wolsey
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Posts posted by wolsey
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Wasn't the exterior of Guildford Cathedral used in the film 'Omen II'?
It was the first film, not the sequel.
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To pick up on an old item above in this thread:-
I agree, VH - I was watching (and listening to) a DVD of King's [College, Cambridge] earlier to-day. [...snip...] Even on this later recording (1996), the organ is irritatingly bright.Mind you, it makes a change from the sound of it on the Christmas Eve 18h BBC2 broadcast, where it usually sounds as if all the clavier 16p flues are stuck on. Incidentally, why do 'they' always reserve the 32p Ophicleide for the last chord - I cannot recall it ever being used for anything longer. If it is that big, perhaps Stephen Cleobury should consider re-voicing it....
Indeed, it is that big. And I have heard it said that the 32' Double Ophicleide was even more devastating in the 50s, and what we hear today is a tamed version of its original incarnation...
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Isn't this as it should be?
Seriously, though, I have only been to the RAH a handful of times, but on all occasions I have been disappointed by how distant the orchestra sounded, even only half way back. It strikes me that Father Willis got it right, whilst even modern orchestras that are underpowered for the space.
Is this right? I thought that Father Willis didn't get it right at the RAH, and part of the rationale of the first Harrison & Harrison rebuild was to make it louder.
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Thanks for all your advice. Jon, I have particularly enjoyed listening to the improvisation on Victimae Paschali, but bear in mind that when Duruflé transcribed it, he made some important changes to tighten up the structure of the piece. (I want to be able to cite a source for this, but I can't remember where I read it now - sorry!)
I'd be interested to know which of Duruflé's changes "tighten up the structure of the piece". Having compared his transcription to Tournemire's own recorded performance of the Victimae Paschali improvisation - remastered on CD, there's much detail which Duruflé has missed as opposed to structural changes.
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I know of two organists - neither of whom is easy to please in such matters - who both settled for an Eminent DCS organ from Cathedral Organs Ltd. Jeremy Filsell, on the other hand, has a 3-manual Viscount Prestige.
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When I was there for a consultation in May the organ was covered in plastic sheeting due to structural work taking place underneath it - but it was still very much in action (if a little muffled).
The two organ cases were still covered in July when I heard the St Thomas Choir from New York there, and I imagine that the presence of the protective sheeting has led to uninformed speculation. As has been said by another poster, work is being done to the the nave floor; no work is taking place on the organ.
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According to the BBC Radio Gloucestershire website:-
"Residents of Tewkesbury have been cut off - roads in and out of the town are impassable and water and sewage have begun seeping into 12th century Tewkesbury Abbey."
It's been a week now but I, for one, would be grateful for news of the well-being - or otherwise - of organists Roy Massey, Christopher Regan, Carleton Etherington and Ben Nicholas who all live in the town...
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Having just listened to at least four different orchestral samples - courtesy of iTunes, there appears to be a misprint in the Martin transcription published by Novello: bar 27 (two bars before the modulation from B flat to E flat) - the pedal minim (beats 1 and 2) should be bottom C - not E flat as printed.
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It's always enlightening to hear the music of composers known only for their organ music. Howells string music is worth listening to - especially the Elegy for Viola, Quartet and String Orchestra. Stanford's orchestral music is good; try the Irish Symphony. I also have a CD of excellent chamber music by Vierne.
All organists should take every opportunity to listen outside the 'organ box'!!
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Has any of Lloyd Webber's orchestral music been transcxribed for organ? I am keen to get a copy, if available, of his Serenade for Strings (Barcarolle; Romance; Elegy). I had this on a CD called Invocations - now lost, alas. I think it would make a gentle recital suite.
