AJJ

Could anyone explain please - in a normal sized living room, not using headphones or external speakers - does the sound of even a moderate sounding 2 or 3 man not sound something of a parody? I am interested one day in getting (and it will have to be electronic) a house instrument but rightly or wrongly imagine that 16' Pedal Opens, large churuses and reeds would sound rather odd in the space available - is this not the case? The trouble is that when I have asked various companies to quote for something small they tend to come up with the excuse that the 'number of stops as against cost' factor would mean that I could actually have more for my money than I actually want! I would like something above all with versatility over two manuals and pedals - contrasting 8', 4' & 2' and maybe a Mixture, a string, some sort of Sesquialtera and small chorus/solo Oboe etc. and some sort of basic 16' Pedal tone and possibly not even a combination system. Certainly not the complete recreation of St-Ouen, Rouen or St Bavo Haarlem - I can reel out stoplists for them by the mile. The trouble is that the only house organs I have heard have been elderly and although much prized by their owners have sounded completely awfull to me! AJJ

'Sounds fun - thanks! AJJ

I don't do recitals as a rule (a 30 minute slot a a few years ago as part of an all day 'play in' for organ funds as a favour for an organist/organbuilder friend at a church near here just about finished me off) but in my 'day job' I can often get 13/14 year olds engaged with some fairly obscure music (Michael Nyman yesterday) using similar methods. Some even wanted to know the CD. AJJ

Thanks! AJJ PS Perhaps you were thinking of Lynne Davis who originates from US but comes from a Chartres direction now.

Quote PCND I think that Susan Landale (I know that she is not British) is, or uesd to be, Titulaire at the American Church, in Paris - but this is not quite what you were asking. Aaagh - she's a Scot!! AJJ PS So am I - well half anyway. PPS Who is the organist at Rennes - out of interest.

Many Thanks! AJJ

When is it best to hear St Denis then? AJJ

So does Crewkerne - stuck on the west wall - I think we've done this bit somewhere else before though. AJJ

All Saints Friern Barnet. AJJ

I have a sort of 'composite' Latry CD with the Vierne Carillon de W (that people were raving about here recently), some earlier music AND the Widor Toccata from NDdeP. He takes it at a good speed but the end is amazing - chamades coupled to everything and none of the 'quiet before the end' effect that is usual. 'Can't decide if it is a teeny bit vulgar or real good stuff!! AJJ

And the 'dressing up' side of it means that the knitters and weavers of academic wear are kept in business too as this seems an important part of their purpose! AJJ

What about these people then? (I think that another organisation exists with a similar membership and intent but with different name however at the moment can't remember the name!) A quick scan of the membership will reveal one or two familiar names and some very long lists of qualifications. http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/facultylm/index.jhtml AJJ PS Later.........Try the LINKS button and the 'other organisation' referred to above (and even more) can be found - I never realised all this existed!

QUOTE(Mark Wimpress @ Sep 8 2006, 03:53 PM) The Organ at NDdeParis sounds very different today. Oddly - last time I heard Notre Dame (from downstairs) - even though it was an 'official' recital there was so much other noise in the place that anything above mf was lost in the acoustic. Everyone else here seems to be able to speak about the various tonal effects but from this point of view (non resident organist playing so I suppose lack of knowlege of the instrument might have been something to do with it) but much of what was being played was difficult to judge till the mixtures and bigger reeds came on. I do have CDs - a small ammount of Cochereau, Latry (French) and Leguay (Liszt) which show it in a different light - I can't help feeling though that these give a somewhat false impression from that which one gets in the body of the building. Maybe it's my age and hearing going! AJJ

'Have just bought Sophie-Veronique Cauchefer Choplin playing - Festivo CDs - superb playing & sounds. The organ in S-S seems to be getting quite a lot of recording/videoing at present and can be heard live frequently too. We are over next month and have arranged a visit. AJJ

How do people find his playing? AJJ

Try 'Music for a Grand Organ' STH organ played by David Drury on ABC Classics. AJJ

When I had lessons at St Mary's I only used this device in one piece - a Prelude by Kodaly (I think!) and it worked fantastically - up to a ff then back down to a ppp - I could not have achieved the effect any other way! AJJ

I seem to remember that when you send a message the system asks you to tick a box as to whether you want to save it or not. AJJ

'Interesting this - I have had similar experiences in a medium sized east coast town with a long running summer organ recital series. Maybe not quite so 'home grown' in feel as VH's with some quite well known names featuring (in the past at any rate) but usually with a reasonable sized audience. The local (very!) beer is also excellent. Incidentally Margaret Phillip's recitals at Milborne Port draw a good number too. AJJ

Quote - David C There's also a mini-Willis with a common soundboard for 3 manuals, coupling being achieved by a vertical slider joining the bars of each section together. I think the mini Wills is at Kilkhampton Methodist - also while on the subject the Great at my local Methodist has this lot all one one slider soundboard - and very mid 19thC it sounds too: 16, 8, 8, 8, 8, 4, 4, 2-2/3, 2, 2, III, 16, 8, 4. AJJ

Margaret Phillips is another who can communicate not only through the music she plays but through her 'chats' in between pieces. Just go to one of her concerts at Milborne Port where the audience moves as she moves from instrument to instrument and you'll see what I mean. Whether it be Bach or something a little more obscure it always works. AJJ

You can still order it from JAV - I think he was just showing that the two together work as a 3rd viable stop combination. AJJ

Mind you - as a slight deviation - if you listen to Prof. Tom Murray demonstrating the Yale organ on the 2 CD JAV set (fantastic fun - everyone should have this - he goes through everything!) - the big solo Tuba and Trompette Harmonique work wonderfully together. But I suspect that they were designed to! AJJ

It seems to me that when newer organs set out to be 'out and out French' in style (Exeter College for example - which I also agree could be said to be too loud - though it works wonderfully on a recording of the Durufle Requiem that I have) and there has been some research into their genesis then reeds, flues etc. do work and sound as they are intended to within their context. It is when (as maybe at Wimborne - I have never heard the Spanish 'section' there!) instruments try and do too much that the troubles start. Crediton reeds at least sound as one would expect them to as do those at Redcliffe as another example. One of the nicest newer organs I have heard is the Tickell at Dulwich where again much thought and consideration went into style, scaling and voicing and the whole sounds at one with itself - the reeds there have a 19th Century middle of the road feel to them. My problem comes with so called French reeds grafted onto mid 19th/20th (or whatever!) Brit. pipework that sound not only out of place but many not even French. Likewise some of the less-new Riegers etc. with thin so called Trompettes that are seemingly from no tradition let alone a French one. Gloucester's reeds used to be Willis but they work well in their newer context because Downes (whether one likes the result or not) had an overall 'unity' in mind for the organ and consequently the reeds were considered along with all the rest. This may not have always been the case with his instruments but I think Gloucester works as does St Albans - Windsor and Coventry likewise albeit without Downes' immediate influence. 'Not sure if I've made this clear - sorry if not! AJJ

A slight digression from the question of reeds however, I once heard a big Bach prelude played at Sacre Coeur on a fairly full flue combination and it sounded ghastly - to me at any rate. All the conrapuntal elements were a blur. It could have been the acoustic or just that it wasn't designed for that sort of music! AJJ