john carter

Thanks Gary, I hadn't considered that. It's a very interesting point. JC

May I suggest a comparison with the recording of the Duruflé by Vincent Warnier, successor to Marie-Madeleine Duruflé at St Etienne du Mont. It is on the Intrada label. As for the specification you are seeking, I thought I had it, but I'm sorry I can't find it at the moment. I'll keep trying. JC

I believe there are about 20 manufacturers of blank CDs worldwide. Some are almost certainly better than others and in general, you get what you pay for! Storage conditions are important as extremes of temperature, humidity and exposure to UV light have a bearing on longevity. Thinking further about your Tonmeister's advice, I suspect the majority of lower price CDRs come out of the same factory JC

Paul, why do you believe CDRs are not as durable? I have seen no scientific research that suggests this. I have read a study that states a pre-recording shelf life of five years and a post-recording life as around twenty years, but this did not discriminate between commercial and consumer blank media. Not very long, though, compared with shellac or vinyl! JC

Pcnd, it would be interesting to know the full composition of the mixtures and their breaks on the Minster organ if you have the information to hand. JC

And don't forget... a photo of the performer. It's always good to put a face to the name. I always appreciate some basic registration notes; Marie-Claire Alain is very good at providing information that is both interesting and useful. JC

Perhaps their copper wires were not sufficiently oxygen-free . Seriously though, it is the quality of the recording equipment and the ears of those that make recordings, that determines the best that can be achieved during playback. If it isn't there on the tape to start with, the differences between playback systems become less significant. Unfortunately, much of what is on a tape is frequently discarded in the processing of files for download and even the cleverest algorithms cannot truthfully reconstruct it. My career was chiefly in the high-frequency end of the broadcasting business and the same applies to much of the video that hits our screens. Sadly 99% of the population doesn't seem to notice that either! JC

Simple really! Thank you Patrick. John C

I am encountering a familiar problem for this time of year - the board time seems to be one hour ahead of GMT. Looking at my settings, I appear to be in the correct time zone (London, Dublin, Casablanca), with auto-correction for daylight saving time ticked. What am I doing wrong? JC

Not really my subject, but isn't there an original Compenius organ, renovated by Mads Kjersgaard, at Frederiksborg Palace in Denmark? JC

If the sample in my link was the Mainz instrument, I would be very surprised indeed. Nothing like the same "liquid" quality. JC

Delightful isn't it? I'm not sure where it was recorded, I just found the sample on the site from which Pierre had linked the others. The only clue I have is a reference on the screen to Rochas - perhaps Pierre Rochas, who apparently produced an organ dictionary with two accompanying CDs, but that's only guesswork Holmes! Pierre L. may know. JC

Thanks Paul, I hadn't realised that it was a boxed set. The price tag now makes more sense. JC

Pierre, I think you are taking pcnd's point too literally, but I am sure he will answer in due course. As far as the flute sample is concerned, I would not find that timbre of stop useful. I consider this one much more musical: http://www.aeoline.de/Mp3/franz_orgel_mp3/...lute%20harm.mp3 JC

The only CD of the Sumsion recording that I can find is on EMI Classics and is rather expensive. Is it good enough to justify a price tag of £35 for a mid-sixties recording? Currently my favourite is the version that is on Thomas Trotter's recent Elgar CD on the Regent label, recorded at Salisbury. JC

Concert Hall in Shiroishi City, Japan. Carlo Curley. JC

I have now listened to this recording two or three times and I'm sorry to say that I don't particularly like it. It may perhaps be the performance, which from first hearing I found aggressive and lacking character. (I have only just realised who is playing.) As for the full swell, it doesn't give me the thrilling impression of restrained power that you hear at, for example, Salisbury. However, it's interesting to see and hear the type of instrument that was chosen for this extraordinary building. JC

Do you have any more details about this instrument please, Pierre? JC

The subject of Tubas often comes up in this forum, but why do we call a Tuba stop a Tuba? At 8ft. the compass of the organ Tuba is quite different from its orchestral namesake. The Euphonium seems to be a closer relation to the organ Tuba, but I'm not aware of this name being used anywhere. Does anyone know the reason why the term Tuba was adopted? JC

Colin, Many of us are very familiar with your views, but I think it is discourteous to our hosts to air them in this way on their site. JC

I think the approach taken at Lincoln is quite interesting. There you can adopt an organ pipe for £35. So if they persuade 61 people to subscribe, it generates £2135 towards a rank of pipes. If the subscribers apply for Gift Aid, that sum could increase by another £600. In that way, those donating feel they have provided something tangible towards the restoration. It seems a shame if card payment organisations have to be used, thereby reducing some of the benefit. After all this is a donation, not a purchase of goods and payment guarantees aren't really relevant. Perhaps the Cathedral Shop is already geared up to process card payments? JC

I think Messrs. Bellamy and Wyld have decided to sort out a difference of opinion in private rather than in public. I think we should leave them to it. JC

The sounds - and the performance - were also warmly appreciated by the audience! JC

And a similar encouraging story at St. Alphage, Burnt Oak in North West London who now have a very nice little IIP/17 by the Shepherd Brothers using mostly old Willis pipework from a church in Bermondsey. http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=E00095 JC

10-3 brings to mind the time when the console key was identical to the door/ignition key for my colleague's Morris Minor. So he always had a spare console key if, as occasionally happened, I took it home by mistake. Equally, he knew he always had access to a spare car key. I often wondered how many other cars had the same lock. 10-4 revives a nightmare I hoped I had wiped for ever from my memory! JC