mrbouffant

I'm far more mercenary. As long as I get the fee and the afternoon on the golf course, they can do what they like! One wedding I did play at a few years ago brought a whole Welsh Male Voice Choir up from the valleys (something to do with the mother's heritage). So I was told they would like to sing something during the signing of the register. "Long way to come just for that" I thought. Anyway, the signing lasted 40 minutes as we were regaled with a full first-half of a concert. I was rather distracted by the mutterings coming from the quire vestry which had long-since filled up with impatient parents waiting to pick up their kids who had gamely turned out for the "home team"...

My advice is jack it in. No doubt there are parishes in the locale with incumbents who are more sympathetic to your preferred style of worship. If you're already having problems with your vicar and he's only been in post a few months, it can only bode for more difficulties to come. Wave goodbye but ensure everyone understands _why_ you're off. Always nice to leave some disquiet behind to fester whilst you drive onto pastures new! Good luck!

I played a recital on the toaster back in 2004 and it was in use when I first visited in early 2003. Clearly a long-term fundraising project. There was talk of National Lottery funding for some of the associated works but it might seem this wasn't forthcoming...

... as did Morgan & Smith. I refer you to the NPOR record for the parish church of St. Swithun, East Grinstead (refurb 1995)

The 100 year rule may have been mooted but never implemented. Perhaps 70 was the compromise figure in the UK. I'm no expert but at one stage 100 years was being considered...

The editions are out of copyright if they are older than ?25 years and the composer has been dead 70. Witness what happened when the rule used to be 50 years and Kalmus produced their copies of the Hamelle editions. You can still buy these of course even though the rules changed again to 100 and then to 70 years. Everything is open season from 13th March unless the editions are very recent !!

If there wasn't, there should be. Self-publishing anyone?

It's fugly. Nowhere near as pretty as that one designed by FA Porsche... Pearoast!! : (http://en.red-dot.org/284+M5c0fe64683f.html)

The stops themselves look drawn quite high to me, but I fancy this is because on my instrument they are strung quite low...

I'd be tempted to play Marsh's Toccata on Pat Le Facteur given that the majority of the assembled will probably be heathens and they need a recognisable tune to carry them along. Failing that, how about a nice dose of Whitlock. An English composer writing for a typically English organ, played on an English instrument in a magnificient English setting. How many more boxes does it need to tick? Juicy.

Ronald, are you taking the piss? Have you been at the spirits cupboard? This reminds me of your Don't Be Another Victim Of Crime thread which, although courteously contributed to by members of the forum, seem to be completely sensationalist in the original post, and - if I may be so bold - completely tongue in cheek. Which cheek, I am not at liberty to comment...

I say sir! What kind of sites do you normally frequent?!!

Well on another well-known forum we have the Forums Cafe, but perhaps that's a little too mild for the contributors hereon! An alternative site has the Whine Bar which might be more apt

"blame" is a strong word, and after all it's only a hymn, it's not like you crashed a car, killing half a dozen people. I guess it comes down to one's relationship with the parish and the faithful and clergy therein. If you feel like you're amongst friends, cocking up a hymn can be taken with an embarrassed laugh and a shrug of the shoulders. I should know. We had the bishop turn up for Midnight Mass, and I somehow in my slumbered state managed to kick off Hark the herald by playing O come all ye faithful. Another time, the hymn list had been misprinted, and subsequently the pewslip, so when the gradual hymn was announced (from that horrible 'Theme Songs' booklet) it was one that no-one knew the tune for (subsequently I found out it went to 'Irby' of all things). I had to dismount, and apologise to all and sundry that we were not going to sing it, and it was straight into the Gospel. Now in a parish where I wasn't absolutely comfortable with the congregation, the priest and everyone else, I can see that might have invoked the 'flight' reaction, rather than a wry smile and a joke or two over coffee after the service...

No, I appreciate why he's thrown the towel in given everything else that happened, I just found it surprising on that earlier incident that a hymn went wrong and he felt it necessary to leave the organ stool for the rest of the service.

So what's the issue here? I don't understand why one would refuse to play the organ in a service because one hymn didn't go right? Seems like an overreaction to me. Perhaps I missed something when I read the chapter-and-verse. Sorry.

Wow, people are actually willing to pay for Messiaen?!

Ah yes, playing the RFH instrument in Malcolm Arnold's "A Grand Grand Overture" (the one with the vacuum cleaners, floor polisher and rifles!)

It's all part of a BBC "reality" show where various "celebs" learn an instrument. It wasn't clear on the press release I saw if it was pipe organ or any other sort e.g. Hammond And his brother, Ilkley...

I wish, having a 'proper' full time job and a large family, I only have the opportunity to 'escape' at 4pm on Sunday afternoon - giving myself an hour-and-a-half before Evensong rehearsal. That's it.. no-wonder it takes me 6 months to prepare a 50 minute recital of new stuff

To be fair there's organ music and then there's esoteric organ music...

What do you think? http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/showJob.asp?i...nd%20Layworkers

me too! (altho I only had three services...) MERRY XMAS YOU FORUM FUNSTERS

Do what we did and put whatever monies you have to hand in the current organ fund into Lottery tickets. Worked like a charm...

Ah, nice to see some of the "old school" attitude towards kids and organs is still prevalent in the 21st century... I gave up counting how many times I was given a terse and rude "brush off" by cranky organists in my youth when I first exhibited genuine interest in the instrument.. Very few organist were welcoming, and those who were seemed to be somewhat less technically gifted than those with all the attitude. Is there a relationship at play?