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Malcolm Farr

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Everything posted by Malcolm Farr

  1. Perhaps if I had qualified my comment with, "heard from within the hall, not 10 or so metres down below in the tube", the comparison would have been somewhat clearer. In that context, they produce a similar vague, low and, dare I say it, not particularly musical rumble. I think the mp3 rather proves it ... Despite that little misgiving (and the fact that the very early transferred Trumpet was returned from the Choir to the Swell when it was restored, reducing flexibility), I love the STH more than any other instrument. Its choruses, both flue and reed, have a grandeur and cohesion beyond compare. Saint Sulpice comes close. Sorry folks, I've gone rather off-track there. Now, where were we with those ghost stories? Rgds, MJF
  2. I did hear a story once of the 64' reed at the Sydney Town Hall sounding when nobody was at the console. However, I suspect it was most likely a train rumbling through the underground station, just beneath. Much as I love the STH, I'd have to say there's probably not much difference in volume or pitch ... Rgds, MJF
  3. Did Benjamin Bayl return to Sydney after his time at King's College, or remain in England (where there are undoubtedly more opportunities in this area)? Rgds, MJF
  4. In my view, the least satisfactory of the Harmonic Flutes on the STH is the 4' on the Great. It's on the same pressure as the reeds - 5" or so - and I find it just doesn't have any blend; nor is it as good a solo voice as those in the Solo (or the enclosed 4' Harmonic Flute in the Swell). Rgds, MJF
  5. An interesting comment ... The Solo flues at the Hill firm's magnum opus at the Sydney Town Hall have always been unenclosed, but I don't think that the flutes (in particular) suffer at all. It's actually hard to pick between them for the most beautiful voices - Flauto Traverso, Doppelflöte and Stopped Diapason (all wood) of 8', Harmonic Flute (metal) and Flauto Traverso (wood) of 4', and Harmonic Piccolo (metal) of 2'. (If forced to pick, I suppose I'd go for the Doppelflöte, Stopped Diapason and 4' Flauto Traverso.) Although they're only on a wind pressure of 3" (I think), they "sing" - I can't think of a better word for it - strongly without sounding at all forced - and I think they're perfect for the job without being under expression. Rgds, MJF
  6. What is the current situation of the Harrison at the City Hall in Newcastle-upon-Tyne? Some years ago, I heard that it had been at least partly brought back into working order (for some sort of a "private function", I understood), but I've heard nothing since. Rgds, MJF
  7. Hi All I recently noticed a stoplist that includes a "Portunal". However, I've never seen one or (to my knowledge) heard one. What is it? (And why can't it go by a more common name, which even a duffer like me can understand? Unless of course it's something entirely uncommon ...) Rgds, MJF
  8. Incidentally, I take the beginning of Bonnet's Etude de Concert in exactly the opposite way - slightly detaching the first two notes (after the opening rest), and then accelerating into the triplets. (I suspect that this will be rather frowned upon. Oh well ...) Rgds, MJF
  9. I agree generally about slowing down, although my preference is for a once-and-for-all change with the pedal entry rather than a progressive rallentando, and then maintain it through to the end. By the way, I'm not Stephen (sjf), but a mere mortal currently residing half way round the world. Be nice to be as fine a musician as he is, though ... Rgds, MJF
  10. Malcolm Farr

    St Albans

    The new couplers provided seem interesting - Choir to Great and Great on Choir are being added in addition to the standards (including the Choir Unison Off). I've no experience with an organ having these couplers, and have only heard St Albans live once, and I'm wondering how they'll be used. Rgds, MJF
  11. I've just been giving BWV 575 a dash again, and thought I'd ask others how they articulate the opening. I've always felt that I should phrase the subject so as to imply the rest, but have never been satisfied with anything I've tried. Or is it best simply to let it be ambiguous? Rgds, MJF
  12. Cavaillé-Coll certainly seems to have thought that quint reeds had their place. In addition to the Orléans example, his unexecuted 1875 proposal for St Peter's Basilica in Rome included a Quinte-bombarde 10 2/3' in the Pédale and a Quinte-trompette 5 1/3' in the Grand-Choeur. His scheme was quite complete, with 124 stops over 6 manual divisions plus Pédale, and both divisions included sub-unison reeds (Contre-bombarde 32' and Tuba magna 16' respectively). So I think it is fair to surmise that, in this instance, their inclusion was to emphasis the gravitas inherent in the proposed chorus structures. Regards, MJF
  13. Fit for what, my dear pcnd? Now, we're not going to steam all ahead full into the sea of misunderstandings of which I warned ... are we? Rgds, MJF
  14. All of which reminds me, I saw an organ CD the other day - pretty rare at the edge of this desert, I must say - and almost bought it regardless of whether the young lady in question can play. A certain Iveta Apkalna. I dare not ask "is she any good" for fear of the misunderstandings my question might cause ... Rgds, MJF
  15. Well, I did say "and some of the other acts" - you can take that whichever way you wish, although I dare say there was as much for the eye as there was for the ear! Rgds, MJF
  16. How did you cope wth the "bat out of Helsinki" - Lordi - and some of the other acts on Eurovision the other night? Rgds MJF
  17. Malcolm Farr

