Organist’s case of music

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34097, 8 March 1976, Page 18

Organist’s case of music

•One suitcase full of musicl e and very few clothes comprised Miss Jennifer Bate’s luggage when she! ?. arrived for the Christ-1 church Arts Festival. 1 t Miss Bate, who in recent i years has made her name t; as a leading international; organ soloist, will give r two recitals in the Christchurch Cathedral, one to-' ri night and the other on 5 March 15. r Born in London, she started

I playing the organ at 14 under the tuition of her! father. Mr H. A. Bale.! who is a professional ! musician. Miss Bate is a full-time musician who does nothing except, concert ■ work. This was unusual for an organist, she said yesterday', as most other! players had church jobs or taught. She very rarely repeats the; same music at concerts!

and has brought with her | 50 solo pieces and three 1 concertos. One of these pieces is a work by the Maltese composer, i Charles Camilleri, “Invocation to the Creator.” Miss Bate will give the first performance in the; Southern Hemisphere of I this music and describes it as “something special.” Miss Bate said her career as ; a pipe-organ recitalist re-i ■ quired a lot of travel. 1 Sometimes she was

away from London for 40 or 50 weeks a year. ‘Some people say it is unfashionable to like the pipe-organ these days but I heartily disagree,” she said. Asked if she would ever change to electronic music, Miss Bate said, “No, the electronic organ is a different breed of machine—it. is rather like asking a racing driver if he would like to go on the dodgems.”.