Thanks
Peter
Why not investigate the music he wrote for the instrument as well? Jane Watts' CD from Salisbury Cathedral (Priory PRCD 616) should help. Incidentally, the Chandos recording Invocation which you mention is still available for purchase as a CD (for just over a fiver on Amazon), or you can pick and choose tracks for downloading as MP3 files (www.theclassicalshop.net)
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Having watched a recording of How We Built Britain on BBC 1 last night, David Dimbleby needs to be added to the list of celebrities as organists after playing Cole Porter's I Love Paris as a duet with Len Rawle on the Wurlitzer at the Granada, Tooting.Did you say playing?
He was only playing the RH melody while Len played the accompaniment, and after some initial confusion because Len was playing the LH page simultaneously with DD playing the RH page, the tonality settled down
and we heard and saw a passable duet. DD's fingers knew where they were going. There is a musical streak in the family: his daughter was a fine oboist (post grade 8) and singer at school, and she is now carving a career for herself as a jazz singer. -
Having watched a recording of How We Built Britain on BBC 1 last night, David Dimbleby needs to be added to the list of celebrities as organists after playing Cole Porter's I Love Paris as a duet with Len Rawle on the Wurlitzer at the Granada, Tooting.
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Ditto this one - St John's Upper Norwood - http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=D06615 . A brief history can be found at http://www.stjohn-uppernorwood.org.uk/.
I don't think I've seen this organ mentioned on this board before - is anyone familiar with it?
Graham
Yes. Superbly restored 8 years ago by H&H, and situated in a glorious Pearson church, it's on my shortlist of the best of South London's organs; it can be heard on at least two CDs. Monthly Saturday organ recitals have been a feature since the restoration, and the next is on Saturday 8 September at 1830 hours. There's a Lewis at St Luke's, Kingston-upon-Thames - with key-touches - though in need of sympathetic restoration, and for which an appeal has been launched.
Forgive the digression (pace John Sayer), but vying for a place on my South London shortlist are the organs in two Croydon churches (St John Baptist aka Croydon Parish Church and St Michael & All Angels), and All Saints, Tooting Graveney.
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Interesting to note:
-The Trumpet comes before the Mixture....
Pierre
William McVicker's article on T C Lewis in the current issue of Choir and Organ specifically mentions that surviving key-touch settings from the Kelvingrove Art Gallery organ - as well as Southwark - show that the mixturework was intended to be added with or after the Great reed. On the Southwark Swell, the mixture was orginally set on the piston after that bringing on the 8' reed.
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I am both grateful and extremely impressed at the way in which Steven Smith (web master at www.organrecitals) spends his time.
Err... Don't, whatever you do, call Stephen 'Steven'.....
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Even with a slightly gammy leg I still am irked....
Last week and today weddings have been and will be celebrated at the church where I play. "Guest" organists have been engaged for both, without my beiong involved. Indeed, I only found out about today's last Tuesday when I phoned the groom and said that I had not had norification of the music required. This cannot be considered satisfactory. Apart from the financial aspect, if I note that there is a wedding on a certain day I know to keep that day free - or if I cannot get out of another engagement I know can call upon other organists. Yet there seems little I can do about it.....
Has anybody else had these problems?
Peter
The ISM's information sheet on music for weddings says, "If you are getting married in a church, it is usual to ask the resident organist to play for you. Alternatively you may ask another organist to play. If you decide to engage another organist, you might also have to pay the resident organist (depending on your church’s contract with the organist)."
It all depends then on what it says in your contract with your church...
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I expressed this view to one of my teachers, who pointed out that the fantasia and fugue [in G minor] were never, originally conjoined ; I understand that the fugue originally existed in f minor, which only reinforces the point.
M
Having just speed-read Peter Williams's commentary on BWV 542, it seems arguable that the fugue originally existed in F minor. That copies of it in F minor do exist is beyond doubt though, and as there is no copy of the Fantasia in that key as well, one could well conclude that the two were not conceived by JSB as an entity.
To answer the original poster then, on the evidence available, you cannot be accused of committing a musical faux pas by playing some of the preludes (or fantasias; or toccatas) and fugues separately.
