gazman

Indeed, I had a similar experience yesterday. The tuners were booked for a full day in order to tune a large 54 s.s. three-manual. They came in the morning, and had gone by 1.45p.m. The "tuning" was really bad, with reeds and fluework left out of tune and off speech. Needless to say, a message has been left on their answerphone insisting they return. I had another bad experience with another tuner at a different church a few years back. After a couple of bad tunings, I decided to meet with the tuner. I arrived at the church before 11a.m. to find that he'd already departed, having signed the tuning book. The organ was as out of tune as it had been the day before. Fortunately one of the choirmen was in the vestry as he was doing some painting in the church. I asked him if he had seen the organ tuner. He said that the organ tuner came in earlier that morning, on his own, and had unlocked the organ, played a couple of pieces, and then locked the organ and left. The choirman said that he'd considered asking him who he was, but thought it must have been a pupil of mine as he had a key to the organ. We cancelled the contract with this tuner with immediate effect.

Not forgetting the joys of pedantry either. :angry:

Then speak out, David. We live in a democracy - of sorts! - after all. :angry:

Preferably on a big dominant seventh chord. I have "fun" with some badly behaved wedding congregations with this. They seem to click on what you want from them after you do this a couple of times.

You wanna bet?! They'll only shout louder, and get cross that the organist is making it hard for them to hear themselves talk! :angry:

Funnily enough, I had much the same experience a few years back when the same choir came to sing Evensong at one of my churches. A sizeable congregation actually turned up, but weren't interested in the first organ voluntary at all. I got so cross with the noise that I got up, and went to every row of pews and told them all to shut up! They're better educated nowadays. The vicar goes out before the first organ voluntary, says the opening prayer, and then they sit quietly (well, most of them!) and listen to the opening voluntary. He reminds them quite frequently that it is our practise to remain quiet before the service begins nowadays and this seems to do the trick.

Yes, but some of us actually post our names, whereas others choose not to, and I think this is where David has had the problem.

Pity you deleted it then, David! You could always put it back.

Was s/he a transsexual or something as well? Very funny though, MM!

Sorry to hear that, David. At least I'm in the fortunate position of no longer being a member of an organists' association, which gives me a lot more spare time on Saturdays!

Lovely.....

Yes, somewhere in the dim, distant past, I've read about Voce Umanas sometimes being a pair of beating flutes and not a reed as we think of it, but a quick search through the most likely sources hasn't helped.

They tend not to be the quietest of stops, Vox!

Although that's not terribly informative about the extensions. It just seems very over-extended to me. However, the proof of the pudding as they say.....

Why?

The extensions look less "artistic" than the Compton norm, i.e. Compton might normally have done 8' and 2', or 16' and 4', but not 16', 8', 4' and 2'. The Great Diapason chorus and the Swell Flute chorus look especially over-extended, as does the Choir's Salicional chorus, although this is less important. Does it work as a musical instrument, Vox?

After viewing the pictures, I was left thinking "Why?".... My wife says that it looks as if the console is supported by a Zimmer frame!

Are you able to move it closer to, or away from the console? It looks as if one can only raise or lower it.

Oh, Lor'!

Funny things happen in this country during organ recitals too! Several years ago I had to stop playing during a well-attended annual organ recital in one of my churches because somebody started loudly shouting a few feet away from the organ console and it was impossible for me to concentrate. It turned out to be an elderly retired priest who helped out in the parish with a few other people. I asked him what he was doing, and he said that he was giving them a guided tour! I asked if he was aware that the people in the church were listening to an organ recital and didn't want to hear him shouting above it. He said he thought it sounded very nice. He thought it most unreasonable of me to insist that he stop his ruddy tour until after the recital had finished.

Angel Scene, arranged by Lemare, is in the Blue Album of Twenty Pieces for the Organ published by Schott. I think I've also got the Overture, but can't lay my hands on it at the moment.

Off topic, I know, but we bought a new answerphone a few months ago. What I didn't know when I bought it is that it doesn't have a normal ringing tone but instead plays Fuer Elise every time somebody 'phones, with electronic beeps. There seems no way of changing it. It drives me up the wall!

You have a time machine, I guess? BTW, I couldn't get the link to work, Peter.

But not on an organ......