David Coram

Glad to hear it's holding together. Isn't the fugue subject lovely - I have most of Tony's other organ works if you are interested. There were 3 lovely chorale preludes written for a church near Devizes - they are really special.

Don't think there's any such thing as absolute simultaneity of the claviers when coupled. As the plucks would normally be (and are here) arrayed just one after the other to keep action weight down, I would have thought it actually would be quicker with the electric assistance offering far more sustained and consistent weight than my poor fingers, rather like my Romsey Barker Lever machine for which I daily give thanks. I look forward to trying the similar system at Sherborne next week - I am told there is a difference of opinion as to whether this instrument is better with or without assistance.

Yes, electric coupling on throughout - why on earth wouldn't you? It's not Lent anymore, you know. As any fule no, Cymbelsterns are better off in swell boxes; I believe this is one of the things we have long been in agreement about!!! If I wanted a big shouty reed, and I didn't like Tubas and I thought many chamades were a bit too weak to use as solos, I would be very happy with that Ophicliede - it gave me everything I wanted. But hey...

Having just spent an entire day playing the 1994 Nicholson at Portsmouth, I thought I should find out other people's experience of it and try and find out why it's not more talked about. I thought the plenum was a match for mine at Romsey in terms of excitement (possibly greater, with the 32ft reed) and the flutes no less superb. The situation was wonderful to be able to hear the choir with no delay at all, see all that was going on around AND hear the congregation - all stuff I'm not really used to, as anyone who knows the position of the organ at Romsey will appreciate. I found the console fantastically comfortable, I wasn't short of any of the sounds I wanted, thought it was quite the best 32' reed I have encountered for a long time - big presence, but a nice one you could hear in full organ and still use with lighter registrations - an EXCEPTIONALLY good tracker action (tho the Swell is a few millimetres shallower than the other two - perhaps to overcome coupling problems experienced in setting up?), tonally very bright and sensitively handled (I assume there is historic material within it as the case is certainly old). Just a sheer delight from beginning to end. Even a Cymbelstern, though why people don't put these things in swell boxes is a mystery to me. The "solo" (played from the choir) was lovely - a really big 4' open flute, and something called a Solo Ophicliede, which I thought was just fantastic. A lot more sociable and stable than the horizontal things at Wimborne but with just the same brightness. The only bit I didn't like was the winding, which I have found on a lot of Nicholsons to be a bit snappy. Tremulants a little disappointing and very noisy, too. On two other local instruments of theirs I have seen this has all been down to rather too small and inappropriately shaped wind trunks (90 degree bends and square, rather than rectangular, in section). Much of the pedal was a bit boomy in the mid register, even the stopped flutes getting a bit "woody", and the upperwork lost wind when you started adding violones and stuff. There was some strange corner-cutting, too - the Ch Clarinet is tenor C, which I thought odd on an instrument with absolutely no other leanings to authenticity, and the Sw Clarion appeared to turn into Principal pipes from middle C upwards. Middle C! Found out to my cost trying to do a 4' reed pedal solo during the eucharist. But apart from these small niggles it's as near to perfect as I've encountered for a while, although I don't believe I have ever read an article about it or heard it referred to as a fine example of work by a British builder, which is undoubtedly is. Anyone know better than I do?

Crucifixion. Know it's tired and slushy but I find it really incredibly effective. I was at the performance in Salisbury Cathedral last night where it was done with symphony orchestra, arr. Barry Rose. Very nice.

Not always. Take Geoffrey Morgan at Christchurch Priory - a very good and renowned performer and speaker, but a quite unbelievable accompanist at the same time, whether of a huge congregation or a school choir.

No, that's right at the top of the list. As is Xtian dost thou see them to the AMR tune (St Andrew of Crete?) None of these are in order, just as I happen to think of them... 1 The Day thou gavest, St Clement 2 Christ triumphant, Guiting Power 3 I met the Lord, another John Barnard special (like Guiting Power) 4 King of Glory king of peace to the Archer tune (Redland) 5 Dear Lord and father (Repton) 6 Xtian dost thou as above 7 My song is love unknown (mmmm) 8 Anything to Abbots Leigh 9 At the name of Jesus, preferably to Cuddesdon but Evelyns if you must 10 Give me the wings of faith (San Rocco) 11 Forth in the peace of Christ (15thC arr RVW, NEH 361) 12 Lift high the Cross (Nicholson tune) 13 We sing the praise (B. Brickhill) 14 The king of love my sheep is (dominus regit me) - the only metrical Ps23 that doesn't make me gip 15 Hail thee, festival day to the RVW 3-segment tune 16 Let all mortal flesh (Picardy) 17 All my hope (Michael) 18 Holy spirit, ever dwelling (Salisbury, also by HH) Don't shoot me for the last two - 19 Great is thy faithfulness 20 Living Lord (Appleford) - yes, I know, but it can genuinely be made into a really memorable and uplifting experience...

