Ronald Bayfield

Has anyone else noticed that Franck uses "gotta pick a pocket or two" in his Andantino?

I had read this somewhere and have altered my copy. As printed the note values don't equal the dotted minim below. Regarding the C#, I have pencilled a sharp in my copy but on reflection I like the natural as it gives the oriental flavour which appears elsewhere.

I find playing the notes is not too difficult (you need a 32 note pedal board), but the main difficulty I find is managing the registration changes in the earlier parts unless you have a sequencer.

I can manage the tenth at that point, but it gets harder where you get F and B flat and a quaver A flat above that. I can just do it; you could try letting your right little fingernail grow a bit! But I have to give up 3 bars later where you have to hold A flat, C flat and play a quaver B flat in the middle of the bar. I confess that I delay the A flat until the third beat.

I always find the Mozart tune to be too short to stand six repetitions of a 4-line verse. I noticed that the last bars bear a striking resemblance to the end of the tune "Maidstone" usually sung to "Pleasant are thy courts above" so now I play the even numbered verses to the last 16 bars of "Maidstone" suitably transposed. To prepare the congregation for the change I play the tune all through at the playover, and I have always found that they take to it like ducks to water.

Since recommending the Royal Marines "Sunset" I have looked on the internet and found it on a CD. Log in to www.royalmarinesbands.co.uk and there is a disc entitled "Music at Sunset" available at £12.I think it is programme 1 track 8. The composer's surname is Green, but no initial quoted.

Sarah Baldock at Chichester has already been mentioned. Some years ago I had to play at St Malo Cathedral in France and wrote to the organist to ask for information about the organ. I had a very helpful replay from a lady, who gave a stoplist and explained that the divisions of Grand, Recit, Positif etc could only be identified by the colour of the borders on the paper labels.

I cannot help with your enquiry but the Royal Marines tune "Sunset" is appropriate. I thought you might be interested in my experience on 9.11.08. I deputise at a church where the minister is very "green" in the environmental sense and is also a pacifist, very much so. I offered to play "Last Post " and "Reveille" on the organ, but I was informed that under no circumstances would he permit anyhing with military overtones. We also missed out "God save the Queen", presumably because of the line "send her victorious". Likewise we missed "O God our help". However, he did allow me to play "Crown Imperial" afterwards.

In my 20's (1950-60) I could play a few pieces from memory: Bach B minor Prelude & Fugue, Widor Toccata and a Pastorale from a Rheinberger sonata. I believe this was because it took me so long to learn to play them that by the time they were secure I had unconsciously memorised them. I did not set out to remember them. My piano repertoire was also learnt in this way. Now I learn pieces more quickly and cannot memorise them except for the difficult passages: the same reason: repetition. My memory was muscle memory; I remembered how the fingers fell and I knew that if I found myself playing a right note with the wrong finger disaster was just round the corner.

I cannot comment on Petra/Petrus as I never did Latin, but if the title included "et super hanc..." it would make it even longer to print on a recital programme! Another long title is "Carillon sur le theme du carillon des heures a la cathedrale de Soissons" (Durufle, I think).

I remember seeing the score of a mass setting by Gerre Hancock, then the organist of St Thomas on Fifth Avenue which is now occupied by John Scott. I no longer have the score but I remember the congregational part in the Gloria was based on a well-known hymn tune.