Tonight’s meeting (26th October) is centred around Bach’s Goldberg Variations and presented by Jeremy Barlow. Something of a contrast from the presentation two weeks ago!
It was always believed that the piece was created to help a Russian ambassador to get to sleep and to be performed by a young harpsichordist he employed, one Johann Goldberg.
The story is probably apocryphal and the gold coins and goblet Bach was supposed to have been given were never found in his effects when he died. But it’s a good story.
Today, they are more popular than ever so tonight’s review of the various recordings should be a treat.
Rhythm – memories – unusual sound – experimental – original – repetitive – strangely moving – different – modern – odd combinations – slow build up of harmonies – tedious – chords – exploratory – exciting – polyrhythmic. I suppose one could say all these things about Reich and we spent the evening exploring his music guided by Alan Doel (pictured).
Alan played some interviews of Reich where he explained some of the reasoning behind his compositions, how he takes a chord and varies its combinations in repeated elements. His start in San Francisco was working with various tape machines to create a mix of sound. One of his early influences was Stravinsky’s Right of Spring but also JS Bach – something of a contrast.
A remarkable piece the composer performed with Wolfram Winkel involved rhythmic clapping with everchanging phrases. The strange thing I found is that I was aware of when it was going to end – hard to explain but there you are.
Music for 18 Musicians was played the musicians included wind, strings, xylophone and singers. Typical of his work it was a simple set of themes endlessly repeated with variations. Other works included ‘It’s Gonna Rain‘ and ‘Runners‘.
Another piece featured was music for 4 Organs and maracas which was first performed in Carnegie hall to a less than ecstatic reception. It takes a single 7 note chord and combines them and recombines then to a climax. The use of maracas reminds one of Philip Glass.
There was a moving film of a piece called Different Trains where he contrasts his own train journeys in America in contrast to the terrible train journeys endured by Jews in Germany and how his own life might have turned out differently (he is Jewish).
An accessible piece some of us thought was Music for Eight Pieces of Wood the wood being claves that is, hollowed out tubes each of a different pitch. There was a strong primitive feel to the composition and reflects Reich’s desire to do as much as he can with minimal resources.
Reich claims he is influenced by a French composer from the 12th Century called Pérotin about whom little is known (even his name) who left behind a small body of work the simplicity of which one can see might be appealing to him.
What to make of him as a composer? He is regarded as influential both in the classical world but also in jazz and popular music. Some say he is accessible arising from the lack of complexity in his work. He scorns a base line he says because it tends to dominate the form of a composition. It is argued that the idea of repeated rhythm somehow captures the modern world.
Wittgenstein is sometimes quoted who said ‘how small a thought it takes to fill a whole life’ which seems to sum him up well.
Alan was thanked for the work in putting this presentation together and giving us an insight into an important minimalist composer.
Next meeting on 26 November focuses on the Goldberg Variations by JS Bach.
Our next meeting will be on 12th October when Alan Doel will present ‘Steve Reich at 90’ and take us a pulsating journey from Minimalism. Starts at 7:30 and parking is free to the rear of the Guides Centre.
Apology: the committee would like to apologise for those who were unable to make entry last evening. The main gates are usually left open for us but were securely locked last evening. We hope this will not happen again.
September 2026
I suspect for most people, their musical tastes evolve through their lifetime. Early experiences are likely to be from more popular sources with memorable tunes and lyrics which may chime in with experiences you were having at that time in your life. As time goes by, your tastes change and new composers or songwriters enter your life sometimes quite suddenly. Music you may have heard before and meant nothing, suddenly strikes a chord and a new vista of listening opens up. Music – and other art forms – have this capacity to touch us at an emotional level and as we go through life, our affinity to different composers and musical forms changes with us.
It was these themes which Roy Bexon (pictured) touched on with his presentation last evening. Like many people of a certain vintage, they have lived through some exciting times on the musical front. This applies to the technology – stereo, the development of the LP, then hifi – all have had their effects on people’s ability to enjoy music, and to the range and styles of music being created. Recently there have been CDs and now streaming.
