DQB123

So then Santa Mander... Howzabout a Christmas prezzie then? Ermm.... like a photo of the new St Paul's Cathedral console on the Mander Organs website???? (enquiring minds etc.....)

Does anyone know what the latest is on the organ of the Royal Festival Hall? Is it all going back or not? And if so does anyone know when?

It all seemed rather dull to me Was it a repeat of a previous year?

More's the pity .... (harumphhh)

Ah well.... Another funeral just came in for the same time as the one recently lost.... (and not a mention of a CD!)

And a membership of the local gym to burn off the calories of all those mince pies (18 sins according to Superslim....)

Fascinating.... In our case the issue wasn't so much "what" as "when".... I know next to nothing about pop music of any kind so could not say what is suitable or not. I was inclined to think that this topic is closely linked to the one about treating organists as second class citizens. However, it is very interesting to see the diverse opinions on this subject. I guess Patrick and I will have similar experiences insofar as conducting funerals and visiting with families etc. is concerned, and if this is so, he will probably have met, on many occasions, the people who admit to having no religion. I have one service "on the go" at the moment where I went to see the family and they want a totally secular occasion (ie Vicar as MC) - to the extent that I asked if they would like to have a short prayer at the end!!! Lovely people, don't get me wrong. They want three CD tracks playing but no hymn or reading from the Bible. (This is at the local crematorium not the Church). They freely admitted that he didn't sing hymns in life so why should he in death, and I guess if religion played no part in life then why should it be there at the funeral. Some (including that family) would describe such an occasion as hypocritical. Perhaps in the future we will see a growing number of people finding other venues for their funerals as they have done with weddings and I guess, naming ceremonies. If that is being more truthful it seems good to me. I often hear that Christianity is "failing to adapt to the modern world". I don't know why it should. Countless people in this post-Christian era (at least in our land) seem to view the parish and other churches as a "suitable meeting place" and little more. The concept of "what goes" within the building is alien. I would dare say, in the light of what a lot of people say on these lists about the the church when it endeavours to adapt to a contemporary style (and it's often organists versus clergy), that there are a great many people who want the church to move with the times only in so far as it suits them.

Oooerr.....

Ermm yes... But your CD was the Meditation from Widor 1 - Was that to come into, to sit down and listen to, or to leave the church? These people were not told that they could not have a CD played (regardless of what music it was); they were just told that when they came in it would be to organ music. So far as I am aware we are not particularly known for unkindness and intolerance on such occasions.

Now that would be telling....

I just "lost" a fairly high profile funeral to a neighbouring parish. The reason for this is because even before I had met or spoken to the family the FD was having to deal with a stream of demands from them as to how the Service would be. The family do not live in my parish, but earlier in the year there was a family christening here to which goodly chunk of the family arrived about 20 minutes late (with no apology). Apart from that, no other links with the church. The issue in question was that the family wanted CDs playing during the service. The policy here is that if it is really vital I will allow a CD to be played "on the way out" of church (and even then I don't really like it), but I absolutely insist on the family coming into the church to the sound of the organ. Since I endeavour to ensure that we have a first class organist available, it seems somewhat ridiculous for that person to be sitting there whilst CDs are playing. The CD in question was of a song called Diana.... can't think why, because that is not the name of the deceased or spouse. Anyway the FD (who is extremely supportive and conscientious) did his best to explain that the Vicar will allow a CD to leave but not to come into church. Apparently the discussion became quite heated with the FD standing his ground for the church, and with threats made by the family to "go to another church". Since I already have five funerals this week, it isn't exactly quiet around here. The FD called me up to tell me of their threat to go elsewhere, and I did the unthinkable, and told him to tell them that it is their choice. Consequently, the family have decided not to come to us. It's their funeral. Like most clergy I guess that I don't like people coming and telling me what to do in church. Brethren, is drawing the line in this manner the right thing to do? Or am I just being an old meanie??

If it was good enough for Virgil....

I have read the rant alerts with interest and I can't help wondering that if y'all dislike playing for carol services and the likes so much then... ermmm.... why do you do it? The organist in our church just says that he's not available on that day/evening etc, and that's an end of it. Perhaps there's a lot to be said for letting said organisations get on with their annual events and bringing in their own player (good, bad or ugly). I've seen some horrors at the console of our organ, but it doesn't half make us appreciate our organist when he's back on the bench! After all, life's too short to be doing things that you don't like doing - especially at Christmas.... Having said that, I'm just off to a carol service - no organist, but an organ-playing vicar... Q

OK Folks.... HANDS UP those who want a photo of the new console...... (Cynic) (Me....)

Any chance of a picture of the new St Paul's Cathedral console??

