AJJ

I manage to get a huge variety out of this - 8 (unenc.)8,8,8,4,4, Oboe 8 (all TC and enclosed with a ratchet pedal) plus 2. and a 16' Pedal with odd spacing - my regular instrument. Ingenuity, imagination and an ability to concoct is required - just like simple food cooked well! AJJ

Better and better! - does the Thomas company have a website? - I can't find one as yet. AJJ

I was interested in what you might say Pierre - the sort of work suggested at Monaco could either be very effective - or not. This then sounds a very positive reworking of the instrument. AJJ

Point take Revs. - what a pragmatic lot you are! AJJ

This all looks quite exciting - I heard the current manifestation of the organ some years ago and while very much of its time had a rather gritty sound to it - all rather bottled up at the west end too. It looks as if they are reconstructing and giving the whole thing more of a 'purpose'. The new casework with lighting effects will be impressive too. (Incidentally - while checking the French via Google translate - it was interesting to see a stop on the Recit. called Heavenly Voices 8 - I could do with one of those sometimes - my French is ok but all the same... ) AJJ

It might even be getting to the point where we organist types don't even need to go to the church - with a PC one end and another the other end the music can be loaded and played with a quick click of the mouse! Seriously - does anyone know of a church where this sort of thing is happening. Putting cards on the table - we do use backing CDs on occasions at the school where I work. Some are extremely well done and provide an added dimension to choral/vocal music where the same effect as in the 'big wide world' is required. Last concert for example my choir did some 'straight' numbers some unaccompanied some with with piano etc. and as a finale did a more up beat piece using CD, microphones - the complete works etc. and it sounded really impressive. The students are always surprising at their adaptability and broad appreciation of whatever they are asked to do. Some also turn up at singing lessons with a CD backing if they are doing a more 'pop' song. They are allowed to do this as long as they do the 'technique' stuff as well. In this situation the CD backing is just another stylistic medium...but in church...!!! AJJ

Its a sort of ecclesiastical karaoke - Mayhew offers a number of different pre programmed choices. You then plug it into the PA system and behold you have 'backings' for all your choral needs at the touch of a finger on the ipod - surely every church needs one......! AJJ

'Have just had an email from Kevin Mayhew about this - good news or what? AJJ

I think that this referred originally to the cases - 'inside' seems nothing like Westminster and the whole organ certaily appears to be unique to itself as far as one can tell from Adrian's pictures and reports of it's tonal excellence even at this 'not quite finished' state. I also detect some slightly over raised blood pressures here and there. The old organ has now gone - whether to Stratford upon Avon or wherever - let's just congratulate Tickells, Adrian Lucas and John Norman etc. on their achievements, wait and hear what can be done in both recital and liturgical contexts and maybe even try playing some of our repertoire on it too if we are allowed. We are after all talking about a musical instrument on which to perform music - sometimes I can understand why we organists get a somewhat odd reputation amongst musicians in general - not many others put the 'why and wherefore' of the construction etc. before the actual music do they! AJJ

Karl Jenkins' 'Palladio' always had them wondering where on earth they have heard the piece before. 'Might even play it this morning in fact! AJJ

Toccata by Timothy Miller - Pub. Cantando (who are based somewhere Nordic I think) A

'Remembered another one - the precentor at a large cathedral in East Anglia a while ago now pitched the final Rose response miles too high - the choir (including a treble AJJ) nearly went into orbit on 'Thanks be to God' - 'top C at least! AJJ

Thanks for all your efforts on all our behalf - this must have been a first - 'much enjoyment watching the organ's genesis. AJJ

'Tend to agree with much of the above - it was only that I was rather reserving judgement till I had heard the effect. Perhaps Peter C. could enlarge upon to this if he is around - it was his organ that I was quoting from. AJJ

Colin - are you possibly confusing Beaminster and Lyme Regis? 'Interesting about the Choir - though specs. can be deceptive - there is one on here who has a newish Choir division with the following stoplist : Holz gedackt 8', Flote 4', Superoctave 2', Zimbel III, Cromorne 8' and Zimbelstern who might not agree! AJJ

Have a look at this and a number of questions may be answered - click on The New Organ and also the Discussion Forum - a familiar name there from here also! http://www.lymeregisorganappeal.com/ Quite a few interesting 'advisory types' listed - two I know from experience to be emminently sensible re organ matters - one other even has a Skrable organ at home - click on Op. 185 Blackburn on the link below: http://www.skrabl.com/en/opus_tab.asp# I wonder whether organs can go in 'clusters' - it seems interesting that one relatively untried company (here in the UK at least - I know little about the Slovenian organ scene) can be building two new major instruments in the same relative geographical area. It reminds me of twenty or so years ago when a clutch of RC churches all got smallish tracker jobs from an obscure-ish German builder under the guidance of a particular UK advisor. Then there were a few more from an Italian company - one in particular in a large Midlands church which I found particularly foul! AJJ

I have just had the hymns for Sunday from my highly musical and very supportive Rector and he wants one called 'As the Deep Pants'. It is not one I have come across before - perhaps it is Underware Sunday or something. It reminds me of an occasion when I was very young and on tour in Sweden with a choir. The priest at one of the concert venues rattled on in Swedish for a while before finally introducing the first item as God is gone YIP - presumably something from the east (People Look........and all that) instead of an anthem by Finzi. (Admittedly we did used to put particuarly long and difficult composers names into assembly announcements for Music Society meetings given out by a particular Deputy Head at school - the Russian lot stumped him as did a Baroque session where at least 3 began with Sch...) Any similar things around at this quiet time of the afternoon? AJJ

Aaaaaaagh! - Serenade? - the piece drives me totally up the wall! AJJ

The Joubert 'Picardy' piece is quite effective - I play it on occasions. AJJ

I once went to a concert where the (then well known) player began with the Bach D Major P & F - the initial pedal scale shot off at a complete tangent - much pew gripping all round at that point!! I once played a piece using photocopies that turned out to be in the wrong order. Luckily I managed to work out how it should go and as the piece was also fairly modern and astringent tonally my playing sounded (mostly) as if it were correct. It was also a piece that no one in the audience would have known. AJJ

Keep doing whay you are doing and what Neil suggests - I sprinkle my pre and post service music ('don't do that many recitals) with standard and 'induldent' repertoire. They are just as likely to get Bach, Bonnet, Buxheimer etc. as Karl Jenkins, Rachel Portman or Elena Kats Chernin!! (A quick 'Google' will fill in anyone who does not know of these latter). AJJ

A bit previous perhaps but .....hopefully a CD on the way soon!! AJJ

Didn't this LP use a machine that hailed from Bradford though? AJJ

I use one quite often - one can get used to it!! AJJ

Me too during my undergrad time there! AJJ