Tony Newnham

Hi The NPOR survey for the Kingsgate Davison does say "address or specification doubtful" - in other words either the survey or the editor was suspicious about the info actually refering to the correct building/organ. Normally there would be a note of what the problem was, but I can't see one on that survey. Every Blessing Tony

Hi Yes - NPOR does have around a 12 month backlog. We're all volunteers, and put in what time we can! We are in the process of training new editors, so things might improve in a few months, once they've got into using the system. I would say, please send the info - we don't publish full addresses of private residences unless asked to - or they're already in the public domain, otherwise it's just "Private Residence" and the Town name. We will get round to entering the updates that we have - just be patient. NPOR has become a victim of its own success - and not only have we lost one editor recently, a couple of other of us have had health problems - but we will get there. Every Blessing Tony

There's an annual partial listing of work - mainly by IBO members, in the annual publication "Organ Building". The list for 2010 (published in last year's journal) shows 11 new organs, ranging from 3 stop box organs to 2 4m Cathedral instruments (Llandaff & St Edmundsbury). On top of that, there are rebuilds that are, in effect, a new organ but using some existing parts. We do try and list new organs on NPOR. Every Blessing Tony

Hi I watched the repeated on (Virgin) ITV player (I couldn't find it in the listings for BBC). There was a small group of brass players plus timps, so I wonder if the fanfare reeds were used at all. Every Blessing Tony

National Anthem this morning, followed by Charles Wesley's variations. Other hymns majoring on the Kingship of Christ. I'm planning some suitable jubilee-related music for a concert here on 7th July. Every Blessing Tony

Hi Sorry - When I eventually had time to pull the file of Choir & Organ magazines out, I discover that I only have one copy from 1999 - and needless to say, it's not the correct one. Every Blessing Tony

Hi I played the Jesus college organ briefly about 12 years ago, on a Cambridge Organists' Assoc visit. the aluminium action hadn't stood the test of time too well, and was pretty noisy then - everything else was still working well. I suppose that's the potential penalty for trying something that uses new materials for the application. I didn't notice the action being particularly heavy at that stage though. I'm a little sorry that the college didn't just have the action replaced - but they obviously had their reasons. Every Blessing Tony

I'll try and find the article later today. Tony

Hi I MAY have the article - it looks as if my copies of C&O start in 1997 - not sure when I'll have time to look though, so please let me know if anyone else has already come up with the article! Every Blessing Tony

Hi I'd second that - I have a copy. Every Blessing Tony

Hi For a small organ, http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N13335 is interesting. I played it quite a few times when we were in the area. The somewhat strange stop list (Open on the Great, Principal on the Swell) actually works very well, giving, with the other stops, 2 independent choruses - or couple the manual together for a full great effect. It's one of those organs where almost anything goes with anything else. Every Blessing Tony

I don't know about the current set up - but David Dunnett (who I knew when he was a teenager - and I was a lot younger) has been there as Organist for many years - he kindly allowed me to play the organ back in the 1990's - the last time we met. Obviously, something is going on, but what? every Blessing Tony

Hi Take a look at "Booth" on DBOB (accessible via the NPOR web site). It seems that Booth of Otley moved to Wakefield - and I don't have time to look further into the various other ramifications of the name. It's interested that several different Booths - and several different Nicholsons - apparently either unrelated or only distantly related - became organ builders in various places. Every Blessing Tony

Hi I sympathise. I've found from my work on NPOR that published information is often unreliable for various reasons. That's who on NPOR we make sure - at least on recent & current entries - that we know where the info came from. Every Blessing Tony

Hi Compton, on his smaller instruments, did use adjacent-octave extension. Yes, you do get missing notes sometimes - but in normal hymn playing they are almost unoticeable, whereas strict adherence to avoiding adjacent octave extensions (except on the pedal) can lead to a rather strange stop list, for example:- http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=E01317 (Southwell Cathedral Song School - a Grant, Deagans & Bradbeer extension organ) I've played this, and it works but I'd rather have the option of not drawing stops an octave apart on such a small instrument rather than having no easy option of, for example, flutes 8 & 4 on the same keyboard. It seems that small extension organs are making a bit of a comeback where space and presumably funds are limited - I entered one just yesterday on NPOR - see http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=D02060 for the original organ and E01881 for what Peter Colins has done to it. (N.B. I've not heard the instrument). A few other examples were mentioned in the "review of the year" in Organbuilding 2011. Every Blessing Tony

