AJJ

They do have a good reputation for the full musical spectrum - All Souls, Langham Place is the same. Interesting though is what went on at the above not so long ago - especially when one considers the topic of this thread. (Not, I hasten to add involving the former organist of Christ Church - he had not arrived down under then.) AJJ PS The organ at CCC is quite fun too!

Thanks for this Peter - but no offence taken here I can assure you!! AJJ

Exactly! - which is what seemed to be happening when in the BBC 'slot' mentioned above, the reporter talked to some young students who attend a particularly lively and (well attended) 'fellowship' not far from the church where this thread started - they all seemed to feel that the easy-on-the-brain music, lively chat and free food was far more preferable to the traditional church 'set up' within which some had been brought up. Isn't this in some ways just a rather crafty way of getting more people in through the doors? I'm just not sure whether it is for the right reasons - and this goes well beyond just the music. AJJ

It's just been on our local BBC TV 'Points West' along with a somewhat lacking soundbite on 'old versus new' and relevance etc. AJJ

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh! - is this teacher bashing again or have I got sensitive in my old age. Speaking as one with interests in each area I can happily say that on occasions it is as difficult getting kids to do things in school as it is anywhere else. Of the students I teach - a good number sing in 'County' organised choirs (and have participated in events at the RAH etc.), some attend churches of a more evangelical nature and as far as I know none are in traditional 'church choirs'. We do however have a flexible Junior Choir, a smaller Senior Choir and a large number of students having singing lessons. We do a wide variety of music from trad. Christmas to more up to date numbers with backing CDs and even a cut down version of The Marriage of Figaro. Many students will also sing in front of their class or in our major/lunchtime concerts. As a teacher I feel that my students are not missing out too much on their diet of repertoire and I feel that most of them enjoy what we do or they would not bother to come. As a church organist I do not feel too much bother as to what the local schools are or are not doing - I suppose I am lucky that my boss is not only a broad minded incumbent but also a very competent musician - he also runs the (teenage to adult) choir. As with school, however - those that want to will join - because of who we are, what we do and how we do it. My (musical) 7 and 8 year old daughters have had church music with them all their lives but as yet have not expressed any interest in joining a church choir and we are not pushing them to. One is, however quite interested in learning the organ................. AJJ

I thought that Christ Church up at Clifton (that not so long ago had its loud organ made louder) took care of all those of an alternative musical disposition in central Bristol - this is a great shame. AJJ

And very good it sounds too - a while ago - pre 'Mander chat' days I visited with an Organists Association - we combined it with a visit to huge Victorian church with a rehashed Compton (the one with the 5 rnk Cornet derived from one rank and a 32' Bombarde) - both were demonstrated immaculately with improvisations in a very French manner - I suspect by the above contributor! It can't have been very long after the Lance Foy work was done - 'not a builder I have had much experience of but the work here was of a very high standard tonally and generally. AJJ

Undoubtedly synthetic - I wonder if anyone would ever be daft enough to mistakenly steal the detached console of a pipe organ - who knows!! AJJ

Has anyone experience anything like this before? AJJ PS Maybe someone can recoginize the description of the culprit.

'Will put the date in my diary AJJ

I've lost the plot - what's all this got to do with Ralph Downes? AJJ

Accepted!! AJJ PS There were some about when I passed Stonehenge on the way to work the other day - no hats though.

Yes, if there's one there - John Scott does it! AJJ

PS And I even admit to playing the Mathias Processional!

