Monday 1 March 2010

I know, I know...

However I cannot but post on the following subject. Mr (yes, dear reader) Stanley Vann, erstwile organist of Pizzaborough Cathedral, coItalicmposer, conductor, choir-trainer and church musician par excellence has just celebrated his 100th birthday. He will, no doubt, have received some form of congratulatory communication from 'Her Majesty'. (Probably a text-message or a tweet or something similar, but no matter.) What he will not have received, but so richly deserves, is a Knighthood.

Now let me be quite clear: I am not one to advocate the bestowing of gongs on those for whom achievement seems to be synonymous with longevity. There is no especial merit in avoiding the inevitable shuffling off for longer than your neighbour. But Mr (oh dear) Vann has achieved so much in his century, far more in fact that all the obsequieous, toadying boobies in Whitehall for whom a Knighthood seems to be the equivilent of the long-service carriage clock. And he has achieved a great deal more than certain foul-mouthing, masticating, cheque-book wielding, referee-abusing managers of Association Football clubs whose enoblement has so debased the currency of our British Honours.


So why no public recognition? Is it that Mr (ooooh) Vann laboured for so long in the unfashionable habitations of the East Midlands? (I refuse to call it Cambridgeshire; Peterburger is not and never has been in Cambridgeshire; it is part of Northamptonshire. One simply cannot go around shoving cathedral cities into neighbouring counties on a whim. Mind you, one shouldn't go around re-naming cathedral cities either, but they renamed the rather splendid Gildenburgh... But that's another matter.)


So let us join forces and wish Mr (how much longer?) Stanley Vann if not many, then at least a few more happy returns of the day. (One has to be realistic in such matters.) And let us agitate as a matter of urgency for the great man's long overdue recognition.


8 comments:

Z said...

I understand that a commemorative CD has been issued. Rather more appropriate than a knighthood, in some ways. Happy returns to Mr Vann, and to you too, Can Bass.

KeyReed said...

It's actually Dr. Vann. I was chorister of his from 1969-1971.

Kevin Musgrove said...

egad! welcome back sir, and more power to your elbow with your campaign

Rob Clack said...

Had a quick listen and I'm going to have to make more time to do so again. Psalm chants I listened to sounded nice, but the anthem sounded very exposed. I can just hear our soprano soloist going flat!

Nota Bene said...

Time for one of those petitions on the Downing Street website I think...

xerxes said...

I go to Peterborough to get a new passport and play poker with pikeys. Our universes are, if not parallel, then at least disjoint.

C said...

As one of Stanleys ex-choristers I can say that this is something that is long overdue.

The Poet Laura-eate said...

Let me know when the march on Parliament is. I will be sure to join it.

Good to see you back CB1. It is terribly worrying when valued blogging brethren just disappear off the face of the earth like that!