Douglas Coombes, St Paul’s, 1956-58
Douglas, you studied at St Paul’s between 1956 – 58. I’m sure you have many memories of your time in Cheltenham. Do you have any particular memories that stand out?
Memories are many but some highlights include: Cooking breakfast on the Cheltenham Promenade in Rag week; the Volklaenders, a male voice choir a few of us founded and conducting them in their first concert and singing Wagner's Pilgrim's Chorus with the singers dressed in Sim's cloaks - the lights were dimmed and the singers really looking like pilgrims; Christmas concerts in the Chapel; first teaching practice and being observed by a lecturer (who shall be nameless) who congratulated me on the music lesson - and then admitted he knew nothing about music!; Rosina May, the 2nd year musical I composed with book and lyrics by Ivor Bryant & Stan White; producing Ibsen's The Doll's House; Acting in Tchecov's The Proposal - with Dave Churchill - in St. Mary's College reunion and having to come to terms with smoking a cigar (still don't smoke); Sundays night's leading the Bishop's Choir and singing in corridors around the dorms.
The University (as it is now) chapel is a special space to many people, do you recall your time spent there back in the 1950s? As a musician, I suspect you spent more time rehearsing there than most!
I always enjoyed the Sunday services especially and singing in the large chapel choir quite a wide repertoire from Tudor composers to early 20th century ones. One particular honour was being invited by George Budge, the Music lecturer ands Chapel choir conductor, to conduct the Volklaenders in the 1957 Christmas concert. We sang two modern carols - Sweet was the Song by John Graves and Nowell by Charles Talmadge. The music critic of the Gloucester Echo wrote: "Both composers were unknown to me. The Graves was most attractive music, not easy to sing, but well brought off by the singers, including the tenor soloist (Denis Wright) who made somrthing ineffably lovely of its closing moments."
Have you been back to Cheltenham in more recent years? Do you have any links to the town?
The only time I have been back to the college was earlier this year when discussion took place regarding the forthcoming Chapel celebrations. I do not have any links with the town as such though I have been back a couple of times conducting concerts in a couple of churches
Are you still in touch with any St Paul’s alumni?
I am mainly in touch with Ian Bernie, the year secretary.
Where do you currently live?
In a Georgian House in Potton, a small market town in East Bedfordshire, about 24 miles soth west of Cambridge.
Do you play musical instruments yourself and are you a singer?
I play piano, recorders and a wide range of percussion instruments. In the past I have dabbled with the violin and cello. Yes I do sing, not professionally, but I have studied voice in quite some detail
You have a highly prolific career, and it’s hard to single out any particular achievements. What are some of your most a) rewarding b) fulfilling and c) fun moments that you might like to share?
There are so many - too many to list here but here are some. I was Assistant Music Adviser to Norfolk LEA for 5 years where I learnt such a lot working with pupils and adults. I was given a free hand to experiment and try new things which has stood me in good stead ever since. My time at the BBC was tremendous, working on education programmes such as Singing Together and Time and Tune. Writing scripts, arranging for many of the country's leading musicians I booked for the programmes was a dream. I did some TV work but I did not like all the time it took to do a programme. I often did large concerts for children in many of the countries leading concert halls and cathedrals. One of the biggest children's choirs I conducted was one of 4,900 which was in Everton FC's stadium. I often work in the USA and one highlight was the first performance of my Requiem, written and first performed by the chorus and orchestra of The Mastersingers of Philadelphia in Daylesford Abbey (a Norbertine abbey) in 1997. I have worked in South Korea twice, the second time working with The Suwon Civic Choral, one the countries top professional choirs. In South Korea there are over 30 full-time professional choirs! Though I couldn't attend, I was trilled to see the DVD of the first performance in Russia at the St. Petersburgh Conservatoire of my Te Deum. The conductor was South Korean, the singers were Russian (singing in English) and the brass and percussion players were from various countries; it was a stunning performance with a great reception; with hindsight I would have cancelled what I was doing and would have been there. In 1988 I formed The New English Concert Orchestra, a professional orchestra. We have given many concerts but over the past 12 years we have played since they started for the Battle Proms in the grounds of various stately homes - Burghley House, Hatfield House, Blenheim Palace, Highclere Castle. Althorpe etc. In these concerts there are also 193 cannons and mortars, The Napoleonic Association, Fireworks and in the last couple of years a spitfire. Yes, we always play Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and also Beethoven's Battle Symphony. As far as we know the orchestra has now played the Beethoven more times than any other current orchestra in the world and certainly no one gives concerts any near the number of cannons and mortars we use. Yes it is noisy. We have never cancelled and have played in some very wet conditions which have never deterred crowds which vary from 4,000-8,000. Over the past 8 years I have also conducted large concerts for Barnardos, with children's choirs from 400 to over 1000 in such places as the Royal Albert Hall, Ely Cathedral, Leeds Town Hall, Royal Festival Hall etc. I have two choirs - a mixed choir and a womens choir, both over 50 strong. They are my hobbies! I founded the women's choir in 1978 and over the years they have done 9 Easter tours of the USA. We are planning the next one for 2011. We have sung in New York, at the United Nations, Washington, Chicago, Charlestown and many other places and alsways recieve a great reception. Since it started in 2002, I have been the music director of the BBC Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year. The 2009 competition went out around Easter. Working with these choirs is demanding but always rewarding and great fun. There is so much more but I think that'll do for now
Your new composition, Three Gloucestershire Dances will be premiered at the Chapel Centenary Concert. How did it come about that you agreed to write a piece of music for the event?
I have Ian Bernie to thank for that. He is the one to ask for further details.
The name suggests very clearly your influences for the piece! Tell us a bit more about the dances that have inspired you for this piece of music.
For this work I have taken three Gloucestershire Folk Tunes and used them as a foundation for the work using various forms such as variation and some dance styles. The pieces are quite rhythmic and though I suppose they could be danced to, perhaps as a ballet, they are concert pieces. What they are not are arrangements of melody.
What is the arrangement of the piece, is it choral or instrumental?
The work is scored for 3 Trumpets, 1 French Horn, 3 Trombones, Tuba and Timps doubling up on some percussion.
After the premiere, what happens to the composition – can we use it again?!
To start with the music will be available on hire from Lindsay Music, a publishing house run by my wife Carole. I am a partner but Carole does all the work. It may be published sometime in the future, but it will always be available.