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AJJ

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Posts posted by AJJ

  1. Having had a lovely little one manual and pedal 1860s Vowles as my main church instrument for the last 20 plus years I can certainly say that I never tire of what one can actually get it to do both liturgically and in the repertoire it can cope with. With a bit of research there is much around from all points of the repertoire that will work effectively - enough to make me not over worried about that which will not!

     

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  2. One of the mid Victorian instruments I play on regularly has its only manual 16' flue on the Swell and I often wish that it were on the Great. For me at least in repertoire it would work better there and I would also find it more of use there in service playing. There is no 16' reed on the Swell in question but that is part of the nature of the beast and something I can happily live with. I stand to be corrected here but I seem to remember reading somewhere that Father Willis made his Swell 8' Cornopeans or Trumpets of larger scale in the bass when no 16' reed was present to fill out that part of the compass.

     

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  3. I recently took posession of the recent Positif Press books on the organs at New College Oxford and those at St George's Chapel Windsor without a problem via an email to John Brennan.

     

    jb@positifpress.co.uk

     

    Both books are excellent!

     

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  4. When you look at them, a lot of organs from the turn of the last century have a lower manual which is basically a Choir Organ plus a big diapason "to lead the singing". The registration would be additive, as on a French organ, with the Swell to Great on most of the time and the swell-box used to cover up the addition of stops. In other words, the spec would be the stops the local cathedral organist used most often on his four-manual Willis/Hill/Walker/Harrison to accompany his choir, plus the diapason to keep the hymns going.

    Yes, and if you take it even further you get the sort of one manual job than can be found in many villages down this way. In chancel with choir if there is one - 8' OD and possibly 4' unenclosed with 8' and 4' flutes, 8' string or Dulciana with possible Celeste, 2', maybe Mixture and an Oboe all enclosed. Solitary 16' on the Pedal with coupler. Even the sometimes lowest octave missing from the 8's is not always a problem as the separate drawing stopped 8' bass can be creatively used with the pedal coupler. It always amazes me what these little gems can actually do - great for the more 'village' end of the choir repertoire and able to cope with a surprising ammount of 'proper' organ repertoire. They can also keep a moderate sized congregation in time.

     

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  5. Thanks for all this - have just ordered!

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    The pieces arrived today and if first impressions are anything to go by this anthology will prove to be a real treasure trove. Think early Langlais, not too astringent, plainsong based and generally two stave with optional pedal. Nice!

     

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