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Hi all, I know this is not strictly organ music. There is an old lady who have recently died and had previously requested that Psalm 23 be chanted to a chant by Stewart at her funeral. I have looked through all my chant books but cannot find the setting. I think it was recorded by St. Paul's Cathedral Choir. Her funeral is coming very soon. Does anyone know which chant book(s) contains this setting of Psalm 23? Thank you all for your help.

Happy Easter to everyone! Here are two webcasts that I thought you might be interested in: St. James St. Thomas Enjoy!

Thank you to all those who replied. Your replies were helpful.

Hello fellow members of the board, I am planning a month long visit to the UK in April 2008. I am hoping that I will be able to hear some of the English church organs and choirs in person at last. I noticed that the Oxbridge colleges have term break until about the 21st April. Do cathedral organists and choirs follow the same pattern? Any information will be appreciated. Thank you.

This is quite possible. This strategy has already been tested and implemented in many places around Toronto, especially transit stations.

Both the Listen Live and Listen Again services on the BBC websites use Real Player as the media player. When playing content from the internet, this player automatically adjust the quality based on available bandwidth (or connection capacity). If you are doing something else with the internet (e.g. file transfers, emailing, internet surfing) or sharing the connection with other computers in your house, that would decrease the connection capacity available for the Real Player. As a result, the player will downgrade the quality in order to keep playing. To improve your listen experience, there are several things you may try. First, don't do anything else that requires the internet while listening. Second, get a faster connection. Good luck!

I have never seen or heard any US organs in the flesh either, but with the advent of technology, YouTube provides a glimpse into the world of American organs. Just a quick search for "Skinner organ" came up with two good examples. To play the video in full screen mode, click on the bottom right corner of the video control bar. Here is the text written by the person who posted the video: The Organ at Our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral was built by the Skinner Organ Company of Boston in 1931 as their Opus 820 and dedicated with great fanfare with a recital by Professor Palmer Christian of the University of Michigan, and a performance of Elgar's Dream of Gerontius. Ernest Skinner designed and oversaw the construction and installation of the organ at the Cathedral during his final years at the company he founded in 1901 before being forced out in 1936. It is remarkable to think of all of the Skinner Organs that once were to be found in Toledo. However, with time and changing fashions, some people wanted to try to improve Skinner organs, but only managed to compromise their integrity. Mr. Skinner's organs are like the string instruments of Stradivarius; no improvements are needed! In the city of Toledo, after a time many of the "improved" and renovated organs were removed, leaving only two original Skinner Organs; the one at Rosary Cathedral and the newly restored organ at the Toledo Art Museum, Opus 603. I first recorded Stuart Forster at Rosary Cathedral in 1998, and then later Todd Wilson and Ken Cowan. This organ is always a joy to visit, and the staff and clergy of the Cathedral are a joy to work with. This is a short video I made of Stephen Tharp recording the Rosary Cathedral organ on the night of August 31, 2006. The resulting CD will be a collection of much-loved hymns played on this organ. I hope you enjoy these video samples of the CD that will be issued in the winter of 2007. I'm certain that you will agree with me that this organ is truly an American treasure. You will note better sound on these videos. I took the audio files from the sound I recorded for the CD and synchronized it with the video. I think you will appreciate the improvement. If you, my loyal and valued patrons, buy more of my Cds, this will allow me to buy a better camera and some lighting! I genuinely enjoy making these videos, especially for those of you who cannot share in the hair-raising thrill of hearing these spectacular instruments in person. I am a firm believer in the majesty and beauty of the world's greatest pipe organs, and in the need to preserve and document them, as well as promote the incredibly gifted performers who know how to play them so effectively. These instruments and players deserve to be recognized, and I am pleased to serve as their advocate. With your help, we can assure the future of the great pipe organs of the world. My thanks to you for your continued support! Visit the JAV Webstore at www.pipeorgancds.com; there you will find over 70 different titles of organ recordings from around the world Now get ready to enjoy my latest video! Joe Vitacco - JAV Recordings, Inc. http://www.pipeorgancds.com From the organist: Tonight I finished a CD recording of hymns, both familiar and unfamiliar, at Holy Rosary Cathedral, Toledo, Ohio. This is the first full-length hymn disc that I have done, and having the opportunity to bring it into fruition on this particular Skinner organ made for an incredibly artistic result and a most memorable experience. On this video, I play Comfort, comfort Ye my People and The Strife is O'er. The sound from the recording session itself is matched up here with the video made during actual takes. This will be my fourth disc for JAV Recordings, and my thirteenth CD recording-to-date. I am very grateful to Joe Vitacco and JAV for asking me to make this recording on such a rare, beautiful and noteworthy instrument. Stephen Tharp Newberry Memorial Organ in Woolsey Hall at Yale University Here is the text written by the person who posted the video: The Newberry Memorial Organ in Woolsey Hall at Yale University is one of the most important pipe organs in the United States. Originally constructed by the Hutchings-Votey Company in 1902, entirely rebuilt and enlarged by J.W. Streere & Son Organ Company in 1915, and finally rebuilt and enlarged by the Skinner Organ Company in 1928, the instrument has remained virtually unchanged since that time. Martin Jean is the Director of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music (ISM) and is Professor of Organ at ISM and the School of Music. As a concert artist, Jean has performed widely throughout the United States and Europe and is known for his broad repertorial interests. He has won two of the most prestigious music prizes in the world: He was awarded first place at both the International Grand Prix de Chartres in 1986 and at the 1992 National Young Artists' Competition in Organ Performance. This video was filmed on a Saturday morning sometime ago by Joe Vitacco and edited together by Vic Ferrer. A full stop-list of this organ is available by going to http://www.thompson-allen.com/woolsey.html. A double CD of Professor Thomas Murray -- the University Organist at Yale - playing this organ with an audio narrated tour and a 72-page booklet on the organ is available going to http://jav-inc.stores.yahoo.net/thommurplayw1.html.

