AJJ

Hmm! AJJ

Is that the girl band All Saints - 'never heard them use Chamades before though! AJJ

I tried Alexander Technique at University - the person running the sessions seemed never to be able work out where organists should posture - so to speak! My instrument at home is mercifully quite comfortable however - and I am prone to back problems when the slightest 'variable' is out - from car seats to over soft beds and odd chairs at work. I once drove all the way up France in my previous car and then had to have 6 weekly session with my osteopath to get over the fact that the pedals were never quite in the right position for my lenght of leg or ability to change gear comfortably. I used to play an organ in Devon fairly regularly where prolonged use of the Swell manual used to mean slipping slowly off the front of the organ stool. I am sure that despite the near standard measurements of consoles these days all of us can account for those that are comfortable and those that for some unknown reason are not. AJJ

Thanks for that - unless I missed it the usual organist/choir rags seem also not to have realised. AJJ

Philip Marshall at Lincoln was similar to Francis Jackson in style - I think there is a recording of him with the choir there still available as a sort of compendium of 70s 'takes'. My wife and I sang in his 'voluntary' choir for a short while in the early 80s just before he retired and it was amazing just listening to his stories of Bairstow and similar characters. I have no idea if he is still alive (does anyone know?) but he was a strong link with a past tradidtion and past personalities the sort of which do not seem to figure much any more. AJJ PS Somewhere also is a CD set with Andrew Lumsden playing at Westminster Abbey- Martin Neary in charge - 'can't remember the label but some of it was incredible!

I find myself agreeing with both Nigel A. and Pierre L. over this - Redcliffe played by a sympathetic organist can sound amazing - an Anglican service accompanist's dream machine with fabulous quiet sounds and orchestral solos etc. I did hear it once, however played by a visiting organist and much of what was played just did not 'go'. Redcliffe was returned more 'to style' some years ago and as another example the AH at Crediton PC was kept 'in style' during recent work - a smaller, less versatile instrument and (to me at least) very much as Nigel describes the instrument of his youth! Both, however can be avoided if one does not like the sounds they make and players do not have to play them if they do not want to. I recently read a review of the autobiography of Arthur Wills and apparently in one chapter he gives his opinions as to the more recent work on the Ely organ - originally AH's flagship and thoroughly rearranged by Wills and Clutton etc. in the 1970s. It would be interesting to read what he says especially as the recent H&H work was aimed at returning some of the pre AH sonorities. AJJ

And J P Buzard is building them again in so called English tonal schemes in the USA - the circle is coming round again! (Harrisons also replaced one recently at Margaret Street.) AJJ

Here is another one - one could almost take it home - 'some lovely sounds and all a little different. 'Just spotted the theme for this thread - we're a bit off topic! AJJ

T C Lewis frequently did LGs at 16, 8, 4 and 2. AJJ

And there's St Thomas Church, New York with no punctuation marks at all! AJJ

The middle 'fanfare' from the above snipet could be quite fun as a mobile phone ring tone perhaps? AJJ

Can we all do this? AJJ

Perhaps even Messing Regal - like New College? AJJ

Nice to see you back too Pierre. AJJ

This is a little gem. AJJ

I never spotted the Yates connection with an 'Allen' when I was researching him about 20 years ago but that might just be my omission - Bill Drake might know more. AJJ

How about this too. AJJ

Extending slightly the thread then - I wonder where there actually is a decent concet hall organ in the UK from more recent years - certainly on here they all seem to have as many detractors as admirers. Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester have all figured in these threads - the RFH and Bristol are older of course and there is the Walker in Bolton which seems not to have been mentioned. Apart from Bristol I have played none of them - the only other one I have heard live is the RFH. AJJ

Totally off target but maybe linked with the above comments - the very new public loos in the centre of our town for some reason have the Allegri playing over a speaker system for the entertainment (?) of clients. AJJ

I attended my niece's confirmation today in Winchester Cathedral - the place was about 2/3 full and we were sitting about six bays down the nave from the choir screen. The school choir was nicely poised behind the nave altar directed by its DOM, the organist was one of the very expert cathedral team so there were no 'strange console' experiences and all went fine till the first hymn. After the playover we all joined in - BUT - it was almost mayhem. Our party just gave up and listened - who should we follow - the DOM conducting at the front, what we heard from the organ (some fairly hefty reeds from round the corner in the north aisle were pumping out the bass line but the rest was indistinct) or each other? Some of the congregation near by obviously knew the hymns better than others and sang very loudly - but out of time with much else and my wife looked at me with the sort of look that heaped the wrongs of Anglican Church Music fair and square on my shoulders. Hardly any one knew the last hymn (Coe Fen) so consequently things were one step even closer to anarchy. The Mulet Carillon Sortie on the way out was amazing however! Does this happen regularly, do any of the rest of you ever get to sit on the other side of things (I must admit I have not 'congregated' for ages) and what on earth should Winchester (or similar places) do about their congregational participation - if anything, in the nave at least? Do nave organs help? AJJ

I can't listen to the Alain 'Litanies' any more without being reminded of the time when I managed to pull the heavily cellotaped copy off the music stand during one of the more complex sections when turning pages for a very well known international recitalist. I met him again not so long ago and mercifully he did not remember the incident. One of those toe curling moments in ones life all the same! AJJ

Stephen Cooke's 'reworking' of the Bevington at Westbury PC in Wilts. is also quite decent. AJJ

A new thread perhaps - the greatest organs since 1980 that never got built? AJJ

Is this still likely to happen - anyone know? - if so it will be impressive to say the least! Abergavenny AJJ

Honiton was not quite what I was expecting when I attended a recital there a while back - somewhat lacking in 'awe and wonder'. Dulwich at the hands of its DOM (and consultant) to me was something different altogether. AJJ PS pcnd's Minster organ was impressive when I last heard it - our visit coincided with the end of a wedding and at the hands of the previous DOM there was certainly a tingle factor. Mind you I did not hear it's most prominent features! PPS To show how subjective all this really is - certainly, at the hands of its resident musicians I would suggest Bath Abbey too - but there are a few around here who would disagree perhaps!