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The Remarkable Norman Kaye

Move Records has gathered material for this CD paying tribute to the wonderful Norman Kaye. The main focus here is on the musician, but not forgetting his acting career.

Move Records has gathered together 30 tracks for this CD which pays tribute to the remarkable Norman Kaye. The main focus here is on the musician and organist, but not forgetting his acting career. Norman was born on 17 January 1927 and died on 28 May 2007.

Norman was not only a well known and highly regarded actor, winning the 1983 AFI best actor award, but he was also an exceptional organist. Having studied under Melbourne's legendary Dr AE Floyd, Norman went on to Study with Pierre Cochereau the organist of Notre Dame de Paris.

This recording comes from a wide variety of historical sources, from a recital on the Melbourne Town Hall organ (with an introduction by Dr Floyd himself) all the way through to 1997 when he gave the final recital on the JE Dodd organ which until that year resided in the Trinity College Chapel, Melbourne. This disc includes compositions by Norman, examples of him as accompanist and several excellent improvisations.

Produced to celebrate the life of the remarkable Norman Kaye, this recording is also an opportunity to hear several of Melbourne's organs that have now either been lost, or dramatically altered, such as the Melbourne Town Hall organ in it's original 1929 form (before it was greatly enlarged and altered in 1999-2000), and the organs of Caulfield Grammar Memorial Hall (destroyed by fire in 2000), and Scotch College's Littlejohn Chapel organ which was removed in 1993 to make way for an electronic organ.

Artist

Norman Kaye

Norman Kaye (1927 - 2007) was a distinguished organist and actor. Norman studied organ with Pierre Cochereau of Notre Dame de Paris and won a Premier Prix for conducting at the Nice Conservatoire.


Press quotes

“This CD is a welcome tribute to a remarkable Australian”

— John Barns, 3MBS FM Libretto

“The playing is just fascinating, technically sound and utterly musical as one would expect . . . Warmly recommended”

— Peter Jewkes, The Sydney Organ Journal

“What a remarkable assortment of vignettes from the late lamented doyen of the word of organ accompaniment and improvisation”

— Peter Jewkes, OHTA News

Audio previews

Track Listing

  1. Prelude Norman Kaye :56
  2. Spoken introduction 1:22
  3. Noel Melbourne Town Hall Louis-Claude Daquin 5:04
  4. Scherzo Melbourne Town Hall Percy Whitlock 1:46
  5. Melbourne Town Hall Improvisation Norman Kaye :51
  6. O Song of Courage Littlejohn Chapel Norman Kaye 1:22
  7. A Song of Victory Littlejohn Chapel Norman Kaye 2:50
  8. Postlude, 1963 Trinity College Chapel Norman Kaye 1:03
  9. Communion Service Canterbury Fellowship Norman Kaye 4:07
  10. Improvisation, 1968 Trinity College Chapel Norman Kaye 2:03
  11. Fantasia super Komm heiliger Geist (Come Holy Ghost) BWV 651 Trinity College Chapel Johann Sebastian Bach 6:36
  12. Impromptu Archer Memorial organ Louis Vierne 3:24
  13. Lord Jesus hath a garden St. Andrew's, Brighton Flor Peeters 2:48
  14. O praise ye the Lord Cantus Choro Charles Hubert Hastings Parry Henry Baker 2:49
  15. Christ is made the sure foundation Cantus Choro Henry Purcell 3:34
  16. All creatures of our God and king Cantus Choro Arr: Ralph Vaughan Williams 3:40
  17. In the bleak mid-winter Tudor Choristers Norman Kaye 4:00
  18. O little town of Bethlehem Tudor Choristers Arr: Norman Kaye 4:26
  19. Postlude Our Lady of Victories' Church Norman Kaye 1:37
  20. Preludium St. Patrick's Cathedral John Bull 1:01
  21. In Nomine St. Patrick's Cathedral Richard Alwood 1:34
  22. A Duo St. Patrick's Cathedral Richard Farnaby 1:43
  23. Praeludium St. Patrick's Cathedral Giles Farnaby :54
  24. Improvisation, 1989 Trinity College Chapel Norman Kaye 1:42
  25. Three fanfares St. Patrick's Cathedral Norman Kaye 1:33
  26. Chant de Paix, 1945 Trinity College Chapel Jean Langlais 3:43
  27. Extemporisation Trinity College Chapel Alfred Ernest Floyd 3:45
  28. Comment on improvising :29
  29. Improvisation, 1997 Trinity College Chapel Norman Kaye 5:08
  30. Lonely Hearts Norman Kaye 1:56

Performers

Composers

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams was born on 12 October 1872 in Down Ampney, Gloucestershire, where his father, the Reverend Arthur Vaughan Williams (the surname Vaughan Williams is an unhyphenated double-barrelled name of Welsh origin), was vicar.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity.

Henry Purcell

Henry Purcell was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music.


Where to buy

The Remarkable Norman Kaye is available for download from the iTunes Music Store.
It's available for streaming through Spotify and Apple Music.

The Remarkable Norman Kaye is available as as CD. It can be purchased online through Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre which both offer secure online ordering.

Move CDs can be ordered through music retailers across Australia including Readings.

Product details

List price
$25.00 AUD
Total playing time
77 minutes 46 seconds
Venue
Littlejohn Chapel (tracks 6 and 7)
Melbourne Town Hall (tracks 3 and 4)
Our Lady of Victories' Church (track 19)
St. Andrews's Brighton (track 13)
St. Patrick's Cathedral (tracks 20—23 and 25)
Trinity College Chapel (tracks 8, 10, 11, 24, 26, 27 and 29)
Release date
2007
Copyright
© 2007 Move Records
Phonogram
℗ 2007 Move Records
Categories
Australian, Classical, Organ
Catalogue number
MD 3316
Alternate catalogue number
MD3316
Barcode
EAN 9314574331622