AJJ
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Posts posted by AJJ
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While it is interesting sometimes to try and make a guess at who is commenting from their alias or the religious, philosophical, 'organalogical' or any other angle that they happen to be firing from at the time, on the whole I tend to agree with the above. But...I suppose... each to his/her own. (Are there any female contributors I wonder? - in this day and age it would be good if there were!)
AJJ
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It is difficult to write objectively about the instrument, since I am responsible for its design, including console layout. However, people seem to enjoy playing it.
Could we also perhaps be able to judge for ourselves - where is this please?
AJJ
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There is a recording of the Andriessen Toccata and his Aria (and other interesting pieces by Franck, Guilmant, Alain, Dupre, Saint Saens and Prokofiev/Guillou) 0n Festivo 6921652 - Klass Jan Mulder playing the CC at St. Sernin Toulouse - some amazing sounds!
AJJ
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Hi
Probably not - I suggest you e-mail and point out the problem (although I doubt if anything will be done at present.
The old layout is currently still available on http://lehuray2.csi.cam.ac.uk/npor.html - but don't tell anyone I told you.
PLEASE NOTE:-
a) This database does not include recent updates.
:angry: It will be removed - the last date I had was end of August.
The whole situation is in a state of flux - I spoke to the outgoing manager this morning, and even he doesn't really know what will happen. In the meantime, I - and the other editors - wait to see what transpires.
Every Blessing
Tony
This all sounds a bit dire - I put 'Devon' in as an experiment just now and it all came up (on the new system) - perhaps it depends on what county one wants!! Seriously though - let's hope the powers that be at BIOS get the change over to Birmingham as smooth as possible.
AJJ
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Schoenstein's 'electric-pneumatic' system in the USA seems to be well regarded amongst enthusiasts for the work of that company - I have not played one myself but Jack Bethards has some very persuasive ideas (both mechanically and tonally) and certainly amongst some players (students of Thomas Murray etc. especially) this action is felt to provide an effective and musical link between player and pipe.
AJJ
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Sorry - 1st attempt at setting out the composition of the above stop was decidedly dodgy so I redid it - my submission is now corrected - not quick enough for M.Lauwers though!!.
AJJ
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It might be interesting (in the context of the above) to hear the effect of the mixture shown below - on the newish Walt Disney Concert Hall organ by Rolsales/Glatter Goetz in LA - in the 'Bombarde' division. There is also a large quint mixture starting at 2-2/3 pitch.
Note 1: 1-3/5, 1-1/3, 1-1/7, 1, 8/9
Note 15: 2, 1-3/5, 1-1/3, 1-1/7, 1, 8/9
Note 27: 2-2/3, 1-3/5, 1-1/3, 1-1/7, 1, 8/9
Note 43: 4, 2-2/3, 1-3/5, 1-1/3, 1-1/7,
Note 47: 4, 2-2/3, 2, 1-3/5
Note 51: 8, 4, 2-2/3, 2
Note 61: 8, 4, 2-2/3, 2
The stop is actually called Compuestas and the IVth Manual on this instrument is titled Llamarada - terminology possibly to suite the Hispanic roots of city and builder. The 'write up' in The American Organist mag. (Jonathan Ambrosino) says that the stop gives 'clang and added richness' - there are also high pressure reeds and principals - all enclosed in what must surely be some sort of 'super swell' division.
AJJ
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My former teacher used to play the Toccata - not easy but effective. 'Out of my league though!
AJJ
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The original poster to this thread will find information on the National Pipe Organ Register website, although I am unable to access it at the moment. I keep getting a message telling me I will be directed to a new home page, but that is as far as it gets.
This should get you to the new NPOR set up:
AJJ
ps See also the NPOR entry for St Thomas the Apostle, Lymington, Hants. for another example of the Brindley patent console arragements - there is a photo too.
http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N11407
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I would be interested to know from anyone if they have any information about him e.g. Where did he live? When did he leave A C-C? Are there any drawings or pictures of him?
Paul Joslin (also the Historical Organs Certificate Coordinator for BIOS) is the man you want - he has done much research work on Gern - try contacting him via the BIOS website:
http://www.duresme.org.uk/BIOS/hocs.htm
At the bottom of the page are his details and an email link. Also - the NPOR will give you an interesting page-worth of Gern organs in the UK if you use the builder search facility.
AJJ
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''I remember hearing a spectacular recording made of this instrument in (I think) the late '60s or early '70s. It was part of a large English organ LP series, with one LP per organ. Beverley Minster was on one of those LPs. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of the organist. But I do remember one stand-out track, I think it was a tocatta, possibly by Howells on "Von Himmel Hoch". Does anybody else remember this recording?''
Alan Spedding (currently still in charge of music at Beverley) was playing - the piece concerned is by Garth Edmundson. I still have a copy of the LP..somewhere.... but at present nothing to play it on!
AJJ
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'Looks good - thanks.
AJJ
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There must be tons of concerts that make a loss because people don't know about them. Let's do something useful by sharing the information. Here goes: Friday August 5, Romsey Abbey, 7.30pm: David Briggs improvising to a silent film. £8.50 on the door. They have to fill the nave to break even on this. Perhaps a pint beforehand, anyone?
And Naji Hakim at Farnborough Abbey (CC/Mutin ?) on the following Sunday - 3.00pm - what's on Saturday?
AJJ
ps Could we persuade Mr Mander to run a 'Concerts' option? - there seem to be enough of us reading here.
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This looks to be a superb asset for St Peters and the IOF - just one thing - on the news section of the Mander website - should the Seventeenth read 1-3/5, are the Great couplers missing and is there possibly another 4' on the Swell in the St Peter's spec?