A number of years ago I had to play the organ for a funeral in a neighbouring parish. During the sermon my clerical colleague went up to the pulpit and said ". . . may I speak to you in the name of the Living God, Father, Son and HolySpirit", and then he began to tell a lovely tale about our dear departed brother. A couple of minutes into the sermonette I felt a movement in my hair. And then suddenly . . it moved again, and I reached up into my hair and pulled out . . . a wasp!!! In my home town of Colwyn Bay on the North Wales Coast we call the darned varmints "JASPERS" ... Can you believe it? A wasp in my hair????!!!!! Anyway I threw the Jasper on to the organ bench and it looked somewhat dazed, and then, totally forgetting that I am a holy Vicar, and was in front of a large audience (err. . . congregation ) I slammed down a copy of HYMNS ANCIENT & MODERN (STANDARD) on to the said JASPER with a great crash. To the curious, this act of murder was quite undeserved because the JASPER had not left his visiting card on my head or fingers . .. but then maybe the punishment was sufficient if the little blighter had even thought about stinging. For quite some time conscience was pricked because the next hymn which was played with great gusto was ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL ALL THINGS WISE AND WONDERFUL THE LORD GOD MADE THEM ALL Does this include JASPERS? And if so, what should the penance be?

So has the decision been made?

The Reubke Sonata on Psalm 94 would be an interesting subject to consider especially those recordings (in the plural) made by Simon Preston at WA and Roger Fisher at Chester. Compare and contrast their earlier LP recordings (1960s) with their later CD recordings (both made on the same organ) but both vastly different - and all, thrilling!

On the theatre organ side of the great divide, Reginald Dixon once came to play the 3 manual 8 rank Christie at the Astra Llandudno (around 1977) when he was on his "Farewell Tour". The playing was really most spectacularly awful. However, the atmosphere was most spectacularly electric and he could do no wrong in the eyes of his audience! I have often reflected on that evening which for us was so exciting because the great man was actually in Llandudno playing "our" organ. I guess just to have him in the building was for most people, enough, and even if he had come up on the lift playing a kazoo he would still have "brought the house down...." Oh... and the house was almost full - so there were well over 1000 people present - and the phrase going around that auditorium (from many lips) was "Isn't it marvellous??!!!"

Yes it really is quite an amusing choice, come to think of it....

Not a difference of opinion, but perhaps just better away from here. Q

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Hi Guys Ian has just sent me the following item which may be of interest.... Q ==== Article in September Cathedral Life! THE CENTRAL ORGAN For some considerable time now, Ian Tracey and his predecessors have bemoaned the inability of the main organ to accompany congregations of various sizes (particularly the small and medium sized ones) in the Central Space, without simply overwhelming them from the single sound source of the ‘Great Organ’ in the Chancel. As early as 1915, Goss Custard already had the insight to think of this and organs were planned for the North Choir Triforium, the Central Galleries, the Corona Gallery and the Dulverton Bridge. His logic being that the entire congregation should be supported by small units of organ in their immediate proximity (a view which, in the case of large buildings, organ experts currently seem to be of a consensus). In recent years, several cathedrals, amongst them Canterbury, Worcester Portsmouth, and Exeter, have installed ‘Nave Organs’ connected to the main console, in order to solve this inherent problem. The first three of Gossy’s planned divisions were built in the London factory of Henry Willis, and left in a railway siding near London for safekeeping, whilst Liverpool was the main target of enemy action in 1940. One April evening in 1941, it suffered a direct hit and all the pipework was lost. The Cathedral having suffered repercussions of its own during the enemy action, never managed to replace the lost sections, which has been a great pity, and even the console, which contained all the prepared-for registers, (in the oak box on the North-East side of the Tower - where the sound control room now is) was removed by Willis when they lost the contract in 1975. In 1997, the Trompette Millitaire, donated by Dr. Alan Dronsfield (included on the original specification) was added as a Corona division; it has proved to be most useful for fanfares at major occasions. The McKinlay family (family of Eleanor Wright, our Music Administrator for 16 years) have been looking for a fitting memorial for Eleanor; and it occurred to Prof. Tracey that adding something of the original ‘Central Organ’ would instantly transform hymn singing here, and be, in perpetua, by far, the most practical memorial to her long service for music here. The Chapter and Professor Tarn (Chair of our FAC), have endorsed it wholeheartedly. The following specification has been agreed between Prof. Tracey and Mr. David Wells. It is to be housed on the South Central Space Gallery, at gallery floor level, so as to minimise visibility from the cathedral floor. Even better that the project is self financing, and at absolutely no cost to Chapter. The Central Organ is currently being made in the Liverpool factory of David Wells Organbuilders and is planned to be in working order for the installation of Dean Justin in December. The soundboards and majority of the pipework are by Henry Willis III (the builder of our own organ) so it is contemporaneous with that which is already extant in the chancel, and will blend very successfully and have an integrity with the rest of the specification. A rather nice side issue being that, having had our title (since 1926) of ‘The Largest Organ in the UK’ recently usurped by the Albert Hall re-build, this new division, at 10,267 pipes (apparently the RAH currently stands at 9,999) will unequivocally reinstate us as undeniably the Largest Organ in the UK. 2007 Specification (readers who would like to see the original specification may find it in ‘The Organ’ by W.Sumner). Central Organ Bourdon 16’ [61 pipes] Open Diapason 8’ [61 pipes] Principal 4’ [61 pipes] Super Octave 2’ [61 pipes] Mixture II-VIrks. [258 pipes] Central Pedal Bourdon 16’ [from central organ] Couplers Central Octave Central Sub-Octave Central on Bombarde Central on Great Prof Tracey says that, in order to complete the 1940 specification, he is very happy to receive promises for the Echo and West Organs…..!