AJJ

The only teaching job this week looks as if it is off the Archers too............... http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/showJob.asp?i...p;type=Teaching AJJ

Do vicars have blogs? AJJ

One would hope that this would be the solution but as you say..........................! I know of a church - mercifully very far from where I now 'operate' where anything that looks like 'boat rocking' is greeted with almost violent suspicion from the establishment - not however including the present incumbent. If I were organist there I would have probably resorted to counselling by now or just resigned. Things can only operate smoothly using the VH method outlined above - in my opinion anyway! AJJ

Edited accordingly above. AJJ

Here it is: Saint John’s College, Oxford I POSITIVE Bourdon (Wood) 8 Portunal 8 Principal 4 Flûte à cheminée 4 Nazard 2⅔ Flageolet 2 Tierce 13/5 Mixture III Voix humaine 8 II GREAT Portunal 16 Montre 8 Gambe 8 Bourdon (Metal) 8 Principal 4 Flûte ouverte (Wood) 4 Octave 2 Mixture IV-VI Trompette 8 III RECIT Flûte Traversiére 8 Flûte 4 Cornet III Quint 11/3 Enclosed Dulciana 8 Unda maris 8 Salicet 4 Chalumeau 8 PEDALE Bourdon 16 Principal 8 Bourdon 8 Principal 4 Mixture 2’ + III Buzéne 16 Sacqueboute 8 I/II III/II II/III Tremblant Appel Buzène 16’ Appel Trompette 8’ AJJ

Last night - packed church standing room only - BUT with only 1 manual, trigger Swell etc. severely limited: Pre - Daquin Noels and Ch. Prels. by Egil Hovland Post - Improvisation (which even solicited a round of applause much to the delight of the 2 minor members of the AJJ family!) AJJ PS - New Year's resolution to get the Rector to get the organ restored!

Festive Greetings from deepest Somerset - I am not supposed to be on this thing today - 'am listening to the CD of Cochereau improvising on Noels - a present from my 6 year old daughter (she's learning!). Carol Service (a bit hairy on 1 man & 8 stops) last night then nothing more till next Sunday. AJJ PS Please could someone ban 'The Shepherd's Farewell' - I hate it!

Wasn't it written up in Organists' Review a few years back? AJJ

Here you go............. Great Stopped Wood 8 Principal 4 Fifteenth 2 Sesquialtera II Swell Gemshorn (stopped bass) 8 Voix Celeste (TC) 8 Harmonic Flute (metal) 4 Flageolet (wood) 2 Hautboy (TC) 8 Pedal Stopped Bass (from Great) 16 S-G G-P S-P Tremulant to whole organ AJJ

Here are some pictures of St John's College Oxford - casework design and building progress - enjoy! AJJ http://www.organconservatoire.org/22401/59701.html

This is interesting beacuse so far this Christmas I have been thanked (as organist/pianist) each time I have played - 'the masses' even applauded after one concluding voluntary - a bit embarrasing as I did not play particularly well that evening. I also made sure that at my school Christmas bash everyone possible got a mention and a bottle of festive cheer! AJJ

What about a bit of website and some on going photos - Barry Jordan did it at his cathedral in Germany, so did Marlborough and (more village size) Twyford. I am sure readers here would also like to know what you are up to. AJJ

Just after we first met I was playing the final voluntary at my not yet wife's church - she was supposed to nip back from amongst the altos at the end of the service to turn pages for me - it was not an easy piece but I did wonder quite what I was going to do when I saw her leaving the choirstalls in my mirror and heading for the vestry with the rest of the procession. AJJ

I was once playing for a wedding at church where I sometimes help out - the previous vicar had returned to do the deed and I had not seen him for a while. The signal that the bride had arrived was for someone to wave violently from the west door - I would see this in the mirror and start on the Queen of Sheba. With a few minutes to go I started to get set up for the procession when the wave came I started playing. It wasn't till the last page that I found out (from my pal the previous vicar when he arrived to tell me to stop playing) that his wave had been not a signal that the bride had arrived but just one to say hello! AJJ

I can't talk and pedal but I can cope with manuals and chat - 'trouble is people come up and try to engage in conversation during pre and post music - it's difficult not to be rude. The worst is when I have (out of childcare necessity) one of the daughters with me (mine that is - not a sect of nuns) - they (at 6 & 8) are totally unpredictable in what they might do including demanding admiration of the current work of art, spotting a friend down below amongst the cubs and all but joining them or wanting to experiment with different stop combinations mid piece or hymn! AJJ

And the Solo strings are fantastic. One can 'have a go' by ringing them up and finding a time when no one is using the hall - make sure they have wheeled the console out of it's cupboard and there you are - easy! AJJ

There is also the organ St John's RC church in Bath from the same 'stable' - previously incarnate as the Walker at Hull Uni. A very odd looking casework possibly made by theatrical scenery makers (it looks like it to me anyway). Details as yet not reached the NPOR although the instrument has been there for a while. It doesn't actually sound too bad though. AJJ

And even with my lot and all the resources of 8 speaking stops, one manual and pedal the same applies - if the choir is there I can reduce to 8 & 4 Flutes (box almost shut) and still keep them in order. It is surprising how much the lack of the security of organ going flat out makes them sing better. AJJ

A Personal Message to Nigel Allcoat (member of this forum) should do the trick. AJJ

Oops - slip of the university while trying to do too many things at work - corrected at source!! AJJ

Queens College Oxford (Frobenius) - and St John's College Oxford (Aubertin) - but it hasn't been built yet! AJJ

Maybe the 15th in the mixture compensates in a chorus context and if the 2' is fairly narrow it could work both ways. I've seen it done this way before with a fairly low mixture that has a 2' in all the way up. AJJ

There was a write up in 'Organbuilding' the IBO journal a year or two ago. AJJ

Brecon Cathedral and St Davids Cathedral seem also to have been in a state of constant rebuild - although the recent work at St Ds seems to have stopped things for the better there. I have not heard the results of the H & H work but by all accounts it is a vast improvement AJJ

I thought that it was a medical condition - some sort of specific nervous involuntary leg movement towards the 32ft reed reverser pedal. Embarassing if it happens away from the console though! AJJ