timothyguntrip

As I mentioned in another thread somewhere, I haven't been learning any large new works recently, but rather some shorter, less well-known pieces. Achille Philip or Henri Potiron anyone? However, I have made a list of a few new pieces which are scheduled for 2010. - Whitlock: Two Fantasie Chorals - probably will start with the D flat one - which is most accessible? - Ibert: Trois Pieces - Barie: Symphony (fabulous stuff, and not played nearly as often as it should) - Jongen: Prelude and Fugue - looks surprisingly similar to the Saint Saens E flat Prelude and Fugue on paper! VA

Here's the list, listed thus: bar, page, line, measure number within line. PRELUDIO: 63 - 3 - 4 - 3 - left hand third chord F sharp 114 - 5 - 4 - 1 - right hand third chord A natural 115 - 5 - 4 - 2 - left hand top note A sharp 135 - 6 - 2 - 4 - right hand F natural 246 - 10 - 2 - 5 - right hand top G is G natural 247 - 10 - 2 - 6 - left hand second chord F natural 271 - 11 - 2 - 2 - right hand third note is B sharp 287 - 11 - 5 - 3 - right hand E flat, G natural 335 - 13 - 3 - 5 - right hand last chord is B sharp TOCCATA: 53 - 22 - 4 - 5 - pedal B natural 56 - 22 - 5 - 1 - right hand A natural 129 - 25 - 1 - 3 - left hand first F is F natural The majority of these misprints were identified by Dupre himself. Best wishes to all VA

As part of a recital on Tuesday, I'm performing a work for cor anglais and organ - a 'Partita' by Jan Koetsier. The music is quite contemporary but not of a kind that will frighten the old ladies. Perhaps cor anglais can be substituted for oboe?

There will be no Christmas services for me as I will be returning to my native UK for two weeks of much needed rest over the the Christmas season! However, the scheduled postludes for my last two services for 2009 are the Dupre 'Placare Christe Servulis' (though written for All Saints, it seems to fit the bill) and Nibelle 'Carillon on Puer Natus Est' (from the 50 Pieces). However, I will be playing the aforementioned Carillon de Westminster at a recital later this month, which would seem an ideal choice of voluntary for such an occasion. Perhaps also the Carillon by Herbert Murrill? I would have thought that was a piece that could be learnt in a week or two. VA

I completely agree with what Malcolm has said. It is most enlightening to come back after letting the music sink in and finding you can play it much better. I haven't attacked a large-scale work for quite a while though - I'm working my way through a stack of shorter and easier pieces from the Maitres Contemperains collection, a lot of which are undiscovered gems.

I used to regularly play a 3 manual 1940s Hill, Norman and Beard over here which had Sub, Super and Unison Off on Swell and Choir. The Swell Unison off was useful as there wasn't an independent soft 8ft reed, so I would use the Super and UO with the Contra Oboe 16ft. Without an independent 4ft flute anywhere in the organ, the Octave coupler was much used with the 8ft flutes also. All in all, this organ had a rather inflexible specification (including a Great consisting entirely of diapasons). I've played a few organs back in the UK with these, making the action incredibly heavy when in use. These seem to feature quite a lot on the Cavaille-Coll instruments over in France - although having never played one I'm not sure whether this adds heaviness to the action.

Haha - they are indeed very similar - but I would probably rate the Fleury lower than the Vierne in terms of difficulty, that's for sure! Many thanks giwro for your suggestions - I can't say I've heard many of the works mentioned, but the Prelude Andante and Toccata seems to have been recorded a number of times - where does this one lie on the difficulty scale? VA

I recently pulled out Fleury's 2nd Symphony, which has remained unplayed since I bought it on a whim at a cheap price a couple of years ago. Having had a bash at it, I'm not extremely impressed so far - the 1st and 3rd movements seem to ramble a bit and the 4th seems to me to be a lot of rushing around without actually going anywhere. Perhaps with time I'll warm to these movements, but the 2nd 'Vif' movement seems quite interesting - somewhat akin to Vierne's 'Naiades'. I'm quite keen to explore some of his other music, so I'd be very interested to know what's out there which is worth taking a look at. I've heard the 24 Pieces might a good place to start - apparently they are quite accessible. Any other recommendations? Thanks! Vox Angelica

Having done a quick NPOR search for Cardiff, I'm tempted! There looks to be a great number of fine instruments in the area. Alas, fitting in family visits, etc will probably mean that a trip over there will have to wait for my next visit! Interesting to note the Haskell basses in the bottom 4 notes of the 16ft Violone at Brasted, Paul. I think I read somewhere that these can be fairly effective for lower pitched string stops to increase promptness of speech - would this be the case, or was it for reasons of space in the chamber? Tim

Indeed. There is a rather curious Berceuse which is a bit of a misnomer to my ears - good recording of it by James Lancelot on the Durham organ. I'm quite fond of Mathias' organ output - a lot of the works are fairly accessible and make great recital items.

