Paul Morley

Presumably, it was not feasible to provide console speakers, as found at Chester, Lichfield etc., because of the proximity of the loft to the quire.

A great many of the pre-Bach (Buxtehude, Bruhns, Lubeck) preludae are around the ABRSM VI/VII mark. They are mostly wonderful music, you can get away with using full organ quite a lot of the time (I know that I'll get shot down for saying that ) and almost all contain that great impresser of congregations, the pedal solo.

Fair enough. Both world class in their respective and very highly specialised musical disciplines.

Presumably you mean this: http://npor.rcm.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?...ec_index=N01692

Thanks for this, Nigel. A couple of years ago, I bought a CD of choral music by Lili Boulanger out of curiosity. As you say, amazing.

Am I the only one who is completely baffled by most of the above?!?

...and what wonderul music has come from this - Verdi's Requiem, Rossini's Stabat Mater and Petit Messe Solenelle(excuse spelling!?!), the Italian opera-inspired saced music of Berlioz and Gounod... A thought for the musicologists/historians to ponder...how does the Prix de Rome figure in this?

The device can be seen in use here http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kEoJ85FNpsA during a superb interpretation of BuvVW 139 (many thanks for posting this, Karl).

Except Britain, of course...

A peaceful Christmastide and a prosperous* New Year to all. Many thanks to board members for their enlightening, thought-provoking and occasionally hilarious contributions. Many thanks also to our hosts for their generosity and patience. Paul (who is enjoying the first Christmas for twenty-odd years when he's not been a church organist, a head of music in a high school or both; and will be having a very relaxed time!) *...well - folks will still get matched and despatched, regardless of the state of the economy.

In my experience, a balanced pedal on the extreme right is the worst of both worlds. Of the organs that I've played which have/had this arrangement, I can think of only three that were by any means comfortable to use: 1. The instrument that you mention, Shrewsbury Abbey. 2. Another Wm. Hill organ, St John Chrysostom Manchester. http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N02086 3. The Lewis organ at St. Mark, Battersea Rise. http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=R00946 In all cases, I imagine that the fact that the conversion is ergonomically successful is due to the fact that it was carried out by the original builders to their usual high standards. In the case of (2), the pedal is not situated at the extreme right, but rather to the right of centre, approximately above pedal notes A & Bb.

Thanks for this, Tony. The survey in question will be with you in due course. P.

I think that the idea of playing something intimate and beautiful as an encore when the last programmed item has been a barnstormer is very sound. Some years ago, I attended a concert at the Bridgewater Hall, where the big second-half work was the Dvorak 'Cello Concerto. After a dazzling performance, the soloist was left in no doubt that the audience wished to hear more. What we were given was a movement from one of the JSB 'cello sonatas. It brought a terrific evening of music to a wonderful conclusion. I can also see an advantage for the soloist/recitalist. A piece of music that calms the audience down rather than keeps them high may well reduce the possibility of demands for multiple encores. The performer, who by this time is almost certainly physically and emotionally drained, can then leave the stage without too much delay, whilst still retaining the goodwill of his/her fans. I can think of one major organ recital venue where this practice almost appears to be official policy. Has anyone been to a recital at Liverpool Cathedral given by one of the home team where Yon's Toccatina wasn't the encore?

Thanks for this, guys. I infer from what has been posted that if I complete an NPOR survey on an 1898 Alexander Young, and say that the joinery, level of wear etc. leads me to believe that the central, balanced swell pedal is original, then I'm on reasonably secure ground. I do think that it's quite interesting to note the way in which some of the big firms of the 19th and early 20th centuries demonstrated quite a measure of conservatism in this matter. The latest Wm Hill organ that I've come across with triggers was the 1912 instrument in the Houldsworth Hall, Manchester (now lost). I suppose that Hill may have resisted the trend towards balanced pedals because of the company's characteristic swell box design; triggers being more compatible with horizontal shutters. I have a suggestion as to why Willis, the great innovator and engineer, persisted in fitting triggers to his organs right into the 1890s. Whilst a balanced pedal is undoubtedly the most effective device for realising the hairpins specified in romantic repertoire, a sforzando – frequently demanded in transcriptions and orchestral reductions - is easier to accomplish with a trigger. As an aside, pictures of the St George's Hall console taken in the early 20th century show the triggers still in place, though I don't know if this organ retained them until 1931 (I'm sure that others will be able to make an authoritative statement on this).

Edited blank, duplicate post.

Sadly, the phenomenon of junior officials being obstructive when people ask to play organs in civic buildings, so that their masters can then turn round and say, 'We might as well get rid of the organ, no-one ever uses it', is not, in my experience, that rare. For instance, I believe that something similar used to happen at Manchester Town Hall. In fact, I had the rather embarrassing experience as a teenager of being reprimanded by a M/Cr TH receptionist for wasting her time, by having the temerity to ask for details of a forthcoming public recital (a rare thing at this venue, even as far back as the late '70s). There were and are, of course many exceptions to this. The staff at Rochdale TH were always most kind and accommodating, even to a youngster with far more ability at pulling out stops than musical technique or judgement.

Hi all, I have updating a few NPOR surveys recently, and on my travels have encountered a few late Victorian (i.e. pre - 1900) organs where the central balanced swell pedal and vertical shutters look as if they have always been in place, even though this seems unlikely. Do any board members have an informed opinion on when balanced pedals first came into use, and a possible date for their becoming more or less universal. Thanks, Paul.

The music of Ralph (Who was by no means a waif) Was once out of fashion - But these days, he is justly considered to be the Man.

Dear old Cesar Was too unworldly by far; Naughty old Franz Seldom stayed in his pantz. Yet, though each was in temperament the other's antithesis, Both were much taken with thematic metamorphosis.

A former titulaire of Notre Dame Cathedral Was justly famous for compositions and improvisations cerebral; Many of us, no doubt, would wish to have heard him play - though perhaps not on the fateful occasion when he passed away. Igor Stravinsky Was not given to whimsy; He did no think that the organ sounded very nice, And wrote a very famous piece about human sacrifice. …pay me lots of money and I will stop

You have seen this, I take it... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM

Frederick Delius Wrote music that was a bit touchy feelious; He was hampered in his quest to become a great impressionist By the dreadful consequences of having been a youthful indiscretionist.

The works of Johann Sebastian Are of Protestantism a bastion; He wrote dozens of cantatas - And that's just for starters.

Olivier Messiaen Was a most thoughtful and mystical man; His pieces take many hours to learn But their structure is not always easy to discern.

Many thanks for these fascinating links, Paul.