Contrabombarde
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Posts posted by Contrabombarde
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Many thanks for all this info - sounds like the Rouen is the way to go. Sadly I did have a recording of Christopher Herrick on the van den Heuvel (can't recall if it was BBC branded) but sadly that was in the days of tape and my recorder managed to chew the tape to pieces. I can't even find that recording even listed anywhere now, let alone available as a DVD. Thank goodness for digital recording media...
Contrabombarde.
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I was looking around for a recording of the complete Guilmant works. I found a three CD set of the sonatas played at Rouen by Ben van Oosten which sounds as authentic as you could get, but then stumbled across a recording of the complete works by Feike Asma, but on an organ built and untouched since the 1730s in the Netherlands. It doesn't seem to be available, and in any case, whilst the Dutch organ may be a masterpiece of its type, is it really suitable for conveying romantic French sonatas? Has anybody heard of it? Are there no other complete recordings to chose from?
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I once played for a wedding that was badly timed to clash with a crucial England match in the World Cup. Inbetween the verses of the final hymn I played a little bridge, which was a line from the "Match of the Day" theme. Needless to say, noone noticed....
...though that pales into insignificance if the following story is really true and not simply apocraphyal. Just after Mrs Thatcher had announced her resignation there was a rather large service at a prominent cathedral in central London to which she was invited. During the improvisions before the service, the theme of "Goodby-eee, goodby-eee!" could be heard from time to time, first quietly drowned by the murmurings of the congregation, but getting progressively louder and louder until it appeared in resplendant glory on the Tiba!
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Can't remember the last time I actually charged for a wedding, but then I play mostly for friends and invariably get an invite to the reception, which probably would have cost the happy couple in the region of £100 per person. The joke is that I only ever seem to get asked for the Widor, and thus get challenged to play it even faster than at the previous wedding...
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Maurice Merrell was extremely helpful three years ago when we were faced with our fine three manual Bishop of 1877 having enforeced redundancy as a result of the church roof getting blown off during a tornado. Whilst the firm was unable to rehouse the organ (which was bought by Feenstra of Holland awaiting a new home), he sent me various details taken from the company archives from 1877 about the original installation.
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I think I'm right in saying the Marchester town organ has the distinction of being the smallest 5-decker in the world...
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I wrote my first Organ Sonata (all ten minutes of it) when I was ten. I'm actually quite proud of it, it's the longest piece I've ever written but probably would benefit from being updated some day. When I eventually retire I might think about Sonata no. 2.
During university days as an organ scholar I wrote a Mag and Nunc in a Stanford-esque style that is still waiting for its public debut. Actually we performed the Nunc at my mother's funeral, but in unison only as the choir had only a day to learn it and some of them couldn't read music. So it isn't too difficult hopefully if someone wants to give it a shot....
Contrabombarde
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"...members of the congregation have complained they cannot hear themselves think."
(Quote from the linked page)
This is a splendid case of jesuitism !
Read actually:
"....Have complained they could not talk about the Jones with the Smiths"
Draw one Tuba more !
Pierre
I used to play at the Bristol church from time to time under Ross, a good friend from university. I can happily confirm
(i) the organ was exceedingly loud;
(ii) the church was regularly filled for Sunday services and therefore every decibel from said organ counted;
(iii) the congregation appreciated the eclectic range of music that contributed to the worship.
I had hoped the same would be true of his new position - Amen to those tubas Pierre!
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Peter, Suggest you try contacting Roger Sayer at Rochester Cathedral.
He and his former Organ Scholar have commissioned arrangements - for organ duet! - of several James Bond themes, with which they are now touring the world.
Hope this helps.
Douglas.
To resurrect an old theme, I see that Roger Sayer and Charles Andrews are playing a concert of their James Bond duets at All Souls Langham Place on Monday 15th Septmber at 730pm..."the name's Bombarde... that will be a Viol Mollterz, shaken not stirred please!"
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Does anyone know much about the 6 manual organ in Seoul, Korea? I read somewhere that it has mechanical action and was built by a German firm I'd never heard of. If so is it larger than Sydney Opera House, and where do you begin with the technical challenges of building a six-manual tracker action?
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Well, since Auuntie has finally listened to the chorus of organists who have repeatedly been citicising her for neglecting the organ, i hope we're all going to write in next week to thank them so much for the organ music we've finally heard. If we don't, it will simply reinformce their view that noone listens to organ music any more so they don't need to broadcast it...