I'll be returning to the UK for a couple of weeks later this year and amongst other things, hope to travel around to visit a few local organs. Would anyone be able to point me in the direction of a few interesting instruments worth visiting in the East Sussex/Kent area? I may also attempt to go and see the Hammerwood Park instrument mentioned on another thread if possible. Many thanks in advance, VA

The connection between the Cortege et Litanie and Durufle ALAIN was not something I'd noticed before - I'll have to dig out my score of the ALAIN and take a look more closely. Regarding Dupre's off-compass notes, another is the Suite Bretonne - which had its first performance in New York. The top pedal notes in the Berceuse would perhaps have been possible on American instruments. To solve the problem in that fiddly section with the Swell Vox Humana, instead of a 4ft flute on pedal, I couple a 2ft stop to the pedal and play an octave lower, which seems to work.

Many thanks to the forum members who assisted me with the Fournier piece - what a forum full of wonderful people! To add to the list of carillon-type works, there are a few by the Belgian composer Paul Barras: - Carillon de Mehaigne - Carillon de Strassen - Carillon de Schuttrange - Introduction et Carillon You can see a sample page for these (and other) works at the following address: http://www.bayard-nizet.com/Cat_Claviers_fr.html VA

'Cloches' by Marcel Fournier is an ingenious little gem as well - got a recording of this at La Madeleine, Paris by Carolyn Shuster-Fournier - not sure if the piece was ever published, as never seen a reference to it anywhere and this seems to be the only recording of it.

Emile Bourdon: Carillons

Here's a few more which I've come across: Nibelle - Carillon on 'Puer Natus Est' (from the 50 Pieces) Marty - Les Carillons de Saint-Paul d'Orleans Grison - Les Cloches Larley - Carillon Victoria Vierne - Les Cloches de Hinckley Mathias - Carillon Wills - Carillon on 'Orientis Partibus' Freteur - Carillon-Sortie Wolff - Carillon

For anyone who's interested, you can listen to a performance from one of our cathedrals on the link below: http://johnaquilina.org/onlineconcerts.aspx The Ben van Oosten Lefebure-Wely compilation from La Madeleine, Paris is also worth getting.

Regarding the Cholley piece, I have absolutely no idea of how difficult it is, but from the recording I have, it certainly doesn't sound that simple! I might be able to send you a sound file if you're interested. It's a great piece, very entertaining, and would be sure to please audiences if put in a concert programme. It's in a book "L'Orgue et la Danse" which contains some other dance type works.

Boellmann: Minuet Gothique - perhaps also Ronde Francaise? Cholley: Rumba sur les Grand Jeux Locklair: Ayre for the Dance Willscher: Toccata alla Rumba Hollins: Concert Waltz Lefebure-Wely: Bolero de Concert Cochereau: Scherzo Symphonique

This work is also one of my favourites - although I rarely get to play the Fugue as most of our congregation have left by the last few bars of the Prelude! I'm quite lucky to have a fairly good acoustic so I can get away with the occasional slip in this one. Alas, I arrived at church on Sunday to find the interior plastered in robes (as happens every year in Malta when the church festival time is nearing) - which really deadens the sound, as can be seen in the following picture of my church: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aburt/910603387/ Personally, I find the second the most exquisite of the Op.7 set - perhaps I'm alone?

Being a big Dupre fanatic, this is one of my favourite works of his - and certainly one of his more audience friendly numbers. As mentioned, if one is lucky enough to have a sequencer, the registration change could be made quickly. However, since they are non-existent over here (as well as pistons on a great number of instruments), I tend to play from the beginning of the Litanie up to the pedal entry with both hands on the same manual - and then change left hand to a manual with a softer accompaniment. I can then play the top left hand B with the thumb of my right hand. Alternatively, one could begin on the accompaniment and then switch to the flute and solo out from the bar of the pedal entry. I'd be most interested to find out how Dupre played this himself, however. As for those top pedal Gs - although in my score I've notated them in pencil an octave lower, I tend to leave them out as I've never been quite satisfied with the result - it seems to disrupt that ascending-descending figure to my ears. I think there is a similar issue in the Symphonie-Passion - although I might be thinking of the wrong work. As this topic has been revisited - I'd be most interested to hear of the experiences of others of playing Dupre's works.

On one of our cathedral instruments here which I used to regularly play, there was a Dulciana on the Choir which was utterly useless - it was barely audible even with the Choir box open. Although a major rebuilding of this instrument is soon to take place, I don't think there will be any changes to the specification.

An excerpt from 'The Art of Organ Playing' by Edwin Lemare mentions this particular work: "This Prelude, with its mournful and pathetic cadences, always seems to me to have been written more for the strings of the Orchestra than the Organ, and I always play it in a more or less orchestral way on the soft string-toned stops." He then seems to contradict himself in another section about Bach in particular: "...letting his superb counterpoint speak for itself, and not ruin it by introducing stop combinations which he never intended...". I'm not sure I can imagine it being played in such a manner, but each to his own I suppose.

Not a piece I'd heard before - but one I might get hold of and try out for myself.

I'm not sure when it was published, but the 'Grand Choeur' by William Faulkes would seem to me to be a suitable piece for such an occasion (especially as an opening work for a recital). Whilst some of his other works can be somewhat sugary, this one isn't too tiring on the ear. Another in the same category could be the 'Marche Heroique' by Edwin Lemare, which is a very entertaining piece, and I believe it was written around that time. Shame we don't hear it programmed more often.