Paul Morley

I should point out that I have never written for the NME, nor have i ever appeared on late-night TV expressing my views on popular culture. However, my grandfather was called Thomas

Given the well-publicised troubles at that establishment a few years ago, might the problems also (really?) been with a (now deceased) senior member of the chapter?

Absolutely. However, might it be argued that CC is following in the steps of Liszt, rather than those of Rachmaninov. Whether or not this legitimises the liberties that he takes with the music of others is another matter. It could be interesting to hear an organ transcription of Schoenberg's orchestration of BWV 552: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMjJhaWl4rI&feature=related Big, 'Technicolor' sound, of course. However, the array of orchestral colours do serve to highlight the counterpoint (as, of course, one would expect with Schoenberg). I can imagine this working, given that the prerequisites of a large enough instrument and a skilful enough player will be met.

No first-had knowledge, I'm afraid. However, a friend of mine, who was an invited guest at the opening recital (he was an O/S there in the late '70s) and also had the opportunity to play it himself for a reasonable ammount of time, considers it to be superb.

One could argue that the case at Leeds PC is not untypical of an 1840s gothic organ case, except for the fact that it doesn't contain any pipes. Compare and contrast: http://www.goodshepherdashton.co.uk/index.php/site/about_us/category/st_michael_and_all_angels/about_st_michael_and_all_angels/ http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/PSearch.cgi?Fn=PSearch&rec_index=N02068&no=1 http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/PSearch.cgi?Fn=PSearch&rec_index=N01512&no=1

Happy new year to all, and sincere thanks to Rachel and all at MO. Paul

Is this really such a bad thing? Shouldn't we be happy that a (any?) gifted classical composer is receiving some popular recognition? After all, we should have moved on from the 1960s 'four legs good, two legs bad' orthodoxy that decreed that, as far as contemporary art music was concerned, anything with a tune must be rubbish, and anything that sounded like a psychotic toddler kicking a tomcat to death must be a work of genius.

http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=N08628 This looks most interesting. Does anyone bhave any first-hand experience?

By way of an antidote to all the jolly tunes that we'll be playing over the next few weeks.

youtube.com/watch?v=Gt3J1Uip3jc Use of the organ by a great composer at the top of his game. The film's prety good too!

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Astonishing. Thanks for this.

Well, you might.. Anyway, I seem to remember from the last time that I watched all three 'Godfather' films back-to-back, that the wearer of Catholic garb (or a police uniform) was far more likely to be a Mafia assassin than the genuine article.

I would imagine that it is possible to acquire substances which, if ingested shortly before playing or listening, will produce a similar effect... MM, I'm sure that at at some point during your many years' performing in grim northern towns, someone has said to you something along the lines of, 'By 'eck, tha' can make th'organ talk'. Maybe they were not speaking figuratively... Incidentally, what is it with Disney and the organ?

Also, the scary bit from the D major P&F. Some years ago, I concluded the first half of a 'greatest hits/easy listening' type recital with this. I invited any non-organists in the audience to see me during the interval if they could tell me in which rather sinister context they might have already heard the Adagio. A couple of people got it right, which was quite encouraging.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOES-dS0pG0 The greatest film in which organ music is deployed. Discuss.

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My son (who, at the age of 4 1/2, is already displaying rather disturbing organ-anorak tendencies) is greatly amused by the fact that this instrument is buttock powered. Stokowski?

But surely, the organ is already a one-man-band...

A most gracious and tactful understatement IMHO!!

Imagine if he'd written some organ music at around the same time and inhabiting the same sound world as the 6th....

Not really, but I wouldn't mind having a crack at conducting the orchestral version.

Does anyone know if T Mee Pattison's albums of voluntaries are still in print? I binned mine many years ago in a fit of adolescent pretensiousness (I was actually about 22). This thread has got me thinking that I should revisit them.

I'm neither a physicist nor an organ building expert. However...

There is a labial cor anglais on this instrument http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=D08257