AJJ
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[
The Saetas are absolutely fascinating however, being based on Gypsy Marian cries, but I'm not sure that they are in print.At least one is - published by Banks of York in a volume of manuals only music edited by John Scott Whitely from York Minster.
AJJ
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He is, of course, bang on!
The abomination recently visited upon the Gloucester Cathedral organ is a classic example of indulging an organists' whim for a whiff of authentic Cavaille-Coll a la Notre-Dame in his own organ loft.
By all means start from scratch with a Van den Heuvel or suchlike, but don't disembowel an existing English instrument for such a purpose. Mind you, Gloucester was already a lost cause post Downes, so I don't suppose it matters that much.
Jeremy Jones
London
Where does this leave Blackburn then?
AJJ
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We seem to have gone miles away from the cathedral music thread but the 1867 Vowles where I play is very much the same as the above - 8OD, 8Claribel, 8Dulc, 8VdiG, 4Princ, 4Flute, 2Fifteenth, 8Hautboy plus 16Pedal - all enclosed except OD and Bourdon.
Amazingly versatile despite TC stops and odd pedal dimensions etc. - I would not change a thing and the church is about to pay for a restoration!
Are we starting another line of discussion or do we need to get back to the point?
AJJ
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Hi
I agree - but then some hymns are pretty trite as well! Look at any old hymnbook - and see what's fallen by the wayside. There are some very well-written and challenging worship songs out there - and they are the ones that will survive. The dross will, eventually, fall by the wayside (but, most likely be replaced by another mix of good and bad!)
Also, as you're obviously aware, stylistic criteria is different for different musical genres.
Every Blessing
Tony
Point taken - I agree here!
AJJ
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''It's not necessarily the musical style that gives an act of worship its integrity.''
Yes but sometimes the more so called 'contemporary' music is decidedly trite - I hope I'm not a musical snob and indeed in my other job in charge of a secondary school music dept. I necessarily have to have a broad approach including working with some very accomplished and serious rock musicians but some so called music groups and their repertoire make my toes curl!
AJJ
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Are you saying that the organ here in St Albans lacks honesty and integrity? My experience tells me quite the opposite, which is why it works. But it is also musically versatile perhaps in ways that even Mr Downes did not envisage.
It is one of the few organs that I have ever just sat down at ('visiting choir again - sometime ago now) drew the stops I hoped would work for some before the service music and found that they did! Having been in and out of St Albans now since the late 1960s either a member of the above visiting choir (from about as far south in the diocese as one can get) or because of a Godson as ex Head Chorister there (his father is still amongst the tenors) I can vouch for Mr Lucas' sentiments - in the right hands the H & H there can be a fantastically versatile and exciting musical instrument. Try visiting the Organ Festival to find out!
AJJ
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The same could be said to occur at parish level where if I am not careful my Rector (whose musical taste is generally beyond reproach) could have me leaping up and down between the organ in the chancel and a keyboard at the head of the nave depending on the musical leanings of particular parts of the service. Anything that involves the 'auto rhythm backing' he plays himself however!!
AJJ
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Interestingly one of the best recordings I have of Choral Evensong repertoire with some fantastic organ 'backing' in the psalms is on a CD called 'Show Yourself Joyful' recorded in St Pauls Church, K Street, Washington - the whole thing is directed by Jeffrey Smith (now at Grace Cathedral San Francisco) - the organ is a large 4 man. Schoenstein with much romantic voicing and the sort of multiple swell boxes one associates with this builder including 32' reeds under expression and real strings etc. The nearest thing over here is I suppose St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol.
AJJ
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The Lewis organs at Southwark Cathedral and Kelvingrove Gallery, Glasgow both exhibit this sort of diversity. The 32/16 Posaune and 16/8 Bombarde ranks on the Pedal at Southwark are especially fine on a lowish wind pressure. One can but imagine what Southwark might sound like on an open west or transept gallery!
AJJ
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Peter Hurford, one of the orginal designers, also thinks these additions would be suitable enhancement of what is still a great organ. Unlike the RFH organ it sings into an acoustically sympathetic building which is partly why it sounds so good.
It sounded quite superb today on Choral Evensong - as did the choir.
AJJ
Design For A Two-clavier Organ
in Nuts and bolts
Posted
Here's mine - any comments?
GREAT Enclosed
Contra Gamba 16 Ex 8
Diapason 8
Harmonic Flute 8
Lieblich Gedeckt 8
Gamba 8
Principal 4
Flute 4
Fifteenth 2
Mixture 1-1/3 IV
Bass Clarinet 16 Ex 8
Clarinet 8
Tromba 8
Suboctave
Tremulant
SWELL
Bourdon 16
Diapason 8
Stopped Diapason 8
Salicional 8
Celeste 8
Gemshorn 4
Flute 4
Flageolet 2
Echo Cornet 2-2/3 III
Mixture 2 III-IV
Posaune 16
Trumpet 8
Hautboy 8
Vox Humana 8
Clarion 4
Octave
Suboctave
Unison Off
Tremulant
Clarinet 8 Gt
Tromba 8 Gt
Octave Tromba 4 Ex 8
PEDAL Enclosed in both boxes
Open Wood 16
Contra Gamba 16 Gt
Sub Bass 16
Quint 10-2/3
Octave 8
Flute 8
Super Octave 4
Contra Posaune 32 Ex Sw
Ophicleide 16
Posaune 16 Sw
Trumpet 8 Ex 16
It's a 'big' organ for its number of stops but flexible. I quite like the idea of an enclosed Great - especially when near a choir or in a fairly dead acoustic - they seem to do this in the USA quite often but not over here. Electric or electro- pneumatic action of course!
AJJ