Paul Carr

I think you've hit on a key point here. Problems often occur when organists feel that someone else is making these decisions for them, especially if that someone else isn't necessarily 100% supportive for the rest of the time. Two instances spring to mind: one a few years ago was when asked to play for the funeral of a baby at a church about 17 miles away which I'd never been to before. After discussing the details the very last thing the incumbant mentioned was that "as a church it is our policy not to charge for funerals of infants, so there won't be a fee..." At the time, as a student, the only reason I'd get into my on-its-last-legs-mini, drive to and through the city, out the other side, park, etc to play for the funeral was to help balance my bank account. I plucked up courage to negotiate £5 for travel expense, and played the funeral, which was quite traumatic the parents being understandably devastated. I felt the incumbant didn't really approve of the £5 request as the "... ah, but this will be coming out of our rather stretched church funds." etc, comments were freely flowing. My point: If it is a church policy which affects fees/payments then the church should pick up the tab and not pass it on to third parties. If as an organist I was a part of that church then, as Patrick suggests, there would be scope for far more flexibility. The second instance: I was invited to play for a concert for a choir I'd played for many times before. The treasurer told me that my usual fee would not be payable this time due to depleted choir funds, but I would be getting the same expenses as the players in the small amateur orchestra who were also playing at the concert. This amounted to a £55 reduction. Again, if I'd been personally involved with the choir or had friends in it, etc and was aware of their financial situation, I may well have offered a reduced fee. As things turned out, I said that this was fine but as he was effectively requesting me to make a £55 donation to the choir funds, I'd expect him to personally match it. Unsurprisingly, the confirmation of that particular concert booking never arrived. Either he didn't get it, or... he did!

Thanks for that Chris - do you have a current Organ Scholar too? Congratulations on your direction of the choir yesterday - particularly the anthem, stunningly beautiful... P.

It was a fabulous day! From hearing excellent performances on the organ, (including a stunning anthem at Evensong sung by the girls choir and layclerks, directed by Chris Allsop with the organ scholar playing - anyone remember his name?) having the chance to play and explore the new organ - unrushed, to climbing around amongst the diaphones, it was all great fun. I think others have summed-up the virtues of the organ well, so no need for me to add anything! Huge thanks to Adrian, Chris, Kenneth T and of course John Mander for so graciously allowing us to discuss a major new instrument by 'the competition' in such detail in the first place! Worcester Cathedral has an exciting future and a fine instrument - that's before the next stage is undertaken which will really just be the icing on the cake (Or the icing on the Nave?) P.

We'll race you... To stay on topic (sorry!) I have the Filsell Vierne and it's stunning, organ, space, player, price. It's very cheap (about £6?) from HMV. You can't afford not to buy it IMHO!

Extremely well said! I especially agree with what you've said about registrations and speed... and recording yourself is SO important; I always seem to play much faster than I think I'm playing at the time. Now that I know that, from numerous 'live' recordings, I've learnt that I can really take my time. At a certain recital in a certain French cathedral last summer (trying SO hard not to name drop here! ) I was very aware of this and as a result felt that I'd almost ground to a halt at times, especially as the instrument sounds very immediate, and the acoustic very dry (which of course it is not) when at the console. Hearing it on an unofficial recording from down in the nave, I think that the speeds are just right, but even then they're still on the faster side of the fence!!! P

Thanks! Excellent - I've been after this for a while. Anyone out there able to do a quick translation of relevant bits of the site? Enough to be able to purchase it successfully. I can make a guess at some of it, but I'm worried that I might accidentally end up with 27 copies of Messiah, or an armchair... P.

I'd totally agree with this, I tend to go for 8 + 4 flutes or 8 + 2 if the 4 is too 'thick'. P.

Fantastic! Many thanks - absolutely count me in! P.

Merry Christmas everyone, and a Happy New Year.

My copy arrived today too! Thanks Jenny. P

Perhaps she reads this board!

