bombarde32
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Posts posted by bombarde32
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Absolutely brilliant! A real Laugh out Loud moment!
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Douglas - the pump system is automatic and normally works well. What it can't legislate for is if stupid electricians turn the elctrical supply off for days over an unattended bank holiday.
As far as the organ is concerned, there are discussions taking place about it. Without jeopadising the situation, there is more than a distinct possiblity that the organ will be re-homed. Its presence in the hall is considered 'difficult' and that the hall is now used for many other events which could not have even been perceived in Prof. Evans' time. Because of this, the organ's integrety and safety is often compromised. Secondly, there has always been a real difficulty regarding the use of the instrument. This is partly due to the hall being owned and administered by one branch of the university, and the organ being owned and managed by the music dept. The Tuner Sims Concert Hall organ is not owned by the hall itself. This has caused no end of 'difficulty' for students and other interested parties actually getting access to the insturment, and there is more than a distinct feeling that the access to the instrument would be enhanced if the instrument were placed in a more accessible situation.
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They don't programme the Balfour-Gardiner very often at ChCh, but when they do, Mr Driskill-Smith seems to have no trouble with it....
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I had my eyes lasered. End of problem. It's fantastic. I can even find the soap when I drop it in the shower....
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Ditto in Gloucestershire
Steve
Or if anyone would like to play a decent custom Wyvern in Hampshire, PM me.
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I'd kill that drummer. He's completely artless; not that drummers usually know much about music.
He's about as annoying as those kids who get a tin drum for Christmas. :angry:
MM
Completely agree - a GOOD drummer should be able to get a decent Latin American rhythm into Balfour-Gardiner's 'Evening Hymn', at the very least........
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My friend who was a chorister at Ripon, owns the full-size locomotive Blue Peter.
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I do heartily agree with you, and the organ music you suggest. I certainly wouldn't leave my front door to hear any of that played on the Albert Hall organ. To hear Mars from the 'Planets' with such a huge orchestra with the organ was really a treat though, and my 11 year chorister son had one of the best nights of his life too. The amount of people clamouring around the organ console after the performance was testament to the affection in which this instrument is held by the general public. I can't imagine any organ lovers were there specifically.....
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Someone told me that Sir Walter Alcock used to file axle-boxes for his model steam locomotives during the sermons at Salisbury.........
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Having known the vicar from his previous parish, I didn't think that the organ was his preferred instrument in church,.........
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I think anywhere in Italy is a bit of a 'hit and miss' affair.
The week we were in Rome we were due to sing in the Basilica of St. Paul outside the Walls on the Tuesday morning. We arrived at about 9:00 to do a rehearsal at 9:15 for 10:00 a.m Mass, to be greeted by a fairly truculent official who had it in his diary that an American choir were supposed to be singing that morning. - he had us down for the following day. I speak some Italian, he spoke no English, and so I did my best to explain to him that this was impossible as, the day after, we were singing to John Paul II at an audience. I also had the letters from the Dean of the Basilica confirming our visit for the Tuesday. Mention of the Dean and John Paul II and he got the diary and triumphantly drew a pencil line through the name of the American choir, wrote our name in its place, became very friendly, got the key to the organ and showed us were we could put our things and change prior to a short rehearsal. About 10 minutes later the American choir turned upl!!! - they weren't too pleased but stayed for Mass and seemed to appreciate a programme that was entirely unaccompanied and included the Vittoria 'Missa O quam gloriosum'.
As for using the organ, it was in a dreadful state, virtually unplayable, miles from the sanctuary where the choir were singing. Our organist used it to improvise during the offertory of the Mass and to, somehow, manage to play a fairly spectacular voluntary afterwards. The American choir had brought with them music for choir and organ. Quite how they would have performed it, i'm not sure.
Moral of story. It's not like a Cathedral visit in the UK. Don't expect big, prestigious churches, in Italy, to have wonderful instruments. Turn up early, be prepared to argue, take all the paperwork with you, don't expect the organ to work or be anywhere near where you are expected to sing from and be prepared to change your programme, at the last minute, to suit the ciurcumstances.
................................... and if you can, try and find someone who has been there before and ask them what it was like!!!
I too have done battle with this rather odd and dysfunctional organ, having to play for some priestly ordinations. No practice time, and seat of pants flying. It was hot, so was I, and very glad to get out and into the nearest bar.
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Having heard the organ several times now, with orchestra and solo, since the restoration, I have to say that it is probably the finest instrument in the UK. It is absolutely stunning.
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Yesterday I booked a backstage tour of the RAH, and very enjoyable it was too. The lady guide who took us around was excellent and very knowledgeable, but whilst sitting in the hall, she mentioned the seating, roofing etc, and finished by saying "I think thats all", when I asked about the organ, and she exclaimed "oh yes I forgot that ". Amazing !
