ptindall

The old organs in Italy which weren't left dormant for ages were ruined, as in every other country. That's the point!

He moved quite a while ago. I don't think it was his idea. Jeremiah Stephenson has been acting organist for some months.

"minor, reversible changes". Anyone who believes this is living in cloud-cuckoo land.

Welcome to Ruffatti?

Although the HTB organ has been restored recently, it is only used for weddings when requested, not on Sundays. Most HTB plants don't use the organ, if any.

Well, it was restored by Harrisons in 1999 when the RSCM owned Cleveland Lodge. This is the very first Orgelbewegung organ in Britain, by a long way. Since the Conservatoire is an entirely new, purpose built building it seems they just don't care. Out of fashion.

Isn't it strange how, when all the fine words have been spoken, all concert halls end up with the same sort of huge shouty-frenchy instrument, more often than not built by the same two builders?

The BBC is far advanced in plans to replace the Maida Vale studios with a new music centre at the Olympic Park in East London. Among other things, it will have a new hall large enough for public concerts with full choir and orchestra, equipped with adjustable acoustics (The BBCSO usually gives concerts at present in the Barbican Hall, which is a squeeze, and Maida Vale has only space for 200 audience. At the moment, there is no provision for an organ. Other recent radio halls have them, for instance in Copenhagen, Paris and soon in Katowice. From another point of view, perhaps thought ought to be given to a new home for the historic Compton organ at Maida Vale, since it is almost certainly going to be replaced with housing.

'most organ builders would be at the least rather circumspect about ripping out an original action.' Unfortunately, I think this is a great deal too optimistic in Britain.

The Birch organ is now in St. Michael, Walthamstow.

Gray & Davison exhibited an organ with a case decorated by J.P. Seddon at the International Exhibition of 1862, rather than the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was illustrated that year in the Illustrated London News, and is now in St. Peter, Aldborough Hatch. The organ at Stowlangtoft is very similar, but the decoration differs in detail. Seddon did not start in practice until 1852, when he was 24.

"There was a contrivance to give a tremulous motion to the bellows, which stop is, I believe, called a 'tremulant,' but I did not like the unsteady effect it produced." So, Vincent Novello had not seen a tremulant until 1829, when he visited the Heilig Geist Kirche in Heidelberg. (A Mozart Pilgrimage, 1975 London edition, p. 296)

BBC Studio 1, Maida Vale still has the illuminated stop controls. The organ sounded remarkably convincing at a Christmas concert, especially considering how little it is used.

One of the problems with wholesale replacement of any part of an organ, such as the action, is that the eager custodians are tempted to do other things as well, such as altering the physical arrangement of the instrument, the soundboards or the winding. To say nothing of tonal alterations to satisfy 'the changed role of the organ' or the 'more sophisticated technical demands....of contemporary organ music'. Bright and shiny reasoning is always produced as to why these changes should be made,, but the result has been that almost every British cathedral or pseudo-cathedral organ has been constantly transformed, at enormous cost, and it is always a triumph. Until thirty years later. Since the Bristol organ is uniquely, comparatively little altered, surely it should be restored in its present state?

. The implication in the website articles is to dump the 1907 action in favour of something else. So much for 'historic and sensitive restoration.' There are plenty of pneumatic actions in Germany which seem to have been restored satisfactorily, and even a few in this country.

I've not seen it mentioned in English-language sources that the Kern firm, surely France's busiest of the last fifty years, closed down in 2015. Important contracts in Alsace now seem to be going to Quentin Blomenroeder of Haguenau (Marrmoutier and other Silbermann organs). He has also restored the famous Kern at Saint-Séverin in Paris.

Why do the glossy British organ magazines have so many adverts and "editorials" for American organ-builders? They sell hardly anything here.

Professor Peter Williams, Bach expert and organist, has died, I

brilliant speech from Nigel on why he resigned as a Magistrate on the Today programme just now

Oh dear. I now have an earworm. Thank you David. On the other hand I can see that the "Now is the Month of Maying" Kyrie has many virtues. Concise, excellent music and not too hard. Much worse service settings have been written. Charpentier's mass is no sillier an idea.

Well. it's been a scandal for decades ....all other comments have been redacted because of the increasing restrictions on free speech in our free and fair country

Well, it looks as though the re-pitching is going ahead. The cost is £410K. For not much more than this quite a big new organ (30 stops?) could be built in the cathedral, at modern pitch. Madness!

To me this (the brief comment on the Harrison website) means: who knows? 'New Layout' could mean anything including 'much louder.' Winchester and Westminster Abbey became a lot louder after the 1980s rebuilds. I know that technically King's is not a Cathedral, but for practical purposes in this country (permanent (so far) musical foundation of the highest quality, very large size, very large organ) it is.

So that will leave Durham as the only remotely recognisable Arthur Harrison cathedral organ

Thought I'd go to an organ recital, off the street, since I was staying a few minutes away from the Nicolaaskerk, chief Catholic Church of Amsterdam, bang opposite Centraal Station. Wednesday evening recital series, beginning today, properly advertised outside the church. Big Sauer organ, the only substantial German romantic organ in the city. 8 euros, which is a bargain for any activity in Amsterdam these days. Huge church: couldn't get a seat. Because I was five minutes late. Tried to open the eight front doors. No dice. Rang every doorbell in the pastorate next door. No. Walked round the church. Hmm. North and South sides are completely covered with buildings and the east end is ducked in the canal. Another time I will break into the nh hotel next door and make my way up the service stair and drill from the ventilation shaft. The recital could be heard wafting out of the church...Great advertisement for the organ world. Yes, I know the football's on tonight. It starts in an hour.