innate

Prompted by the discussion of the 1980 HNB at Radley College I discovered the spec. of the 1842 instrument here (NPOR). This seems to me quite an unusual stoplist for a British (ok, UK) organ at this time with, for example, a Tenth (Gross Tierce pitch) and a Quint (5 1/3') on the Great but no Great string stop and no flutes on the Pedal. Was it part of a tradition or a bold step into some sort of continental style, following Mendelssohn's visit? What music would have been played on it in the 1840s at Radley? Would I be better off reading Stephen Bicknell's book before posting these questions here?

I wondered if anyone else was prepared to say what fees they generally request/receive for weddings and funerals. My ballpark figures (for organ only) would be £80 for a funeral and £100 for a wedding (both including a consultation and, I suppose, personal video cameras; maybe the wedding fee should be £150 if there is a commercial camera crew in attendance). What does the panel think? I haven't seen either ISM or RSCM rates for years. I'm a member of the MU which recommends £86 as a minimum for all "special services" lasting up to 1.5 hours in the London area, with a minimum rehearsal fee of £40, which covers up to another 1.5 hours.

A few random responses: Pinchas Zukerman rarely plays anything except the Beethoven concerto in concerts these day. The article on Memory in the old Oxford Companion To Music (ed. Scholes) is extremely informative and worth checking out; mention is made of the pianist von Bulow giving a recital tour of the USA in which he played the entire Beethoven piano sonatas, the 48 and much else all from memory - apparently he didn't even look at a score during the trip. I was told that Georges Enesco sightread the then-unpublished Ravel violin sonata with Menuhin; a couple of days later they played it again but no one could find the piano part so Enesco played it from memory! Sorry this isn't particularly organ-related.

Now that’s funny, Friedrich.

As a fluent sight-reader I have consistently shied away from playing from memory all my life, the only two pieces I can play from memory being pieces I learned for Grade VIII piano and a teaching diploma. OTOH I suspect that having an organ piece learned thoroughly from memory would make registering much simpler. All that mental space used in converting the marks on the page into muscle movements would be freed up and available for making spontaneous decisions about stops and couplers (or merely remembering which pistons have to be pushed when). I remember being hugely impressed that Simon Preston played La Nativité from copies with no markings on them, no fingering, phrasing, registration. And they were old copies with David Willcock's name on the front!

Nothing interesting on the soundtrack but what an amazing case and building. I couldn't find a stoplist on the Vershueren website; I wonder if it will be based strictly on what they think was in the case originally. Looking at those painted doors made me think - were they intended to be closed unless the organ was in use or specifically for Lent or Holy Week, when statues etc are covered up? I hope they don't smash into the batteria when they shut - it looks a tight squeeze.

Hector, thanks for the update. is there a new merged website? I used to enjoy surfing the old Oberlinger one.

I'm only guessing, but I would imagine that the region codes for dvds are only used for releases of major new movies so that the dvd releases can be controlled worldwide, as the cinema releases are. I've bought cheap dvds in the US that have no region code on them.

Should the early and late Brahms works be treated as a unity, from the point of view of registration, performance practice etc?

See here. Whilst probably deserving a thread of its own I'll mention here that this seems to be a gift from the recently retired Priest Kit Cunningham who has been most supportive of the music at St Etheldreda's. I'm glad the powers that be have refrained from including a novelty stop referencing St Etheldreda's best-known tradition, theblessing of throats..

Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford?

Yes; Bravo, Simon! Slightly worrying for me is that his 40th birthday, which coincided with a Prom where he was either playing or cinducting, seems like only yesterday

This discussion is making me feel a bit queasy. I grew up with a 1912 Norman & Beard with an almost identical stoplist to the OP, except with a proper Oboe (full compass), a Gamba (instead of the Salicional) that could slice cheddar, and a soft Salicet 4' instead of the Gemshorn. Tracker action (heavy) and a Swell Superoctave that was disconnected after it ceased to function properly. The Swell was not too bad, but the Great was hopeless for almost anything. Of course it was fine for practising notes but there was nothing in the sounds it made that encouraged me to keep playing. It's been "modernised", which I'm sure will cause Pierre to shed a few tears, by the substitution of a Fifteenth for the Oboe and a Principal for the Great Flute (which wasn't a bad stop, just difficult to find much use for). Personally I would have put an 8' flute instead of the Great Dulciana. I would rather have had three 8' stops on the great that could be used in any combination rather than the stentorian OD and the characterless Dulciana. The other thing is its size; it must be about 3m x 3m x (height) 4m. When I look at something like Streatley I am astonished and jealous!