I would agree that an antiphonal division would work best for congregational singing. One such example is St. James Cathedral in Toronto. Although this cathedral is on a smaller scale than most English cathedrals, it is still large, measuring 200 ft (61 m) long, 84 ft (26 m) high and 98 ft (30 m) wide at the porches. The main organ is at the front of the church split on the two sides of the quire: Great, Choir and Pedal divisions in Epistle (south) case, Swell in Gospel (north) case, Auxilliary (antiphonal) Manual and Pedal in aisle case at the rear of the Cathedral. The console is located beyond the quire on the north side. This is usually quite effective for recitals, choir and congregational accompaniment, from the nave's perspectives (I have sat at different places in the nave). However, it's a completely different story for the organist. The DOM, who is also a fully licensed pilot and flies himself to recitals, likens playing the organ to flying an aircraft. He explained that you have to trust your instruments rather than your senses. In a plane, when you cannot see anything out the windows, you have to rely on your instruments to tell you which way is up, north, and how fast you are going, etc. Playing the cathedral organ, if the instruments tells you the antiphonal division is engaged, you have to assume that it is playing, because you won't hear it for another five seconds, long after the other divisions have finished. I also noticed one interesting fact, that the enclosed divisions at the front all have nave and chancel shutters and can be separately controlled. Perhaps this helps to minimize unnecessary sound sources bouncing around too much? As for the problem of a great window at the west end, perhaps the nave division does not have to be all the way at the back. What about three quarters of the way down, housed just above the side aisles? Or perhaps jutting out from the triforia on either side near the west?