Ooooooh, hadn't thought of that... It's a not particularly high 'two-storey' church, but the organ is up on the gallery and its former home was a house, most of which don't have particularly high ceilings... The church may need the hole it would leave plugged though!! Mmmmmm.... Also, the URC which this thread is about isn't a tall building, so that organ may not be too tall either. (Which'll do for your west end division if you end up with both!) Perhaps you should phone Scriven's and ask if we can have a look inside.. (!?) A trolley with incredibly good brakes, that's quite a steep hill. P. You'd be required to learn lots of Whitlock...

It's on Herrick's Organ Fireworks IV from St Bart's New York. Quite intense!

Plausible, and actually in the same road, but the church with Whitlock's former organ in it is about a mile further up the road out of Blackheath. About five years ago I dropped some publicity off there (The Whitlock organ church) and the organ was still there, but not used at all and I believe unplayable as the blower's disconnected. The church has a small and loyal congregation who at that time were keeping the church in immaculate condition... and although they have no use for the organ it is sitting there quite safely, for now...

I use the Andrew Carter arrangement. (as recorded on the Hyperion Advent at St Paul's CD and followed by John Scott playing Carter's Toccata on the same theme) Carter's arrangement ends in the major, but E major would be very odd as the whole thing is written in F# minor!! The last but one verse ends on the sub-dominant, always catches my basses out until they think back 12 months!!

Ooooo - where? (Sorry VERY off topic for a mo, unless it was in a school! )

It was still there about 15 years ago, complete with basketball ring on the case, if I remember correctly. Looked very un-used, the organ that is, not the basketball hoop!

It does sound a bit like 'Popular Song' from Walton's Façade, but it's not. I think it's a bit of Hearnshaw leading into 'Happy Birthday'! Yes, HP's in there! Just before the Magician issues the magic to allow Dan to play the SS Organ Sym. P.

Mmmm, I played in a Methodist Church for the best part of 15 years and came up against similar attitudes. Trouble is, when you pull into the BP station and announce that you're a Methodist Church Organist, they don't seem to be interested in giving you the equivalent discount on the petrol you've just pumped into the car's tank! So, that was always my starting point at Church Council/Finance Committee discussions. I also found that dealing with the couples directly helped; after all - along side the cars, flowers, cake, not to mention reception and wedding dress, even a high fee (in organist terms) seems relatively insignificant. Next to the Minister's fee and the often relatively low church fee it can seem quite high. It's really all about perspective. If your fee is not included in the church fee, the church looks cheaper, which can be appealing to the Minister/Church Authorities. If you don't live off your fees it's a matter of how much you really want to turn up and do it, call their bluff and see if they can find someone else to have the 'pleasure' and low fee. If you do it as a living then that is surely an argument in itself...

I'd be interested to know who Lee Blick was... (Lieblich, I'm presuming) but I guess we may never found out now that he (or she!) has left the board. I used to enjoy his/her posts, even if sometimes a little of the mark which made it all the more fun in some ways!

Sounds very good, the building really helps, as does the skill of the 1964 H,N&B voicer who has made some pretty poor pipework sound really well. The Bishop ranks are beautiful. Not so good to play due to the action issues, but I've got used to it! We're developing plans to, eventually, sort it out. P

A shame.

I'm playing one on New Year's Day at St Paul's in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham... http://www.paulcarr.co.uk/ThursdayLive.htm

David Briggs tells the story of him playing from memory and mananging to make the Bach B minor Prelude last 17 minutes by jumping back a few pages at a certain point and repeating what he'd already played, and worse still, not being able to get off the merry-go-round each time he got to that particular point again!! Frightening!

So, now the work is complete, what are the chances of a Manders Forum Members meet and play at St Paul's? (That's St Paul's London - although you're all always welcome at St Paul's Birmingham!!) A late at night lock-in to avoid those tourists and guided tours mentioned in the broadcast... and so that we could sample the new dome reeds! Is this sort of thing ever done there? no chance? maybe? possibly?