David Drinkell

I looked up the details of the Bruges case (in Michael I. Wilson's "Organ Cases of Western Europe"). Built 1717-19to stand on a marble screen of 1679-82 which divided the quire from the nave. In 1936, both the screen and the case were moved to the west end and pedal towers were added, stylistically in keeping and crowned with the figures of David and Cecilia which had been on the outer towers of the main case. It's a very convincing enlargement. Thank-you for the information about the new organ.

I noticed in a recent number of 'Choir and Organ' that Skrabl has built a new organ for the cathedral at Bruges. When I played in a concert there in 2007, the organ was a competent example of a European maid-of-all-work in a fabulous early 18th century case on the west wall, controlled from a detached stop-tab console on the gallery beneath. An old copy of 'The Organ' has an article by Freeman showing this case on the screen at the crossing, but things have been re-ordered since. The Skrabl organ looks to be in a transept, minimal casework (not unlike what you see in a Pearson church) and detached, mobile horse-shoe console. It seems like a similar sort of instrument to that which was there before. Has the west end organ been replaced with something more in keeping with the case, maybe with tracker action? The cathedral maintained a wide-ranging series of organ concerts - two organs of different types would be very handy! I also notice that Rieger has restored the big 1945 Jorgenson at Alesund in Norway, putting on a fifth manual in the process. I've always found Jorgensons to be rather gormless - this one wasn't a patch on the Steinmeyer at Trondhjem, even given the mangling that the latter had suffered - but my experience is probably not wide enough for me to venture a valid opinion. (The Marcussen in the Borgundkyrkje in Alesund is a stunner, though!). Can anyone furnish enlightenment on either of these?

That's right - David Dunnett decided he would rather do the organ playing, so they appointed a separate choir director. I think the same thing happened with Ian Tracey at Liverpool.

In 1971, Marcel Dupre played at the Royal Albert Hall. I think it must have been his last public performance before he died. (Reginald Foort and Nicolas Kynaston also played). He gave a decidedly ropey version of BWV 565, but age disappeared in the extemporisation. One of the themes was 'Aupres de ma blonde'. I still remember that extemporisation - the banality of the theme didn't seem to be an impediment. Maybe the secular context had something to do with it, but about twelve years ago I was at a COA Conference at Truro and Olivier Latry played. It happened to be the day of the Helston Furry Dance - Elspeth and I went down in the morning to experience it - and I jotted down the tune in the evening for Olivier Latry to use. Again, maybe the context made it seem right. Reading the above posts, perhaps a scrap of plainsong would have been better, but it seemed pretty good at the time.

Ah.....well, it's in the box so one can be quite subtle about it.

Will I have to tell them about adding Full Swell halfway through the fugue and opening the box?

In recent years, I've taken to pairing BWV 568 with the even more dubious BWV 574 fugue, which I think is rather a fun piece. I suppose it may be rather naughty to do this, but there is ample precedent. While I'm at it, I had better confess to sometimes putting BWV 1068 (Air on the G string) between the prelude and the fugue....

She also wrote, a few years ago, an amusing and perceptive book about the Church of England called' The Church Hesitant'.

6:00am (ya, really!): Merbecke, This joyful Eastertide arr. Wood, Widor Toccata. 9:15am (no choir): Bach/Vivaldi Concerto in A minor before, Boellmann Toccata after. 11:00am: Easter Anthems (chant by Thalben-Ball), Schubert Mass in G, Hallelujah Chorus, Willan's 'Rise up, my love, my fair one', Gigout's Grand Choeur Dialogue. 6;30pm: Drinkell Responses, Caustun's Service, Viadan's Exsultate justi, Willan's Prelude on 'Vulpius' feeling slightly knackered.....

I liked this..... http://www.spectator.co.uk/essays/all/7764343/a-hymn-to-the-organist.thtml

Now that you mention it, I remember that Trumpet! You're right - I think maybe it was voiced (or revoiced) with an eye to its solo potential at the expense of contribution to the chorus. A lot of Clarinets disappeared round about this time, didn't they? Although one can fake it to some extent, it's nice to have a real one. Mine even works in chorus (thank-you R H-J). Like a lot of organs, it's something of a mongrel, but loveable.

Ah! I was thinking of the wrong church in Deptford altogether! All in all, I suppose it's something of a miracle that only one case on Freeman's list was destroyed.

Yes - Warminster had been slightly pepped up and was better positioned. I liked Frome, though, and played it several times when Stephen Carleton was organist there. Pity it's not appreciated these days....

