Many condolences to Clavicembalo's family. From his posts he seemed a really nice man, and an inspiring teacher.

Agreed. Very sad and shocking news.

Love and prayers to his family and friends.

RIP David.

So very sorry to read this extremely sad news. I will miss his witty and intelligent posts and send sincerest sympathy to all those who were close to him.

I've only just seen this thread, and I feel like I've been kicked in the stomach. I can't believe it. This is devastatingly sad news.

Clavi & I spent a lot of time discussing DipABRSM via PM. In our last conversation, we chatted about Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin, and how he was keen to embark upon learning the Prelude and the Fugue from it. Le Tombeau de Couperin is a suite of 6 pieces. Each piece is dedicated to a friend of Ravel who passed away in the First World War. How ironic that Clavi should pass away before having learnt the Prelude & Fugue. You can most certainly count on me playing a piece or two from Le Tombeau at a forum event next year.

RIP Clavi.

Shocked, shocked, shocked.

I didn't know Clavicembalo personally, but always appreciated his wisdom and wry humour in his contributions.

Condolences to all who are affected by his passing, as I am. He will be sadly missed.

My music teacher mentioned today in music that the term "clavicembalo" was another term for harpsichord, and the odd thing was that we weren't even really discussing harpsichords at the time... I nearly burst into tears in the middle of music class.

Such very sad news.

I was always pleased to see when he had posted a comment on a thread, as I knew that what had been written would make for enjoyable reading. I'm so glad he found us here, even though he was only able to stay with us for far too short a time. Rest in Peace.

Condolences to his family and friends.

So very sorry to hear the sad news, it really does put everything else into perspective..

RIP David

xx

Sleep Peacefully Clavicembalo x

I don't think I've ever read an 8 page thread, but I've spent so long reading every post on this one.
Whenever I was in a hurry, I would just look to see in which threads clavicembalo had been the last poster and read those. The fact that he managed to prove himself to be so enthusiastic and cheerful online is such a testament to how amazing a person he must have been in real life.
R.I.P David. May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

I didn't know clavicembalo, but am also saddened by his early death. I don't think I can add anything to the wonderful tributes written here, but it says much about a person that he can inspire so many tributes - I hope he knew how much he was appreciated on the forums.

I'm very sad to hear this. Like so many other posters here I always made it a point to read any thread that Clavicembalo had contributed to, knowing that it would be worth reading (whether funny, insightful or just plain interesting). Although I don't post very often I do drop in regularly to keep up with things and will miss his contributions to the life of the forum.

I've just been thinking about the last Baroque day. I can't help but try to imagine how ridiculous David and I must have looked sitting together at that tiny harpsichord, playing along together for Katyjay's all-group ensemble!

Real shame we won't be able to repeat it this time around.

I'm so glad he had some great times and laughs, especially at the events in the time he was a member here. I'm glad to have been a small part of something that obviously made him very happy.

When I started contributing to the forums again, I was really encouraging about his next diploma attempt, and it is really sad he will never take it.

Although I never met him, his posts were always warm and witty.

This thread reminds me of the encouragement all the forumites gave me when I was ill three years ago and again, via facebook when I accidentely had an immolation experience in January, and it is testament to all of you how heartfelt your feelings are here. I think this says a lot about the who contribute, who David met and made music with.

Skylark, the Photos are beautiful and moving. Bev, although it is sad news, thank you for sharing it.

Rest in Peace David, and play that piano in the celestial sphere!

JoD

Okay, so the sight of the two of you did make it more difficult for me to put my usual grumpy frown round the beak of my recorder - but ridiculous? Never! Besides, the music emanating from that side of the room was amazingly together - no mean feat on an instrument which can have an uncertain touch at the best of times, even with only one person playing it . And okay, I seem to remember a "whoops, hang on, where are we?" or similar at one point - but there were matching ones to those coming from elsewhere too. The only problem is it's harder to articulate that round the aforementioned recorder whilst playing .
And yes, it really is a great shame that there can't be a repeat of that: it was fun.

This is very sad news. My condolences to his family and friends.

Requiescat in pace.

