Barry Oakley

I'm not sure, John, I don't think so because the landlord retrieves them when he empties each machine.

If you ever get down into Staffordshire, The Yew Tree pub at Cauldon has several nickleodeons (think that's the correct spelling) mounted on the wall. Just ask at the bar for some free old pennies (240 = £1) and you can take yourself back to past times.

Any news of where Alex Mason (St David's, Wales) might be going? I understand he was always highly regarded when at Lichfield.

Oh dear! I was given to understand that "Barry" was derived from St Finbarr. Anyway, hats off to St Bruno, the founder of the magnificent Carthusian monastery of La Grande Chartreuse.

Got to agree MM. The last time I heard the said person play was nearly 10 years ago at the Victoria Hall, Hanley. The recital became increasingly boring as it wore on. But returning to the theatre organist theme, the player I particularly remember as I was growing up during the war years was Sandy MacPherson. My mother always said Reginald Foort was the better player (the two of them were the only theatre organists to be generally heard broadcasting during the war years), but being of such tender years I had not yet developed a discerning ear. MacPherson was always to be heard at the BBC Compton theatre organ although I later discovered he was also resident organist at a London cinema. I've never really been a fan of the theatre organ although they are very clever pieces of design. When he was once working in Hull during the rebuild of the City Hall organ, I accompanied Jimmy Taylor to the local Astoria where a fault had developed on the Compton. I remember being amazed at how such big sounds could be made from within such relatively small spaces.

It's not that I feel there is something going on, but there has been a marked downturn of postings which seemed to commence with the removal of Paul Derrett from the forum. He invariably posted some interesting and thought stimulating stuff

I can't say I can recall coming across an organ that L&B had built from scratch. But I do recall their involvement with the organ at Bridlington Priory in the late 1960's, some 20 years after John Compton had done major work on the instrument. I have a hunch that the Priory's then organist, Raymond Sunderland, probably had a strong hand to play in the appointment of L&B as I think he came originally from the Keighley area. Of course it was Nicholsons who later acquired the L&B business and who have looked after the organ ever since.

I can see the day arriving, and it will be a very sad day, when a great many more wonderful pipe organs, many of them legacies of times when churches were packed to the doors, will become unplayable because the funds to maintain them are simply not available and there is also no hope of raising them. Pipe organs are likely to become heard only in our cathedrals and major parish churches. As I have posted on a number of occasions, the parish church where I was a chorister has a magnificent 4-manual, 104 speaking stop organ that's not been touched since it was built in 1938. Conservatively, it needs something like £800K to restore, but I cannot see that sort of money being raised, given that it's located in a poor northern city with traditionally high unemployment.

It certainly adds to the experience if the recitalist has something interesting to say and is, where appropriate, able to inject some humour. Ian Tracey is a past master at speaking between pieces and his annual recitals at the Victoria Hall, Hanley, draw audiences higher than the venue's average. I have encouraged a number of people to attend Ian Tracey recitals at Hanley, most of them considering themselves initially lukewarm about organ music and organ recitals. But they find Ian's inter-piece talks so interesting and often highly amusing that they readily return to hear him and other recitalists.

That might be the case or they have a workload as such that prevents meeting the deadline. But it is perhaps refreshing that instead of the apparent obsession for mainland European builders that has been the case for quite a number of years now, Merton College has opted to import an instrument from across the Atlantic. By what means it will travel from Dobson’s workshop in Lake City one assumes by sea in airtight 40ft containers. The Dobson company has a fine reputation for build quality in the USA and I guess it has shrewdly costed the new Merton organ without compromise. I’m now left guessing if it is the first classical organ import to these shores from the USA in modern times?

Forgive me if this has featured previously on the forum, but I received news from America this morning that Oxford's Merton College is to have a new organ in time for its 750th Anniversary in 2014. The new instrument is to be built by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders Ltd of America. The visual of the case design looks superb and whilst I don't have a complete specification, it's to be a 3-manual/pedal organ of 54 ranks with mechanical key action and electric stop action. The new instrument is planned for completion in 2013. Meanwhile, Lynn Dobson, the company's president, is presently completing the overall design detail.

