Goldsmith

I used to play this instrument as a student in Leeds about 16 years ago; St Mark's had just been re-opened, after a period of closure made necessary by the occasional chunk of falling masonry. Gorgeous instrument in a lovely church/acoustic. I also used to deputize at All Souls. Here, it was told that the organ had been used by A&S as a 'demonstration' instrument, thanks to it's close proximity to the A&S factory. The pipework of the Great mixture had been removed, apparently when the lady donor had left the parish in a fit of pique! Another glorious building with a small but dedicated community, which had just been re-founded as a 'plant' from St Michael, Headingley, following some serious difficulties. My 'everyday' practice instrument was at St Augustine, Wrangthorn. Another beautifully voiced A&S of great character - and a versatility not obvious from its spec - though in poor shape. Cheers, G

From where I sat in the Grand Tier, the balance was perfect; stunning perfomances all round. I think I've come to realize that contrary to what's often said, the organ is really NOT best heard from the Circle: the big reeds and mixtures are almost unbearable and the sound is top-heavy. From where I sat, the organ provided perfect support (and again in Bluebeard's Castle last night). After all, the RAH isn't the only building where a great instrument is at the mercy of the acoustic in a big space. The Westminster Cathedral organ, for example, sounds similarly unbearable in the rear quarter of the nave, but completely puny from the Apse.

No, my tutoring was not so long ago; I may sound 100, but many organists do... I'm a PG law student, tho' not in the area of Torts, so am by no means an expert on Defamation (my partner, who is a Senior Lecturer in Criminal Law isn't much help here either). You're quite right about the burden of proof, but a claimant would be very unwise to pursue an action in Defamation if the statement were true... I don't wish to argue tho', and to be honest I have not followed this thread properly. We're very grateful to you as hosts; the discussion is always lively. Very happy to abide by your rules! Cheers.

:angry: I shall resist elaboration of this thought...

Is there a book?! Crikey. I suppose a book might be easier to contradict than the real thing...

A distinguished and influential lady teacher working from the Barbican area of the city of London strictly advocates NO ties whatsoever. Legato in all parts, except for repeated notes. And between verses, strictly two beats' rest, with preceding chords lengthened/shortened accordingly.

According to imdb, it's the Reuter factory in Lawrence, Kansas: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055830/locations Wish I'd seen it!

I'm pretty certain it's an error on the disc: compare it with the opening of the Scherzo... See!

'One good reason for having pseudonyms is that contributors will not find their less well-judged postings called up by anyone who chooses to google their names (which has now become a routine way of checking out people).' Quite. It's also worth noticing that many of the fruitier posts are made rather late in the day; the sun is certainly well over the yard arm and one may detect the influence of the waning Rioja bottle...

I must express sympathy with the frustration imputed to PL. The continual refusal to think seriously about the instrument in different historical and cultural manifestations (expressed, for example, in the constant sniping at the poor old Tromba) is pretty depressing. Apologies if this sounds humorless, but these sort of remarks don't encourage discussion of any sort.

Please don't stop 'pontificating', Paul! Your insights, anecdotes, wisdom etc. are a highlight of the board. I'll stop crawling now. All best wishes, Matthew

Despite the other recommendations, I'd go for Christopher Herrick's Organ Dreans II on the lovely Harrison at Ripon. A real gem on Hyperion. http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/

I was particularly fond of the ESSO (?) advert which used the nachtmusik from Mahler's Seventh Symphony... Fab!

'an instrument that is supposed to be about subtlety of nuance and colour' Really? According to whom? The Downside Compton is a treasure. And what a great piece! Who wrote it?

It would be great if there were more GC's about, particularly on older instruments: they're an invaluable guide to the builder's intentions of how the build-up should work. I used regularly to play a Compton; the sequence of stop additions was quite different from the way I'd been taught, and made a lot more aural sense on this instrument.

Hmm... I think we've had some of these repertoire discussions before. Being able to hear a profound and substantial work in a relatively modern (1935!) idiom at one sitting (La Nativite) is one of the highlights of my Christmas! To my mind, organ recitals suffer from offering suites of miniatures. It's quite rare to get a complete Bach recital, or even a Vierne or Widor symphony at one sitting, and a far more satisfying experience: a broader emotional curve; fewer 'quick thrill' climaxes. But then, I love Wagner. Tristan in Munich last November was one of the (musical) highlights of my life...

Thanks for all these anecdotes... now to find a copy of that Grosvenor LP. In the meantime, I'd recommend the following as the most outstanding organ recording I've heard for a long, long time. And certainly the finest recording of this instrument: http://www.signumrecords.com/catalogue/sigcd089/index.htm And I'm not on commission.

In an idle moment today I explored the Trinity entry on NPOR. The Metzler is widely held to be a superb instrument (whatever one's opinion of its accompanimental utility). But I'm fascinated by the Hill it replaced. The spec seems to contain lots of vain repetition, and seems huge for the size of the chapel. I wonder if anyone heard/played this instrument, and has any thoughts on it? Are there any recordings available? Cheers! Matthew

I think I'm right in suggesting that CE wasn't always broadcast on a Wed anyway (aside from the additional 10.30 Sunday broadcast)? Given that the programme is one of those most downloaded on listen again, I'd have thought it highly unlikely that the BBC planned to ditch it? I've not read through all the posts on this topic, so apologies if I'm repeating, but won't most establishments find Sunday easier to cope with, in terms of available musicians? Wed is usually 'dumb' day in a couple of hallowed places, I know.

I remember being told that Nicholas Kynaston, when asked why he had never sat the RCO diplomas, remarked that having been appointed Organist of Westminster Cathedral at 19 years old, having studied with Germani etc. etc. he didn't really feel the need... (or something like that!).

Actually, this joke is usually told in Catholic circles as 'What's the difference between a liturgist and a terrorist?' In this guise it's pretty indisputable, I'd say.

What a fascinating and informative post, cheers!

I'm not sure that it's so much a case of being fussy as of taking a different approach to pointing (as did its predecessor), by making the chant completely subservient to the text. In this way it does avoid the 'artificial' sing-song elongation of single sylablles over several notes. Personally, I feel that congregational anglican-chanting is a pretty poor idea under any circumstances. Responsorials yield far more musical results, and it's quite easy to whip up some nice ones oneself.

The New St Paul's Cathedral Psalter is pretty good, if you don't mind the distinctive practice of omitting parts of the chant to fit the text when necessary: thorough rehearsal is essential! Some of the 'new' chants are also a tad dreary imho...