Arp Schnitger

"The Peace may be exchanged" from Rubrics by Dan Locklair.

Durham now advertising: https://www.durhamcathedral.co.uk/beinvolved/employment/master-of-choristers-and-organist

Having had a post-Christmas trip to Oxford today, I concluded with Choral Evensong sung by the Cathedral Singers at Christ Church. However a digital organ is in situ. The most I could glean from the steward was that it's been in place since mid-December as the Rieger is 'broken'. Anyone know any more?

Forgive me if this has been posted previously, but the website http://allofbach.com/en/ is gradually cataloging performances of all of J.S.Bach's works, and among the music already available is quite a bit of organ music, not just video performances but background notes and introductory videos by the performers as well. It is a project of the Netherlands Bach Society. Well worth a look.

http://www.we-heart.com/2014/09/19/the-flavour-conductor-bompas-parr/ John, do tell us more!

This doesn't appear to be available in the UK on YouTube, but can be found at http://concert.arte.tv/fr/documentaire-dans-le-ventre-de-lorgue-de-notre-dame Alongside a 70 minute recital by Olivier Latry, with some spectacular interior aerial shots of the Cathedral. http://concert.arte.tv/fr/olivier-latry-lorgue-cavaille-coll-de-notre-dame-de-paris

This has been touched on occasionally in discussions but not enough to merit a topic of its own yet, as far as I can tell. I wondered if anyone has gone down the route of scanning all or part of their organ music library and transferring onto tablet so that it can be read (and annotated etc) from the console? I did read an article in "Organists' Review" a couple of years ago by Kevin Bowyer outlining his experiences with Cambron Software's Power Music application, in that instance I think running on a small-form PC with a large 24" LED screen for the music desk. I have experimented with various PDF files played on a 9" iPad screen, and there are, as well as Cambron's iPad version, other apps out there such as 'forScore' and 'unrealBook'; there are various hardware solutions too via bluetooth for facilitating page turns in these apps, should tapping the screen to turn not be viable. The iPad "retina" screen is just about viable to play from- it's clear and sharp enough, though inevitably on the small side, but if you know the music well, it's enough of an aide-memoire to suffice. However for learning, it's still a little fiddly to add annotations or fingering. With the launch of larger tablet screens such as the iPad Pro or the Surface Pro 4, these sizes (with the high resolution and crisp screens) become rather more viable to display music, and with the advent of the bespoke stylus such as the Apple Pencil, it becomes much easier to annotate files, so I have been pondering whether to pursue this a little more seriously. There seems to be less of a move to find a common format for selling sheet music in electronic format, and whilst public domain scores seem to have adopted PDF as the common format, the various proprietary systems set up by publishers and music retailers who have dabbled in selling music as downloads have not found any standardisation yet as far as I can tell. Nor does there seem to be any move by the likes of Amazon to develop music on their Kindle platform. I would for example find it rather useful to have our hymn books on my tablet, both for reference and occasionally to play from on those instruments where the music desk has no clips to hold it open properly, but newly released hymn books seem to be in print version only. One or two of my choir members find holding a heavy modern hymn book hard work, and a tablet/kindle version would be a good solution for them were it available. I simply wondered how many of you had either dabbled in or embraced, partly or totally, the concept of the paperless-console...?

Not sure if this has been posted on the board (I thought it had, but can't see it- the news may have reached me via Facebook), but Notre Dame de Paris are recruiting a Titulaire: http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/spip.php?article1975 I don't know if this is No.4 or if one of the existing three is stepping down (possibly Leguay who is now 75?).

I visited Rock yesterday without being aware of this thread, and had to confess the leather belt did have me puzzled and a little intrigued. Photos can be seen here- https://flic.kr/p/xwwxS8 and here https://flic.kr/p/xxyzrb There appears to be a 'traditional' ratchet pedal as well. The front Diapason pipes are tin, including the huge (for a tiny village church) pedal OD. I didn't get a chance to play, but as I'm still nearby, may try and investigate doing so. Is such a system unique, or at least is this the only such system still extant? A friend has just described it as the 'rocking chair of Rock'!

It seems that Handbell ringers have a rather more, err, colourful style of hymn book than singers and organists: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lorenz-Publishing-Company-Handbell-Hymns/dp/B00NA7YH9U/ref=sr_1_111?ie=UTF8&qid=1420670611&sr=8-111&keywords=handbell In the immortal words of Leslie Phillips, "Ding, dong...!"

In a post on Christmas Day on the Facebook Organists' Association group, Doug Tang confirmed the registration here, different between Radio & TV versions: Carols from Kings (TV): Tuba, unison off, octave, solo to pedal... 9LC (Radio): Gt 4' Octave Tromba, Pd 4' Octave Tromba (they're different) and the 4' Schalmei. Nice to have the choice...!

Thank you for all suggestions- I will pass them on to the churchwardens...

Forgive me for a non-organ related topic, but some of you also may have to move pianos for a choir practice and I'd welcome your advice. Before choir practice, I need to move our church upright (fairly modern so not as heavy as some) piano across a stone floor on to a carpeted surface where our Nave altar lives. (Ideally I would like to move it down- yes, down- one step into the chancel as well but I think that's a bridge too far as the step is too big for a ramp) It has fairly decent standard school type casters on it. Upto now, this has been a reasonably straightforward task to undertake singlehanded. The carpet was recently replaced, and now when I move the piano, the metal carpet edging strip buckles and the piano is three times as heavy to push on the carpet, as the pile is slightly thicker, at least until this carpet has had lots of use. Any advice? Are there clever devices out there that some of you might have to assist with piano moving on different surfaces? (Yes I know the obvious answer would be to dispense with the carpet!) We are looking to get a much stronger brass strip that doesn't buckle, but the extra friction on the carpet is making things rather harder. (And if any of you need to move a piano between two levels, it would be good to know if methods other than a ramp or lots of strong choir members are involved!)

