Paul Carr

Yes, count me in - diary allowing.

Yes, I'd be up for this - September Saturdays look easier than October Saturdays, except the first one... It's a splendid idea, almost like we've become an Organists' Association but without the endless (timeless?) committee meetings!

The Great and Pedal Pistons coupled and Generals on Swell toe pistons on St Paul's (Birmingham) are two back-lit push buttons under the music desk. They generally stay on all of the time and aren't linked to Gen can. It always provides a momentary puzzled look while the pedal line disappears but the Great remains FF (or visa versa!) - when someone has turned either off. At Wordsley, where I regularly play recitals every single piston on the organ can be reversible, general or divisional. It's a complete nightmare for visiting organists, but incredibly useful otherwise. For instance at the moment the sw to ped piston is a reversible for the Oboe and Positive 6 brings on the Tromba cancelling other positive stops in the usual way, but also cancels positive to pedal and positive to great, if they're out, to give a solo tromba set up at the push of a button. The pedal pistons are set as a huge crecendo for the whole organ, very useful. It also means for recital work you can set the piston nearest to your free finger at any particular moment! On this organ there's obviously no use for the Great and Pedal Pistons coupled and Generals on Swell toe pistons stop. I've only seen this system on one other organ - that did have the two piston coupling stops. Couldn't work out why!

Wayne Marshall does that too - which provided very 'interesting' listening whien he and David Briggs played it as a duet at Gloucester Cathedral as David doesn't do it that way!! They sorted it out for the CD "Two of a Kind" which, with their improvised cadenzas, etc is another very different version of 565 to add to the list.

Yes, a two manual. I think with tabs, if I remember correctly... I got to play it a few years ago, it still plays part but no longer all of the west end Willis. It does include the Tuba! The delay is massive, we had great fun playing fanfares and then listening to them with folded arms!!

I'd also like to add thanks to Ian and Tim for their hospitality yesterday. The organ really is worth hearing and playing, it has character, integrity and is beautifully made. Congratulations! Meeting and hearing other organists play was also enjoyable: David Coram effortlessly and sylishly playing the first movement of JSB's trio Sonata no. 6, whilst changing the stops to hear new combinations every few bars, and not in his organ shoes, had to be seen to be believed! I certainly intend to go back and hear this organ again in the future.