Andy

'Alleluia' and 'Marche Triomphale' from 'Douze Pieces' by Dubois usually go down well with my congregation and at a nearby church where I often play at evensong.

In case any one doesn't already know, 'La Nativite du Seigneur' is the featured piece for 'Building a library' tomorrow morning at 0930 on Radio 3. (The reviewer is Jeremy Thurlow)

That sounds more likely, definitely Brentford in OR, though (p105).

I've just noticed an ad in the 'classifieds' section of OR for an Organ Showcase at Brentford Cathedral. I've lived in London all my forty something years and never noticed a cathedral when traversing west London. Google doesn't seem to know either. Can anyone shed any light for me, please? Dazed and condused.

In the blurb on the restoration there is a reference to 'stop domes'. Could the inserts be stop domes?

Is it available for purchase/hearing?

Veni Emmanuel is excellent. I played it as a voluntary before Midnight Mass a year or two ago and it prompted an enthusiastic response.

I learnt this for ARCO a few years ago. It is tricky mainly due to the speed and has some poly rhythmic bits which you just have to learn each line, shut your eyes and hope for the best. But yes, it is definitely worth it. Andy (There's a lot of us about)

Thanks, I'll be able to sleep now.

Can someone put me out of my misery, please? I've got today's voluntary playing in my head and still can't remember what it is.

The description of the children's anthem for Mothering Sunday, especially.

When a parishioner said that to me once they explained, quickly, that it had been intended as a compliment. They simply meant that they felt there was no need for any further improvement.

There was a 'Hammer' film on last night called 'Tales from the Crypt'. The familiar strains of THE toccata was the accompaniment to the opening credits. To my surprise not only was the title music credited but so was the performer - Nicholas Kynaston. The soundtrack to the first of the 'tales from the Crypt -( crypt not credited) - was also organ music and carols with organ. Was this also NK? Where was it recorded?

I played for the LFB Remembrance Servive as usual on Sunday. As this is held in the HQ foyer the only available instrument is a small (cheap) Casio keyboard. Normally I manage to do a reasonable job but this year the piece that I was going to play at the end slid of the (pathetic excuse for a) music stand and collided with the auto start for the rhythm section. Naturally the default setting is a very loud salsa beat.

Do you think these are likely to be published?

10-67 - Does the string quartet hired for the wedding know that the organ isn't at concert pitch? (No)

Me, too. I played for my grandmother's funeral but was unable to play before the service due to the vagaries of public transport and roadworks in Norfolk (4 hours to get from Diss to nr King's Lynn). My wife and I rushed in to the church just after the coffin had arrived. I discovered that the pre-service music was being provided by my two sisters, neither of whom had ever played the organ before. One was playing the manuals and the other was operating the pedals by hand.) There was only one hymn, 'The King of Love my Shepherd is'. Unfortunately the last verse was printed over the page. As I was bringing the hymn to a close at the end of the penultimate verse I realised that there was another. The resulting period of silence, however, was long enough for the congregation (led by my mother) to realise that I had forgotten the last verse and to sit down. My mother said that just as they rear ends hit the pews I started to play the last verse. It was a long time before I lived that down. My only consolation was that my grandmother would probably have laughed long and loud.

Thanks both. I suspect that I may do most of my playing to an empty church. The organ is half way up the chancel wall and the top of the screen blocks my view of the church to such an extent that I can only see half a dozen rows of seats on one side of the aisle. It does mean that I don't get overwhelmed by the volume of the congregation chatting/shouting to each other as soon as they hear the first notes of the voluntary.

With apologies if this has been covered in a previous thread, I was wondering what the panel's views are on performing preludes without fugues or fugues without preludes. I used to have a teacher who was rather sniffy about this but when I was finally prised away from Novello and towards Barenreiter I was surprised to find that Bach did not designate any of his P&Fs 'Great'. Not only that but a few years later I discovered that, although JSB paired some of these works. many have been coupled since.

and again at the Queen Mother's funeral, I think.

I can do that without resorting to dropping a hymn book.

I have now made contact with the Anglican Cathedral having sent an e-mail to the Dean and have had a positive response. I did a recital on a new Bowers instrument a couple of years ago and it was beautiful - only 12 stops but every one a winner.

I am going to Gibraltar next week and am hoping for some information on local organs. I have already got a slot at the RC Cathedral - St Mary the Crown-ed (which, incidentally, appears as 'St Mary the Crowded' on the Gibraltar Tourist Information Office)

I played 'with a pair of sparkling eyes?' at a funeral last year. (By request, I hasten to add)

I played the Dambusters' March once.