AJJ

I have recently been learning a number of pieces by Craig Phillips - only moderately difficult in most cases but well crafted, good on the ear and not too challenging in style etc. He has also written some lovely pieces for choirs - I really like The House of Faith. http://www.selahpub.com/SelahPeople/Phillips.html Quite a few pieces here also allow for sample pdf downloads. There is a CD available of a selection his choral music performed by the choirs at Phillips' own church in Beverley Hills and another of his some of his organ pieces played on a nice new Casavant organ by the US organist Christopher Wells - on the Gothic label I think. A

The Sortie from the Suite Liturgique is quite fun - shorter pieces from other albums are quite handy to use in liturgical gaps etc. too. 'Would advise listening to some first before bulk buying though! A

I knew the answer would arrive quickly using the 'grapevine'! Apparently Fabio Germani was/is Fernando Germani's son and the piece was composed by him around 1970 for a competition of 'pop' music involving the record company RCA. Fernando later recorded his son's piece in an organ and strings version for the TV show on the clip above - a rare view of FG playing and in rather uncharacteristic mode maybe. All info. thanks to Stefano Bertuletti in Italy! A

I know of Germani's Toccata for organ but recently came across an organ arrangement of a piece apparently by him called Cantata per Venezia which seems also to have various other manifestations - guitars etc. There is an interesting video of Germani playing the piece on an electronic (complete with perspex organ bench! ) plus 'light' orchestral 'backing' but I am curious to know more about the piece. It is fairly insubstantial - rather like a lesser Albinoni Adagio and I was even wondering whether FG was trying to cultivate a more 'popular' image perhaps with what looks like a prime time TV slot. Some references also describe the piece as being by Fabio Germani - are they one and the same? A

Agreeing with all above I also came to the conclusion that for example if I had to play my usual Sunday repertoire on this then normal habits could prevail. I must admit that (perhaps out of laziness) I tend to use the local 2/3 manual village jobs around here as large 1 manuals with things coupled as necessary. Here the spectrum for variety looks superb - Peter Hurford once said that one should use one's ears when registering - as opposed to pulling out so called correct combinations of sounds and expecting them to work. The newish Mander organ at St Giles Cripplegate works wonderfully using this idea and I suspect the new Mansion House organ does similar. OK they look like fairly conventional 2 manual jobs but the stop distribution is very cunningly laid out. I've not played the latter but the former can do much more than one might initially think from looking at the spec. - and the action is lovely! A

Very nice - thank you! A

I have heard of other similar arrangements over here - in France though I have recently been allowed access to two major cathedral organs for as long as I wish. In each case the resident organist could not have been more hospitable and in one case the tourists who were around were also very attentive and actually listened to what I was playing. I did however go prepared with music that I could play and offered a donation which in both cases was refused. I also know of at least two situations around here where the resident musicians are so ultra protective of their instruments making it actually quite difficult for anyone visiting as a deputising organist - supposedly there to help out when the incumbent is absent! Certainly however, with appropriate overtures and a respect for the institution one is visiting I find most organists will facilitate visits whenever possible. And if not possible then the reason is usually an appropriate one! A

Nice one - it's good to hear about instruments from the point of view the music that can be played on them. Too often organists do themselves no good when they almost mystically remove the instrument from its musical purpose! A

Thanks all! A

There are there too - but there is also a column of small stops/pistons parallel to the Choir Organ stop knobs. A

I have recently acquired the excellent Priory CD of Matthew Martin playing the organ in the Brompton Oratory but I am curious as to the purpose of the column of mini stop knobs/pistons just to the left of the Choir Organ stops on the RH stop jamb. Can anyone enlighten please? A

METHODIST CENTRAL HALL, WESTMINSTER Sunday Matinée on the newly restored Hill/Harrison organ 66 stops, 4 manuals Sunday 21st July 2013 at 3pm Admission by Programme £3 Refreshments available AFNOM Exhibition-Concert given by Michael Bonaventure & Martin Stacey

is amazing - I wonder how it would go down at our place?

Tradition and general 'randomness'! Also - on a similar tack and purely from a personal POV I never used the DOM title when working in schools with the view that I would rather be encouraging, enabling etc. 'Directing' in that context always felt a bit too 'one way' ie me telling and them doing.

Try Dave at http://www.opus-two.com - in the past he has found some pretty obscure stuff for me published in the US - or has declared it unavailable!

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It was very good - but there was some oddly conflicting publicity about - I had to confirm arrangements with the recitalist.

I heard it at the cathedral. A

Interesting also - back then - 'I WAS GLED', today - I WAS GLAD! A

I had initially forgotten what instrument there was in Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh till checking on the NPOR but was really surprised at how well it 'did' the fairly 'Anglican' repertoire in the broadcast. It also sounded very effective in the concluding Bach - does this organ actually sound as nice as this in the building? - it certainly looks very pretty! A

BRISTOL CATHEDRAL - TUESDAY 4th JUNE AT 13.15 Jean-Baptiste Dupont (Titulaire des grandes orgues de la Cathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux) Vierne 2 - plus improvisations http://www.jeanbaptistedupont.com/ This should be good - J-BD is also a past St Albans winner. A

Interesting to hear all these posts - I found the pieces via the Stephen Tharp complete set as mentioned by wolsley but having not had time to listen to all the music they onbly revealed themselves recently. Previously I had only come across the Etudes, Te Deum and Répons pour le temps de pâques in performances by those of a far higher standard than I could ever manage to aspire to. The new American edition is welcome and presumably not as expensive as some scores from France. A

While searching out a piece to play following HC tomorrow discovered the Twelve Choral-Preludes on Gregorian Chant Themes, op. 8 which I had previously not encountered. The rather dinky toccata on Veni Creator will suite Pentecost on the rather large device I am due to deputise on but would just work on my usual 1 man. (much nicer) village pipe job. These pieces seem to be rarely played in recitals but are really effective and much more accessible than the 'big stuff' by Demessieux - does anyone else here play them? Also - are there any other composers of the same period with similarly more accessible pieces? I have the various Dupre sets and a little Durufle number published I think after his death. A

From a non techie - is the version of Sib. compatible with the version of Windows? A