We couldn't see the console or many of the pipes because they had been covered over for a forthcming show.
Pity because I really wanted to get a closeup for a change.
So if you make a visit remember you will need to remind them that the auditorium contains rather a large pipe organ.
The price included refreshments which consisted of a small cup of tea and 1 biscuit the size of a button !
Colin Richell.
Pity you didn't go to the 'Doctor Who' Prom this year. Apart from being an absolute sell-out, the orchestra was MASSIVE with 12 percussionists and a bloody great Verdi Drum. A chorus of 200 or so joined in, AND THEN THE ORGAN CAME IN.........
An Ear-bleedingly wonderful night. WHAT a sound - The organ sounded magnificent, and crowned the whole, just as it was meant to do.
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He was perhaps at Selby when Germani recorded for EMI? I still have that 'King of Instruments' record, and remember that the 32' pedal entry in the Widor Toccata would always cause the needle of my record player to jump off!
CP
As has already been said, we are certainly of the same vintage, and I well remember getting into serious trouble with my dad, having just blown up the RH channel of his new Philips record player playing that Selby Abbey recording. It wasn't really hi-fi as we would know it today, and the record player usually got used for the playing of Stanley Black and His Orchestra, and the Music of Mantovani and the Mountains, and the ubiquitous James Last - You must all know these wonderful 60s light music recordings. I was grounded for a week, by the way!
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According to a well-known (but anonymous) organ builder west of London, Ernest Hart has been wanting to 'offload' CH for quite some time........
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I once bought a second-hand telly. When it stopped working I took the back off to see if there was anything that I could fix. It had evidently once belonged to a heavy smoker, as the inside turned out to be absolutely covered in a thick layer of slimy brown grime.
I don't know what incense does to organs, but I certainly know what tobacco smoke does to smokers' lungs, and their tellies. If anyone here is considering quitting smoking I'll willingly send them a picture of my old telly so you know what the inside of your lungs looks like.
Contrabombarde
It is quite the most foul and disgusting habit and should be banned forthwith.
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Although Allen claim to be able to replace any component in every electronic organ they have ever manufactured.
That's as maybe, but they still sound (and feel) bloody awful!
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The Clifton Cathedral organ, at which you felt like you were going to go over backwards into the abyss. Its probably safer now......
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I am very fond of Christ Church, which I hear at least once a week. My son is a chorister there........It is a fine instrument, and it makes an admirable account of itself even when the cathedral is full, and the limited acoustic is reduced to almost nothing.
In the hands of the two organ scholars, and Mr Driskill-Smith, who know the instrument so well, it is very seldom that I miss the 'thundering English cathedral organ sound', preferring to hear the clarity of the inner parts of contrapuntal writing, and the bold choruses. In the hands of someone (including some VERY famous and skilled organists) who does not know the instrument, the results are less appealing, however. It really sorts out the men from the boys, technique wise, too!
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I store all my organ music in some rather useful boxes from IKEA.....
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No wheezing, stuck sliders, or ciphers on that recording!
Brilliant!
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The Compton Harmonics was usually 10-2/3', 6-2/5', 5-1/3', 4-4/7' and sometimes, (but not always) 3-5/9'. The 10-2/3' and the 5-1/3' ranks were usually pinched from the Bourdon or Sub Bass unit but the other harmonics were delivered by large-scaled stopped metal pipes, a bit like normal Compton tibia pipes. These pipes were of course tuned 'true' and their pitches were really quite indistinguishable individually. Other ranks were often derived by extension also providing a large and extraordinarily effective 32' reed effect. On at least one Compton organ I have seen, played the 16' big reed at 32' pitch to tenor C with the "Harmonics" taking over at B. The Harmonics were nine ranks consisting: 16', 10-2/3', 8', 6-2/5', 5-1/3', 4-4/7', 4, 3-5/9', 3-1/5'.
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Gemshorn is tapered in at the top, Ocarina is tapered out at the top, Spitzgedeckt is the nearest thing I know to tapered in and stopped. I should think an open polyphone could be done, but I also think there are some jolly good reasons why it's not been. Chiefly the size and cost of the pipe vis a vis it's effectiveness when compared to a stopped pipe doing the same thing. What I ask is why JC, and anyone subsequently has not hit the compromise of 2 pipes for the 32' octave to allow the notes to go all the way to the bottom and go some way to sorting out the scaling. Such a painfully simple solution.
AJS
I do believe that JC did do exactly that on some occasions.........
Console music-desk lamp
in General discussion
Posted
I got quite a nice little one from B & Q the other day for about £20.00.........