innate

Doing more than my fair share of organ-related web-surfing, I'm often struck by the comparatively large number of new-ish instruments in the US tuned to non-ET and the number of instruments with sub-semitone split keys. I'm sure there are similar instruments in mainland Europe too but precious few in the UK.

I would love to try this organ. One question: what's a "Bourdon Harm. 8"?

It's a joke, Roffensis.

Well done on the research, David. Now who's going to correct Wikipedia (see the History section)?

I have no experience with this sort of thing either, but I'd guess that there will be an accountant somewhere in their organisation who will be trying to limit costs. However, if they want to use your church rather than, say, the RAH they will be saving a considerable sum even if you charge them £5000 (I'm guessing here, but I'm sure you get the idea). If you can offer them peace and quiet and no interference by services, cleaners, choirpractices etc then it's probably worth a few more quid. I'd be tempted to think of a number and double it Seriously, if they are simply making an audio recording then you can probably use recording studio rates - ok, you haven't got any built-in digital recording equipment, but recording studios generally don't have church organs so it's pretty even. Probably something in the region of £100 ph, but you would have to ensure that the organ is in tune and in perfect working order. Good luck.

Click here for the description. The stoplist is right at the bottom of the page.

I've always liked Alleluias too. But the last time I played it I had a couple of unfavourable comments. A bit like people moaning about The Rite Of Spring being modern in 1990.

Hymns, yes. I can't be the only organist who's resorted to playing 7- or 8-note chords in order to beef-up/brighten the support of the congregation from an underpowered organ, particularly of the "octopod" variety. And probably the Sw8ve/Gt is the most useful coupler in this regard. Manual 8ve to Pedal couplers can be very useful in providing 4' based solo colours for chorale preludes etc when there are only 16' stops on the pedal and, say, 8' reeds on the manual. Strings: where there are undulants, it's nice to make that Mantovani-like sound As long as the registers are voiced with the use of 8ve couplers in mind. (Thank you, Pierre.) At St Paul's, Covent Garden, there is a Pedal Octave coupler which, IIRC, works on all three pedal stops (open and stopped 16' flues and Trombone 16'). In hymns it comes in handy but of course its use in proper organ music is hugely compromised by the lack of any extra pipes. Technical question: when designing a small pedal department would it be easier (I'm interested only in mechanical action here) to have 16' only with an octave coupler and extra pipes for the top octave OR a separate 8' stop by extension? And similarly, would it be easier to provide a TC 16' extension to the 8' on the swell or have a SwSub8ve/Gt coupler?

Looking at organbuilder websites (I must get a life) I've noticed a renaissance in sub- and super-octave couplers on new tracker instruments, particularly in Europe. My personal experience of these couplers on mech. action is limited but not particularly pleasant; heavy action (almost impossibly so) and the chance of the octaves sounding up the keyboard. Has there been a major technological breakthrough that enables these couplers to work efficiently with mechanical action? If so, then maybe they should be more available, particularly on small organs, and particularly on the pedal.

If the music/edition is out of copyright then transfer into Sibelius (or notation software of your choice) is a good way of getting it laid out how you want. I have found entering music into the computer gives insight into the music, and in a way that mimics how eg JSB hand-copied all Rameau’s harpsichord music. In fact, given that the photocopying techniques described by others in the thread are probably not covered in the Code of Fair Practice, you might as well use Sibelius for copyright pieces too!

What are the grounds for your belief, Colin? Or is it just a gut feeling? The word "always" gives the impression that £10 is right for an organ recital now, and was just as right 10, 20, 30 years ago, which does seem strange. I'd have thought that ticket prices for any event are decided through a process that involves: What are the costs? What can people afford? (include possibilities of range of ticket prices and concessions) What can we get away with? (which isn't noble but will nevertheless be present at times). I can't comment on this particular case, but would point out that tickets for pop concerts, football games, and non-organ classical concerts generally start at more than £10 and rise to several times that amount.

I think the pedals have no pedal stops drawn and the G can be taken on the manuals - it's harder to make everything legato but still possible IMHO.

This was how all the musical productions worked for the RSC when they were resident in the Barbican Centre, including the original Les Miserables and The Wizard of Oz. It normally requires all the musicians to wear headphones.

The RAM has, I believe, a fine collection of old string instruments. Would you consider it is showing disloyalty to the UK in holding on to this collection of almost exclusively Italian instruments? Music is an international language and as musicians we should be careful not to show ourselves as parochial. Proud of our heritage, yes, but not blind to the musical wonders the rest of the world has to offer. Did you tell us where your computer was designed and manufactured, Colin?

In the West End, many pit musicians watch the conductor via CCTV. Suspicions are sometimes raised that there is a delay that causes problems with the ensemble. If there is any conversion from analogue to digital then it is likely that there will be a perceivable delay, as there is on digital TV and radio signals.

I can understand your disappointment at the lack of response from the Board, Patrick. I'm sure we all feel pain at the wanton destruction of this organ and can only wonder at the people who allowed it to happen and those that instigated it.

I don't think Carlo Curley plays the Reger arrangements of the Bach 2-part inventions, where the rh plays the original rh part, the lh plays a new part invented by Reger and the feet play Bach's original lh part. I saw Jacobs play three of these in New York a few years ago and was astounded; the F major invention was fast.

Thank you for the link, Vox. I'd never heard of the Castle or the part books; fascinating stuff.

I don't have the music but as the original Borodin must be out of copyright by now (in the UK) you can possibly find a piano version of the original string quartet somewhere on the web to busk from. Good luck.

I'm excited about this. British organ builders have successfully tendered and built organs abroad, notably in the USA, and that should quite rightly be part of a two-way process; will this Richards Fowkes be the first US instrument in the UK? It has been suggested before that the Frobenius in Oxford actually had a much more significant influence on British organ building than the H&H in the Festival Hall - maybe the new instrument for Hanover Square will revitalise the UK organ industry.

Here goes: Opening Voluntary - Clair De Lune (Vierne) Introit - In Ieiunio Et Fletu (Tallis) Responses - Rose Psalm - 122 (I know the chant, but not the composer(!)) Office Hymn - Before The Ending Of The Day (plainsong) Canticles - Byrd Second Service Anthem - My Beloved Spake (Purcell) Final Hymn - Christ Is Made The Sure Foundation (Westminster Abbey) Closing Voluntary - A Fancy For Two To Play (Tomkins)

I don't think 18 ranks of mixtures on the Pedal Organ was ever fashionable in the UK!

It's conceivable that the photocopy be a completely legal copy of a piece and edition not protected by copyright. I get angry when I see that logo of a photocopier with a big X over it and the slogan "Photocopying music is illegal" - sometimes it is, sometimes not.

Very good analogy, Fiffaro. We had our wedding reception in a National Trust property and, luckily for us, they had just de-appointed their official caterer and not yet appointed a new one so we could choose our own. We would of course have had to bite the bullet had this been otherwise.

I wouldn't worry about the exact definition of the words "recital" and "concert". After all "Concerto" implies several performers, yet Bach's Italian Concerto is for only one. And song recitals generally involve a singer and an accompanist. I also seem to remember string quartets giving recitals. I'm reminded of a friend who got a job giving solo piano recitals on a cruise ship; he was asked to play light music and he responded "Could I play serious music if I introduce it in a light way?". His Victor Borge-ish spiel kept the management happy and the punters interested enough to stay. If calling a recital a concert brings in a few more, possibly younger, punters I can't see any harm.