As I planned what to play for tomorrow’s organ voluntaries, my eye fell on an old book of pieces by Cesar Franck. It had been my father’s book, and I remember my nine-year old self playing one of the melodies on the oboe, as he played the rest of the lines. He loved France, French, and French organ music. Today, I realised that this particular volume was published by none other than one of ‘my’ Scottish music publishers – Bayley and Ferguson. What could be more appropriate to celebrate my new book, than to play our ‘duet’ from that particular anthology? (I had, moreover, already encountered the editor, Henderson, in my research. He’s mentioned in passing in Chapter 3.)
I don’t know when Dad got that book. It was published in 1953, and it has an oldish look to the cover design, so I imagine he got it not long after it was published.Wherever he was at the time, it has since spent decades in Norwich before eventually coming up to Glasgow, Bayley & Ferguson’s original home.
I must admit that the focus of my book means I didn’t make much mention of organ music, and definitely no mention of Cesar Franck! Looking at it, the Cesar Franck cover design is staid beyond its years. You wouldn’t think the sixties were just around the corner. Still, it’s the music that matters. I’ll enjoy playing it tomorrow, thinking of Dad as I do so. He would have been so pleased to see my published work – I can only hope he’s smiling from his fleecy cloud now!
Karen McAulay, Musicologist 