This is a great idea, Richard. My background, however, is vastly different from many of you. My name is Eugene Chan, born and raised in Hong Kong until I was 16. I started my music education with violin lessons in grade 2. (Although my Mother has a Performer's Diploma in Piano from the ABRSM, she refused to teach me the piano because raising me was enough work for her.) In grade 4 I joined the school choir, and the church choir (baptist), both for a year. In secondary school, I was part of the school's treble choir for two years, until I left HK for Canada. Without a violin teacher in Toronto, I started to lose interest. At the same time, the house where we were staying had a piano, on which I started to teach myself. Throughout the next few years, I was a member of the school's mixed voice choir and violinist for the completely extra-curricular chamber orchestra. By the time I graduated, I was a fairly good self-taught pianist. Once I entered university, I was recruited for my talents by the chaplain of the anglican college, where I was living. At first, I played on the piano, then I started to play on the one-maual digital organ from Rodgers. It was my first exposure to anglican worship, service accompaniment and organ playing. Throughout the next five years (I changed my major part way through), I would hone my skills in each of these areas. Eventually, I finished my BA (Hons.) in Recreation and Leisure Studies from the University of Waterloo. Since September 2006, I have been working in beautiful Banff, Alberta at the historical Banff Springs Hotel. At the same time, I have been the backup musician at the only anglican church in town. As the current DOM will be leaving in the middle of January, I have been offered, and accepted, the position. The church currently has a two-manual and pedal electronic organ. It is made by a firm called Eminent, which I believe is from the Netherlands. It is old but playable and adequate. I am hoping to have some funds to install new external speakers because the internal ones currently in use are just not up to standard for modern ears.

I just thought all of you may be interested in how things are done elsewhere. Here is a webcast of the First Evensong of Christmas and Blessing of the Creché from the Cathedral Church of St. James of the Diocese of Toronto. I must warn you though that the audio recording was not done very well but here is what you can do to make it sound like what it does in real life: turn up the volume on your media player, your computer, and your speaker or headphones if you have such settings on your player or sound card, change the equalizer to "Live" or "Vocal" if such setting exist for your sound card, change the listening environment to "Concert Hall" Choir: Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, augmented by members of the Girls' Choir for this service. DOM: Michael Bloss Organist: Andrew Ager (except for the final hymn and voluntary: Michael Bloss) Officiant: The Vicar, The Rev'd Canon David Brinton Preacher: The Bishop of Toronto, The Rt. Rev'd Colin Johnson Intercessor: Assistant Priest, The Rev'd Lisa Wang First Evensong of Christmas http://events.onlinebroadcasting.com/angli...22406/index.php If you would like more information on the cathedral, the choir or the organ, you can go to the cathedral website.

Thank you for your positive comments. I almost thought no one listened because of the low volume of replies. I'm not sure about the situation in the UK but many in Canada view the church as a community resource, stressing service more than worship. This is not necessarily a bad thing but it does decrease attendance. On the other hand, the number of outreach programs and community services is ever increasing because of strong demand and support. The public use of church facilities as community centres have also increased. A lot of people, instead of going to scheduled services, drop by on weekday afternoons for short periods of private prayers. They view that it is all they need, except for Christmas and Easter, when large scale "liturgical spectacles" are appropriate for the festive celebrations. Even on these occasions, many attend church services only because of an older relative. My friend said to me that she only goes to church once a year, on Easter Sunday, with the family, because it pleases her grandmother.

At St. Jame's Cathedral, Toronto, the policy is that if the service is delayed for more than 15 minutes, the musicians and clergy will simply cancel the ceremony and leave. They usually have to fit in three to four weddings on a Saturday afternoon so delays are very problematic. But I have not been to any of these so I have no idea what the organist will do to fill in the gap.

Very nice. Thanks for the post.

I am glad you liked it. In case you did not look at the leaflet (linked on the same website), the sermon was given by the Dean of Toronto and Rector of St. Jame's, the Very Rev’d Dr. Douglas Stoute.

The organist at St. Jame's Cathedral, Torono, once said that playing that organ is like flying a plane (him being also a licenced pilot). The organ there has the console in the chancel, swell on the left and great and choir on the right. However, the antiphonal manual and pedal are a city block away at the other end of the church. So he just has to trust the instrument. Like when flying a plane, even if you feel upside down, when your instruments say you are right side up, you are right side up. Do not rely on your senses.

I was faced with a similar situation as well. The first priority should be the improvement of congregational music and singing, achieved by the reconditioning of the current organ or the purchase of a new one. These two go hand in hand. Then follows the cantors, choir and musical group.

