john carter

Hear, hear! Superb from start to finish. JC

Which reminds me of the day my boss took me out for a rather grand dinner to celebrate a successful venture. The following morning, the finance department rang to tell me that he had claimed the cost as expenses and details of the "benefit in kind" I had received were being passed on to HMRC so it could be taxed! I'm afraid there is no escape. JC

May I wish John Pike Mander and the moderating team a very happy Christmas and sincere thanks for all your efforts in supporting this excellent discussion board. To all fellow contributors, Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and successful New Year. John Carter

I'm sorry folks, Paul caught me at a low ebb and I may have over-reacted. We have since kissed and made up - well not quite like that, but you know what I mean. JC

Paul, I was fully aware of the order of posting and I didn't say you were ignoring my comments. I just pointed out that your large bold comments appeared just as antagonistic as those attitudes you were criticising. In particular, in your reference to "non-believing demand-worshippers" your words appear to be rooted in anger rather than reason. A funeral service for the one you loved the most is your service - not something you can just hand over to someone else and I am eternally grateful to have a Minister who spent hours working with me to make the day as bearable as it could be. JC

Paul, I refer the honourable member to the reply I gave earlier. In this correspondence I think it is you who is being dictatorial and antagonistic! JC

Sorry Quentin, I'm not entirely sympathetic with your view. At the funeral of the lady with whom I shared a home for over thirty years, I wanted a CD (of me playing the Meditation from Widor's 1st.) as a tribute to her during the service. The organist played us in and out with some complementary pieces. I would have been distraught if I couldn't have arranged the music in the way I wanted for this, one of the unhappiest days in my life. You might not like what they had chosen - you might not like what I chose - but surely kindness and tolerance is called for on such occasions. JC

Having grown up with a Compton organ, I fully concur with MM. What John Compton achieved with a few ranks was remarkable. Hence my despair at Derby Cathedral where the mixtures were "simplified" by other builders. They simply did not appear to understand the reasons behind the original scheme. JC

I'm still waiting for the return of Dick Barton, Special Agent, so rudely ousted by the Archers for what we were led to believe was going to be a short time. Incidentally, I have always thought the Poulenc concerto would have been a good choice of theme music for Dick Barton. JC

David, although I couldn't think of any worthwhile alternative suggestion, I still think your original instinct was correct. Buyers do judge a CD by its cover and I'm sorry to say that what the others have proposed is frightfully dull. JC

Hmmm... difficult to find a period or geographical link and it's probably best to avoid the obvious "organ masterworks", "pipes of splendour", "pulling out all the stops" and similar titles. "Take Note!" would be eye catching on the shelf and I don't think it has been used for any classical CDs before. JC

... And presumably overtaking similar monsters in the middle lane with the speed differential of an elderly cyclist on steroids! JC

Stephen Hough's transcription of César Franck's Troisieme Chorale, dedicated to Eric Chadwick, gives an interesting perspective on a familiar work. JC

I'm sure you are right. It certainly calls for passion and longing, even though it ends in profound sadness. Using the prescribed registration also sometimes thickens the texture in a way that, I suspect, was not the case at Ste Clotilde. It may be heresy to suggest it, but I sometimes feel that a string quartet could bring an expressiveness to Prière that is difficult to achieve on the organ. I have just listened to the Langlais recording again. It certainly bubbles with joy; nothing tedious or repetitive there. JC

For me, Franck's Prière has depths that I hadn't appreciated for years but then suddenly found. JC

But I thought you had a Hill organ with a lovely oboe? JC

Best to go to www.smartwater.co.uk, which gives more information than I can. JC

Actually, not paintings but ceramics, so on a small scale, nevertheless a splash of cheerful colour in a fairly minimalist decor. At Tate Britain I would much prefer Turner, especially his paintings from his time in the Alps. My heart, though, would go for Dufy, just as it does for Vierne. JC

My former organisation use "smart water" extensively and it has been extremely successful. You can use it on anything - including people! I understand some BP petrol stations even have the ability to spray intruders. If you are caught with the marker on your clothes or person, there's no escape; it can be proved conclusively that you were there. As to its use on church roofs or metal pipes, the problem is that once the metal is melted down, the marker is lost, so you have to catch the culprits quickly. However, the system is good and provided there is a warning sign, thieves are more likely to try elsewhere than take the risk. JC

I totally agree Neil. I'd much rather have Le Roy Neiman any day, and I'm surprised that pcnd, who appears to like vibrant colours in music, doesn't seem to appreciate that Neiman is just painting with the equivalent of a chamade and is similarly of value on occasion. For me the first picture is the artistic equivalent of the organ under discussion in this thread and depresses me unutterably. I shall now go down to my lounge, look at the Neimans and smile! JC

It's just so difficult to predict without knowing the full composition. A GO mixture on one of my favourite instruments looks a fairly conventional 15-19-22-26 on paper, but by the time it reaches f42 its composition is actually 16' - 10 2/3'- 8' - 5 1/3'. No shrillness there! JC

Aah - soft, sweet and crisp at the top. A bit different from the Unda Maris I know, best described as a blancmange - opaque, wobbly and a bit sickly. JC

orgues@wanadoo.fr should take you to his company, Manufacture Vosgienne de Grandes Orgues. JC

It might be worth contacting Bernard Dargassies. He will almost certainly know the history of this instrument. JC

Just before we get back on topic, how does a CD-R differ from a CD-RW? JC