the Opera House senseless with excitement that the concert was sold out. Both our sons had tours of the US. They also toured Lebanon, Brazil, Japan and had mini tours to Frankfurt and Antwerp. Thankfully they appreciated the experience. Son 1 doesn't sing anymore but is a tenor and Son 2 (rather gifted) has taken a break at university but has not abandoned the idea of a career as a bass. I don't think the quality of voice makes a huge difference in the end unless one wants a career; it's the education and the experience that has a lifelong impact.
 

srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
Ah! Rose responses! Happy memories. In my day both Magdalen and Christ Church were a bit ropey - Magdalen in particular suffered from long-standing-director-itis. I once made the mistake of sitting behind the choir and actually watching in the hymns. I was consistently two seconds early.

SRW
(Queen's '88 - '92-ish)
 

yoyo

Senior Member
Acoustics and the foibles of the building play a part in this, along with conducting styles. Watching at Christ Church wouldn't work - even Dr D used to joke the choir and organist came in after his beat; but they all came in together. Listening is also very important in music-making.
 
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