andyorgan

Yes, these come highly recommended. Having had a couple of small bits and pieces, I too was tempted by the Gershwin. I have played the Hollins Overture he publishes for years and have had so many requests on where to get it, and in the last couple of years I've been able to point people in his direction.

Here in darkest deepest Dorset, we sometimes seem blissfully unaware of events in the events in the large towns and cities up and down the country. So it was with great surprise that the effects of swine flu finally reached us this morning in church. No wailing and gnashing of teeth, no bodies being carried out in services, not even any cough/sneeze fits by members of the congregation. Instead, much more devastating and far reaching consequences... No physical contact in the church!! Much to the delight of the older brigade in the church, the hugging/kissing/shaking hands at the peace has been disbanded temporarily while the spread of the disease is brought under control. Those who have feared this part of the service since its introduction and have tried by legal means to not be part of it, have finally succeeded. So, what we had instead was the bizarre ritual of people turning to each other and 'waving' the peace. We all had to wash our hands in an alcohol rub on the way in, and the chalice was abandoned in favour of the free church tradition of tiny plastic glasses, courtesy left over from village street fair yesterday, and coffee had to be served in polysterene cups, so there could be no chance of infection. Anyone else any bizarre experiences of the flu?

Thanks for this, most enlightening. You all know my current fervour for transcriptions, but not even I had thought Bolero was possible. I'd be interested to hear what the start of it sounds like, much easier to do the loud bit at the end, which is all he has on the web clip.

Yes. This happenned to me at a very small village in Worcestershire where my wife and I were guests and very good friends of the bride. They "had" to have the village organist for the reasons outlined above and not me, but this made no allowance for the standard of the playing. The hymns were an unbelievable dirge, and the Wagner in and Widor out were almost unrecognisable. I have always been happy to stand aside for competent 'friends/relatives' where arrangements have been made in advance and I haven't been made to feel unwanted, and in most cases, I've forgone the fee. I did also step aside to conduct the choir and not play at a high profile wedding of one of our organbuilding community, partly because I can't play the Bourgois Serenade, and secondly, because our second child was due within days! Another friend of mine felt uneasy about me having to provide a reference for her wedding in the University Chapel of her home city. The organist was concerned that I wouldn't be up to the job and she tried to explain that I'd done it before on many occasions. I reassured her that were I in the same position, I would have asked for the same. As it happened, the Scottish organ world is very small and in fact my teacher knew the organist concerned and he was happy to step aside for the day. With a funeral of a member of the choir's husband, she insisted on paying, so we donated both that and the choir fee to music funds, seemed a good compromise. I think the moral on the brides behalf is to talk about these things as well in advance as you do all else connected with the day, and not to assume anything!

Don't mean to be funny here Colin, but on all of your postings how do you manage to quote the entire previous message in one posting, and then your reply in another posting without quoting the original? Have I missed a trick here?

Its also on Vol 2 of the Herrick/Fireworks series.

Absolutely, I don't venture to the big smoke often these days, but when I have, a quick look on the iphone and hey presto, venue/time/player at fingertips. The last three trips have resulted in attendance at lunchtime recitals (and with a few pounds in the collection tray!) Sadly, nothing on near me in Suffolk this week.

OK, recordings arrived, and now in ipod. I jumped straight to the Scherzo discussed earlier, and the whole piece takes on a new meaning at the speed PC takes it at. I can now see that my earlier questions are a little invalid, the speed he takes it at there is no difference between the triplets and trills. Points also noted about the 'splashy' nature of some of the chords. However, there are several of the chords where even on repeated listening, and slowly, that it must be almost impossible to tell what the make up of the chords are.

Baby dies! Now Ed plays up on the Compton. (8,5) And an easy one... A silk builder from overseas. (5)

Was that clue too easy? I'm still working on yours.

Confusion over wet hand in lavatory? Not in Tonbridge anymore! (6,5,6)

Oops, hadn't meant to be misleading, that's actually the term they use on their website to describe the Glasgow organ.