I have been saying this for years.

For me it would have to be the late Brian Runnett of Norwch Cathedral.

A somewhat unsung steam railway in these parts, north Staffordshire, The Churnet Valley Railway at Cheddleton near Leek, has a number of steam locomotives and diesels running along it's tracks. Like other steam ventures it imports locos for special events. It has just opened a further extension to the line through to Cauldon Low and it's planned to open a service through to Stoke-on-Trent to link up with national mainline services. Any steam enthusiast visiting this area will be struck by the CVR's scenic route, the main part running alongside the river Churnet and parts of a branch of the Trent & Mersey Canal. Sorry I don't know of any organs along the route. http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/main/index.php

That's an interesting comment, but we must not forget what W T Best did in Liverpool during his day in bringing good music to the less affluent citizens of the city who could not even afford the price of a modest seat at a symphony concert. He brought it to them for just a few pennies a seat. I realise times have changed and the real thing can now be inexpensively downloaded or bought in CD form. But I maintain the art of transcribing is a skill worth preserving. B

Has he moved? I thought he lived between Hull and Beverley which is in East Yorkshire.

Whatever turns you on (or off), Jim or whatever your tolerance (or intolerance) threshold is, I don't retract anything I wrote. The young man is clearly extraodinarily talented and has enormous flair.

I have just returned from the Victoria Hall, Hanley, having listened to the sheer brilliance of young Nathan Laube. Amongst the most memorable of all organ recitals I have attended for more years than I care to recount, this young man's performance is right up there with them. His hour-plus recital was entirely played from memory and he played the Victoria Hall Willis as though he had known it all his life. He was utterly at home, showing all the skills of a master; his manual and pedal dexterity were sublime to say nothing of his wonderful registration. I don't believe he currently has any further recitals in the UK as he departs for Toulon early next week. But when he returns to these shores, as surely he must, don't miss this delightful man's brilliance.

Or in the case of Sheffield Cathedral where their C-H was entrusted to Phoenix. What has happened with C-H has had parallels in the pipe organ-building field and where companies have been acquired in order to substantially expand the tuning round. Whatever happens to the goodwill that has been built up over many years it sometimes takes a bit of a dive.

More often the interiors of normal lead/tin flue pipes are cleaned with very long brushes after the style of large diameter bottle brushes, but I have known a solution of caustic soda in a bath or trough to be used followed by a thorough flushing with clean water. The caustic soda approach would not be recommended for decorated, polished or copper pipes. As for Gemshorn I've heard both a soft and hard 'G' used and I don't know which is correct. And like John Robinson I don't like Posaune pronounced as Posawn but rather prefer the correct, German pronunciation - "POS-OW!-NER."

I don’t know what the filtering process is (if there is such a process is in place) to prevent the appearance of what could reasonably be deemed an inflammatory posting. I suggest this is something that Rachel might care to look into. Filtering would have prevented the unfortunate suspension of Paul. As some of the forum’s contributors have already stated, not so long ago we were subjected to almost a constant barrage of irrational postings from a certain gentleman domiciled across the pond. Not simply because he is a friend, but I submit that by far the greatest part of Paul’s multitude of postings are highly interesting and, for my part, often very educative. As I have already expressed in an e-mail to John (Mander) via Rachel, I would have hoped that leniency could be extended to Paul in the belief that a personal communication, whilst being firm in content, would still have allowed Paul to continue contributing. And I just wonder if somehow Paul and Andrew (Moyes) could still be afforded an opportunity to put aside their variances without any rancour and the rift healed?

There is something about this that reminds me of a one-time BBC TV programme, Face the Music. From certain angles the organist looks like the person (can't remember his name) who played the dummy keyboard for Joyce Grenfell and others to guess what he was playing. There's nothing wrong with my PC but I can't hear a note from the You Tube clip. B

What is the longevity of digital pedal stops? Have the digital pedal stops at, for example, Southwell Minster deteriorated or failed since they were commissioned around 15 years ago?

Unless I have got this wrong, this is far from a nice thing to say.

Me too, although I'm not an organist, even the smell of steam mixed with that of a Christmas pudding cooking on a range.