john carter

At a recital in Zurich Grossmunster today, I was apprehensive when I saw that an audience member was accompanied by his dog. Gregor Ehrsam, organist of Liebfrauenkirche in Zurich, perfomed an excellent programme of Guilmant and Vierne, that worked remarkably well on the Metzler organ - not the obvious choice of repertoire for that instrument. Throughout, the dog sat quietly and apparently appreciatively!

I am sad to note the death of Suzanne Chaisemartin on 8th July 2017 at the age of 96. A brilliant performer and teacher - and a delightful lady!

The problem with modern hearing aids, expensive or otherwise, is the inherent shortcoming of all digital devices - delay. Any sound heard directly arrives early compared to that through the aid. I find the only answer is to remove my hearing aids before listening to music or playing.

And I object to you saying that the technicians didn't care, when you are in no position to know. I will say no more on the subject.

I accept that the broadcast in question was a bit shaky operationally. What I objected to in Dr Wyld's response was that this was typical of the BBC screwing up musical balance. In general, I believe the technical and operational standard is pretty high.

It was a Divine Service of Worship. For me, that was and always will be the most important thing. The closing voluntary, however grand, is secondary. And yes, that is my "mentality" as you so charmingly put it.

Since you are not prepared to believe you can ever be wrong, there is little further to be said... For those who think I underestimate Colin Walsh, I don't.

You know exactly what I mean about the licence fee, so your comment is sheer cynicism, as are your snide remarks about the lack of skill in "BBC Repertoire". If you have, like me, spent your career as a broadcast professional - and I was not aware of you working for the BBC - then your remarks are even more unreasonable than I first thought. To suggest that the Vierne, the least important part of the entire broadcast, can be successfully balanced at the end of the transmission, with just a sound test and old notes from previous visits to the Cathedral, shows a lack of understanding on your part. In terms of the performance, I think we can agree that it was pretty good.

It's oh so easy to take a pop at professionals who work their socks off to bring you a wealth of high quality entertainment for the princely sum of £145 a year. Would you rather have had the signal hit the limiter as it made its way through a transmission network that is no longer part of the BBC? There is very little time to set these programmes up and quite likely no full rehearsal. I think the guys and girls do a very good job and I wish they weren't criticised by those who do not take into account the circumstances on the day and expect recording studio quality done entirely "off the cuff".

I may be mistaken, but I think the recordings were made at Selby in 1961. I am aware of some recordings FG made at the RFH and All Soul's, Langham Place in the 1950s.

There is a limit to the information contained in the roll and no guarantee that the playback speed is exactly the same as the recording speed. What is recorded are changes in tempo rather than absolute tempo. Even factors such as the thickness of the paper can affect the speed of the machine on either recording or playback - or both. As I understand it, a registrant is needed for the playback machine, so even if it were identical to the recording instrument, the result is unlikely to be exactly as the performer heard it. The specification of the playback instrument is: I. MANUAL C-c4 Principal 8’ Vox coelestis 8’ Viol d’orchestre 8’ Gambe 8’ Flöte 4’ Bourdon 8’ Klarinette 8’ Traversflöte 8’ Oboe 8’ Sesquialter II II. MANUAL C-c4 Principal 8’ Vox coelestis 8’ Viol d’orchestre 8’ Gambe 8’ Flöte 4’ Bourdon 8’ Klarinette 8’ Traversflöte 8’ Saxaphon 8’ Saxaphon 16’ extension of 8' Oboe 8’ Trompete 8’ PEDAL C-f1 Subbaß 16’ Flöte 8’ ...so not much upperwork to be found!

Try Presto Classical. They certainly have some Motette CDs in their catalogue.

I completely agree. For the first fifteen bars, I thought we were going to hear something really special and exciting, then it just lost me completely.

Oh Dear! It's bit like having a reality programme to make over your home. Some nice rich colours, but it is no longer the place you recognise or want to live in. Sorry, I hate it.

Thank you for posting the link VH.

I don't claim to be a wise person, but I think the confusion lies in whether it is a freely given donation or a premeditated re-cycling of the fee in order to gain a tax benefit. In my own Church, the accompanists give their services voluntarily. I could, each Sunday, hand over £100 from Church funds and on Monday, that could be returned as a donation generating £20 gift aid. If there was never any intention for the accompanist to accept payment, but the money was handed over just so it could be returned in order to generate a profit, I would describe that as fraudulent (and immoral). By comparison, if a visiting organist were to play for a funeral and it was normal to pay a fee, I see no problem in that fee being taken and then given back as a donation.

There is clearly a difference between a single instance and a deliberate regular practice.

It has been interesting to read the comments after my (deliberately) provocative post. The point I was trying to highlight is the totally unsatisfactory nature of rewarding people by a combination of salary and fees (or expenses). That the Director of Music of a Cathedral - which, to me, is a senior management post - should rely on extra payments to make up a decent salary is quite ridiculous. To be paid a fee for merely "turning up", smacks of the UK House of Lords. Such a senior post should carry a commitment to perform all duties that are necessary without additional overtime or fees, with the possible exception of claims for genuine out of pocket expenses supported by receipts. The salary should be at an appropriate level to recognise this position. It is time to ask the question - why are some people wanting to use CDs or other forms of music at their ceremonies? The answer might be uncomfortable, but if our rich musical tradition is to continue, it probably shouldn't appear to be based on the principles of a budget airline.

I think you have a wise Treasurer, David. To deliberately launder a fee in this way is tax fraud.

So, do I understand you are prepared to take a fee, having done nothing to earn it?

Reading this, I suddenly thought, "I wonder what has happened to Pierre Lauwers?" One of the most regular contributors in the past, we have not heard from him for ages. I hope everything is OK? Mind you, we hadn't heard much from pcnd5584 lately. Last night's exchanges brought back some much missed spirit to the forum, which I greatly welcome after some difficult incidents in recent times. MM has certainly found a good way to get people talking.

Just like John Compton!

I just knew that if I mentioned that I hadn't heard about copper organ pipes, there would soon be a comprehensive list of organs that have them! Thanks chaps Are there any particular characteristics in the way they sound?

On this forum, one thing tends to lead to another... In MM's humorous piece, there was one line that caught my attention "... copper is never used in organ building". Last year, I bought a copper mute for one of my relatives who is a trumpet player. I was immediately struck by the difference in timbre from other mutes, much warmer than other types. I cannot think of any examples of copper organ pipes or resonators, but I have never stopped to question why that is. Can anybody explain?

It's a very fine performance indeed. I doubt even Lewis Hamilton could have done better in the Presto! I tend to agree with MM on Sumsion's tempo; presto comodo says "a comfortable pace" to me, and I think that is exactly what it is.