Well, I was trying to be kind about the magnum opus having played it regularly over the last 10 years, but to be honest, perhaps your description is better. However, I know a few who have played (and purchased) the smaller instruments who have been very pleased with what they got. The trouble with the Glasgow organ was that it was just too big a project, hence why it has never been satisfactory.

These sound similar to the problems with his 'magnus opus' organ. Where added to the inconsistencies in the action, the electrics (particularly those that operates the pistons) are very problematic. Like the Oxford organ, it does suffer from position in the church (no fault of Lamm, the church decreed it go there after the fire), but the organ is only just 10 years old and has had action/electric problems from a very early age.

His is a rather good Lammermuir house organ, spec and photo here. Neil has quite a good reputation at the small organ end of the market. Has anyone played his instrument in St Peter's, Oxford?

Recordings ordered! I also saw there was a DVD available on the Solstice site. Does anyone have this and is it worth buying from a visual, as well as aural point of view?

Forum members may be interested to know that CC has cancelled his UK tour for this summer. His new (vastly improved) website gives no apology or specific reason, though its does state that the month of August is being used to record an all-Bach CD. The website does collate a few YouTube videos and is much more informative, to the extent that he now includes on his press page, reviews from 'dissenters', a selection of publicly available criticisms of his musicianship from paper and internet reviews.

The Farrington is very tricky, not just a bit tricky, even the slower movements! The only two people I've heard bring it of well are the composer and Christopher Herrick. HG, where did you get the Tango piece from, do you have a copy? Cynic, thanks for your list. I have the Lemare/German volume that has some dances in, not bad fillers on the right instrument!

Thanks again, most helpful. I'm in agreement here, partly because I think its hard to play almost any 20th century (and more modern) French without coming to the conclusion that they the pieces all started life as an improvisation, either in private or otherwise. This, even in smaller scale pieces, and particularly in Hakim (another improviser). I bought a set of pieces based on Danish hymn tunes by Hakim and have learned a couple, and they are in a similar vein. I hadn't given the 'splashy chords' as you describe them the same thought, but I suppose when you're going for effect as an improvisor, sometimes the harmonic content of the chord is less important than the impact it makes (particularly at speed). Perhaps we English are a little too safe with our improvisations!

Thanks Ian for that, your answers are much as I had hoped for! A number of the points you mention are the sort of thing one might expect to read in a preface to an edition like these, particularly in the trill/tremolandi figuration. Is there a recording of the piece available on cd? You also raise an important question about whether we as organists should be playing other organists' transcriptions at all. Perhaps that is something for further discussion....

This was a most informative thread last summer and I went out and bought the Scherzo Symphonique. Am only just getting round to learning it, but need a bit of advice from anyone else who either plays it, or who has a recording of it. -how good/accurate is Filsells transcription overall? -It must be difficult to tell, but are the tremolos that are a big feature of the left hand measured triplet ones, or are they played rather like the trills, as quick as possible? -how fast does he play it? All those repeated chords must have been tricky at a very brisk pace.

I'm afraid I can't help with this, but I've long wondered about the chorale as I play the whole sonata quite frequently (hence the user name!). I've always thought that it was a Guilmant made up one, as he then weaves it in and out of the fugal texture, but perhaps I've been wrong all this time. It is certainly within the house style of the publisher to footnote that kind of thing, so I was always along the lines of, nothing mentioned, nothing previously existed. The Scherzo has always gone down well as a voluntary! PS Cynic; have you any thoughts on dance movements for the other topic? Legend has it that your repertoire is pretty wide and takes in some obscure corners!!

Excelent, thanks for these and keep them coming. I already play the Rawsthorne regularly, but have found a good partner piece by Lemare that also uses the same tune. I have the OUP Red Book, but for some reason, have never tried the Chilcott. I hadn't come across either the Jackson or the Jacques before. I will investigate those also.

Does anyone play any movements other than the Jig from Gardner's 'Five Dances' for Organ? I've played the Cholley as a voluntary on occasions, and it always goes down well.

Its quite a good piece, perhaps one section too long. It was the book it is out of that first gave me the idea for the programme. There is a rather cheesy waltz in there as well, the other two pieces are less good. Anyone play the Four Biblical Dances by Eben?