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Nowadays, most record labels have opened up their material to these sites, but the quality is lower than on cd (an MP3 is 128-192 thousand 'bits' of information per second, wherease a cd can be up to 1411,,) though it is reguarly argued that the material cut out is of little worth. Is this the reason (Especially put to Gary) that comapnies such as Regent, Priory and Hyperion (to name three that i would love to be avalible on these services:)) haven't as yet put their materials online. Is there likely to be a market for them to do so in the near future?
Some Priory material can be purchased and then downloaded at www.theclassicalshop.net. I have on my iPod Graham Barber playing Fleury's Prelude, Andante and Toccata...
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David Willcocks and David Lumsden were most likely given their knighthoods because of their directorships of the RCM and RAM respectively rather than because of their work at the universities - the institutions carry royal branding after all (like the RSAM&D).
Into this category would also come Sir George Dyson (RCM).
Oh, and a missing knight: 1921 Sir Ivor Atkins (Worcester)
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But they don't knight organists any more, do they? When was the last? (Sir Andrew Davies doesn't count.)
If you're talking about being honoured for services to music as an organist, then the last knight may well have been Sir George Thalben-Ball. Philip Ledger's knighthood was, I suspect, for services to music in his capacity as Principal of the RSAM&D. It should be noted, however, that a Dame is the female equivalent of a Knight of an Order of Chivalry, so Dame Gillian Weir may well be the last organist to be honoured as such.
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When I started in my previous church position, at St. Peter's Leckhampton, there was a bees nest inside the organ.
It's when you're playing for BCP evensong on Easter Day that verse 12 of psalm 118 rings true...
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She's also against any rall at the end of the playover, which I think is necessary to let the opposition know it's coming up to audience participation time.
I'm with mgp and AMT on this. The purpose of the playover is to establish the melody for the congregation and its tempo. A rallentando is a sure recipe for a confused start to the hymn - precisely at the moment when momentum and character have to be established.
It's also regrettable that you view your congregation as "the opposition"...
Oh dear!
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For the purposes of ordinary concerts, of course it would be a great achievement if the present work has managed to give the auditorium a more resonant acoustic. However, bearing in mind the effect that extra resonance can give to an organ, it is very likely is that pipes simply cleaned and put back in will sound seriously louder than before. [snip]
H&H and William McV. will not only have their work cut out as this instrument is reassembled but the organ may well have to be re-regulated radically (to the extent of quite possibly not sounding very like it's previous self at all!). Indeed, to many minds, it has got to sound better for this work. God forfend that it simply be left seriously louder!!!!
From Dr McVicker's Summary of Proposed Alterations in the 2004/5 RFH recital programme:
"When the RFH's acoustic character has been remodelled and the organ reinstalled, the pipework will be rebalanced to take into account the changes in the building's profile."
There are seriously sensible and musical heads on the shoulders of William McV and Mark Venning and the Durham team. I'm inclined to leave it to their considerable expertise to get the organ sorted so that (transformed) hall and instrument complement each other.
At all events, if major re-voicing/rebalancing is done we cannot and should not blame them. This whole project has been well out of organ-minded hands from the start.Harrison & Harrison are listed on the SBC's website as a member (organ consultant) of the RFH Refurbishment Project Team, so perhaps you know something that we don't.
Flor Peeters' Ars Organi
in The Organ
Posted
I have taught using The Organists' Manual by Roger E. Davis (Norton 1985), while Anne Marsden Thomas's A Graded Anthology for Organ (Cramer 1997) has provided excellent repertoire for my pupils. I myself was brought up on Peeters' Ars Organi back in the early 70s and it has placed me in good stead. I feel compelled to defend my teacher's [Hurford's] book from the opinion that it is "academic". At least he lays his cards on the table, as it were, in the book's introduction and explains its purpose. If nothing else, the beginning of his first sentence says it all, "This book is about making music..." (my italics).