This is terribly sad. I'm still a bit shocked at the news. (I wasn't around the forums much lately so wasn't even aware he was unwell...) I never met Clavi but have enjoyed discussing with him (via pm) various composers and piano repertoire and was looking forward to chatting to him at the November playday -- now I'll never get the chance I loved reading his posts and I know I'll definitely miss his contributions.

Condolences to his family and friends.

Just heard the sad news yesterday from Solari and Panthera! I can still hardly believe it!

A wonderful chap. Apart from his great music, we had some great conversations at Dyrham.

He will indeed be sorely missed!

I barely come on this part of the forum and have only just seen this.

I am really shocked I never met him but we had many chats on here and on PM. I was looking forward to meet him at the November event.

Rest in peace David, you will be missed.

Sad news, condolences to his family and friends

What awful, ghastly news!!!!

Like Solari, when I saw the thread title I thought - and hoped - it might just have been a joke.

I have been off the Forum for a few days so I hadn't yet missed our dear clavicembalo's daily contributions ... I don't think the death of someone who I didn't know in person has ever been so upsetting. In such a short time David made a huge difference here on the Forum, not only contributing wit and humour but also great erudition, advice for those stumbling, encouragement for the fainthearted... I can only imagine how painful the loss of his generous spirit will be to those whom he touched in person.

At least we can give thanks for having had the pleasure and benefit of having him with us for the last year or so.

I didn't know Clavicembalo, although I was very much looking forward to seeing how his DipAbrsm worked out this time, so it has been shocking to discover this thread. It has been lovely, though, to read all these tributes by people who did know him, and I hope his family will take some comfort from the genuine affection and loss expressed here.

I have been off the forum for a bit due to work / study pressures and am so socked and saddened to see this. His comments always put a smile on my face. He will be sorely missed by so many. RIP xx

I, too, have only just seen this, and can't quite take it in. I'd noticed he hadn't been posting recently, but hadn't thought anything of it. Like so many others who have already posted, I will really miss his intelligent and witty comments. My thoughts are with his family, friends and also those he taught - he will be so much missed.

I heard from David's sister regarding the funeral. I have copied and pasted as it's easier .

Hi Bev

Regarding David's funeral, I have added below a copy of what we have put in the local paper. I would be grateful if you could let others know. David really enjoyed the forum and the opportunities it gave him to play although we had not talked much about it yet as he didn't come to stay with Mum in the summer this year. We are so glad he had such a rich musical life. Isn't technology wonderful for allowing people to share their interests. With best wishes, Helen





We wish to inform you of the death of David Williams, beloved son, brother, uncle and friend. He died unexpectedly after a short illness on Saturday 16th October. You would be most welcome to attend the short service at Cheltenham Crematorium at 2.30 on Tuesday 2nd November but you may prefer to join us for a service of thanksgiving and remembrance at Balcarras School at 4pm.

Family flowers only but any contributions to a memorial fund should be made out to Balcarras School and ?David Williams? written on the back.


I know Gerald is going to the funeral, so if anyone wants to send a cheque for the fund, Gerald has agreed to take them on the day.

Bev

Thank you for that, Bev. I'll sort out a cheque for Gerald to give him at Solari's event next Saturday.

Thank you for letting us know, Bev.

It appears that the invitation to the funeral service as it appears in the local newspaper is not restricted to family, so I may decide to go to both that and the service of thanksgiving and remembrance at the school.

So will I. Thanks for letting us know, Bev.

What shocking news. When I read the title, the first thought that came to mind was David's forum awards and I was trying to work out another meaning for RIP. Condolences to David's family and friends.

Thinking of everyone : David's friends, family and all attending the funeral today.

Likewise, I'd missed the update post by Bev, and unfortunately can't make it, although I'd liked to have attended. Hope he has a good send-off. I'll have a pint for him on the way home tonight.

Have just caught up. Will be thinking of David and his family and close friends and those from the forums who will be able to be present at one or other of the two services this afternoon. I hope the funeral will be a celebration of David's life and a comfort to those who remain behind.

Gerald is there to represent us all.

