AJJ

Indirectly to do with this - the before and after specs. of Cartmel Priory (about 40 stops!) - 60s Rushworth rebuild and recent Principal Pipe Organs (Organists' Review advert) It looks as if mixtures have been lowered in pitch and (amongst other things) a 16 Double Diapason on the Great replacing (I seem to remember) a Bourdon. They say things go in circles......... It would be interesting to hear the reasoning behind the recent work and to see whether any more 60s rebuilds are due for 're padding' AJJ

Point taken - I've changed mine for something open and added a 'cheat' one to the Sw - see back! AJJ

Not quite 'PC' - about 40 'voices' - here goes! GREAT 16 Violone 8 Open Diapason 8 Harmonic Flute 8 Stopped Flute 8 Salicional 4 Principal 4 Open Flute 2-2/3 Twelfth 2 Fifteenth 1-3/5 Seventeenth 1-1/3 Mixture IV 8 Harmonic Trumpet (Ch) 8 Clarinet (Ch) 8 Tuba (Ch) SWELL 16 Lieblich Bourdon (Ext.8) 8 Open Diapason 8 Stopped Diapason 8 Gamba 8 Celeste 4 Gemshorn 2 Flageolet 2 Mixture III- V 16 Posaune 8 Cornopean 8 Oboe 8 Vox Humana 4 Clarion CHOIR (Enclosed) 8 Violin Diapason 8 Chimney Flute 8 Dulciana 8 Unda Maris 4 Principal 4 Concert Flute 2-2/3 Nazard 2 Gemshorn 1-3/5 Tierce 1-1/3 Mixture III 8 Harmonic Trumpet (Higher pressure) 8 Clarinet 8 Tuba (Unenclosed and much higher pressure) PEDAL 32 Bourdon (Ext. 16) 16 Open Wood 16 Violone (Gt) 16 Sub Bass 8 Principal 8 Flute Bass (Gt Harmonic) 4 Fifteenth 4 Flute (Ext. 8) 16 Ophicleide (Ext. Tuba) 16 Posaune (Sw) 8 Trumpet (Ext. Sw) 4 Clarion (Ext. Sw) Liberal sprinkling of couplers - octave and unison. AJJ

Just heard this too - Aaaaagh!!! AJJ PS Someone really should tell him....it's only fair!

Is that as a judge or participant? AJJ

Typo - sorry - should have been 4 - my fault not theirs! AJJ

Yup - 'came last week - very learned as ever - February to April edition. AJJ

Quimby Pipe organs have been selected to clean and restore the four manual Aeolian-Skinner organ in the cathedral of St John the Divine, New York......the company specialises in the building, expansion, renovation and restoration of pipe organs............the intrument is due for completion in 2008. The specification is as follows: HOOFDWERK Prestant 8, Holpijp 8, Octaaf 4, Octaaf 2, Mixtuur III-V, Trompet 8 BOVENWERK Gedeckt 8, Roerfluit 4, Quint 3, Woudfluit 2, Terts 1 3/5, Dulciaan 8 PEDAAL Subbas 16, Octaaf 8, H/B P/H P/B Ooerr!! AJJ

At a parish level I can see no problem, as you say one has to take whatever one is able to encourage to join. With this in mind a mixed front row can be exteremely musical and moreover both boys and girls are able to work together successfully. Dangerous ground perhaps.. but one does perhaps have to have some sort of an idea as to how 'mature' a female sound one wants and act accordingly as far as age range is concerned. I have been involved mostly with young mixed front rows and slightly older female altos and this has worked well but there was a clearly identified cut off point for the girls (end of school age etc.). AJJ

Could we include the girls in with this too please - what with two of my own who both sing very nicely (though as yet not in cathedrals) and a day job that at present involves training solely girls voices I see them as being very much part of the equation in the 21st Century. With Salisbury, Winchester and Bath Abbey (to name but a few) within healthy distance from here one is spoilt for choice - these all have superb girl 'line ups' - likewise St Albans who I tend to hear more on CD having a very old pal in the 'back rows' who supplies the latest discs when they come out. This is by no means doing down the boys - I was one once - but the girls need to be considered too I feel. AJJ PS I thought that the Choir & Organ article on the music at the 'red brick' edifice was very good too.