Hi Just the one Easter Day service. I played Noel Rawsthorne's "Postlude on Jesus Christ is Risen". It worked surprisingly well on our 5 stop + pedal pull downs organ. Every Blessing Tony

Hi I've never had a problem - even with near identical verses or parts of verses. Transitions are fine if the timing is right - but a slightly late press of the button can all too often mean that the music has started before the words are on screen. Still there are more important aspects t the effective use of projection than transitions (which I do use elsewhere, just not in hymn/song words). Every Blessing Tony

Hi We use a projector almost every week - and we do take care to lay the words out sensibly. The default is like a word processor - it makes the lines as long as the space allows - and the same with the number of lines on a page. Incidentally, a good big font (I use 36pt Ariel) and max of 6 lines on screen - ideally a dark blue background with bright yellow text, as that's the most readable colour combination, especially for those whose eyesight isn't what it once was! We adjust the line and page breaks in line with the text, even if it means using a couple of extra screens per verse. It's much easier to read if page breaks aren't in the middle of sentences! Also, having just a couple of words on the last screen just looks plain stupid. It is important to check the words are the same as the music copies - all too easy to draw a loud combination only to find it's totally inappropriate for the words that appear on screen! Unless you're using links between verses, the words should appear just as the previous verse ends - and with no fancy transitions - they take time, and can be distracting - a straight "cut" is all that's required. I rarely put words over pictures - a lot of churches do, but it requires great care - believe it or not, I was visiting a church and the projection of one song had words in white text superimposed on a background of ................... white cliffs! Not exactly easy to read. Every Blessing Tony

Hi The singing stopping usually gives the game away! Every Blessing Tony

Hi One verse too many is preferable - you just improvise an ending as if that's what you intended! Every Blessing Tony

Hi There's some comment about While Shepherds to Cranbrook (the correct name of the Ilkley moor tune) in "The New Oxford Book of Carols". Cranbrook was written, unsurprisingly, in Kent, not Yorkshire - and for a different hymn! (Later appropriated for "Ilkley Moor"). There's no problem singing it in Yorkshire, the vast majority of the congregation know how it goes and just sing t! Every Blessing Tony

Hi I second that. Reg was probably the best organ tuner that I've dealt with - he used to tune the little Spurden Rutt at Burnham on Crouch Baptist. Our prayers are with his family and friends. may he rest in peace. Every Blessing Tony

Hi That sort of attitude just shows how much the church values the instrument and quality of music. Henry Wilis will be pleased to know that the heating in my church is set to turn on in good time before the tuner's visit on Friday, so hopefully, the building will be up to Sunday temperatures. Every Blessing Tony

Hi Something a little different! I'm giving a concert of Christmas music with a difference on 10th December at Heaton Baptist Church, Bradford. (Laylands Lane, BD9 5PX) The concert is a mix of classical organ music for Christmas, played on the church's c.1820 chamber organ, and meditations on Christmas carols played on synthesiser and digital keyboards. There will also be a chance to sing a few favourite carols - and, of course - refreshments! Free admission - retiring offering for Baptist mission work. Poster on the church's Facebook page. (Heaton (Bradford) Baptist Church - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heaton-Bradf...36323246408412) Every Blessing Tony

Hi Most large - and some no so large - organs are driven by a 3-phase supply, and running all 3 phases into large buildings to (theoretically) equalise the load on the phases was pretty common. Smaller organ blowers will run quite happily on single phase. I know of one church where 3-phase mains was supplied solely for the organ blower - everything else was on just one phase. That led us a song & dance trying to find why the blower wouldn't run - until I found a blown fuse in one leg of the 3 phase supply! Every Blessing Tony