I decided to attend both services today. The first was attended by just 18 people, 14 family and 4 friends. One of these turned out to be David's gardener and the other a cleaner at the school who knew him for many years. The service was quite simple, some readings, prayers, three hymns and a short tribute to David's life by the minister. Afterwards, I introduced myself to David's mother and his two sisters. They were delighted that someone from here had attended, and started asking me questions about what he did on this Forum. When I said that I had in fact prepared some words to say at the school if they deemed it appropriate, they were very keen to hear what I had to say and asked me to speak with the organiser.

This man was a bit taken by surprise, mainly because he had prepared a beautiful, printed programme with a nice picture of David on the front playing piano. But he quickly found a slot for me, between the senior choir singing one of David's compositions - a Christmas Carol - and a young lady music student playing two Einaudi pieces on piano. When I went into the school hall it was absolutely packed with people - pupils, staff and friends. My guess is that there were over 300 people there.

The service was a Thanksgiving and Remembrance Service, so various people spoke about their memories of David, which of course included some emotional ones and some funny ones. David's sisters did a double act talking about his family life, then his piano teacher played the Andante from Schubert's Sonata Opus 120. A lady from the school played a composition based on mathematical interpretations of David's names, and we were handed a sheet explaining the logic behind it. You will know exactly what I mean when I say it could have been written by David himself! It seems that he was a very keen composer. Three members of staff gave their different memories and this was followed by a video of the maths department, of which David had been a member, doing "The Maths Haka". After the choir had sung Rutter's 'Carols of the Children' (which is based on his Chanson from Suite Antique) and 'The Three Kings" (David's own composition and to my mind just as lovely) I was asked to speak. I am going to place here now the text which formed the basis of what I said. It varied a little when I gave it (a typical Gerald performance - why break a habit?) to take into account other things that had been said about David and which did not need repeating.

David's Memorial Service Tribute

The ABRSM have a Forum where like-minded musicians of all ages can post messages, mostly about music but in fact also about anything at all. I would like to say a few words on behalf of all David's friends on this Forum.

David joined last year in November choosing the Forum name of Clavicembalo. He announced to us that he had passed Grade 8 piano and was planning to take a Diploma some time in the future. He very quickly established himself as a frequent poster, covering a multitude of subjects. His knowledge of piano and organ playing and the musical repertoire in general proved to be extremely comprehensive. And so too was his knowledge of maths, a subject on which he often tried to educate us - but I have to add that through no fault of his own this was with varying degrees of success. He quickly became renowned for short witty comments in addition to his longer contributions. He joined in with the Private Messages in which he would give comments or advice directly to people in a private form rather than in the public space - David and I exchanged some ourselves and I know that he did the same with other members of the Forum.

He also began last December to involve us in his plans for, and his approach to, taking his Diploma, and his story became a compelling saga for many of us. He was very open with his remarks, even more so just after he had taken the exam. He started a countdown to getting the result, using some quite complicated maths, and this had us biting our fingernails in anticipation. Yet, when the result was not as he had hoped, he was quick to analyse his performance in an honest fashion, work out what his new plan should be, and start to implement it. In this he was a shining example to every one of us whose ambitions are not fully realised at the first attempt.

Some of our Forum members organise days when we can meet up to play music together. David went to his first event in April this year at the Dyrham Park National Trust property, where a group of us played in the great hall while the visitors wandered through. David was kind enough to accompany me while I played some flute pieces and I was immediately impressed with his skills as an accompanist. I have learned today that this was something he did on very many occasions, both here at the school and at such things as the Cheltenham Festival. He also showed his skill at sight reading when Beverley, whom some of you have been in contact with, asked if he would try out with us a Delibes piece for two flutes and piano. He impressed everyone with his solo piano playing skills, including a series of variations on the theme of Happy Birthday in the style of different composers. Then when we all met up for dinner, we learned that he was great company in a social environment. David and I played together again in May in London and this time the harpsichord was the main keyboard instrument. He showed us how well he could play with the lightest of touches. I know that David also attended an event in Cardiff, and he was very pleased to meet in person more people from the Forum with whom he communicated.