Roy took us through his life of music. He is president of the Salisbury Music Society and has been so for a number of years.
As you can see from the playlist below it is an eclectic list to say the least. Roy is a keen singer and he spoke of his participation in concerts here and in Germany.
He spoke of his first experience, the Walt Disney piece from Pinocchio and played Paul McCartney’s Eleanor Rigby composition with the Beatles: an early if not the earliest, example of pop groups using orchestral strings. His gradual appreciation of Mahler and Bach is also evident.
Leigh Harline, Ned Washington – “When you wish upon a Star” from the soundtrack of Pinocchio – Cliff Edwards and the Disney Studio Chorus
John Lennon, Paul McCartney – “Eleanor Rigby” – The Beatles
Judy Collins – “Albatross”, from the album “Wildflowers”
J.S Bach – “Kyrie Eleison” from Mass in B minor BWV 232
Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 3, 5th Movement (beginning) – “Bimm Bamm”)
Claudio Monteverdi – Vespers of 1610 – No. 7 – Duo Seraphim
Vaughan Williams – Suite for Viola and Orchestra (1934) – Ballad
Benjamin Britten – War Requiem (excerpt)
Tylman Susato – Danserye (excerpt) – David Munrow
Nigel Westlake – That’ll Do Pig, That’ll Do, from film “Babe” (1995)
Jay Ungar & Molly Mason – Ashokan Farewell
Interval
Giuseppe Verdi – Tuba Mirum from the Messa da Requiem
Richard Stilgoe – “Mrs Beamish”
David Fanshawe – Call to Prayer (Kyrie) from African Sanctus (1972)
Vaughan Williams – Alleluia from “The Pilgrim’s Progress”, Act IV
Ieuan Rees-Davies – Close Thine Eyes – The Treorchy Male Voice Choir
J.S Bach – “Dona Nobis Pacem” from Mass in B minor BWV 232.
It was a hugely enjoyable evening which nearly wasn’t with the gate problem. It is one of the distinctive features of the Society that we can enjoy such a wide range of interesting material from a speaker like Roy who has had a keen interest in the subject during his life.
The next meeting is on 12th October and is around the highly original American composer Steve Reich.
Our first meeting in this new season will be at 7.30 on Monday 28th September 2026, when we shall be very pleased to welcome Roy Bexon of Salisbury MusicSociety who will present “My life and music”.
For existing members of the Society at this meeting our annual membership fee of £25 will be due. This is unchanged from last year. It will be gratefully received in cash or by cheque payable to SRMS. We regret cannot accept payment by card. For visitors it will be £5.
The programme is available on our previous post and hard copies are in Salisbury, Wilton and Amesbury libraries and in the Tourism Office in Butcher Row. If members who live elsewhere know of other places to display them, space copies will be available on Monday.
Last year was a great success and we were pleased to welcome some new members. This year’s programme is equally interesting …
We are pleased to publish our programme for the new season which contains lots of interest for listeners to classical music. The printed version will be in the Library and in the Tourism Centre in Salisbury soon.
You can see it is an interesting programme with a wide variety of topics and speakers on a diverse range of themes. We have a large screen in the room so we can display visual material as well.
Copies of the programme are in the TIC, Salisbury, and the libraries in Wilton, Amesbury and Salisbury.
At £5 – less if you sign up for the whole season – it is a good value evening. We kick off on 28th so we may see you there …
Next season’s programme is in the final stages of preparation and will be posted here soon. Copies will also be in the Library and the TIC in Butcher Row.
The chair of the Society, Peter Horwood, has written a brief review of the 2025/26 season just ended. He says “the Society continued to offer its members and visitors a hugely varied and entertaining programme across its fourteen evenings. Spanning centuries and genres, subjects included the music and life of Delius, Gordon Jacob, Eric Satie and Alan Hovhaness. Themed evenings including a mixed selection of music for wind ensemble, a fascinating lecture on Black musicians in England 1500-1800 and the music they played, and an interesting evening on Iberian music. The latter provided a reminder of the fine, but unaccountably neglected music of the Portuguese composer, Jolly Braga Santos.
