wolsey

Many years ago, the organ in Queenswood School Chapel in Hertfordshire suffered terrible problems because of its proximity to Brookmans Park transmitting station. Ciphers would suddenly occur, and the stop and piston actions seemed jinxed. My scheduled organ recital there was cancelled because of the organ's sheer unpredictability.

The RSCM publishes Music for Common Worship: Night Prayer (Compline) in Traditional Language (Ref: RCW107) which I have used. The traditional-language version contains a plainsong setting of the text from Common Worship: Sunday Services, together with those contained in the 1928 prayer Book. Published for the Plainsong & Medieval Music Society.

This is what we bought just over a year ago from a company called Y3K. The company recommendation came from Nigel Allcoat, and the system serves our needs. The three (fixed) cameras provide pictures of the West Door, conductor, and High Altar. The cameras' infra-red capability is useful on occasions when there is little or no light, e.g. a candle-lit service.

Hear, hear. For some people, other practice opportunities for transposing 'real' music might present themselves, e.g. accompanying a singer in a song which is set in an uncomfortable key; an exam candidate who turns up for a run-through with part and piano accompaniment in mis-matching keys; a church service - usually of readings and music - where achieving key relationships between items may necessitate transposition. Incidentally, with current informed thought in some quarters about Tudor church music being that it should sound approximately a tone higher than it originally appeared in its sources (check the prefatory stave), try playing through the given organ or rehearsal part down a semitone if the editor's cranked it up a minor 3rd.

...and Malcolm's predecessor as BBC Symphony Orchestra organist was my organ teacher, the late Alan Harverson.

To clarify: Sub-Organist, Chapel Royal , St James's Palace

The album Toccatas, Carillons and Scherzos edited by Rollin Smith (Dover Publications) contains: Boëllmann: Carillon from Douze Pièces, op. 16 E. Bourdon: Carillons from Dix Pièces, op. 7 J. Grison: Les Cloches: Verset-Prelude for the Magnificat A. Marty: Les Carillons de Saint-Paul d'Orléans G. Morandi: Rondò con imitazione de' campanelli (Bell rondo, op. 17) Mulet: Carillon-Sortie in D Sowerby: Carillon There is, I know, some duplication of pieces already mentioned by previous posters. Also, Brewer's Carillon in A Little Organ Book - In memory of Hubert Parry

Can you elaborate on the way T C Lewis was "dabbling" in organ building in 1910? His earliest proposal (dating incidentally from that year) was for a large organ in several parts divided between the Apse and Tribunes. Largely for financial reasons, only the Choir Organ in the Apse (i.e. the 'Apse Organ') was ever built. Other writers do specifically mention 'Lewis & Company' - not T C Lewis - as the builder. As you say, the firm had reformed without him in 1901. If the Apse organ was built in 1910, by what means would T C Lewis have built the instrument? People who could provide definitive answers are Stephen Smith who maintains this peerless website which includes this authoritative article on the Grand Organ; Christopher Gray (of BIOS) who wrote "The Highest Style of Art": An introduction to the life and legacy of T.C.Lewis (1833-1915) in the BIOS Journal Vol 22 (1998); or even David Wyld whose firm, I believe, now holds the Lewis books. Good luck.

I fear not: I have his LP recording of Neil Cox at the Frobenius and Walker organs of Lancing College Chapel, but have yet to see that on CD.

Yes. It's by Malcolm Riley, a longtime champion of Whitlock's music - and a member of this forum! It's published by Banks Music Publications. You'll have to PM him to ascertain the work's difficulty...

Royal Albert Hall 2009-2010 Wednesday 21 October 2009 - Wayne Marshall Sunday 27 June 2010 - Grand Organ Gala

Not lawful at present in the Church of England, apparently.

The centuries-old instruction Offerte vobis pacem in the Catholic Mass has often been thought of by many as a new, trendy fad. I suspect that this is because 'The Peace' wasn't a feature of Anglican prayer books (though I stand to be corrected), and because of the 'mateyness' with which it can be exchanged today, so far removed from the sobriety with which the action should properly by carried out.

A link was given here in the broadcast to extracts from the lost Holst films. One of the available extracts is a six-minute interview with Howells.

Well, this ex-Cambridge man - quite coincidentally - is listening to the concert now on iPlayer. I think your last sentence answers your own question. It wasn't an organ recital, and the sell-out audience (even the organists among them ) were glad to hear the organ at various points, but it shouldn't be any big deal. The organ comes into its own on Saturday at 5pm in the hands of David Titterington.

Michael Nicholas, I think, and on the long-gone Vista label. I remember hearing that disc myself.

Yes, indeed. And this corresponds with what some of his pupils and colleagues say in Christopher Palmer's book Herbert Howells - A Centenary Celebration (1992). The dapper double-breasted suit; the tie; the breast hankerchief; the Ravel-like elegance in every detail of his dress and accessories... A cynic, however, might call the "posturing" pretentiousness: choristers are forever fazed by counting note-lengths in his music when the final note of a passage (with a minim pulse) is a tied quaver - or a tied dotted crotchet followed by a quaver rest. It looks sophisticated, but to some young minds, it's all too fussy and daunting. That aside, I regard the 2nd Rhapsody as an under-rated work, and David Hill's performance of it on BBC Radio 3 in the 1980s while he was assistant at Durham is, for me, the definitive performance - so much so that I've transferred my old cassette-tape recording of it (and Hill's playing of Set 2 No. 3) onto my iPod. The Piano Quartet in A minor is a work I took to on first hearing, and no-one has mentioned the beautiful Elegy for viola and string orchestra. And to answer the OP, I learnt the Siciliano for my grade 7 decades ago and thought it worth learning - then. I also featured it in recitals, but received no positive nor negative feedback from audiences, so can't confirm whether or not they appreciated it.

Heavens! There's much to see in Barcelona, and many of my favourites have been mentioned already. Get yourself out of the organloft and enjoy lots of Gaudi and Picasso. There's also the Old Quarter, and many splendid churches. Enjoy a promenade down Les Ramblas, and pause at Café l'Opera for a drink.

I thought it was George Bevan's canticles which were the 'in' setting at present, but I stand to be corrected...

One version available was the recording by Graham Barber on the organ of Truro Cathedral, no. 4 in Priory's Great European Organs series. It's been deleted, but available to special order from Priory - though at a price. The track you want is also available in MP3 format for purchase and download here - NB it's on track 1 which contains two of the chorale preludes.

The reason is known to a few, and was discussed on another forum back in April. The consensus was that Mr Carpenter has done himself no favours, and it could be argued that he/his agent has scuppered the chance of a future visit here again. As one distinguished Dorset correspondent said about the cancellation of his UK tour, "This is, of course, to the great disappointment, distress and inconvenience of those involved in its organisation. Mr Carpenter was to have played in five English cathedrals and six other venues. His and his agent's decision to cancel the entire tour seems quite extraordinary, but apparently a US recording was considered important enough to justify such a course of action. "

John Bull's Rondo; Alain's Dances (two sets); Bovet: Tangos, etc; Karg-Elert: Valse Mignonne Calvin Hampton: Five Dances

St John's (RC) Church, Islington, London: Walker 1963 (remember Preston's LP of the Hindemith organ sonatas?). Renovated in 1991-2 by Keith Bance, and a 32' Oliphant added.

It was the then Precentor's instruction (and may still be now) at Hereford that the appointed psalms for the day are sung in their entirety.

As mentioned, it's on the current AB organ syllabus (grade 8) so should be in print. It's published by Hansen, the UK umbrella company now being Music Sales Group.