Best of these certainly used to be "Flute de Pan" http://www.laflutedepan.com/nos-magasins.html I once found an organ sheet music mecca in what seemed like a large shed in someone's garden near Robinson RER station but I don't think it's been there for some time- don't know if it relocated or simply shut down. La Procure just off Place St Sulpice has mainly liturgical/sacred resources but I have picked up some interesting organ scores there in the past. http://www.laprocure.com/les-librairies-la-procure/procure-paris-59.html

There used to be a Trompe l'oeil painting, depicting the missing Nave, around the old organ in the chapel of Merton College Oxford. I can't find a photo online, though there is one in the 1980 Positif Press book on the Organs of Oxford. A little interesting background to this mural can be found in this blog post: http://www.virginiaknight.org.uk/vhkssinging/2004/11/30/places-where-ive-sung-merton-college-chapel/

Not a youTube clip, but I stumbled upon this today- I think many will enjoy it! http://soundcloud.com/jeremy-dawson-1/im-an-organist

I came across this in the related suggestions to the Latry Haarlem concert: Olivier Latry takes part in a TV debate- 55 minutes of discussion (en Français, bien sûr) on KTO - who web-broadcast services from Notre Dame amongst their religious TV output- about contemporary music and religious music, including the role of organ improvisation. For the French speakers amongst you, well worth watching.

Many thanks to all- I think I've managed to reconstitute a decent organ version from the chord sequences kindly provided, and by a bit of careful listening to the Kneller Hall Trumpeters, which should just about pass muster. Now all I need is a suitable stop to play it on!

With the prospect of playing the National Anthem a few times in the next few weeks, does anyone happen to know if the Gordon Jacob fanfare written for (or certainly used at) the 1953 coronation is available in a organ reduction? My copy of the vocal arrangement only has the final bar or two of the fanfare, and I don't have a copy with the full brass parts. Or has anyone transcribed it? I usually use a fairly short intro, but maybe this year it would be good to do something a bit more special- as I can't, as Sir William McKie is once supposed to have said to an organist at St John the Divine NYC boasting about the state trumpet, say "Young man, when I need a fanfare, I pick up the phone to the Life Guards or the Blues and Royals and engage their services!"

To which I can add a few more: Canons Ashby, Northamptonshire (Father Smith/ Goetze & Gwynn) http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N13232 ://http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsea...c_index=N13232 ://http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsea...c_index=N13232 Also an organ in St Mary's church, Canon's Ashby, but seemingly not listed on NPOR. Killerton House, Devon - William Gray, 1807 http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=N12976 Killerton House Chapel- Positive Organ Co. http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=N12975 Hanbury Hall- Samuel Green- Claviorganum- mentioned in this thread http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=T01068 I'm sure there's an organ in Cothele House Chapel, but nothing listed on NPOR- I've certainly played it, but not 100% sure it was Cothele! Calke Abbey, Derbyshire- Unknown/Goetze & Gwynn http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...01#PhotoSection Calke Abbey- Barrel Organ, 1793 http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=K00941 Baddesley Clinton Church, adjoining house- Chamber organ by Sarah Green (Samuel Green's widow) http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=N05825 Not technically NT property but of interest if visiting the NT house...

I came across one of these instruments just last week at Hanbury Hall near Droitwich- NPOR link and photograph. Having never encountered one before, and being told that it was one of c.30 still extant globally, it was good to be able to play it -with a handily placed copy of OUP 'Old English Organ music' left on the console (I do find that National Trust properties are very happy for you to play their instruments- I enjoyed a good half hour on the Killerton House organ in Devon, "as played by S.S.Wesley" last year.). The room guide didn't know a huge amount about the instrument, though his guide's pack had a little more detail. The organ part was straightforward enough- an electric blower or raise the bellows by a foot lever, and a delicate but sweet tone- but we couldn't for the life of us work out how to switch it to harpsichord mode- no obvious lever, or shift on the manual. Was I being obtuse and ignoring the blindingly obvious, or how do you in fact 'engage harpsichord'? If anyone happens to know this instrument, I'd love to know!

Thanks- I've also now located an article and video on BBC site, and a Youtube clip

Is this new? I'm sure it was't there when I visited last October!

I played the closing voluntary this morning using my iPad and the "Unreal Book" Music App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/unrealbook/id370135173?mt=8 Simply tap the screen to turn (RH side forward, LH side backward) It even allows me to access (via 3G or WiFi) PDF files that I have stored in a Dropbox folder. The iPad screen is just a little on the small side when you display a full A4 page PDF, but nothing a decent pair of reading specs won't solve!

Much depends on the site and how the Scorch file is presented, but Scorch is often simply a web plugin acting as an embedding frame/window to a .sib file. Even without the latest Scorch, if the page hosting the Scorch window has a URL ending, say, /filename.htm then try changing it to /filename.sib as you might just be able to download or 'save as' the underlying Sibelius file. If it is > version 3 (quite likely I'm afraid), then you won't be able to open it with your version of Sibelius.