My turn! Great Open Diapason 8 (huge) Clarabella 8 Gamba 8 (ex Swell) Harmonic Flute 4 Principal 4 Fifteenth 2 Trumpet 8 (TC - replacing, I assume an earlier TC Clarinet) Swell Libelich Bourdon 16 (also on Pedal) Geigen Diapason 8 (bass outside the box!) Wald Flute 4 Celeste 8 (TC) Mixture 15.19.22 (breaks on F#, 8.12.15 by mid f#) Oboe 8 Choir (unenclosed) Lieblich Gedackt 8 Suabe Flute 4 Piccolo 2 (ex Gt) Sesquialtera II Clarinet (TC) Pedal Acoustic Bass 32 Big Bourdon 16 Lieblich Bourdon 16 Bass Flute 8 usual couplers incl. Swell to Great octave and suboctave 1 swap (sw and gt flutes) horsetrade Sw Gamba in place of Gt Dulciana, Gt Piccolo in place of Ch Keralophon New ranks: Gt 15th, Ch Sesquialtera, Sw Mixture Shouldn't be too expensive and I'd be happy playing it.

I was yesterday approached by one of my congregation who enquired in a concerned tone whether all the congregation were going to die because of the lead in the organ. She seemed to have picked up from somewhere that the organ was a health risk and therefore they should all sit as far away from it as possible. Although there has obviously been a lot of overblown hyperbole in the papers (like Salisbury Cathedral being silenced forever - how so, when all they're doing is refurbishing the console?), but has anyone seen anything that has even hinted at such a wider health risk? I hope not.

MDF is great because it doesn't warp or crack so easily. I think possibly GD&B were among the first to do this at New College with a Polish substance called Tabopan which I always assumed to be a forerunner of commercial MDF. If that's gone for 37 years without a major rebuild, which I think is the case, then it's pretty much unique among its contemporaries, and still entirely free of runnings and cyphers last time I saw it.

You reckon?

Crem work is quite good fun. Here at Salisbury we have a lovely bright & airy chapel, extremely well-kept gardens, a brand new 2m Allen, & very nice staff who keep the spirits lifted. The fee is fixed at a daily rate of around £70, which applies whether there is one service or ten. Casual/self employed also of course get holiday and sick pay in lieu which takes it to around £85. There's no cleaning the toilets or anything like that in between, but I often like to sweep up the regular organists' biscuit crumbs from between the pedals. I once had a mouse run over my foot in a little church (he appeared from under the swell pedal) - don't want a repeat of that... The Allen has quite an exciting Midi bolt-on which means you can create and voice your own stops. I recently made a Septieme mixture for the Swell. And then of course you can also change the temperament when playing Crimond in Gb...

Wowsers. What is the next stage on beyond the mind boggling?

Last movt of Dupre Variations?

It's in my living room, I'm afraid - you're welcome to visit it...

Nope, it happened - I saw the remainder of the mechanism attached to a spare stop control.

My good friend Anthony Scott restored this instrument in the (I think) 1960's in collaboration with Nicholson's. The Orchestral Oboe gave way to a sharp Mixture, I believe of 2 ranks; the tuning of the old stop was very temperamental, legend had it. I am told Denis Thurlow voiced the new stop and Tony Scott installed it. I played it about 10 years ago; fairly sure it had the original pedalboard etc. Definitely worth restoring. Tony was organist there for many years too. Legend has it there was a temporary contrivance called "Great to Pedal No 2" which operated a tap under the manuals, the other end leading to a beer barrel on top of the Swell. Ramsbury was done about the same time (also by Tony Scott in collaboration with Nicholson's). There is a write up of both instruments somewhere in back issues of The Organ. I think Ramsbury had slightly more extensive alterations. Tony Scott was not, it must be admitted, a great organ builder (apprenticed to Rushworth's just after the war - some of his work is just magnificently dreadful) but he was a well seasoned composer, studied with Howells and Finzi (Finzi's only private pupil).

Aaagghh... I can see both sides! In the context we're using the chord it's not resolving. But, if someone played me this chord in the middle octave and asked me to describe what happened next... just as G,B,E,F is known by as "G7" and a "dominant 7th in C major"? Correct, Adrian

Even with an F natural in a G major chord?

Tonic/dominant ninth (depending on who you talk to) - on a big chord of C major, the notes (to play on a nice bland stopped diapason) would ideally be G,E,Bb,D and F# if you can manage it. Sometimes it works E,G,Bb,D and fits easier into one hand. Geoff Morgan showed me & Colin Harvey this & a couple of other tricks that have changed our lives for good.

Actually, I was thinking about this - surely it should be a dominant ninth, as it resolves in the same way as a dominant 7th?

Possibly some kind of flap/ventil that allows more or fewer reservoirs to be used or cuts of concussions?

Well, it's not my favourite stop, but it gets better as you go down the building. I believe Frostick voiced it, so it ought to be good. I mostly use it to beef up the pedal in seriously loud bits, eg last two pages of Dupre Variations. The action is just slow enough against the mechanical manual actions to be irritating in combination. I do think a 32 would upset the balance a little, there being no 16 reed on the manuals. There's enough gravitas already - I know nothing beats a good contra motorbike but the chorus seems to perfectly self-contained I think it would be a pity to ruin it. You can always fake one with harmonics (which I have now worked out how to do properly...)

So are you putting Wimborne down twice? That's impressive - their organist would love you for that.

Yell.com doesn't update very often - usually only happens in practice when the book is updated each year. Wouldn't appear to be much point in having a workshop if you're basically trying to profitably operate a tuning round and do the odd cleaning, which I would imagine is where they've set their sights for the moment. If it's mostly subcontractors then many of them will probably have enough facilities of their own to do small repairs.