I thought some of you might be interested in what is happening across the Atlantic Ocean, although this is not exactly an organ recital. Here is the link to the webcast. The Gospel case with with Swell division Here are the organ specification and some photographs. The organ has 87 ranks, 67 speaking stops over four manuals and six divisions, and 5101 pipes. The Antiphonal Case with the Auxiliary and Auxiliary Pedal divisions The music includes: Prelude: Toccata and Fugue in F (J. S. Bach) Hymn: Light's Glittering Morn (Lasst uns erfreuen) Hymn: Jesus Christ is Risen Today (Easter hymn) Gloria: Missa Brevis (Leopold Mozart) Psalm: 118: 1-2, 14-24 (Norris) Gradual: Joy is Come! (arr. Carter) Creed: The Nicene Creed (Merbecke) Offertory: The Strife is O'er (Vulpius) Sanctus & Benedictus: Missa Brevis (Leopold Mozart) The Lord's Prayer: Our Father (Merbecke) Agnus Dei: Missa Brevis (Leopold Mozart) Motet: Haec Dies (William Byrd) Hymn: O Sons and Daughters (O Filii et Filiae) Motet: Hail Glad Festival Day (Andrew Ager) Hymn: He is Risen (All Saints) Postlude: Toccata from Symphonie No. 5 (Charles-Marie Widor) The Organist & Director of Music is Michael Bloss and the Assistant Organist/Composer in Residence is Andrew Ager, whose motet, Hail Glad Festival Day, was sung during communion. Just out of curiosity, let us know how this is similar or different than your church. Thanks. The Epistle Case with the Great, Choir and Pedal divisions

I thought some of you might be interested in what is happening across the Atlantic Ocean, although this is not exactly an organ recital. Here is the link to the webcast. The Gospel case with with Swell division Here are the organ specification and some photographs. The organ has 87 ranks, 67 speaking stops over four manuals and six divisions, and 5101 pipes. The Antiphonal Case with the Auxiliary and Auxiliary Pedal divisions The music includes: Prelude: Toccata and Fugue in F (J. S. Bach) Hymn: Light's Glittering Morn (Lasst uns erfreuen) Hymn: Jesus Christ is Risen Today (Easter hymn) Gloria: Missa Brevis (Leopold Mozart) Psalm: 118: 1-2, 14-24 (Norris) Gradual: Joy is Come! (arr. Carter) Creed: The Nicene Creed (Merbecke) Offertory: The Strife is O'er (Vulpius) Sanctus & Benedictus: Missa Brevis (Leopold Mozart) The Lord's Prayer: Our Father (Merbecke) Agnus Dei: Missa Brevis (Leopold Mozart) Motet: Haec Dies (William Byrd) Hymn: O Sons and Daughters (O Filii et Filiae) Motet: Hail Glad Festival Day (Andrew Ager) Hymn: He is Risen (All Saints) Postlude: Toccata from Symphonie No. 5 (Charles-Marie Widor) The Organist & Director of Music is Michael Bloss and the Assistant Organist/Composer in Residence is Andrew Ager, whose motet, Hail Glad Festival Day, was sung during communion. Just out of curiosity, let us know how this is similar or different than your church. Thanks. The Epistle Case with the Great, Choir and Pedal divisions

Someone mentioned somewhere on this board that the building is the most important stop. In the UK, older gothic, romanesque or classical buildings general provide great accoustics. This is especially important for the lower frequencies, I've been told, as reverberations reinforces the bass notes. By contrast, new buildings in the US have dry or even dead acoustics. To compensate, they may have had to put in more to get equally rich sounds. Of course, money also has a role in it.

Nick, Have you checked out the first link on my original post? It's a recording of the opening concert for the new organ and I thought there were quite a few pieces that showcased the stronger diapason stops. Of course, I can be wrong as I have yet to develop the ability to tell the names of stops by just listening. But I'm pretty sure I can tell between flue and reed pipes. Eugene

