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Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:30 pm
by Tom Grubb
Anyone remember MacLaren?s setting of ?O Thou Lord Supreme?? Very moving.

Which I reckon gives me a good excuse to repost the following classic piece of MacLaren worship which could be found at the website of The SOPP?s Abraham Lincoln School (now rebranded as the Philosophy Day School) a couple of years ago:

On September 25th, 2000, the Abraham Lincoln School joined its sister schools around the world in celebrating the birthday of Mr. Leon MacLaren. It was his unique vision of education that guides all these schools.

At the Lower School Assembly, Mrs. Solowey asked what qualities could be seen in a photograph of Mr. MacLaren. With delight they offered "kindness," "truth" and "bliss." The threefold promise was then recited by the children, reaffirming their commitment to be truthful and live according to the fine laws of the Creation, the cornerstone of their education. The story of the lion who was raised with sheep, which the children know and love, was retold and they were reminded of the "real lion" that lies within each of us. In order to wake up to that, access to a "real lion," who reminds us of who we truly are, is needed. Mr. MacLaren is that "real lion" to anyone who knew him and all those who hear of him through their teachers.

We concluded the assembly with the School Chorus, grades 4-7, singing O Thou Lord Supreme, a magnificent masterpiece composed by Mr. MacLaren. The level of attention to this celebration and the joy experienced was the greatest testament of all to the founder and leader whose full name bespoke such scope: Leonardo da Vinci MacLaren.

Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2006 9:05 pm
by non-conformist
Hi Tom

Well, the fact that they call it the greatest testament of all to the founder and leader says it all really. I rest my case.

Thanks for giving me the best laugh I've had in a while

n-c xx

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 2:59 am
by Free Thinker
How did I manage to avoid hearing any of his compositions in my 19 years there?

PHEW!

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 9:02 am
by bonsai
Free Thinker wrote:How did I manage to avoid hearing any of his compositions in my 19 years there?

PHEW!


I certainly would count yourself lucky.

Bonsai

Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 6:01 pm
by Jo-Anne Morgan
bespoke such scope
......could be a new tongue twister for our times perhaps? The children could learn it with attention and joy.

What a load of syrupy twaddle........what a find!!

Any chance of posting 'O Thou Lord Supreme' on this BB? Can't seem to find it in the shops. As soon as they get it in I guess it must just fly off the shelves.

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:34 am
by CeliaR
DEleted

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 6:10 am
by CeliaR
Deleted

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 4:54 pm
by Jo-Anne Morgan
I guess the words set to the music would be fun. Is it very dreadful?

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 5:27 pm
by Sam Hyde
I couldn?t help but laugh reading this post!!! Memories and current comments keep springing to mind, I will start form the beginning. (Whilst listening to ape-man by the kinks, preceding Mozart...NO LIE!)

Well, firstly, my dad was BIG on classical music, he never was a gita basher and so I can not 'blame' this on the SES. He just loved the stuff, I got a lot of it when I was young but I was desperate to experiment outside of the parameters set by the school, and I will jump at any chance to challenge the schools about their music policy. Which, is improving.
I remember an occasion, about a year ago, when I was on a jokes weekend at Waterperry, being made to sing. We had made a big hoo-ha about doing the same stuff with the girls, unity of one isn?t that the theme???? So anyway, there we were all singing along to Mc Larren's masterpiece 'O lord Supreme'. I do not doubt the intention with which it was written but I'm sorry, Larren will probably turn in his grave.....WHAT SHIT! We were in fits of uncontrollable laughter, all sharing stupid looks. Another great time for the history books.

Secondly, the current school. We recently had the end of term music competition, of which there were various genres, amongst them was the usual, voice, string, piano, ensemble......and POPULARRRRRRRRR DUN DUN DAAAAAAA!!! So we sat through all the usual stuff, some of which was of EXCEPTIONAL STANDARD, even to a 'lil rocker like me! And the popular section came up with much anticipation; there were loads of entries,
1) A sweet home Alabama cover
2) A slash godfather theme cover
3) Britney Spears re-mix, that was a prank....It still was entered!!!
And many others which I don?t remember....oh! And josh's acoustic set which I thought was VERY good.
So anyway, the current schools is aware of the talent that lies amongst its ranks, and believe me, it?s not going to be ignored until it goes away!


Sam xox

Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2006 10:16 pm
by CeliaR
Deleted

Re: Very long post - sorry!

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 2:06 am
by ses-surviver
Ben Wheaton wrote:What a great thread. I couldn?t resist adding something. A bit rambly but who cares?

I think I went the other way. I am one of those who is in love with Mozart ? though this love did seem to peak shortly after the 200th anniversary of his birth in 1997 ? following which I seriously overdosed on his music.

Indeed a great thread and I'm afraid I had a similiar experience in overdosing on Mozart in the 1980s and have found it rather hard to listen to him in any quantity ever since. Ditto with Vivaldi, though Monteverdi continues to be a fave. I assumed that he was 'OK', since his music was on sale in the SES bookshop.

Somehow I left SES with one word put downs of most composers that I subsequently learnt to love ? Bach (father of 20 ? ?nuff said), Beethoven (uncouth), Handel (businessman), The romantics (demonic), Debussy (who?).

Yeah, I have a similar memory. So many were dismissed so easily and without an adequate reason.

However, my experience of musical performance during residential weeks and various performances outside of term-time was that I don't ever remember hearing anything of any great quality. I seem to remember having heard something by Noel Skinner that I didn't care for, but I seem to have been spared the experience of hearing any of Mclaren's works performed.

I remember quite clearly the SES instruction to listen to 'the space between the notes' - something that seemed non-sensical until I had the experience, post Meditation, of listening to Monteverdi's vespers and actually experiencing the notes one by one. An amazing experience for me and sadly one that I have not experienced subsequently. I guess that the 'claim' on the experience that arose in the mind soon afterwards sees to that.

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 2:28 am
by CeliaR
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Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 2:37 am
by CeliaR
Deleted

Re: Aversion to Classical Music

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 6:06 am
by Daffy
ems wrote:It's a terrible thing to have to confess but I have a very low threshold for classical music which I think is a result of my St J/SES upbringing. Does anyone else get this?

Me too, ems, I absolutely agree.

It's about 20 years after I was last force-fed classical music and I still can't stand it. It brings back too many bad memories, such as the one of Debenham ordering us all to stay at school on the last day of term after the official closing time to sing the Halleluja Chorus, with the classic Debenham line: "You're going to sing until you enjoy it".

It also brings back images of that bad-tempered dickhead Noel Skinner picking his nose all the time while conducting us.

Classical music may well be a good thing but I've had more than enough for a lifetime. Maybe next lifetime.

Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2006 11:12 am
by Joseph O'Shea
One of the most spurius arguments presented to me second hand by the SES through my Grandfather, was that modern music, such as that of the revolutionary, Jimmie Hendrix, is inferior, due to it not yet having 'passed the test of time'.

I'm sure that to most of you the erronerous nature of this reasoning is quite apparent, however, for those still indoctrinated - Hendrix is still as well known today as he was 30 years ago and more importantly, you can't make a longditudinal assessment after a short period of time, by absolute definition! (There's that word, 'absolute', again).

To sum up the SES's positon on music and the arts, only one word is required - ethnocentricism.