Martin Cooke

But this is all about preservation of pipe organs and bringing their plight to wider attention so I don't think the idea of installing a large digital organ in public places like this is likely to happen. And surely, in a major place like a railway station a digital wouldn't have the curiosity value that even a smallish pipe organ would have.

Sad to read, today, of the death of the legendary Richard Seal who ran the music at Salisbury Cathedral for almost 30 years - 1968 to 1997. What an innings! At a time when much progress is being made in all sorts of places with girls singing in cathedrals and other places 'where they sing' it is good to reflect on the fact that in terms of cathedrals, Salisbury, under Richard, was the first to establish a full girls' choir in 1991. A favourite choral CD of mine was produced in his time at Salisbury, 'Canticum Novum' - a wonderful collection of 20th century choral and organ music, superbly sung by the choirs, and played and accompanied magnificently by David Halls, the present DoM.

Thank you so much, Colin.

Hello - please could someone identify the rather lovely adagio at the end of this service? Many thanks, indeed.

A highly successful innings by Dr O'Donnell. With this post and also the permanent Organist job at St Paul's still going since Simon Johnson moved to Westminster Cathedral, there should be some interesting shuffling to follow.

Lots of excellent debate and chat (as usual) on the British Pipe Organs Facebook site. Worth a visit, especially with a glass or two of red beside you!

Thanks Dave. That all seems rather sudden and serious. The only mention I have seen online of any possible issues with the organ has been the bit on Paul Hale's website and that's it. Who's supplying the digital organ, I wonder? (Thank goodness for digital organs!)

Ah, yes, of course it is - thanks, Paul!

Yes, well said, Rowland - I agree. I also enjoyed hearing wisps of the Stanford Benedictus (Sonata Eroica) wafting through the busyness of things before the service. Happy memories of hearing Garth Benson play this 50 years ago and of his recording of it from St Mary Redcliffe.

Mmm... the link says that this transcription is by Hebert (sic) Howells.

I don't know if other forumites receive Dr Keith Harrington's weekly email from Church Organ World, but he has picked up from Liverpool Anglican Cathedral that this year's may be the last Easter bank holiday organ recital - a series that has been running since 1926. New 'things' are in the offing in terms of recitals, but Keith also says that we are to await a very exciting announcement about the organ in the near future. Another stop/division in the offing, perhaps??

It looks great! Who has done the woodwork?

Yikes! Is Worcester transept organ actually sparking into life?? There is, in the meantime, of course, the main organ which is undergoing repair etc by Nicholsons.

For which posts are we awaiting announcements? Again... getting the ball rolling... St Paul's Cathedral - Organist (Wm Fox currently 'acting.') Rochester Cathedral - DoM

Hello - could we share a bit on what rebuild or new organ schemes we're either waiting to hear full news on or upon which we await a triumphant conclusion? Getting the ball rolling: New schemes awaited: Norwich Bristol - ? (or is that out??) Wells Winchester - (pretty much known, I suppose) Magdalen College, Oxford Charterhouse School Gloucester - ?? Paul Hale's website suggests that this is being thought about Imminent conclusions of schemes: St Mary, Portsea Wimborne Minster Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Bristol Beacon Leeds Town Hall Manchester Town Hall

Crescendo Publications (Australia) have just published three volumes of Harold Darke's piano music. For an example see here. I had absolutely no idea that he wrote piano music. Has it been available over here all this time? Does anyone play any? Will you now??! By the way, Australian dollars are each about £0.56.

I think you probably mean "Swell Octave to Great", don't you, Nathan? No, you wouldn't expect any couplers to be available on divisional pistons. Swell Octave, Swell Sub-Octave and Unison Off would be available on the swell pistons but things like Swell to Great, Swell Octave to Great, Swell to Pedal etc would not work with divisionals. Generals, of course, would be a different matter.

This is now available to order from Stainer & Bell.

In the spirit of the title of this thread, I've just noticed on the OUP site that they are working on an album of Organ Encores edited by Thomas Trotter - sounds promising!

Just noticed a tweet that says last night was the last time the present (Mander) organ was to be used. I haven't seen any details of the new Eule instrument, nor of a new home for the redundant organ. Is anything published anywhere?

What do we know of this?

In case you missed it, Anna Lapwood's transcription for organ of Benjamin Britten's Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes is now available as a digital download from the Boosey & Hawkes website here. If you haven't heard them on her new recording from Ely called Images you can catch up with audio files on AL's own website here. [It occurs to me that we still await her volume of organ music by women composers.] And, Barry Rose's autobiography. Sitting on a pin is available from Banks at their current 20% discount. It's a good read and a substantial hard-backed volume. Is there any news on new volumes of the Orgenbuchlein project?

In an update to the 'projects' section of their website, Harrison and Harrison have made some interesting announcements. The Norwich Cathedral project, which seems to be underway already, is described as a 'new organ'. In other cathedral news, they are to clean and overhaul the Winchester organ and provide a Vox Humana. There are several interesting smaller projects too.

This is in OUP's 'A Festive Album.' Its difficulty put me off in my early teens and I have never gone back to it but I suspect it might be worth revisiting.

It was the Sidney Campbell piece... is it called Gaudeamus?... in this volume that I heard in that Songs of Praise broadcast all those years ago. Also in that album, I have heard the Douglas Guest piece on St Fulbert played as a voluntary somewhere, and I have played the Armstrong Gibbs piece a few times - neither is great music in my estimation. In the Album of Postludes I keep meaning to revisit a very jolly trumpet piece in A major, but content myself with the Mathias Postlude for now. The last page and a half or so of this is quite exciting. No-one has yet mentioned the navy blue Funeral/Memorial album. The CH Trevor arrangement of God's time is best is my 'go to' arrangement of this movement. In the old 'Simple Voluntaries' album mentioned above, which is not in the same series, there is also the Harold Darke Elegy which works well.