Was it Araucaria? (I do the Independent)

Whilst I am not critical of scientific methodology per se I would be surprised if the experiment(s) you refer to bore much relation to real-life situations. And isn't it quite difficult completely to block an ear? Even the smallest level of hearing in one ear would help the brain, particularly over the time of an extended test with no background random noise. I'm sure what you say about most "surround-sound" recordings is true; however the BBC radio play I worked on, which was of course broadcast in stereo, was mixed in both stereo and, completely separately, in 5.1.

Do you consider it to have no connection with the French toccata tradition, Stephen?

I was 23 when I lost the hearing in my left ear. I have had no directional hearing since; obviously if I am attending an orchestral concert and hear a trombone I know where to look but if someone sees me in the street and shouts at me I will be standing looking around for the source of the shout in vain. Whilst I think I can use other techniques and other information to help, there are some situations where nothing "works", for example organs, recordings, and trying to hold a conversation with a friend whilst ordering drinks in a crowded bar. Although I am in no way comparable to someone with acute and profound hearing loss in both ears there is an aspect of "if I can see it, I can hear it" for me; that pipes don't move to show they are sounding is the problem! I might experiment with surround sound - do you mean the 5.1 system used for home movies*? I have been involved (as a musician) with some recordings (radio drama and cast albums) that have used 5.1 but I have deliberately avoided experiencing them until now. *Edited to add: I mean, of course, systems for watching DVDs at home, rather than movies made by amateurs.

I thought it was rather good. Fast certainly, but it is meant to be a toccata, isn't it? Comforting to see him position his right foot on the top E before he started the section!

Is it worth pointing out that stereo recordings however made are no better than mono for people like me with permanent and total hearing loss in one ear?

I know someone who sellotaped the fronts of adjacent white notes together on the piano used for the assembly hymn at the East Midlands grammar school he attended. That sounded good. As in Stephen Fry's tale there was an, in this case audible, attempt at diagnosis and subsequent rectification of the problem during the following item.

Many thanks for this suggestion. Duly ordered.

Is this still in print? My copy of Modern Organ Music (can't remember if it was vol. 1 or 2) went missing years ago and a quick google throws up many recordings but no sheet music. Any suggestions gratefully received.

I have occasionally wondered what happens when feminism and a strongly gendered language meet, maybe what you describe is part of the answer; given that the gender structure of German is so integral a part of the language there is no chance of changing that structure in the foreseeable future so other ways have to be found to acknowledge the female half of the population. The job/vocation title thing is interesting in English. For jobs where women didn't get a look in until the middle of the C20 there is often no female form of the word: judge, doctor, prime minister, bishop etc.; jobs done by women for centuries have their own word or form: washerwoman, actress, harlot, waitress; jobs which some people look down on women for doing may have derogatory pseudo-female titles: lady organist, priestess. [if anyone is offended by this tangent I'm sorry, but tangents tends to happen in conversation and this thread is headed "Miscellany".]

And that information is relevant in what way, unless you are advocating the use of Old English in the services of the Church of England in the 21st century? Sorry to sound abrupt but grammatical gender is frequently no guide to gender in real life eg das Mädchen, das Fraülein.

Of course anyone with a good education will know the linguistic and semantic history of "man" but unless one is prepared to explain its former inclusive meaning when it is used in church it will undoubtedly be understood by some in its modern sense. Putting "political correctness" to one side, from a Christian perspective shouldn't we avoid putting a stumbling block in the way of, for example, first-time visitors to church?