andyorgan

I don't know enough about them to comment, but can anyone tell me if theatre organs also tilt the higher up you go?

Ah, many thanks! That will keep the other 'good wife' happy as well!

I've just had another look at the Wannamaker organ again, and the degree of tilt on the upper manuals seems very large. Is it, or are the photos just a bit deceptive. What's the most tilt anyone has come across?

I've just been watching The Good Wife (American legal drama series) Series I/17 (Heart). There's a very nice looking modern case and pipes on view in the church where the main character is seeking forgiveness. I thought the series was set in Chicago (and it may be), but the usual internet sources say it was all filmed in New York. Any ideas?

Similar geographical topic, but has anyone here any experience of playing the organ in Dover College recently? I've read the NPOR details, but firsthand experience is usually more preferable.

I think the point about modal key signatures is where I'd start on the explanations. Take the Fant/Fugue in Gm, and the note that has the most frequent 'is it flat or not' is the 6th, the E. Perhaps it also saved the engraver time as there were likely to be more naturals that flats in the piece? Only a theory.

Its on the somewhat ageing recording of Graham Barber at St Barts Armley. All Christmassy stuff, including the Eben I never got round to learning all of....

Just been sent details of the Second Cirencester Organ Festival Programme Daily lunchtime recitals (June 2011) by internationally renowned organists: Gillian Weir Roger Fisher Anthony Hammond Daniel Cook Keith Hearnshaw Nigel Ogden and Christopher Kent Difficult to know which one of those to miss.

We use Resp psalms at school on Sundays, (we attempt to chant a canticle during the week, with varying degrees of success!). I started with the NEH ones, and have progressed onto the Mayhew/Mawby volume. There are some good and singable ones, but like the previous post, it is a bit patchy, so I'm grateful to the other suggestions too. There are several ones in the NEH supplement as well, so it has some use other than Coe Fen, Corvedale, Guiting Power, Sagina and East Acklam.

I think 'independent' in this case should be used very advisedly!

I have an official Delphian flyer in front of me (with full track listing, you won't be disappointed), and it states that the RRP is £59.99. At that price it is very good value, at £44.99 it is excellent value. I'll follow up Hector5's review with one of my own at a later date.

I was prompted to think about this while browsing through the latest Gramophone magazine. How often is it that reviewers of discs really go for the jugular, either of performer, music or in our case, instrument? And it makes it into print. How often do they say things which are completely unintelligible, so that we are not even able to tell if they are good or bad? So, here's the place where you can deposit great one liners from reviews for us all to read and make our minds up about, or merely wish that we had had the nerve/ability with words to write what they did. I'll start with the one that started this, and it's in reference to the music of Einaudi "...his music is as challenging as a Mr Whippy ice cream." Couldn't have put it better.

Yes, though some competitions are discontinuing organ classes, some are starting them again. I think the one round us now runs again, and I remember reading of some in OR and the RCO News. The BBC did finally come to its senses over Young Musician of the Year, bit too late for me, I think in the mid 90s, and I needed it mid 80s. In fact, there were an awful lot of minority instruments not allowed in the first decade or so; guitar, accordion, percussion etc. possibly even saxophone if my memory serves me right. What happenned to the RCO Young Performer competition. I remember it ran in the 90s, does anyone remember anyone winning it recently? Delighted that the Mrs Sunderland Festival is still going. I do remember that over the 3 years I did it, there was me and this chap from Hull every year, and possibly only one other, but they still ran it. I remember Simon Lindley adjudicating at least once, and because it was held before the vocal classes got underway in the Town Hall, we had rather a good audience for the class (larger than I'd had for any of my recitals up to that point).

Ah, now this takes me back! I played the organ c1985-87 in the Young Musician Final of the Mrs Sunderland Music Festival (does this still exist?). The organ class itself was in the Town Hall, and you had to play the same piece in the final. The year I won in the Town Hall I played the Langlais 'Incantation', it was on the Grade 8 list at the time. When I was allocated my 15 minutes rehearsal time, I suddenly found that the tracker action was awfully heavy for an inexperienced 17 year old. Well, that's my excuse for never winning that particular bit. My father worked in the mill that backed on to the music department of the polytechnic, now plush student accomodation and the mill moved to out of town. How the memories came flooding back when I went back a few years ago to do the FRCO there. Given the choice of it, or the bathroom in the RCM, there was no option!! Returning some 20 years later to the instrument, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it and the action was no where near as heavy as I had thought it might be. There are always compromises on the pieces list for wherever you choose to play, but I remember the Bach Adagio and Fugue simply sparkled in registration (if not always in the playing), the Planyavsky Toccata thrilled, especially in the tutti, and even the slow movement from Vierne 5 just about worked. It had all the right stops, if not necessarily the lush and warm flutes/principlas that Vierne had in mind. It was merely functional in the tests, I had other things on my mind by then!!

This is what I understood too, though I don't know where I got it from, or whether it had any official status.

Sorry to resurrect this topic, having enjoyed reading various contributions so far. However, I now find myself in the unusual position of being told I HAVE to wear a hood for Sunday services (nearly always Eucharist). I have occasionally worn one in the past, but I resent being told I have to wear one and would appreciate any information regarding church law/conventions etc. that people are willing to share that would possibly aid a constructive communication with the boss! Many thanks

Ah, the Hollins C major, it is certainly Hollins' best work; greatest British work? Mmm, have to think about that one. I know a while back we mentioned a couple of smaller works by Kenneth Leighton, but the two big ones that I think do rank up with the best of British are the 'Prelude, Scherzo and Passacaglia', and in my opinion, the best of the lot, the Missa de Gloria, a real organ tour de force. I'd be interested in what MM thinks are 'great' works from America.

Thought I would resurrect this topic to see if we had any further ideas, or perhaps even changes in ideas? And it sort of ties in with my request for FJ sonatas. I saw the Toccata Chorale and Fugue mentioned in fairly reverential tones, so I may explore that. However, I did go out and buy the Alcock and Statham, and they are both very fine pieces, helped by that complete Alcock recording from Salisbury on Priory. The Statham goes just that bit further in terms of harmony. The Bairstow continues to go up in my estimation, not enough to knock off the Elgar (great performance of the last movement after evensong in Winchester a few Saturdays ago, a real treat), and in particular that broodiness of the middle movement. Anyone else with movements up or down the list?

Excellent, thank you for this, just what was needed. Now, anyone with experience of playing them? I'm tempted to buy the Priory set which has Sonatas 1-4 on it.

As in the title, does anyone play any of Jackson's six sonatas and could give a brief summary on any of them (timings, style, difficulty etc.) Also, any hints on publishers? I've found 3 of them done by Banks of York, any info on the other three? Many thanks

That must have been the year I took it c1985, haven't played the Reger since, and not sure I would have done had it been on the FRCO syllabus when I got round to it. There's a rather informative podcast on the new syllabus, just released on the AB website with AMT and others and some demos. Some interesting thoughts about books that will cover more than one grade, though I would obviously have to disagree with her statement about transcriptions!

I have a copy (well worn from recording it!). Its in the Lemare Transcriptions series publ by Leopold, and in the French Composers volume. Allegro got my copy, and very efficiently too. Its a real crowd pleaser!

Always get them to play two contrasting hymns (church chooses) and ask them to play more than one verse, always very revealing!

I think the new organist is to be David Davies (ex Guildford Cath), and they are about to announce a new HM for the school as well.

Sorry, message box cleared and pms sent. Many thanks!