Peter Allison

I will ask my good "buddy" D. Rogers he will have it, have you any idea when it was recorded and what label ?? E-mail me with the details cheers Peter

I had the opportunity to go and hear Dr. Roy Massey play our annual recital last night. The organ he played is a 3 manual by Forster & Andrews 1862, Connacher 1934 , H & H 1989. It was very well played and attended ( just over 100 people ) Roy played some pieces I have not heard before, Intro and passacaglia by C. S. Lang and a prelude and fuge by Frederick Gore Ouseley. It was good to hear a well thought out programe and played with such pannache. it reminded me of a cd I bought many years ago of Bolton Town Hall as he also played the Bach P & F in D minor and the Percy Grainger, Handel in the Strand. What a fine musician he is, especially making light of the difficult peddle work in the Bach. The organ is certainly a little jewel in the Darlington area, and well worth hearing. Peter ps. just thought I would submit this to let everyone know that there is still a wealth of good organs and music north of yorkshire

I am up for this too a yorkshire area meet would be good for me personally , and I am sure mine and Paul Derretts friend in Doncaster ( David Rogers) could open the doors to Doncaster Parish Church, ooops, I mean the Minster. Peter

You lucky person, what a combination, James and father Willis (1901 I think??? ,the organ, that is) I have been to St. Georges quite a number times, and James Lancelot, well, as I have said before on this forum, what a marvelous player/interpreter he is. I recently bought the first comercial CD release of that organ and it sounds as good today as it did when I recorded a friend playing it many years ago. J.B.L. is playing at Beverley Minster on 15th October, I wish I could go, but as a member of the Darlington organists ass, we have our annual recital given by Roy Massey on the same night, and I asked James if he would let me record at Beverley, but he asked me not to Peter

What about Mainz Dom, all six manuals and 5.1 surround sound Peter

I lived in Hull (Cottingham) for 1o years and have a butchers shop in Goole, I now live near Easingwold (York). Hull is a great place, with some marvelous churches and organs. Peter

Why thank you, I am one of many who loves "the King of Instuments" (to coin a phrase, )but do not play said said instument I have the utmost respect for those of you who do, including my father, who at 74 and a bit, still plays for the local chapel and is on the local "crem" rota). whilst I do not play, I take a great deal of notice of what is played at recitals and how the pieces compare to other players interpretations. Peter

Thanks for that Tony, I always miss Nigel Ogden I have been a Rick Wakeman fan for many years now, and have most of his LP's and CD'. I have a "Yes " video showing Rick at the console of a Swiss organ of 3 manuals, but no clue as to where. I also have a dvd of him play "Jane Seymore live where he says the synth he is playing has sampled sounds of various pipe organs including Liverpool,mmmmmmmm, do't think so really, do you?. it sounds ok, but not the real thing, not even a bit close unfortunately Peter

The only pipe organ / sythesizer that I have come across is a recording of maestro Rick Wakeman playing the organ of St.Giles cripplegate and using Bob Moogs famous mini moog on the track Jane Seymore from the 197??? album The Six Wifes of Henry VIII. I know not played at the same time tho. Maybe the seventh manual at the console at the Atlantic Convention Centre is used for a Fairlight CMI synth??

I suppose the money must be in short supply to re-record the organs that priory (and others) have already recorded. As for the Michael Woodward reissues, I remember wanting to put the lp covers of the second Liverpool recording and St Pauls recording (Dearnley)on the bedroom wall,( then I reaslised I was not 12 years old any more, lol ) they were excellent, made with all the information you could possibly want and with a really good sound quality. When these two are released I am hoping that my neighbors will forgive me when I play them with the sub woofer employed. Any one know where I can get a copy of the picture taken for John Scotts (at St. Pauls ) first Dupre cd cover. It was taken with (at the time) the worlds largest fish eye lense camera. Peter

The Beverley organ is a marvelous "piece of kit" and a real yorkshire treasure. When I first moved to Hull a few years ago, I thought I would miss the Durham Cathedral organ, and the Shakespear pub, but after a few visits to Beverley recitals I was won over (oh, and a few in the Monks Walk helped too ). Alan is a first rate player, and after all these years spent in the minster, still puts on good programme that pleases nearly everyone. Peter

I have just been to the last concert in the Beverley Minster summer series, and what a marvelous one it was too. Alan Spedding really "pulled all the stops out" (well, nearly all) How nice it was to hear a well put together programe of english, french and german music and played to Alans usual high standard. May I take this opportunity to recomend James Lancelots recital at Beverley on 15th october, to include (so mr.Spedding told me) Viernes fifth. And the reason for the "mistakes" during Francis Jacksons recital at York the other day, was because his shoe came of during the F Major pedal solo,( as told by Francis to my friend David Rogers from sunny Donny ( doncaster ) Peter

I remember a few years ago (1980 something) , the organ in St. Peters parish church in Harrogate was"sort of" rebuilt by a Bert Prested of Bearpark, Durham ( ex Harrisons), as I remember, it was a 4 manual Walker, complete with a good Tuba. As the organ had nothing below 16ft on the pedal and the newish organist wanted 32's, Ernest Hart of London added a 32ft open wood and a 32ft reed. these mixed in very well with the existing pipework, and , considering digital electronics had only just really got of the ground. A problem that does seem to occur is space and price, I do not know know what a pair of 32ft pedal stops cost these days. And with most peoples hearing, and the frequency response of these digital registers, its hard to tell sometimes. I know you cannot get a speaker, no matter how big it is, to "move" the air the same way as a true wooden/ metal rank shifts it. I do not want to start a digital V pipe debate as its all been said in O>R and The Organ etc Peter

