andyorgan
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Posts posted by andyorgan
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I have found the Naji Hakim book and CD very useful.
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Who would have thought that an organ recital by Mr Sharpe would be a source of a protest march, what is the world coming ...... oh, I get it, they're not protesting because of the organ recital. Silly me!
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Can't comment on the recent work as it is about 3 years since I last played it for a service. However, with family near by, I'm hoping to arrange a play next time we're up there. It was a great instrument to play, and a tremendous acoustic, its just in the wrong town! And George has clocked up possibly 50 years there now and what has been achieved chorally up there is almost solely down to him.
(He's also a damn fine golfer!)
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I have now played this instrument, and I would not get excited about any sort of recording project in the state the instrument is currently in. There were several cyphers, the electrics were playing up, I couldn't turn off the reeds, and plenty of the stop tabs didn't work. There was ash and match sticks all over the console, not to mention a collection of cobwebs that would have kept Attenborough busy for a series on BBC1.
HOWEVER, the bits I did get working were really tremendous (full organ noise in the key of the cypers, and the choir was mostly working OK) and the organ made such a glorious sound in a fabulous acoustic. I can now see what previous contributors meant about the acoustic. Yes, it is on a busy road junction, though I didn't particularly notice the traffic noise.
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For what its worth, the whole thing caused me plenty of pain and angst.
My issue with the certifictate that my organ had, was that it wasn't protecting a good instrument, just a unique one, apparently. The organ was originally a reasonable two manual, then later enlarged to a three manual, and then a fourth with tubular pneumatic action, all in the very small confines of a chamber designed for a two manual instrument. The organ now c1925 attracted the certificate, but had the system been running 80 years ago, then perhaps the more modest instrument would have had one and the now too large instrument wouldn't have been built.
There were inherent design problems in the instrument with divisions facing the wrong way, and parts of the organ were barely accesible for tuning and repairs, certainly not when the organ was revisited in the 1970s. The BIOS chap who we tried to negociate with would have none of this and he proclaimed with much pomposity that the organ must be saved in this form.
A compromise solution was eventually found, but the I cursed the certificate on a regular basis during the lengthy process.
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I love playing the Scherzo from the 8th - it really is a lot of fun. In the symphonic version, there seems to be little for the organ to do!
I did give the first movement a bash at Chester Cathedral some years ago after Mattins. Always had the orchestral version in my head and never quite managed to get it up to the speed of Tortelier and the BBC Phil. Oh well.
Does anyone know if it is possible to purchase the orchestral versions in full score (perhaps with the organ part as a separate booklet) ?
I think they used to be in the Kalmus catologe, certqainly no.1 did.
Agree with your point about the scherzo of no.8, but I still don't think you beat the whole of number 5. Whilst all the movements are good, I find there's a much better sense of overall shape and architecture in the symphony as a whole. There are even some 'hairs on the back of the neck' moments as well.
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It was apparently Whitlock's preferred organ for recordings.
Some of the recordings are on Youtube
Thank you for posting these, enjoyable and enlightening.
How do you know that this was a preferred organ for recording?
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Does anyone have any experience of playing this organ? It is in Poole/Parkstone in a now redundant church called St Stephen the Great. I am told that there is quite a connection to Whitlock, for whom it was one of his favourites, and I think he may have even recorded on the instrument.
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Does anyone know what the latest on this is? It came up in discussion the other day with someone who has a building that would support an organ this size and it would be heard on a daily basis. They are potentially looking for a replacement for an ageing and small instrument.
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There's a very good and large campsite just outside Malvern (near the Three Counties Showground). You can then do Worcester, Gloucester and Hereford in very short drives. Birmingham and Bristol also not much more than an hour's drive away.
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Apparently Tom Jones has volunteered to sing...
Let's hope we don't get "Sex bomb" or "Please release me".
How about commissioning a hymn suitable for the next king, maybe Timothy Dudley Smith?
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One hopes that they will avoid any cliches, anything naff, and anything that will really 'date' the day.
A half decent anthem commission would be rather good, I've sung/conducted several choirs who got plenty of mileage out of 'Let the people praise thee', Mathias. Interesting that they avoided the Master of the Queens Music then (Mr Williamson), let's hope they avoid the current one and go for a half decent up and coming one. I fear they'll opt for the populist option; Rutter (OKish), Jenkins (oh dear), rather than someone off the beaten track who would produce something we can all use in our churches, maybe Gabriel Jackson, Whitacre, or even a touch of melody from Archer or Stopford etc.
