John Sayer

I meant 'conduct' in a metaphorical sense, which is why I wrote 'as it were'. All I was suggesting was that cathedral organists of his generation could accompany an Evensong themselves without the need for somebody waving their arms around downstairs. All that was required was someone on each side to relay the beat when needed. The fashion for standing in the middle and waving one's arms about is surely something that has only come about in the last 20 years. At Oxford in the late 60s I recall both Bernard Rose at Magdalen and David Lumsden at New College directing from the end of the front row of the choir stalls - with no music desk and no platform - yet with only the most economic of (single) hand gestures. The most minimalist of all was dear old SSSSidney Watson conducting Palestrina on a Sunday morning at the Cathedral, resplendent in D Mus robes over his surplice. With right forearm held close to his side and almost imperceptible movement of the index finger, he achieved wonderful results - a fortissimo being indicated by the merest quiver of the same finger. JS

But a very expressive finger at that, as I recall. Dear Ron was also one of the last of the old school in conducting his choir 'from the console', as it were - quite a feat from such a caged-in position. His psalm accompaniments often had a good measure of old-fashioned word painting. He was not afraid, for example, of adding the Bombardon 32 - his 'Apollonian fart', he called it - in Psalm 114, just as Bairstow wanted, with a wonderfullly primeval flatulence emerging from above the decani stalls at verse 7 (Tremble thou earth .....) JS

The derivation surely goes back to Latin 'clamare', to shout, so the various references to battle cries etc are probably on the right lines. I hope I'm not teaching folks to suck eggs, but the Iberian 'trompeta real', of course, has vertical pipes located within the case. 'Real' in this case means real, i.e. normal or non-horizontal and has nothing to do with 'royal'. By the same token you sometimes also see flautado real. A further entry for the inventory of horizontal reeds is the Solo Orchestral Trumpet at Ripon Cathedral added by H&H in 1988. The pipes lie on top of the swell box facing west and are on 17" wind. The big (unenclosed) Tuba still wins, however. JS

I can't speak for the Continent as a whole but only from passing observations of what happens behind the scenes in German, Dutch and Danish churches, where commonsense attitudes to the needs of disabled worshippers do indeed apply - for example in provision of wheelchair ramps, decent loo facilities etc to a far greater extent than in this country (not least because the money is available to provide them). The same goes, I'm sure, for disabled musicians, which means dealing sensibly and sympathetically with individual human needs on an ad hoc basis, rather than by slavish application of legislative diktat. Congregations are much more relaxed about the whole business and do not seem cravenly cowed either by the disabled lobby or by petty officialdom. In this country, however, a mean, narrow-minded, needlessly bureaucratic and literalist attitude seems to have become the norm, among both professional and self-appointed officials in such matters. Is it self-righteousness, political correctness or fear of litigation that prompts diocesan authorites and individual congregations to go to the extremes other contributors have described? What ever happened to common sense, reasonableness and (Christian) charity? I'm sure most disabled musicians - whether blind organists, singers with walking difficulties etc - are quite happy to rely on friendly human assistance when required: indeed such simple demonstrations of kindness and consideration are surely part of our common humanity. Perhaps we ought to listen to disabled people themselves rather than impose our own patronising ideas on them. By all means do all we can to remove physical barriers and impediments, but, in the end, we have to acept that some things are beyond the bounds of possiblilty. There is no way someone in a wheelchair is going to reach the console at Chartres. the Marienkirche Lübeck or indeed the lofty west gallery organs of many Continental churches - and I don't suppose any sensible German or Dutchman - disabled or not - would worry themselves unduly over an essentially hypothetical case. Sorry, end of homily ... JS [PS - I do recall that the organist of Trier Cathedral ascends to his magnificent 4-manual Klais instrument via a rather swish electric lift!]

