ajt

There is often a large difference between evensong as performed in a small parish church, compared to a decent cathedral version. Evensong in a cathedral is their bread and butter, the reason for the choir's existence, etc, and is, for a member of the congregation, a chance to reflect, and almost a spectator sport. Let the music wash over you, reflect, relax, pray, etc. Sung evensong in many small parish churches is often excruciating. Usually ferial responses, mag, nunc, psalm all to stilted and heavy anglican chant, etc, etc. (I'm not knocking anglican chant, I love it, when done well. Done badly, however, and I'd rather gouge my eyes out) And, of course, it nearly always starts at "Dearly beloved", and ploughs through the whole introduction, which the cathedrals leave out. Said evensong is just wrong.

As many of you are probably sick of hearing, I have custody of a large and reasonably decent instrument that's in a very poor state, inside a church which is losing money, so is therefore completely unable and not interested in helping with funding to do any of the work. I reckon, at a rough guess, that I need to raise at least £250,000 to get all the work done : full clean and overhaul, new leather/wind, and completely new electrics + a console restore. I don't want to make any changes to it. It sort of works out as 3 projects, which could be done independently, I guess, but there would be reasonable time/cost savings over doing it all at once (e.g. remove the pipework and leatherwork at the same time, do the electrics as it goes back in). How would you go about it? Getting funding, I mean...

Never seen it - I did play the old Makin a few times, though. For its time, it wasn't as bad as you might expect. Always seemed a shame, though, to have that fantastic organ up on the choir screen, then this bloody toaster down in the nave...

The wooden hand is pretty much unusable - there used to be a pedal mechanism for it on the right of the console, but that was removed years and years ago. To the right of the console, there is a wooden slatted panel, which is hinged, if I remember rightly, so you can see out into the choir from the console. The choir couldn't see enough of the organist to be directed from there, though. You can stand to the right of this wooden casing, on the "balcony", and be seen - this my usual spot during evensong when turning pages for Ron or Bob Marsh.

I don't remember him doing much directing from the console, but this is 20+ years ago, so my memory might be playing tricks... Does anyone know where I can acquire a copy of his classic Psalm chant from?

Oh yes, he could - very disconcerting.

Yes, that must have been the word I was looking for... As for those of us that dislike cats being insecure and angry... Well, I really feel like having a good shout and hitting something, but I'm not sure if I'd be any good at it... 2 problems with cats. 1. they're pointless as pets, 2. they make me sneeze. Point 1 - I was brought up with both cats and dogs (which says something about the cruelty of my parents, being allergic to BOTH!). Whenever I got home of an evening, the dog would come flying towards me, please to see me, wagging his tail, etc. The cat would just look at me for a moment, with that evil stare which says "What the **** are you doing here?". Pointless.

Ronald Perrin at Ripon was the same - Psalms often conducted just with his index finger.

Yes, Opera really should being with a c. Most opera singers I've come across (not many), can often be described as something beginning with a c... What's the collective noun for opera singers?

It's fine if I stick to vague circular motions, in the finest cathedral psalm tradition.

Concur. I think they probably can, but they'd just look at you with disdain whilst they were roasting. That's the thing about cats - they're just so bloody superior. All the time. You can be putting down food for them, and they'll look at you as if *they* made you do it, and why couldn't you do it just that bit quicker and better? I have this theory about things beginning with C being evil: Cats, Celery, Cucumber, Cauliflower, Carnations, Copeman Hart toasters Unfortunately, this theory is disproved by Coffee, Chamades, etc.

I'm completely the opposite - crap organist, as you've heard, pcnd, but quite confident in my conducting abilities.

Perhaps you can answer the age old question then, Stephen? Why is it virutally every organist's dream to give up the organ? i.e. become a cathedral organist and stand out front waving? (Unless you're called Dearnley, of course!)

Lichfield is a wonderful organ to play - I used to practice on it regularly - but there is no acoustic to speak of. It's a struggle to sing in (not helped by the pitch of the organ) too, particularly in the nave stalls.

I've only played it very briefly, but yes, it is a fine instrument, particularly given that it's in an acoustical vacuum. Some really gorgeous noises on it, including the chamades and a lovely 4' flute (on the choir, I think). I'm sure there are others on here better acquainted with this instrument than me, though.

Too much - the full swell is a monster, at least at the console and in the choir stalls. less so down the nave. However, you can use the "miniature full swell" - 8+4+2+ Dulzian 16 + Hautboy 8, which is nice and rich. Or Choir 16 8 4 2 + Trompette & combinations of the two.

I'd say that's probably true of my instrument too - OD3, Gedeckt & Gemshorn is ok, but beyond that, unless the choir's really screaming...

I also tend to the faster side of hymns. My current congregation often comment on the "renewed vigour", seemingly without a sense of sarcasm creeping in. I often sing along, at least for the first verse - that way I *know* if it's right or not. I went and played (badly, I might add - I forgot to go to the 2nd part of the psalm chant, which wasn't good!) at Romsey the other week, though, and got berated by a certain member of this board for playing the hymns too quickly

I bought organmaster shoes about 8-9 months ago, and found them great. At the time, I was organist (or is that toasterist?) of a church with a Wyvern electronic machine, with a very narrow pedalboard, and the shoes were great. I've now gone to real instrument, with a much roomier pedalboard, and I actually prefer playing in ordinary leather soled outdoor shoes, or just my socks.

How the hell does one learn to improvise? I just can't do it! I always end up with some sort of slushy, lazy-Howells style harmonisation of something on a 4ft flute. as soon as I build up registrations a bit, I totally lose the plot and get all self-conscious.

They are bloody impressive. I'm going to have to steal a PC.

Indeed we do, and very fast they are too. They *can* run Windows, but ...

Apologies to Rev Tony, but I have been known to deal with my e-mail during the sermon. Usually mailing the vicar to remind him about bits and pieces that I've suddenly remembered during the service! And yes, the same Sun. But enough about the day job - it's all boring computer stuff

Sun PC's? You can't have had them long! And you put Windows on them? ! Sacriledge! Sun machines are designed to run Solaris, i.e. a UNIX operating system, and we're more in the market of constant uptime measured in years. Anyway, apologies for turning this thread into a computer discussion. Time for a new thread on Hauptwerk, me thinks. I have a Viscount organ with midi interface sat at home, and I'm sure I can find enough of a PC to run Hauptwerk on it.... The online samples certainly sound impressive, so I'm going to give it a try. (Perhaps I could sample my HWIII beast?)

I never encountered this... My particular favourite Italian habit was the communion "queue". I saw many surprising things in the communion queue - people smoking, reading the paper, queue jumping, 4 lanes forming to get to one distributor, to name but a few. Quite outstanding.