Following my retirement I decided to prepare all thirteen of the Gilbert & Sullivan Operas so that any part, principal or chorus, could be supplied on CD. As a member of Rossendale Amateur Operatic Society, Blackburn Gilbert & Sullivan Society and The West Yorkshire Savoyards Appreciation Society I realised that these CDs would be a very useful rehearsal tool.
Indeed this proved to be the case, and my fellow members of these societies were very enthusiastic. Once the collection was complete in 2004, I decided to launch them at The International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival at Buxton with great success supplying CD’s not only in the U.K. but also overseas.
FEATURED ON
In 2006 at the start of The Buxton Festival, a World Record was set by performing all 13 Gilbert & Sullivan Operas non-stop in 13 different locations in a new record time of 28 hours 8 minutes. I am proud to have been part of this event, and also very honoured that my CD accompaniment was used for the performance of Ruddigore.
Since the completion of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas, I have been asked to provide CD’s for various works including The Zoo, Cox & Box, Haddon Hall, and Merrie England. Works by Mozart, Puccini, Strauss, Bizet, Handel and Offenbach followed and a full list may be found on the catalogue page.
Bespoke compilations can be supplied, and I am happy to undertake special commissions. Arion Male Voice Choir which is based in Nelson, Lancashire engaged me to provide rehearsal material for their members, and each new member of their choir is presented with a CD with their appropriate line.
TESTIMONIALS
Alistair Donkin
I listened with great interest to your sample CD. It is superb! So clear and easy to follow that even I understood Dick Deadeye’s line in the Act 1 Finale of Pinafore.
Julian Rye
For quick provision of high standard bespoke learning CDs and excellent value look no further than Notebashers. Many of our members have found them extremely helpful. Royal Choral Society
Julia Killick
Hi Notebashers, I would like to take this opportunity to say a Big Thank You to you. Without the aid of your Notebasher discs my life as an MD would have been a lot harder. These discs have enabled both the chorus and principals to have the luxury of a personal rehearsal pianist.
Ken Hollas
As Chairman of Nelson Arion Male Voice Choir, I have no hesitation in recommending Notebasher Rehearsal CD’s as an extremely useful rehearsal tool. Our choir ‘discovered’ Notebashers in 2004 and since that time their CD’s have been in constant use as a learning aid for our members. They enabled our members to hear their own part predominate, with the other parts played on the piano in the background. This last feature we found to be important as just hearing one part on the piano in isolation in the rehearsal room does not give singers any impression as to how the piece fits together, particularly as most of the music we sing is in 4 part harmony. Even some of our more experienced singers have remarked that until they listened to their CD’s they weren’t aware of how many wrong notes they had been singing for the last 20 years!
The Notebasher CD’s have the added advantage of being portable, enabling our members to practice at home, or even on the move.
Altogether a very worthwhile aid to learning and understanding choral music.
USEFUL LINKS
Wolverton Gilbert and Sullivan Society: www.wolvertongands.co.uk
Gilbert and Sullivan Archive (Webmaster - Alex Feldman)