David Patrick

Hello Martin, Very interesting to read your message about Harold Darke. I did not know about these 3 pieces which are very well written and not too easy (!). I was Harold Darke's assistant from 1959 until he retired from St. Michael's Cornhill in 1966. However, I publish in my Fitzjohn Music Publications piano solo catalogue his Three Piano Pieces for Piano Solo (Capriccio, Humoreske and Nocturne), It is all lovely music and well worth exploring and playing. He wrote for my wedding in 1965 at St. Sepulchre's Church, Holborn, London his Wedding Processional and came and played it at the end of the service which was a great privilege. I also publish this piece which is very Elgarian in nature.The catalogues can be viewed at www.impulse-music.co.uk/fitzjohnmusic Best wishes, David

The Michael Jacques Trio are very good pieces. I played them at several recitals that I gave in Sweden some years ago and knew Michael well as a fellow ABRSM Theory examiner and moderator. I also agree regarding the Trevor Hold piece.

It is in "The Bristol Collection" Volume Three and published by Harold Flammer in the USA in 1975. An excellent piece and not over difficult!

Very sad to receive this news. Arthur was a lovely man and a fine musician. I commissioned him to write settings of Psalm 8 "O Lord our Governor" and Psalm 13 "How long wilt Thou forget me O Lord" for my wife, Prudence Lloyd (soprano) and me back in the early 1990's. We gave their first performance at All Saints' Friern Barnet, London on 27th. June 1992 and also performed them in Germany on several occasions in 1994. They were subsequently published by Oecumuse in 1993. They are very good settings and very worthwhile performing. When I was organist at All Saint's (from 1976 - 1998) we used to sing his Missa Brevis for Unison voices as part of our repertoire of communion settings. God bless you, Arthur and may you rest in peace. David Patrick

For the last week logging in to organographia.cultureforum.net the French equivalent of Invision Power has not been possible. It is run by the Belgian Pierre Lauwers. Has anyone any idea what has happened? It is a fascinating website. Many thanks for any help, DKP

The piece in question is published by me at Fitzjohn Music Publications. www.impulse-music.co.uk/fitzjohnmusic David Patrick

So very sad to hear of the death of John Joubert. He was a lovely and gracious man and , following commissioning his opera "The Prisoner" in 1969 for performance in 1973 for the quatercenterary of Queen Elizabeth's Boys' Grammar School in Barnet, I kept in touch with him and his wife, Mary, ever since. He always said that the opera was rather like updated Gilbert and Sullivan, so much so that the boys at the school who were not musically inclined but helped greatly with sets and lighting were going round the school whistling some of the tunes. The opera is set in Concordia and John mentioned to me that its national anthem was, in fact, one that he wrote for a competition for a new national anthem for Nigeria. He did not win that competition so used the piece in "The Prisoner" instead! I still possess the full manuscript score of the opera which runs into 311 pages. It is a marvellous work. He also wrote his anthem "How are my foes increased Lord" for my choir's recital tour of Sweden in 1969. He will be a great loss to the musical world. DKP

I was organist of this church for 21 years until 1998 and the organ is my "baby" as it were. The reason for the case not being taller is that there is a lovely west window above, which would have been obscured had height been added. The pipe shades are beautiful in that they incorporate the studs idea on the belt of St. George from the central window above. The width, despite my initial doubt, does not affect the sound adversely in any way - it all comes together extremely well and there is no antiphonal effect whatsoever. The organ is extremely versatile and a great tribute to Nigel Church whose firm took 6 months to build the instrument in Stamfordham, and Roger Pulham who designed the case. I even had all the drawstops numbered as is so often done on the continent - so helpful and quick when writing down registration schemes!

Fitzjohn Music Publications ( www.impulse-music.co.uk/fitzjohnmusic) (e-mail - fitzjohnmusic@btinternet.com) publishes Steggall's Three Preludes and Fugues at £ 8 - 50 + p and p These are different, and easier (!) than the one on IMSLP.

Thank you for mentioning the new editions, Sets 1 and 2, of William Herschel's Full Organ Pieces which I have recently published. They are obtainable from me at Fitzjohn Music Publications. Herschel's Sonatas/Sonatinas are in the course of preparation at the moment. David Patrick

This piece is in Volume 3 of "The Bristol Collection" edited by Lee Hastings Bristol Jr. and published in the USA by Harold Flammer. It is a fine piece and most enjoyable to play. DKP

Innate is absolutely correct. It is clearly stated in the 18th Century treatises of John Marsh and Jonas Blewitty that Open and Stopped Diapasons should always be drawn together. DKP

It may interest you to know that I publish William Jones of Nayland's Ten Church Pieces (Op.2) for Organ Manuals. Further details can be found at my website www.impulse-music.co.uk/fitzjohnmusic