Thanks Mr lucas - St Albans is the 'local' cathedral of my home parish and I grew up knowing it well (it is only slightly younger than I am) from the visiting choir perspective and later playing the odd voluntary on these visits when allowed to. Latterly experience has been from a purely congregational point of view with some good friends in the really rather good choir but the instrument has always been one of my favourites. It 'plays' well - even my pre service repertoire (with little time to work out registration) seemed to sound good (French Classical mostly) and it felt good to play. I must admit that I quite like being up there amongst it all - the immediacy of it all can be a bit unnerving though. From the point of view of the liturgy we sang 'it all' when we visited - everything from the Tudors to recent and the organ always coped admirably. Many years ago - with Simon Lindley at the console - I heard it hold together a complete building full of youths all singing (Battle Hymn of the Republic - up a semitone every verse!) very lustily and at more organ festivals than I care to remember the general repertoire is covered with many different player's interpretations. The interesting thing though is that because of the size and acoustic of the building it always sounds a little less 'Downes' than some of the more close up examples of his work - maybe the fact that Peter Hurford was also involved added an extra perspective. I am looking forward to hearing it again after it returns from Durham somewhat tweaked! AJJ

And these!! AJJ

'Same with me on this one - and I found it/play it quite often at Christmas!! AJJ

I can think of quite a few others that this might apply to also! AJJ

I tend to think 'process' and 'product' regarding RD - ultimately he was after the music to be realised in its most effective form. As a teacher and performer the results were obvious however when applying the process/product idea to the instruments he designed there seems a less clear sense of process. Instruments such as that at the London Oratory are indeed effective - one only has to listen to music played on them by sympathetic players to hear this (and the huge acoustic helps a great deal). However the manner by which they were 'arrived at' on occasions seemed to be decidedly experimental with the well known differences with organ builders etc. and on a recent visit to Buckfast Abbey the organ left me with a distinct feeling of having something missing tonally. I once (as a teenager) sat for a couple of hours listening to him rehearsing for a recital after which he actually returned the fee because he felt that his playing was not up to standard. In my opinion the playing was first rate! I had dealings personally with him only once but when I did he gave me time and help that he did not have to give and he certainly came over as a man of great sincerity and consideration - a bit of a dogged perfectionist perhaps too but certainly no fool! AJJ

Great, Choir and Solo are in main case on screen with Pedal Violone and Bourdon (I think) and associated 8 & 4 chorus. Part of the Solo is enclosed with the 8' Flute and Tubas 8' & 4' unenclosed. The Choir organ is divided between a chest in the main case and the eastern 'oriel' case projecting into the Quire. In the north quire triforium is the remainder of the Pedal - the independent 16' and 8' Dulcianas are quite far east in fact. Above the screen and console, still in the North quire triforium is the Swell and I have a feeling that the 32' reed is that end of things also or even round in the transept triforium. Well back in the nave you miss a lot of it - for nave congregational control Great to Solo plus the Tubas and big Pedal are needed. It sounds best in the Quire in my opinion or just in front of the screen on the nave side. At the console I always found it worked better than it should, being so spread out. I have never played it for a service - rather just for organ lessons with the then Assistant - Roger Bryan and for pleasure. It was fantastic in the service context - the late Philip Marshall and Roger Bryan brought out the best in it - psalm colouring seemed to melt in and out of nowhere. Likewise in the hands of someone who understood it and its acoustic it could do wonders in recitals. Colin Walsh can make it sound amazing and Jennifer Bate once gave one of the best recitals I have ever heard on it. AJJ

And me! AJJ

Jack Bethards from Schoenstein is a bit of a genius in my opinion - despite the unconventional appearance of some of the specs. etc. the instruments are all in the best possible taste and on CD at least sound quite superb. AJJ

They still produce the BIOS Journal every year - give John Brennan a ring - he's an approachable chap! AJJ

'Still there - not used much - they use a digital piano in the nave now most of the time. I once played a wedding there with a choir in the nave and never actually found out if we had ever been together or for than matter whether they had actually been singing! (I seem to remember we did one of those Rutter pieces in a dodgy key so I had to concentrate on my role in things rather than what they were doing.) AJJ

Thanks Graham - I put it down to my eyesight at first - and I should really have gone to the Bristol & District Organists Association site first as I am actually a member! AJJ