It was about this time that I discovered that David was a composer. He sent me a piece and in his e-mail he said "I have composed an Andante Grazioso for two flutes and harpsichord - a baroque style piece - and wondered whether you fancied having a go at this piece with Bev some day at one of your practices?". He did not assume we would perform it, but it has now been given one performance last Saturday and was very well received. Bev and I will be playing it this coming Sunday at Birmingham and we had been trying to persuade David to join us to play the harpsichord part for us.

During each summer, one of our members organises on the Forum a light-hearted bit of fun called the Annual Awards, and the members are invited to vote for each other in the various categories. David came third in Most Cheerful Poster, second in Member of the Year, and won three awards - Most Humorous Poster, Most Enjoyable Poster, and the Best Newbie (that is someone who joined within the last 12 months). All of this goes to show how well-liked he was by the Forum members. He had told us he was not well, but gradually his absence from the Forum was being noticed. As soon as we learned of his sad passing, the tributes immediately came in, and not just from those who were fortunate enough to have met him in real life. I want to read you a typical example from someone who writes from Costa Rica:

"I don't think the death of someone whom I didn't know in person has ever been so upsetting. In such a short time, David made a huge difference here on the Forum, not only contributing wit and humour but also great erudition, advice for those stumbling, and encouragement for the fainthearted. I can only imagine how painful the loss of his generous spirit will be to those whom he touched in person. At least we can give thanks for having had the pleasure and benefit of having him with us for the last year or so."

I am sure this person speaks for all of us on the ABRSM Forum.



There then followed 'Ancora' and 'Nefeli' by Einaudi and the service ended with a poem composed by the organiser. He explained that it was David's custom to compose a poem for every member of staff who left the school and so this had been written for when David went into semi-retirement two years ago. It rather poignantly ended with reference to David "playing the piano in school, but not any more" and there were many including myself who shed a few tears at that moment.

During the refreshments that followed, many people came up to me, including David's two sisters, to thank me for my words. I responded by saying that all I had done was to give them some of the details of his life with us, and express some of the emotions which his friends here had felt about him. David's sisters knew he had been very happy here with us, but knew very little of the details, and were grateful to know more. The last word came from his mother, who when I was about to leave, asked me to sit down again and talk to her for a few minutes about David.

I am so glad I went, and now I can truly say that David, our Clavicembalo, really does rest in peace.

Thank you very much, Gerald - for being there, for representing us, as David's friends here, and for giving us a glimpse into the day.

Seconded.

Perhaps everybody on the forums would think that a day of silence on the forums would be appropriate as a mark of respect to Clavicembalo, who is obviously very much missed. How about this Friday perhaps?

Thirded.

What a beautiful post, Gerald.

Thank you so much for attending on our behalf and for speaking so eloquently. I am sure your words must have been very touching for his family, friends and colleagues to hear.

That was a very moving account of the day, Gerald. I'm so glad you were able to go and give his family some insight into David's activities with the forum, and how well he was thought of here. What a wonderful and fitting tribute to him that so many people attended the commemoration service.

RIP David

Not entirely sure that's what he would have wanted at all.

Thank you gedall40.

I think he'd prefer that we all went crazy and tried to make 100 posts in a day!

To Gerald: Thank you so much for representing us all today. Gutted I couldn't make it but I'm glad to hear he had a good sending off.

Thank you gedall40 for representing us at the services, and I enjoyed reading your long and detailed post I'm afraid I'm in agreement with Seer_Green on this one...

Car Expert

Gerald, thank you so much for taking the time to type all of that out. It was very comforting to read.

Well done Gerald.

Thank you, Gerald, for representing us at the services. I know that I will be missing Clavicembalo at our Dyrham Park event next month. RIP.

Thank you for representing all of us, Gerald, and for sharing your experience of the day.

And thank you, David, for passing on your wit and knowledge to all of us.

"Plaudite, amici, commedia finita est"

Tears running down my face.
Such a beautiful post Gerald. I'm so glad his sisters got to know how well respected and loved he was on the forums

Gerald, thank you for representing everybody who enjoyed Clavi's actual or virtual friendship, and for your thoughtful post on the celebrations of his life.