Radnor - I think querying the horizontal linen-fold panels is a redherring. Such panels exist elsewhere, althoguh they are not too common. There is a definite atmosphere about this case - Stubington recognised it when he wrote up the organ many years ago, and I felt it when I visited in 1978. I'm sure Lady Susi Jeans was way off the mark in her analysis of it, and probably started from the wrong premise in the first place. Stanford - The Chaire case to the Great case now at Tewkesbury. Goetze & Gwynn did some cosmetic restoration a few years back. I've often wondered if there is another organ in the church which acutally plays. There's no mention of such in NPOR. Little Bardfield - Lovely Harris case, but the instrument is of equal interest. Apparently nothing is older than mid-19th century, but the whole thing is thoroughly antiquated for its date. Miller of Cambridge possibly had more to do with it than is generally suggested. Sir John Sutton owned proerty in the Bardfields and there is a clutch of nice little organs in the area. Great Saling is another single manual Miller with a very decent Gothic case and a startlingly virile chorus (more like West Tofts than Great Bardfield). http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=H00620 I've never been to Deptford and have so far not managed to get in the church at Sculthorpe (I tried once as a student, but I don't think the dear lady with the key liked the look of me. My hair is a lot shorter now). Warminster - My memory of this (late 70s) was a very pleasant turn-of-the-century sounding organ, not unlike the N&B at Frome. This would accord with its Vowles parentage. I don't recall anything England-ish tonally. West Tofts - I know the organ very well indeed, although in its present home at South Pickenham. A quite stunning sound, aptly described as 'Gothic'. It looks good, too, although I suppose it must have looked even better in its original swallow's-nest home. West Tofts is in the Stanford Battle Area and has been off limits to visitors since the last War. Things are a little more relaxed now and I believe occasional access is granted by the MoD. Simon Knott's 'Norfolk Churches' website has excellent pictures, both of the empty loft at West Tofts and the organ's present situation. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk Harlton - Beautiful case, but the organ was never very interesting. Peter Bumstead's enlargement and resiting looks to be very exciting indeed. http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=M00001 I think Freeman would be very pleased with Peter's 'new' organ at Brundish, Suffolk, with its simple but effective Gothick case seemingly inspired by Great Bardfield. http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=K00988 The remaining organs are still there. Willis' announced new work at Carshalton.

On Sunday, we lost a link with the past here at St. John's Cathedral, Newfoundland, with the death of Dr. Nigel Rusted at the age of 104. A surgeon, he also had many other interests and even acted as locum organist at the cathedral many years ago. Among his interesting stories were very clear recollections of note holding on the original 1904 Hope-Jones and Ingram organ while it was being tuned. Since that console was replaced when Casavants' built what was effectively a new organ incorporating the old pipes in 1927, that is some memory!

I'd be grateful for a copy of that List, Stephen, if it's possible to email it.

The Irish Organ Company 'Cosgrove' organ in various sizes appears all over Ireland. I believe a lot of them used recycled material from theatre organs. Typically, they had a diapason, a flute and a salicional, sometimes with a trumpet which occasionally went down to 16' on the Pedal (but sometimes stopped at 4' C on the manual). The best of them, in a good acoustic, were quite effective. The Davis Compton was supposed to be a particularly fine one. I can well believe the Tuba was worth recycling. I've usually found Compton reeds to be excellent of their type.

There were one or two ex-cinema organs that were rebuilt for church purposes. St. Francis, Ashton Gate, Bristol was one (ex-New Palace Cinema). It had an HN&B plate but the organist used to refer proudly to 'My Christie'. http://www.npor.org....ec_index=T00625 Martin Renshaw rebuilt the Compton ex-Warner Theatre, Leicester Square for Christ Church College, Canterbury in 1964, to a rather daring (for those days) specification. (I see that NPOR has only a precis of the spec - I will send them the full list). I believe that it was replaced by a toaster so that people could practice with headphones and not disturb everyone else, and re-erected somewhere else with a return to something closer to its original character. I thought it was rather good, but I was only 14 at the time..... Colchester Institute had a 3m (2+coupler) Compton from I know not where, installed by Cedric Arnold. I don't think the spec was altered but the whizz-bangs were removed and I don't remember the Vox ever working. It was never used much and only survived because a technician who was also a local organist kept an eye on it. I think it's long gone, now. (It was actually larger than the town's only cinema organ, a 5-rank Wurlitzer at the Regal, gone before my time but still going somewhere on the south coast). I'm sure there are a good few others. Rayleigh Parish Church, Essex, had one. It's been rebuilt/replaced since, but I think that there are still some Compton pipes and parts in it.

The current number of 'The American Organist' contains an interesting interview by Jonathan Ambrosino with Thomas Pavlechko, of St. Martin's Lutheran Church, Austin, Texas, who was enlisted to coach Brad Pitt for organist scenes in Terence Malick's film 'The Tree of Life'. Thomas also served as Brad's 'hand double' in certain shots, but in others Brad had to appear fluent as an organist, including shots using the pedals. Apparently, he displayed a startling ability to memorise things once seen - such as reproducing a stop build-up exactly after seeing it done once.

Wow - Master Tallis's Testament by Garth Edmundson......

I doubt it - too much alcohol is supposed to cause droop.

For what it's worth, members of the Cathedral Organists' Association sometimes refer to their meetings as 'The Grinders' Thrash'.

I think churchmanship is the main consideration in choosing between NEH and CP. If you want a good selection of Office Hymns and you think that the liturgical section, with various propers, responsorial psalms (can't stand them meself!), Merbecke and an underrated setting in similar style of the modern mass, will be of use to you, then NEH is probably your better choice. There is, however, a strangely diluted feel about NEH compared with its predecessor, and some of the newer items attempt to be in the EH style but don't quite make it, IMHO. I think Common Praise is, overall, the best hymnal on the British market. It has a fine selection of hymns ,including a handful of the better worship songs, the editorial policy was to avoid tampering with older texts in most cases, the music includes all the favourites which were hitherto EH preserves (both books are now published by the same people, so copyright issues do not arise), it looks good, is easy to use and stays open without wrecking the spine.

That happened to me with a couple of Belfast Cathedral choristers live on Radio Ulster - it was 'Away in a manger', but the same effect. Sounded quite nice, though.....

I know - these old tracker jobs are always going wrong.....