    Aaron Copland

    John Henderson's "A Directory of Composers for Organ" - a book that I have found very useful indeed - gives the publisher as "BEL", ie Belwin-Mills of PO Box 4340, 15800 N.W. 48th Avenue, Miami, Florida 33014, USA. Rgds, MJF
  18. Well, now I'm truly perplexed. My surmise tried to make sense of comments in the thread above, and at the same time fit with my father's diaries for 1952-3. About the Pedal reed, he wrote "old bombarde was trombone, new extends solo". Maybe he got it wrong, or I've misinterpreted him. I've just been looking at NPOR, seeing if it provides the answer, but unfortunately I'm not sure that it does. First, the 1911 Forster & Andrews organ F&A 1911 gives the Pedal reeds as Contra-Bombarde 32', Trombone 16' and Trumpet 8'. It appears from this record as if the Contra-Bombarde is independent, while the Trumpet is extended from the Trombone. So maybe my father's diary is wrong on that score, as it seems to indicate that the Contra-Bombarde was an extension of the Trombone. Or perhaps this was an unwarranted assumption on my part. Second, the record for the 1950 Compton organ Compton 1950 doesn't show extensions or derivations, but does show both a Bombarde 16' and a Trombone 16' in the Pedal. At the same time, there is now a Bombarde 8' in the Solo. It was my understanding that the Pedal Bombarde was an extension from the Solo stop, but maybe that isn't correct. The Pedal also includes a Contra-Bombarde 32', which I had expected from my father's notes to be a further downward extension from the Solo reed, but perhaps it's the original Contra-Bombarde, possibly given a bit more oomph by Comptons? Third, the record for the 1985-1991 Rushworth & Dreaper organ Rushworth 1985-91 shows the 32' reed under the name Contra-Trombone. It is not indicated as being extended from another stop. And at 16', we still have the Bombarde and the Trombone, although - ah-ha! - the Bombarde is noted as "Solo". So is the Contra-Trombone merely the old stop re-named, perhaps because it is part of the (original) Pedal reed chorus with the Trombone, and also so as to distinguish it from the real Bombarde, to which it is unrelated? All this to ascertain the provenance of one stop ... Rgds, MJF
  19. My recollection is that the current 32' reed at Hull City Hall is indeed just that - a true reed. While I don't have a truly intimate knowledge of this organ, such as Barry and others in this thread, I wonder if the solution to this question is something along the following lines: When in 1950 Comptons substituted a Contra-Bombarde 32', extended from the Solo rank, for the original 1911 Forster & Andrews Contra-Trombone, the bottom octave or so was diaphonic. I don't think this would have been entirely unusual for Comptons (see also the preceding post). The diaphonic Contra-Bombarde was then removed during the Rushworth & Dreaper work of 1985-91, when the true reed Contra-Trombone was re-constituted. Rgds, MJF
  20. And just to complicate matters further ... Cavaillé-Coll's masterpiece at Saint-Ouen has an Unda Maris in the Positif, and both a Voix Céleste and a Voix Éolienne on the Récit Expressif. The former Récit stop is a "standard" Cavaillé-Coll Voix Céleste stop, while the Voix Éolienne is flute-toned, to undulate with the Cor de Nuit. (By the way, I don't remember coming across a "Voix Éolienne" anywhere else.) As to the Unda Maris on the Positif, I can't now recall whether it is flute- or string-toned. Is anyone able to clarify? Rgds, MJF
  21. Sydney Town Hall has been mentioned above, and certainly rates as one of my favourites. Another, much more recent Sydney organ is on my "most ordinary" list. It is the new Letourneau organ (1999) in the transept of St Mary's Cathedral. An image of the organ can be seen at St Mary's Cathedral organ. It's interesting that the case was designed by a gentleman from the New South Wales Department of Public Works, and I wonder if such Department involvement may have been part of the price to pay for funding. Rgds, MJF
  22. I was just wonder if anyone out there in Discussion Board Land uses an abbreviated combination as I do ... I have a Swell combination setting of just three stops - Double Trumpet, Clarion and Mixture III - that I use most particularly for coupling through to the Great. Of course, every instrument is different, but I wonder if others find something like this minimalist full Swell combination best for coupling? Rgds, MJF
  23. I don't recall hearing that the musical tradition at St Sulpice suffered from Widor and Dupré between them occupying the organ bench for a century ... Perhaps it's inappropriate to equate the situation in France with that in England, but I suspect not. Ultimately, I think that it must be a "horses for courses" approach. If the church or institution is happy with the continued standard and doesn't feel the need for a move, and the organist / director of music is of the same mind, then change for its own sake would surely be a risky step. Rgds, MJF
  24. In his book on the Sydney Town Hall organ, Robert Ampt wrote that musically convincing performances will sound sufficiently authentic. I think that there's a lot of good sense in this. Now, there's no point in trying to play Franck on a neo-baroque instrument. But French romantics can come across well on English-tradition instruments. To me, it's not a matter of attempting the impossible - to make them sound like they were built by Cavaillé-Coll - but using the available resources sympathetically. Then once the music is under way, let the performance carry the listener rather than worrying whether the registrations are sufficiently exact. Rgds, MJF
  25. Thanks for your comments, pcnd. While I was aware that the early recordings would have been subject to the constraints imposed by 78s, I must confess that I hadn't really given any thought to the time factors involved being relevant to the "creative process". In retrospect, I suppose they were. As I think you suggest, Vierne seems deliberately to have "dumbed down" considerably from his normal level (at least with respect to the standard of his written works). It's quite a pity, then, that recording equipment and techniques were at the primitive level they were then; and a pity, too, that there was no François Carbou who was so dedicated to the recording of Cochereau's service (and other) improvisations. Interesting, too, are your comments about Duruflé's playing. I don't have any of his recordings, but had heard that he was good, but not absolutely front rank as a technician. For a number of reasons, I can't wait to get this set ... Rgds MJF
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