Winspear Wonder ‘... this huge 96-stop Canadian organ has more colour than even Liszt, in his wildest dreams, could ever have imagined’ (Gramophone) ‘terrific … fantastic … a very fine instrument’, ‘Obviously, it fulfills everything. It's a really good concert hall organ, it really sounds in the building. The soft sounds, the deep sounds, they're all working so well in the building. And of course the loud choruses are really telling, over the orchestra if necessary. But every single stop is a thing of beauty.’ (Christopher Herrick) Recently, there has been quite a few comments made about concert hall organs. The general concensus seems to be that it is very difficult to get an organ to sound good in a modern concert hall. While the Disney Hall organ is one counter-example, here is another. The acoustic in the Winspear Centre is simply imppecable. This is the largest mechanical organ on the continent. You can hear it for yourself here. The show is 90 minutes long and includes wide ranging music by Clarke, Bartok, Mulet and a new concerto by Hetu. The performers are Christopher Herrick, Rachel Laurin and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra directed by Mario Bernardi. More photographs and the stop list is available from the Orgues Létourneau website. Opus 50 A Hyperion record of this organ played by Christopher Herrick and Jeremy Spurgeon is also available. Here are two samples: David Johnson: Trumpet Tune in G and Liszt: Fuga from Fantasia and Fugue on ‘Ad nos, ad salutarem undam’. By the way, the hall was desinged by the same firm as the Birmingham Symphony Hall, Artec. See if you like the sound of this organ in this hall and tell us what you think.

I can believe that without difficulty. Afterall, there is a whole division whose main purpose is to reinforce other stops and to fill the room. Who's to say that musical instruments have to have a certain look? In many cases, the appearance makes a statement about the instrument as well. This organ's appearance tells me that it is modern, but not ugly, warm, yet powerful.

The accoustics on recordings vary greatly depending on where the mics are placed. If the mics are really closed, right in front of the case, then the accoustic will sound very dry. If the mics are placed further away, then they will have a chance to capture the original sound and the reverberations.

I am not too sure about American organs, but some Canadian organs have already made it to the UK, especially from the Létourneau Organs company. Orgues Létourneau is the work of Fernand Letourneau, who founded the firm in 1979 after working for the Casavant Frères for 14 years and touring in Europe. Here is a list of his works in the UK: The Damon Wells Chapel, Pembroke College, Oxford Opus 43 Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula, H.M. Tower of London Opus 70 Royal Academy of Music (continuo), London Opus 71 The Dutch Church (continuo), London Opus 72 A small selection of their recordings are available on thier website here. It is the last button on the left hand side labelled “Music”. If you would like to hear more, here are two CDs you may want: The Létourneau Organ at Pembroke College, Oxford played by David Titterington (The Classical Recording Company CRC 901-2) Music for Organ from the Tower of London played by Colm Carey (London Independent Records LIR004) Two of the music samples on the website are from the Pembroke CD. If you would like to hear more Canadian organs, the Pole and Kingham Pipe Organs website have some samples from the three-manual organ at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Chatham, Ontario. Bach: Trio Sonate V BWV 529 First Movement Excerpt Rodrigo: Fantasia para un Gentilhombre: “Danza de las Hachas” Rodrigo: Fantasia para un Gentilhombre: “Espanoleta - Toques de la Caballeria de Napoles” These were recorded live at a recital given by Marty Smyth. Enjoy these recordings and let us know what you think about Canadian organs.

Sorry to post this one season late but here is some information you may find useful regarding the Disney Concert Hall organ. It was one of three new organs featured on a Pipedreams show last year. You will have to fast forward to 54:30 for the portion featuring the Disney organ. Pipedreams #0444 Music were by Vierne, Reger and Hakim. The organist was Joseph Adam. The Walt Disney Concert Hall organ (built by Glatter-Götz, tonal design and voicing by Rosales) was first played during the 2004 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists. For more pictures and interesting facts, visit the Rosales website Opus 24, or the Glatter-Götz website here. Personally, I think the organ looks like a bag of fries, from afar (as in this photo) but I think it looks great nevertheless. Mind you, the front wooden pipes are each secured by two stainless steel rods with joints so they can move during earth quakes. Here is a four-page article about the story of the organ, complete with stop list and analyses of the mixtures from The American Organist. Or if you do not want to read, here are two videos: inside the organ and inside the hall (they require Quick Time). Enjoy and let us know what you think.