Paul Carr

Hi Tony, That's no problem - will do, and have set myself a reminder too! P.

Birmingham Organists' Association are visiting for a talk, recital and play in July with Paul Hale (the talk and recital bit!) so if noone comes up with the goods before then, I should come back with everything needed to answer the questions...

Don't you play Leo Sowerby's 'Pageant' then?

Well put! I do more-or-less the same, and was thinking about how to word it as I scrolled down to Adrian's answer. If you've got any sub octave couplers that makes life easier too as with a little redistribution of the notes within the chords you can create the effect of playing with all four hands!! If you play it in the style of ND/Cochereau you'll have to play the GO chords ever-so-slightly late too...

Count me in - please!

Yes, I only get the 'hiss' on CD, and that's now cured by me putting what I have through Audacity and remembering to record at 44100KHz if I want it to end up on CD in the future!! Sitting in my hotel room listening to my rehearsal at Rochdale Town Hall last week through headphones directly from the Zoom was very, very good quality. The 32' Open Wood sounded amazing. It also sounded great through the car stereo on the way home!!

Does anyone know when the organ was built? It doesn't say on the Schuke site, unless I just can't see it! Until I just looked i was thinking it was this one: http://www.schuke-berlin.de/en/orgeln/lux.htm which isn't very old at all...

Thank you, brilliant! The file is exporting as wav as I type.

Thanks for the last sentence; I think it has just answered a question for me. I have a H4 which I use simply to place down the church/hall while I'm rehearsing, to check balances, etc. The recordings always sound very good through my headphones, even with the minimal thought I give to the H4 inbuilt mic placement! Last week I decided to keep a couple of these recordings, just for myself, and so burnt them to CD. One is OK, but the other has an audible distortion or 'hiss' on it, not constantly, only when there is any organ sound. The other is fine, very good, infact. The latter was recorded at wav 44.1KHz, the recording with the 'hiss' at 48KHz. For those of us who understand very little about these things can anyone explain it, please? And, can the 48KHz recording be converted so that it will burn to CD without the 'hiss'? Thanks! P.

A level geographer too?!

Ah yes, of course, it was the south tower which I was thinking of , mental compass malfunctioned and it's a long time since I did A level Geography. (and not very well when I did!)

A bed in the North tower would do me...

Sounds interesting - is it published?

It's my arrangement of an arrangement in some album I have, can't remember who that arr was by though. The main reason for re-arranging it was that it was in A minor instead of B minor, and having had a few stressful moments caused by having to transpose it, I decided to write it out in B minor and tweaked a few bits at the same time.

I'm having fun this week playing recitals on two fine instruments, so thought I'd share it: St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham May 14th 7.30pm Walker 1993: 40 stops, 3 manuals - arguably the best in the Midlands... Marche Nuptiale - Vierne Basse et Dessus de Trompette (Suite du Premier Ton) - Clérambault Fugue sur le thème du Carillon des Heures de la cathédrale de Soissons - Duruflé Résurrection from Symphonie-Passion- Dupré Theme and Variations on 'Laudi Spirituali' - Briggs Three Pieces: March - Meditation - Introduction and Toccata - Choveaux Blues Chorale: 'Die ganze Welt hast du uns überlassen' - Kiefer Chant de Mai - Jongen In Organo, Chordis et Choro - Hakim Rochdale Town Hall, Saturday 17th 12.00pm Binns 1913, 4 manuals... Grand Choeur Dialogué - Gigout 'Great' Fantasia and Fugue in G minor BWV 542 - J.S. Bach Badinerie from Suite no. 2 - J.S. Bach Organ Concerto no 10 in D minor - Handel Trumpet Tune in D major - David Johnson Be thou my vision - Gárdonyi Blues Chorale: 'Die ganze Welt hast du uns überlassen' - Kiefer In Organo, Chordis et Choro - Hakim Will o' the Wisp - Nevin Chant de Mai - Jongen Finale from The Organ Symphony - Saint-Saëns/Briggs More at http://www.paulcarr.co.uk If you make it to either, please come and say hello! All best, Paul.

In the 1980s an amazing version of the Pink Panther theme was broadcast on 'The Organist Entertains'. It was a transcription of the opening theme which accompanies the cartoon sequence which opens 'The Pink Panther Strikes Again', where he's being chased through places like night clubs, cinemas, etc. The Sound of Music, theme, Big Spender, etc are all woven in. It was recorded at Coventry Cathedral. (possibly by Paul Leddington-Wright (?) if the memory cells are doing their job...) Does anyone have a recording of it or, better still, has the score been published? Inet searches haven't thrown up anything. P.

Ooooo, I like that idea. Does anyone know if it exists anywhere else, or is it a new idea. I've not come across it before. Finally, no need to search for the + button! The whole piston set up there sounds very flexible - giving each organist a choice for his/her preference, rather than arguing the pros and cons of sequencers, steppers, generals, divisionals, etc... (Ah, but can you turn them all off so that you can pretend there aren't any there at all for playing early music? )

Yes - Thursday lunchtimes according to the WOA newsletter: May 8th: (ooooh that's today!) Trevor Tipple June 5th: John Swindells July 3rd: John Wilderspin Sept 4th: Marcus Huxley Tim Morris (Organist at St Georges Kidderminster) is the Town Hall Organist... P.

It's Darlaston Town Hall - easy mistake as Wednesbury, Darlaston and Wednesfield all merge into one unless you know the area really well!! The Binns is lovely, but in a very poor state, well at least that was the case when i last went in 2003. They were very happy for people to play it at that time, and i don't think the hall is voerly busy... It still has the original 'setter' system, but I can't remember much detail about that.

I have the CD too - it's excellent. We were also at the premiere at Blackburn a couple of years or so ago.

Mine are Sennheiser HD 465. Again very good and much, much, much better than hearing the faithful practice toaster through its speakers. They're nine years old now and still going strong, the 555 can only be better! You can hear them from the 'outside' though, but not as loudly as the key tapping, pedalling, groaning during difficult or exciting bits and occasional bouts of under-the-breath swearing. (Usually brought on by excesses of double sharps in Vierne's music!) Have a look at http://www.iheadphones.co.uk/headphones/22...eiser+HD555.htm Next day delivery and a 10% sale on... P

(They both work though!)

Thanks for the weblink, I'll have a browse. The 'Dupré' work is the only Hendrie I know. And yes, it needs stamina. Also, annoyingly if you leave it alone for a few months it's one of those 'back to square one' pieces the next time you come to play it!

Yes, the Toccata and Fugue from Le Tombeau de Marcel Dupré is a fantastic piece. It sort of holds a mirror to the Dupré B maj P&F from Op. 7. John Scott, who it was written for, has recorded it on the Mander at St Ignatius in NY. A Priory recording, well worth getting. I got the score, eventually from World Wide Music in 2001 - do they have a website (or a computer even) these days. I seem to remember having to do it all by post! Very worth it though, even if it is difficult to play! If the 'Franck' Chorale 4 is half as good it will be worth getting... P.

Mine have just landed safely. Many thanks Paul, I'm now thinking hard about anything I might be able to send you in return... Cheers, P.