andyorgan
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Posts posted by andyorgan
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This has come some way since it started on Glass and minimalism, but has anyone come across Miroir by Ad Wammes? Its crops up in quite a few programmes by 'concert organists', I rather like it as a piece of minimalism, and its not too long. There's a recording from Symphony Hall of it.
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There's also a jolly good book by David Humphries at Cardiff University (can't remember the publisher) on structure and symbolism in Clavierbung III. Try the Cardiff Uni Music dept website for info.
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Can we add to this, no rallentandos at the end of any verses, apart from the last one? Places where this is done, you end up starting the next verse at the speed you finished the last one, and invariably the hymn gets slower and slower.
Anyone like to make any other points on playovers? e.g, there are one or two hymns where I play the last line rather than the first one/two as the tune modulates to a distant key? I'm thinking Woodlands and Michael where I normally play the last line.
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I was also taught to tie all notes except in the melody, it is a good discipline, and it certainly made me practice hymns as a youngster much more effectively. Its much easier to 'untie' having learned to tie. As has already been mentioned, it depends on a number of factors, most importantly; acoustic of building, organ, and whether or not you're trying to chivvy the singing along a bit (though I think we can all relate to Gary's 'being beaten around the head in a one sided battle')!
Interesting you should mention St Andrew of Crete, I know of one organist north of the border who actually only played the melody of the first line as a playover (which if you don't know the tune, involves a lot of repeated Gs).
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I am just trying to get my head around these figures. I needed to hire one for 12 months and the figure quoted by one of the big firms was £4,100 inc vat and delivery. We would have been hard pressed to have saved ten grand by buying one.
OK, slight exaggeration in that it was nine grand. We had a quote for £12.5k with no flexibility, ie if the rebuild for some reason ran over time, there would be extra to pay on top. We paid £3k for a Rogers Scarborough (forgot the exact model number) which we sold for the same at the end. With one of the 'biggies', we were given the option of putting a quote with one of their adverts 'best thing since sliced bread', 'don't know why we're spending nearly half a mill on a pipe organ when we could have one of these for a fraction' kind of thing'. I politely declined.
PS Still listen to the excellent Advent disc you did at Marlb with Priory, and we bought a couple of the carols on the back of it!
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What a fascinating thread!!
My choral society also used the Abbey for their concerts. I understood that the faculty for the toaster was only given on the condition that a pipe organ was put back in there within 10 years. There wasn't much wrong with the old organ that a sympathetic restoration couldn't have have fixed, other than the position, which wasn't ideal. Now it seems, no organ, no organist and no will to put it right. From what I remember, isn't the organ still in existence in storage somewhere?
Why did David Barclay resign. Always thought it an odd appointment, but I thought he had started a children's choir and was moving in the right direction?
Pershore Abbey remains a superb place for concerts, pity there won't be an organ in there worthy of the place in the forseeable future.
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Can't recommend Abinger highly enough.
Hired a biggie from them for a concert at HT in Guildford (Langlais mass) and it was excellent. Then wanted a long term lend while our organ being refurbished. They actually suggested buying one from them, which we did, and sold a year later for the same price we bought it for (worked out ten grand cheaper than hiring from one of the big names). They even let us have a few extra speakers as the church was very large.
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I'm 6"3' and found Queens Oxford quite comfortable, long practice session before a recital and the night before.
I also agreee with the point about the small space under the lowest manual in a number of 3 and 4 manual instruments and the pedals, almost to the point where your legs can never be at 90 degrees to the pedal board, always at an angle, and very difficult to play at the lowest and highest extremes of the pedalboard.
My slight grumble isn't so much the historic organs where there isn't much space, but at historic copies where it isn't acknowleded that we are bigger than we were 300 years ag. Worst culprit? Reid Organ in Edinburgh University. Splendid sound, excellent action etc, but problems with knee space for anyone over 6 foot (and about a 34' waist), the stool doesn't move at all (up/down, or even back because the Positif is right behind you).
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There's an excellent post-offering-coming-up-the-altar-steps improvisation by John Kitchen on a hymns cd from Old St Pauls in Edinburgh, in the French tradition.
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What was the playover that adrian lucas wrote?
Please use imagination here:
-semiquaver octave run up to B flat on solo reed for melody of chorus, rh plays rest of melody
-left hand plays chords on 2nd/4th beats of bar
-last line normal harmonisation
I feel my inadequate description doesn't do it justice!
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Thanks for this! I'll make a special point of using the stop if there's somewhere appropriate.
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What it says, really. I think this is a good tune to sing and it fits the "Christ Triumphant" words very well, although there's something slightly odd about the short phrases in the refrain and that the refrain isn't really "marked off" from the verse. But why is it so unrewarding to play on the organ? As I'm following it with BWV 565 on Sunday I'm playing it in D, which seems easier, but I'm still left with that strange figure at the end of the first line - should that be played on the swell? - and the wide-ranging pedal part. I'm using the version in Common Praise. I'd be interested in any comments, particularly ones that disagree with me!
Michael
I have to disagree, I find the tune one of the most rewarding of recent tunes to play. It's not easy to sing in harmony, but like Woodlands, who needs to as its such a good unison tune. I don't think you can succesfully play the first line as a playover. Adrian Lucas wrote an intro which I still use and a jolly good descant too if you fancy a change from the printed one.
I also think it works best in E flat as well.
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Having been asked to tender for the original contract, I contacted the then conductor of the Welsh National Opera who said, "for goodness sake don't have a mechanical action with attached console. The organist will be sitting at the back of the platform and have to play with one eye in the mirror and there are very few who can do that. Imagine putting a concerto soloist right at the back of the orchestra. What is needed is a mobile detached console that can be placed in such a position, so that when necessary, the organist and a conductor can have proper communication and when you are thinking of the specification bear in mind the accompaniment of Welsh Choirs".
I discussed this with Mr Downes who simply threw out this line of thought (and me) as he did not seem to think the organ would be used for anything other than organ recitals and anyway that any organ (at this time) was not to be considered unless it had mechanical action. It is interesting to see times have changed.
FF
And repeated at Birmingham in Symphony Hall. I've been to a number of concerts there with the organ; solo recitals, duos, with choirs, with the orchestra, and the only one that didn't use the detatched console was a Songs of Praise event (sorry to have to admit that!) where they didn't want the organ cluttering up the stage. Money wasted on the console at the back.
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I'm also looking into buying one at the moment. A reasonably sized 3 manual is my preference. Although I'd like very good sounds, to me, the touch is of equal importance. I recently played a (to be unamed manufacturer) two manual instrument in a music shop, and to be quite frank, it was like playing one of those Bontempi keyboards from the 70s, all plastic and a springy release on the keys that virtually bit your fingers off!
Anyone on any advice on touch?
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I have read this thread with great interest. I am giving a recital there next month. Any wise words of advice from those who have played it?
Philip Glass
in The Organ
Posted
Yes, Boosey and Hawkes have just reprinted it (was prev available I think as a hand written MS) and its on one of Trotters disc, can't remember if its Sounds Phenomenal, Sounds Spectactular, Sounds Difficuolt or Sounds Bloody Hard (get the drift!). I'll look it up later. Needs a responsive and even action. It doesn't work on bad tracker, or bad electric actions!
Does anyone know where you can get hold of the Fugue Bolero by Sawa?