Changing the subject slightly, I frequently listen to Classic FM but can't ever remember hearing anything for the organ other than Widor and BWV565.
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The advantage of socks I think is that you always have them with you, whereas if you are visiting an organ and have the chance to play and you don't have your organ shoes handy, as is often the case! The downside is that depending on how stiff the pedals are, it can be quite painful!
I got into the habit of practising on my home toaster, from time to time, in socks, just for that possibility. Fine if the visited organ has a similar action, not so nice if it doesn't.
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Allegro Music stock Organmaster shoes (a bit more of a heel, methinks, than those pictured) for £45 + p&p for mens shoes, £40 for ladies (not that we seem to have many ladies on this forum - alas!).
When I was studying with a very well-regarded concert organist a number of years ago, he used to constantly make negative comments about the fact that I played in whatever shoes I was wearing at the time and had developed some pretty foul techniques to get around the lack of heel, or excessive welt, etc of whatever pair I was using at the time. After I completed my studies with him I came across a pedal passage which I just couldn't manage with guaranteed 100 per cent accuracy in most shoes. That persuaded me to purchase my first pair of dance shoes, which made things soooo much easier. I remember that he came to a subsequent recital of mine and commented afterwards that he'd spent a year going on at me about getting a decent pair of shoes for pedalling, and that he was rather miffed that I'd waited until after I'd finished my studies with him before following his advice!
The downside is that, nowadays, unless I'm wearing my dance shoes, or the Organmaster shoes (my preferred choice), my ability to play the pedals accurately is very limited indeed.
From recent cameron Carpenter videos posted on youtube, it looks like he's playing more in stillettos than dance shoes. Where on earth did he get those incredible white high heels from?
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Yes, all that you need to know is here
http://www.speedylook.com/Numerical_Organ.html
The decomposition of Furrier shows that it is made up only of odd harmonics.
Poor Joseph Fourier must be turning in his grave over that one (I assume it was intended to read Fourrier analysis???)
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Coronation March from Meyerbeer Le Prophete.
And for fun, any transcription, especially if played as a duet (my own experience being Rossini's William Tell)!
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In Namirembe Cathedral, Kampala, where I have been able to play the organ from to time, they have hourly weddings from 8am through to 5pm every Saturday. With that schedule they can't afford to run late, but they have a "timeliness deposit" of 30,000 Ugandan schillings, refundable if the bride is less than 10 minutes late. That works out at £10, but is a sizeable sum to many people. Perhaps we should introduce the concept here?
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I have a vague recollection, that doubtless someone here will gladly correct if I'm mistaken, that it was John Norman who made the quip in his superb "The Organs of Britain" book, that organs that Handel played were a bit like beds that Elizabeth I was said to have slept in - too numerous to be believed.
But I have played an organ said to have been played by Dupre, if that's any claim to fame...
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On Easter Sunday I was seated at the console ready to play the first hymn, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today".
Vicar announced first hymn.
Congregation stood.
I pressed the first chord.
Nothing happened.
I pressed the blower switch again.
Still nothing happened.
I ran round to the back of the organ to see if the isolation switch was on.
I looked sheepishly at the vicar.
He looked sheepishly back at me.
"Oh, we had to disconnect something earlier in the week, because the new building work we're doing outside the church meant they had to demolish an outhouse with some sort of big metal fan. Do you think that has anything to do with the organ?"
Absolutely true story. They're now using my toaster...
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My elderly congregation here at Heaton prefer the screen to messing about with books - the only complaints we've had were from local Anglicans who joined us for a joint service and didn't know what to do with their hands!
Tony
OK; it's Saturday afternoon and I'm feeling mischievous so here's a couple of suggestions about what Tony's congregation could do with their hands. No apologies for any offence caused...
How many Charismatics does it take to change a light bulb?
One, since his/her hands are in the air anyway.
How many Baptists does it take to change a light bulb?
The whole congregation needs to vote on it!
How many Anglo-Catholics does it take to change a lightbulb?
None. They always use candles instead.
How many conservative Anglicans does it take to change a lightbulb?
Three. One to change it and two to storm out in protest if the person changing it is a woman!
How many Brethren does it take to change a light bulb?
Change?????
How many Evangelicals does it take to change a light bulb?
Evangelicals do not change light bulbs. They simply read out the instructions and hope the light bulb will decide to change itself.