"BUTCHERY?? , I am a qualified butcher, oooops, you mean a butcher of organs , my mistake Peter

Yes, it is rather good is't it, shame that Pincemailles recordings of toccata's at St. Denis does not sound as good, the microphone(s) are much to close. Got to start saving for a Soundfield mic so I can "have a go"

Yes pcnd, I have that one, I think I am a bit of an anorak when it comes to that bit of music, its probably one of my favourite pieces, and I have a few recordings of it including a live recording of John Scott playing it at Southwell minster a few years ago and Amphion released Roger Fisher playing it at Lincoln, Martin Monkman recorded it in the nave but used a section that my friend, David Rogers recorded in the choir Peter

I found on one of my Parisian trips that the boxed set of Widor Symphonies (complete) played on 10 C - C organs, was nearly £10 cheaper that the UK. I have been stung once or twice on paying uk taxes on some US product though Peter

PS, does anyone know what might be the definative Whitlock Sonata recording, I thought it might be the Robert Gower one recorded at Selby Abbey on the Abbacus label, or Graham Barbers Coventry one on LP

Yes, I was only joking, I still go and buy the cd's of my choice over the counter at Bank's in York, ( even at their prices ) even though I can get "copies of most of them, but they are not the same as owning the "real thing" so to speak Its the same with pc software, I still went and bought the full Publisher 2003 office suite, I would certainly not like the copyright people breaking my door down at 3.00 in the morning. My spelling is not as good as it used to be I am afraid

Maybe we should all copy our Old recordings, and swap them with eachother using psysudo names so we can't get caught out, ONLY JOKING, got that from an 18 yearold who does a lot of pier to pier file sharing and has hundreds of low quality mp3's

I do not buy as many cd's as I used to do, but this last few months I have had my ears opened, A very good friend of mine Mr David Rogers of Doncaster ( a friend of Paul Derretts also I believe) Has an Unbelievable collection of old spool tapes recorded by many organists over the years 1950something to the early 70's on hundreds of organs from all over europe as well as here (festival hall included ) some of these recordings are from the bbc and will never see the lazer of a cd player. Amphion could have a field day. What a joy to here the likes of a very young Ralph Downs, Francis Jackson, Kynyston, et all playing music on organs, some of which disapeared years ago. A recording I the other night was Conrad Eden playing on the 1935 H & H at Durham, recorded privately

I must admit at not having gone to any of this years recitals, working till 6.30 and having a 60 mile journey did prohibit me but when living in Durham ( I was born there) I used to go all the time, and I still think the H & H organ is one of the finest in the land ( I may be a bit biased ). I remember James Lancelot and a friend from the local organist association ( Andrew Christer) and I , locked in at 10.00pm and James playing for us, I will never forget the 32ft open wood at the end of Master Tallis's Testament, it just "shimmered" marvelous stuff, and I just happened to have a DAT recorder and a pair of AKG microphonedsw with me , I have just edited the tape and it brings back happy memories Peter

Organists from other countries that I personally have come across over the years do like the fine romantic english organ literature, the Polish organist who I helped get recitals for in this country, on hearing the Whitlock Sonata ( as recorded in Selby Abbey a few years ago) , went and bought the music and practiced it on the organ of the Oliva Cathedral (I often wonder how it came across there) and played it at Durham Cathedral. I bought him a Francis Jacson Sonata after, and he plays it when doing recitals in Poland and Germany. He thinks English music is wonderful. now something a bit different,, Carlo Curley at Hull City Hall very soon, are the people of "ULL" ready for him??

well, as a "non playing" organ enthusiast of a few years, I can only say, what ever the music and whatever the organ, if it sounds right and we enjoy it, so be it. I have recorded a polish recitalist in Durham, Liverpool met, Leeds T.H. manchester cathedral and others, playing similar programes at each, he played pieces that no english organist would consider playing on these organs, as it "would not be right" eg: Mass For The Parishes _ on the Hull City Hall organ and St. Oswalds, Durham (peter collins 1988) they both sounded right, well, to me they did. listning to them a few years on, they sound ok.A friend of mine who shall remain nameless, suffice to say he is a regular recording "artist" and organist and choirmaster of one of our main cathedrals, when asked what he thought of a famous german organ in the yorkshire (???) "its ok for german stuff, but not much else. Mmmmm makes you think

regarding Liverpool anglican, I have found that it seems that only "the staff" seem to play this instrument, I have asked on behalf of 2 organists if they could play for an hour and they said no, even though one of the organists was taking his choir there, and had to have one of the organ scholars play for him. . As regards "Paddies Wigwam" , they are a lot more open, I recorded there quite while ago and they were most helpful. I think that recording companies have a certain few "artists" and its they that play the organs to be recorded eg, Graham Barber, Jane Watts etc for Priory,,,, I may be totally wrong on this though Peter