gazman

Brilliant!

Yes, that's quite right and what I was referring to. I remember talking with Thomas when we heard that the Town Hall was closing in 1996, and I did say to him that the organ was now ailing and that St. Paul's would probably no longer be the best venue. It's a pity that the church will now have to face raising funds for a major rebuild of the organ. About 11 years ago, when I was DoM there, I informed the church of my concerns and explained that the organ was going to need attention to prevent matters going too far, and got quotations in for the work. The Vicar and congregation all seemed to get behind this, and we investigated fund-raising. Indeed, some of the most immediate and necessary work was undertaken then. Unfortunately, things suffered a terrible blow when the DOA visited. I'm not going to mention his name for reasons of politeness. I tried to explain the mechanical problems to him, but he was more keen on playing the instrument and not interested in hearing about what was going on inside the instrument. Understandable, to a point, I suppose. He extemporized for about five minutes, and then said with great confidence to the Vicar "There's nothing wrong with this organ at all." I was flabbergasted and said that he was visiting on one of the organ's "good days" and suggested to him that he looked in the tuning book where all the regular problems were listed, or spoke to the organ builders who maintained the instrument (Nicholsons), but he wasn't interested. He then asked me if he could look inside the loft. I was delighted with this as, with screwdriver in hand, I hoped to show him the wear and tear in the instrument, and the condition of the soundboards etc. Well, I unlocked the door of the loft and let him in. He poked his head inside for all of two seconds, glanced left and right and then said "Very nice. Thank you"! He then said to the Vicar (who was an old friend of his) "I think you said you were going to buy me lunch. Shall we go?". Over lunch at the local gentleman's club he told the Vicar that he thought the organ was allright ("It'll be good for a number of years yet, I'm sure"), and managed to convey the same message to a couple of church officials and to some people who we hoped would be helping financially during that disastrous lunch - to which I wasn't invited! I was dismayed to have people in the congregation the Sunday afterwards coming up to me to inform me that they had been told the "good news about the organ" and they were sure I'd be delighted that the organ was fine, and that there was nothing to worry about. It was especially miff-making as there were several dumb notes and one cipher that very weekend. All the hard work I'd put into persuading the parish that the organ - which sounded very nice to them, and in a lovely acoustic too - was beginning to ail was wrecked. I'm rather surprised that it's still playable. I shall look forward to hearing what the plans for the rebuilding are, and wish the church all the best with this. Perhaps, though, had they done things a few years ago, such major work wouldn't now be necessary.

Without going into too much detail, I find that most of the standard repertoire - and most of the requirements for accompaniment - can be realized on a reasonably comprehensive 2m spec as long as there are sufficient registrational aids. I gave weekly recitals on one such instrument for a couple of years (http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N07367) and found little of my repertoire which caused me much difficulty to play on it. A third manual, however, does make matters easier! It is interesting to note that after Thomas Trotter transferred his weekly organ recitals from Birmingham Town Hall to this church when the Town Hall instrument was being rebuilt, he wrote to the church to say what a splendid instrument they had and he found it more than a match for the Town Hall instrument which is, of course, considerably larger. Specifications, of course, aren't the be-all and end-all of the instrument, and really tell us very little of the organ's quality and versatility. I think that a comprehensive 2 decker is better than a sketchy 3 decker any day. But, of course, am even more happy with a comprehensive 3 decker! Or 4....or even 5!!!

Hear, hear! Thanks, Barry.

Thanks, it sounds interesting.

I wonder if anyone can make any suggestions about what I should do with the metronome I have at home. It seems a friendly, unassuming little thing and, once the key has been wound and a tempo set, it seems quite happy to tick away at a regular pulse. However, problems start the moment I begin to play the organ along with it. The thing keeps changing speed! Some bars it gets faster, other bars slower, and it rarely keeps in time with me. As soon as I stop playing, in order for me to reprimand it for not keeping a steady tempo, it returns to a regular tempo straight away! It's quite happy to continue this little game all day long. Other organists have complained to me that their metronomes malfunction similarly, but those belonging to other musicians seem to behave rather better. Does anyone else here have any experience of wayward metronomes, and why they seem only to misbehave for organists???

One for each ear?

You could always buy yourself a metronome; they're not that expensive, Vox!

That all sounds very sensible to me.

Such as?

I agree entirely.

You're on!

Ooh aarrggh!

My commiserations to you Pierre! Well, they could come in useful as drinks coasters perhaps?

To mis-quote Kipling: if you can enjoy hearing Schweitzer playing Bach, MM, you're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!

Funnily enough, I had the same conversation with a different blonde soprano (well, I presume she was a different one!) about four months ago! Must be something to do with the species.... There are, of course, two sides to the argument. Scholarship does enhance one's appreciation of music in that one can understand and recognize musical devices and structures employed by the composer. This, I find, helps as a listener and - to a greater extent - as a performer. Certainly, you're likely to make a better performance if you understand how the work is constructed and have the understanding of how to convey aspects of the composition to the listener, although instinct (sometimes uninformed at that) and innate musicianship can often help. As a listener, however, there are times that I think it better to let the music bypass the brain and go straight to the heart. The danger is that sometimes too much understanding about, say, the style of a certain period, can actually get in the way of enjoying listening to a good performance just because it doesn't fit into our accepted idea of how the music should be performed. I'm thinking of some of the comments - however valid - made about the recent organ prom by John Scott being discussed on another thread, which performance I found most enjoyable despite the repertoire and the organ not being natural bed-fellows. Of course scholarship and performance should go hand-in-hand, with the former enlightening the latter. Scholarship is only unhelpful if we allow it to get in the way of enjoying listening to the music.

Pity. It was a good rant, and I agreed with every word of it!

I've recently been reading through a lot of old organ magazines, and have been reminded of the number of rebuildings of prestigious organs during the last century where these two gentlemen were appointed as consultants. I wonder why these two were invited to be advisers for these rebuildings. Were reputable organ building firms, and some of the best organists of their time, (both, of course, professionals and very much at the top of their game) really unable to see an organ rebuilding to a satisfactory conclusion without the help of these amateur "self-appointed experts"? How much influence did Dixon and Clutton actually have upon these instruments, or on organ building as a whole? Was their influence good, or harmful? Was their contribution even necessary?

Waddya mean? Abshogutely riggiculoush! Hic. Hic.

Aha! We're back to Virgil Fox's Heavy Organ again. (well, don't know about the laid back bit, though....) :angry:

Gosh. Free business cards! Some lucky people get all the perks don't they! I'm just hoping for a pay rise sufficient to put me on equal footing with the church mouse.

I get about the same level of pay, but without the kudos........! Thank goodness I don't smoke cigarettes.

The Rev'd. Chris Brain and the Nine O'clock Service ride again?!