“A particularly memorable evening was provided by professional cellist Catherine Wilmers, who along with her selection of recorded music themed on cello and piano music by British women composers, took up her cello and played some memorable encores. Catherine’s career included playing with several leading London orchestras and the Society was privileged to be visited by such a talented artist.
“In addition, the Society held two members evenings where members were encouraged to bring along music to share and relate what they found particularly appealing about their chosen pieces.
“Another highlight from the season included an intriguing presentation titled ‘Murder, Mishap and Misfortune’ that related, with musical examples, the strange and unexpected deaths of lesser-known composers. Bizarrely this apparently grisly subject offered some moments of great amusement!”
New season
The programme for the new season is all but complete with just a few text additions waiting finalising. It kicks off on Monday 28th September. It has a diverse range of presentations on music for brass, Steve Reich, 21st Century music, Schubert and much else. The addition of a screen in the Guide’s Centre means presentations can include visual material which adds interest and background.
We look forward to seeing you again in the Autumn.
The Society’s last meeting of the year ended on a high note with an evening devoted to music from the Iberian peninsula. But before discussing that, a few words about the season and the Society.
It has been a successful year with a diversity of interest and new discoveries. Although we are a ‘recorded’ music society we did actually have a ‘live’ recital this year when the celebrated ‘cellist Catherine Wilmers brought her instrument and played some pieces for us.
The Society can do what concerts find hard to do which is to explore the by-ways of the music scene, playing long-forgotten music by sometimes undeservedly long-forgotten composers. We can also focus on a single composers bringing to life some of their lesser known work.
We have a mixture of home grown presenters who gave excellent and well researched evenings about American composers, the English composer Delius and Eric Satie, the eccentric Frenchman. Others spoke about wind ensembles, Black musicians and an intriguing evening discussing the unexpected deaths of some composers. We welcomed guest presenters who spoke on the Ballets Russe and the work of Gordon Jacob.
Presentations have been helped in the last couple of years with a screen which enables visual presentations linked to our hi-fi. It broadens what we can play and allows us to watch and listen to an historic performance. It has had a definite and positive effect on the scope of our presentations.
We have welcomed new members this year and which bodes well for the Society in the coming years. So back to the last evening…
Iberian music
We were delighted welcome back Simon Coombs (pictured) who devoted his presentation around the Iberian peninsular with music from Spain and Portugal. Listeners to Classic FM will undoubtedly be aware of the Rodrigo’s Concerto Aranjuez which – if it were possible to wear out a CD – would be on its last legs by now, but other works by that composer seldom get a look in: a pity. We heard his Concerto Andaluz which is worth listening to.
Albeniz is another composer who gets occasional air time as of course does Manuel de Falla. But their ‘lesser’ or should we say less familiar works, often don’t get played. We have noted before that some composers have a handful of compositions which can drown out other pieces of their oeuvre.
Few, one suspects, have heard of Braga Santos and the extract from his 4th Symphony was a revelation. The full play list is attached.
As ever, Simon has used his deep knowledge of music to explore the by-ways and bring to life and to our attention work which is frequently overlooked. We were delighted with his presentation and a worthy coda to the season. The full playlist is below.
Next season
We are well advanced with the new season which starts at the end of September. It us a full programme with a number of special evenings. We will be producing the printed programme in July or perhaps August and will be available here and printed copies in the Tourism office and Salisbury Library.
Like all clubs and societies, we depend on volunteers to help run things so if you do have some time to come on to our committee, we would be pleased to see you. We have divided up the various functions so individual tasks do not take up much time.
Well, another season comes to an end and we are delighted to welcome back Simon Coombs who will entertain us with the music of the Iberian peninsular.
It has been an excellent year with a wide range of topics (see previous posts) and although we call ourselves the ‘recorded’ music society, we have had a live performance this year and much greater use of the big screen now available in the Guides’ Centre. This has enabled us to explore some historic performances captured on film and broaden our experience of the music. We have been pleased to welcome several new members this year.
The programme is all but finalised for 2026/27 and will be published sometime in the summer – August probably. On we go …