Please, also no pop music (sorry Elton), no ailing X factor singers (sorry Ms Church), or trendy rappers.
Organ music, please no Widor V, or Mendelssohn. Can't have any of the Coronation Marches (even though they make good wedding exits) as they are likely to give Prince Charles a heart attack.
I know we have one forum member who has recently contributed to the site, who has indeed played at a Royal Wedding. I hope he might reveal himself and give us some insights into what went into the one he played before.
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Hi!
I'm sorry I'm answering this nearly 2 years after your question.
It's not so long since I learned this piece, which I played at my final exam in Bergen in 2008. When I was learning the notes for this sonata, I also did a little research on the piece.
guilmant's (the user profile here, not the composer) is correct in his thoughts. This chorale, which Guilmant (the composer) uses for the final movement, is written by himself, and doesn't occur in any liturgical material. This is at least what I've been told by ceveral french organists.
Ah, the relief!
Welcome to the board and thanks for the contribution.
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Of course you can also turn this system the other way and create a file in sibelius and export it onto the organ.. can be interesting, and enable compositions to be played without the limitations of human physicality!
I seem to remember that Sibelius actually did this in the early days of their marketing. They did it by hooking up the software to one of those 'proper' pianos (ie with a mechanism) but also does MIDI. If memory serves me correctly, Ligeti said it was the best performance of his 'etudes' he had heard.
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That's a useful summary Paul. Would you say easier or harder than Miroir (Ad Wammes) the only piece of minimalism I've delved into?
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Thank you Cynic (I'm assuming your talking about Guilmant's compositions, not my own, though maybe you did acidentally come across the odd carol of mine in the Worcestershire days?). Anyway, this got me digging out my volume from the English Organ Music Series (pub. Faber ed. Langley? correct me if I'm wrong here) there are a number of concertos that work well as a solo, including several by the Wesleys (John and Charles) etc. I think there is an arrangement of the Arne C major as well.
I quite like these 'uncluttered' versions with skeleton music, and a figured bass, because there fewer visual distractions to modify what you play to the instrument you play it on. Back in my Scotland days, I played the Stanley C major on several occasions, ranging on organs from the Kelvingvove to the Ahrend in the Reid Hall.
I think these volumes are officially out of print, but there are various places (I think Allegro) that do prints on demand.
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If you're looking for something Handelian sounding, but not Handel, can I recommend the John Stanley concertos? These work very well as a solo arrangement and OUP publish an excellent copy of the original printed edition. Some concertos work really well in solo arrangements; in particular No.1 in E, and No.6 in C, and the slow movement from the Cm concerto is simply sublime. There are no published slow movements for Nos 1 and 6, so I transpose the slow movement from the Cm concerto (from Eb to F) for the C major one, and use a song called 'The Blind Boy' (appropriately written by Stanley himslef) as the basis for the E major concerto. Of course, you could just improvise a slow movement, but I've yet to have the courage to do that!
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This is truly appalling and waste on a scale unimaginable. However, here's something to ponder. What would happen if that had been over here? What recourse, legal or otherwise, would a congregation have if the minister (let's say Anglican on this occasion) just decided to do what this chap has done? What if we had been a 'major donor' to the project?
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I haven't come across a Celestial division before. Can anyone enlighten me as to why they are called this and why they exist. This is in particular relation to this instrument in Newcastle.
Thanks
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By the same composer, opposite problem. I have a recording of 'Dance to your Daddy', but can't find the sheet music anywhere. Ideas/suggestions/solutions gratefully received (particularly by those forum members I know frequent Scandinavian organ music websites!)
(Did you have any luck, Jonathan?)
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Assume this is the one with the 'Pictures' on it as well? It is very good. Funny you should mention Wills as I got an email from the great man yesterday. I had written to him to ask about getting hold of some out of print music of his (the 'Carillon on Orientis' mentioned in another thread). He gave me some helpful pointers and the score arrived this morning. Excellent reprint service.
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What about Kings College chapel, London. Mostly unused in holiday periods, and central. Should be far enough off the road not to be too affected by noise. I did a recording there about 15 years ago with the University of London Chamber Choir, and it came out well.
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Charterhouse chapel?
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Cynic, as always some very thought-provoking points here, but more importantly, you're back!
The Royal Wedding
in The Organ
Posted
YES! I never thought I'd find an organist who was a fan. Breakfast in America, Logical Song, Its Raining Again etc. Are they still going? Are they old enough for one of those ageing-rockers-who-need-a-top-up-on-pension tours?
And ELO?