Has he got a website/catalogue for Vif? - can't seem to find one by the usual means. Thanks. AJJ

Skinner etc. enclosed (to a lesser or greater extent) pipework from the Great division on a number of instruments in the US but it never really seemed to have been done much over here. In the situation where a small to medium sized 2 man has to stand on the one hand in a space where a reasonable sized congregation needs to be supported yet on the other hand a choir very close to the instrument (and congregation) also needs consideration could this be an answer? Repertoire wise would enclosure of some of the more prominent/soloistic and/or softer stops confuse or assist things generally? Perhaps also - could this be a situation where strings and celestes might migrate more effectively from Swell to Great? (Another alternative is to enclose two divisions in a common box with the exception of the 8' Diapason and perhaps the 4' Octave rather like an expanded village 1 man scheme or to just enclose some of the Great with the Swell. Kenneth Tickell has done the former on a fairly small scale a couple of times and within a monastic musical context on both occasions.) http://www.tickell-organs.co.uk/specInfo/opus39.htm Enclosing Great stops has actually been mooted in a possible scheme so any views would be appreciated. AJJ

I toured the Friesland area of Holland with an adult choir - some time ago - based in Sneek. We had a good deal of local support (including a reception at the local Town Hall) and managed a day in Amsterdam too! I seem to remember the organ in the main church there (St Martin) being quite impressive - Schnitger 'plus' - see link below: http://www.hwcoordes.homepage.t-online.de/as/as_sne.htm AJJ

Thanks Paul - the Bryceson in the Speech Room would be very interesting also I feel sure! AJJ

I seem to remember the organ sounding pretty much like this in real life - though it's a while since I heard it. AJJ

Dobson etc. are doing similar things to the above in the USA - almost English style with 'attitude'. This one is at Graham Elliot's church - formerly of Chelmsford Cathedral. http://www.dobsonorgan.com/html/instrument..._rockcreek.html AJJ

'Can't recall one - there was one of Tewkesbury. Kenneth Jones had one of his page adverts plus front cover on Rugby - I used to enjoy them! AJJ

This instrument went in some years ago - http://www.rugbyschool.net/sl/activities/music/organ.htm In size and design it was/is of some importance, it also won an important 'non organ' prize (see blurb). It doesn't seem to have had much written up about it however. How does it sound & 'play' - has anyone been and tried it? AJJ

The ACC 'choir organ' type idea reminds me of something Schoenstein did at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church in LA in 1988 - there was a considerable ammount of study of instruments in France before its construction. It works really well: GRAND ORGUE EXPRESSIF Bourdon 16 Ex. Recit, Montre 8, Flute harmonique 8, Prestant 4, Octavin 2, Basson-Hautbois 8 RECIT EXPRESSIF Bourdon 8, Viole de Gambe 8, Voix celeste 8, Flute octaviante 4, Trompette 8, Basson-Hautbois 8 GO. Recit 4' PEDAL Bourdon 16 treble from Recit, Basse 8 GO Flute, Bourdon 8 Recit, Trompette 8 Recit, Basson 8 GO, Basson 4 GO. R - GO R - GO 4' GO - P R - P Kurt Leuders recorded it on AFKA SK 514 and it shows what can be done with duplexing etc. but with a strong stylistic identity too. AJJ

I think John Bertalot's series of choir training 'hints' has had it's time - I find his approach faintly patronising!! AJJ

Interesting.......the older I get the more I value (especially in service work) the choice of different possibilities from mixing 8s of different timbre - likewise 4s and to a lesser extend by adding 16s. This can of course be done by coupling divisions but when there are enough stops of a similar pitch to do this on one division (and they are not of too marked a difference in dynamics) then the possibilities are much greater. 'Not really part of this thread but as an example Gloucester Cathedral registered by combining 8s, 4s etc. across the divisions is a totally different beast from the same instrument with single pitches - chorus-wise etc. I remember hearing it when first rebuilt in the latter mode - now we tend to hear it more often in the former. The complexity of sound from massed 8s, 4s etc. (if the voicing is ok) can be exciting! So maybe this might work:- GREAT: 16Bourdon, 8OD, 8ClaribelF, 8Salic, 4Pr, 4HarmonicF, 2Fifteenth, 2Mixture III, 8Clarinet SWELL: 8StoppedF, 8VDG, 8VoixC, 4Gemshorn, 2Flageolet - bright, 2-2/3 Cornet III - not too fluty, 8Oboe, 8Trumpet. Plus a Swell Sub to Great perhaps - and a Tremulant PEDAL: 16Sub Bass, 8OpFlute, 16Trombone. The Great 16 could also be borrowed down as a quiete bass alternative I used to play a Willis II at All Saints in Lincoln rather like this but as with all paper stoplists one can doodle for ever! AJJ

Messaien's 'Transports de Joie' perhaps.......? AJJ

The acoustic may be as dead as a doornail, the recording very 'close' but Dame Gillian and Priory seem to have done it again. The atmosphere is amazing and as expected the playing superb - try it! AJJ

Wasn't it the Duke & Dutchess of Kent (possibly in York Minster?) - I think she is an organist - as well as a Dutchess! AJJ So the organist at the event could have been Francis Jackson - or maybe all this is wrong as 'serious Googling' only brings up Princess Margaret's wedding!

And interestingly - firms that would previously have built dual mechanical/non mechanical instruments (Symphony Hall etc.) are now leaving the mechanical console/action out and just building the non mechanical. The new Van den Heuvel in Copenhagen has this and I believe also Klais is doing similarly. I wonder whether this trend is player or builder lead? AJJ