john carter

Why not submit a programme about 25 minutes long, comprising interesting items that would appeal to a broad range of Radio 3 listeners? Perhaps even consider pieces that the Classic FM audience might enjoy? Nobody is going to promote the organ if its own players don't try. And we don't need to keep emphasising how many thousands of pipes there are and how clever organists are to drive this technology. The secret of success is in the music.

Surely it is no more difficult than trying to keep a 30 year-old car going when spare parts are no longer available? A replacement is of comparable cost to a car, rather than the six figure sums that an elderly pipe organ may require to restore it to health. Owners of electronic instruments could plan for an expected replacement after, say, twenty years or lease the organ in the same way that many people lease cars.

I'm so sorry to hear this news. RIP

Reginald Foort was BBC staff organist from the mid 1930s. His Möller touring organ could have been anywhere. According to Wikipedia it was set up 167 times at 118 different locations!

Colin, so you are "pretty sure" that players have edited midi tracks? I am "pretty sure" some players are interested enough to do whatever they can to improve their performance. Why be so negative about it? I would encourage any young player to use whatever skill and technology they can, in order to interpret the music in the way they choose. If that involves wearing headphones, editing midi tracks, stepping through 200 combinations or playing in socks, I don't care!

Returning to the title of this thread, Martin Cooke has done us a great service. Suddenly the forum has woken up! Let's hope it continues to attract more contributions.

Thank you Owen! That site includes the recording of Franck Choral 1 by Fernando Germani that first introduced me to Franck - and Germani - as a young teenager. I never thought I would hear it again. The channel could become an excellent source of historic recordings.

Companies who make props and sets for TV and Film, or freelance carpenters who work in the entertainment business, would be able to help. Google "TV Set Builders" to find one in your area.

A version without commentary was also available on the BBC Red Button, so it may not have been necessary to look elsewhere.

There is one on the organ of St Francois in Lyon on the enclosed Positif. A delightful stop, and as another unashamed romantic, I applaud the good taste of the other contributors.

Why should anyone interfere with the decision that the school have made? It is their property, it doesn't meet their present needs and they have chosen a replacement. They don't have to justify their decision to anyone in BIOS, members of this board or anyone else who thinks they know better.

Martin, I take your point but I think it is unfair to criticise the awards given to other named individuals. Many factors are considered before an honour is awarded, including activities and qualities that may not be well known to you or me. If the status of musicians is to be promoted, it is for all of us to lobby those who submit the nominations to ensure they fully reflect the person whose name they have put forward.

As a teenager, it was Richard Ellsasser's Widor 6, recorded at Hammond Castle, that made a huge impression on me.

Although to the best of my knowledge he does not subscribe to this board, Chris Lawton is an enthusiast who has in-depth knowledge of, and has played, many of the Compton organs around the UK. If you search for Compton Miniatura on YouTube, you will find Chris's channel, which has contact details.

This thread reminded me of the heroic performance by an injured Andrew Dewar with one hand and a stick:

The programme is deliberately different from the radio broadcast as it is aimed at a different audience. From a conversation with the producer of this year's TV broadcast a couple of days ago, I understand the overall result this year is quite different, because of the lack of a congregation and the participation of the King's Singers, but is thought to be good.

Forum members may not be aware that, without a TV licence, you cannot legally watch any live television online, including Now TV, Amazon Prime or YouTube live streams of broadcasts. The restriction is not limited to BBC i-player. A licence is not required to listen to BBC Radio or BBC Sounds which are, of course, paid for by those of us who spend less than 50p per day on the cost of the licence. For comparison, the cost of the Times newspaper is £2 per day (£1.10 for subscribers).

Wayne Marshall is certainly a talented performer. I just wish he wasn't in such a hurry. I'm out of breath just listening.

Touch screens certainly aren't a practical advance, but they are an effective way to reduce costs. Custom metalwork, switches and wiring are labour intensive and surprisingly expensive by comparison. I'm afraid you get what you pay for these days! The only practical way out is to programme combinations in advance, which doesn't really help when improvising.

Thanks Niccolo for putting this interesting collection together. I think only the contrabassoon and handpan are likely to catch on. The venova seems to have all the charm of the vuvuzela! I welcome new ideas rather than always being locked in to what went before. Many of the features in today's organs, that we now take for granted, started out as experiments. Notable examples are the innovative ideas of Compton and Cavaillé-Coll.

To Cornet IV and Nic Davidson-Porter: Even though we have strayed off-topic, it is pleasant to have a little humour occasionally. I am glad that you appear to like the Swiss Federation as much as I do. I only wish I could have been there for my annual visit to the Lucerne Festival, sadly not possible in the current situation.

Oops, I must read more carefully. When I first looked at your post and saw the reference to Walschaert's valve gear, I took it that the organ had a plaque from the Berner Oberland Bahn!

I think your comments are somewhat discourteous to our new hosts. Perhaps you should wait and see how the company develops in the coming months.

At a time and in a World where there seems to be much trouble and confusion, it is refreshing to hear some really good news. I wish Stephen Bayley and his team success, and hope that they can maintain the forum that I have happily followed for fifteen years.

pwhodges wrote: "Is anyone here happy to pay that indefinitely for such a small active community, when there are free alternatives?" Vox Humana wrote: "I'll be blunt. I would not be willing to pay an ongoing subscription fee unless it is quite nominal." Gentlemen, I imagine you pay for your internet access and you probably paid for your computers. How can you expect to get the services of a forum free of charge when it requires both equipment with a finite life and internet bandwidth? To set up the trial forum, Steve Goodwin is generously paying for both out of his own pocket. The cost may be small, but it is more than zero. The only long term alternative to subscription is to find a sponsor, as Manders have been. The inclusion of digital organs could make the forum attractive to a wider range of manufacturers, who might value the opportunity to reach an audience interested in their products. General advertising could be an alternative, but the narrow forum topic and the potential views are probably too limited.