How many Atheists does it take to change a lightbulb?
You can ask them to change it as often as you like, but they'll still remain in darkness.
Oh, and finally...
How many organists does it take to change a light bulb?
Two. - One to do it, and one to make a really dumb remark about how much quicker and easier it would be to change, if it had pistons.
Contrabombarde
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If only! Use the right tool for the job
The decision to use PowerPoint was made before I arrived and once established it's very hard to change anything. I have a feeling that there was an aspect of "PowerPoint is what our potential congregants are used to - we ought to be giving them lots of whizzy graphics to hold their interest." I am the first person to deride MicroShaft for their bloated design and monopolistic tendencies and I use Apple's Keynote to open any PowerPoint files I'm sent.I would add, hoping there are no paper publishers lurking, that the combination of data projector and electronic hymnbook gives much scope for creativity and diversity, especially in an increasingly digital world, and avoids the obselescence of getting new books which fall apart and still don't contain all the hymns you ever need. in contrast, if you only Google any hymn ever written it seems there's a pretty good chance you'll find it (in several different versions too). And some books (Songs and Hymns of fellowship for instance) put their entire collection onto CD ROM which you get a free copy of if you buy the music edition (not that I have commercial ties to promote!) It just requires someone to know how to advance slides or whatever software you are running.
Though I long for the day that all organs come with an LCD screen that can show what is on the main congregational screen...I once played for a wedding in a chapel in which the organ was at the front, completely covered by the projector screen. I thus missed the entire wedding and couldn't see a thing that was going on.
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I was once playing at a wedding for which the bride was 45 minutes late, but I'd only brought with me one book, my "Bumper Book of Wedding and Funeral Music" or somesuch title. Having reached the 40+ minute mark with every wedding piece played twice over already there was nothing to do except launch into one of the funeral marches...during the middle of which the bride unceremoniously appeared! (True story...)
Contrabombarde
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Something very similar happened to me last Sunday evening acting as the visiting organist at a Leeds church, where the build up of the great pistons was unusual to say the least. The mixture came on about piston 4, but went off on 5, various couplers came and went for no apparent reason - well, not apparent to me. The swell was even worse: full swell only went up to the oboe (there was a cornopean, in tune, not set on any piston) and one of the softer settings included the tremulant! It really did! To be honest it was a nightmare; I couldn't find out how to re-set the things (lack of time), so had to resort to hand registration as the only option. R.
Well OK, I can understand the logic of being able to control the tremulant on a Swell piston. On my own organ I've sent one of the generals to include swell trem for peices like the bit in the middle of Guillmant 1 that requires vox humana and tremulant. But I agreed, and said on an earlier post, how irritating it was, faced with an unfamiliar organ, to have piston settings doing seemingly random things. Oh that in this day and age of digital technology and mjulti-level caupture systems, why can't we have even one piston level, by convention, standardised across the organ world, and the settings for each organ published on each organ's website so visiting organists know immediately what pistons do what?
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Peter, Suggest you try contacting Roger Sayer at Rochester Cathedral.
He and his former Organ Scholar have commissioned arrangements - for organ duet! - of several James Bond themes, with which they are now touring the world.
Hope this helps.
Douglas.
What fun! But do you think your mother-in-law will ever want to speak to you again? Or is that why you're doing this?
When I was a schoolboy, it was the custom to play the school organ whilst the headmaster and other dignitaries paraded into the hall. Once, as a charity prank I persuaded nearly the entire teaching staff to sponsor me to play the Bond theme as he, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen, waltzed into the hall. I made rather a lot of money that day for a good cause
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LOOK!
If Hector Olivera can play the "Blight of the fumble bee" using toes only on the pedals, ANYTHING can be played toes-only.
MM
How on earth are you going to practice the Thalben-Ball Paganini Pedal Variations on any home organ that doesn't go up to top G???
The decision to use PowerPoint was made before I arrived and once established it's very hard to change anything. I have a feeling that there was an aspect of "PowerPoint is what our potential congregants are used to - we ought to be giving them lots of whizzy graphics to hold their interest." I am the first person to deride MicroShaft for their bloated design and monopolistic tendencies and I use Apple's Keynote to open any PowerPoint files I'm sent.
Worcester Cathedral
in General discussion
Posted
Yep, please count me in if it's OK to take visitors from Birmingham!