I seem to remember the McEwan Hall specimen in Edinburgh was still working, albeit rather irregularly, when I heard the instrument a couple of years ago. JS

A number of modern installations now have an advance button discreetly placed at the side of the console for use by the page turner/registrant. At a recent recital here in Ripon a lady organist from overseas played the Elgar Sonata with kaleidoscopic changes of registration almost every other note, yet without once touching a single piston or stop. At end the end I felt her very busy (and attentive) page turner should have taken a bow as well! JS

I see from "orgue-l" today (quoting yesterday's Hansard) - that HMG - at least in the person of the Minister for Enenrgy, Malcolm Wicks - now accepts that organs fall outside the scope of the EU directives and that the DTI will be working with the Commission to get this confirmed once and for all before July 1. Why does it take so long for the moronic flatfoots of the DTI to reach the same planet as the rest of Europe? Who says this administration did not deserve the bloody nose it received last night? JS

Ripon also, on the new nave console by H&H (2000), though I don't recall ever hearing it used in recitals. Another useful device à la française is Manuals I & II exchange. JS

I'm told that test pipes of pewter, which contains no lead, are possible and, indeed, one English builder has had sample pipes made to see how they compare in terms of ease of voicing and tonal quality. JS

The first test case could be the new organ by the Danish builder, Carsten Lund, for the chapel of Trinity hall, Cambridge, which I saw in his workshop last week and which is due for installation after July 1. For the record Mr Lund confessed to knowing nothing about the new EU regulations! On verra JS

An enclosed Cymbelstern? Surely the problem is that most modern (Anglo-American) Cymbelsterne are simply too loud and too fast. The best Continental examples - whether historic or modern reconstructions - tend to be very gentle. The stop at Roskilde adds a delicate shimmer to a couple of flutes rather than a noisy clang which tires even before the end of a Bach CP. Like others of its kind it is wind-driven and for that reason has tiny, lightweight bells (Schellen) of indeterminate high pitch. JS

The bits visible from about halfway down the nave appear to be horizontal and catch the eye as soon as one enters the building from the west end. The line of the pulpitum is already disfigured by the console and ugly black camera globe on the south side and now this further intrusion on the north. Together they spoil one of the most glorious vistas in any English cathedral. JS

The Violones in the South Transept are out of sight to most members of the congregation. It's a pity the same cannot be said of the new 32ft reed on the north side of the screen. This ugly pile of plumbing is clearly visible from the nave, despite being painted in a stone colour, and only a little less so from the choir. I'd like to know how the CCC allowed it, though I have heard it was a miscalculation on H&H's part. Whatever the reason, it is a disgrace. JS

Quite right - my mistake. I meant double mouths rather than double languids (my mistranslation of 'doppelt labiert' as in Trost's Flöte Dupla 8). I had 2-3 hours at Walterhausen last May, courtesy of the organist Theophil Heinke, a most obliging man. Fascinating though the organ undoubtedly was, it didn't have, for me, the integrity, the inspirational quality, and sheer 'wow factor' of Naumburg. JS

Interesting indeed, but a very quirky organ, as is also its smaller sister of a few years later at Altenburg. Trost was experimenting with all sorts of outlandish pipe constructions - a Geigen-Principal with extraordinarily keen stringiness, pipes with double languids, siamesed pipes (a twin rank with a common pipe wall), big flutes, undulating stops etc - at the expense, some would say, of a decent, traditional plenum. The HW chorus with Mixtura 8fach (with 5 1/3 and 3 1/5) is pretty overbearing and palls very quickly. And the mechanical side is equally eccentric, with miles of wind trunking and cumbersome actions running in all directions - not at all easy to play sensitively. I suspect Trost's style was very much a 18cent byway. Neither Waltershausen nor Altenburg is a patch on Hildebrandt's roughly contemporary masterpiece at St Wenzel, Naumburg - the sound is quite stunning. For my money it beats Silbermann at Freiburg Dom and Dresden Hofkirche for sheer magnificence. JS

A sensible letter in today's Times from Messrs Neary, Archer, Trotter, Lancelot & Wright expresses concern over the continuing confusion and questions why UK civil servants are contradicting the assurance given by EU Commissioner Wallström that "you can fill your churches with as many lead pipes as you want and the Commission wil not interfere". Whether it's ignorance, stupidity or sheer bloody-mindedness, we'd all like to know. As far as I can see, their European confrères see things differently, which may explain why Continental builders seem far less exercised about the whole thing. JS

Point taken - I seem to be guilty of the same impreciseness of wording shown by many people in this whole sorry debate - I meant, of course, exemption for organ pipes rather than organs themselves. Among those who have managed to gain (permanent?) exemption from the new regulations are makers of medical equipment and military hardware (using lead) and barometer manufacturers (using mercury). It would be interesting to know how they achieved this. JS

NOOOOO, or at least not yet; such rejoicing may well be premature. The latest view of the IBO - and I hope they won't mind me paraphrasing it in this way - after a meeting last Tuesday with the DTI, is that they are not out of the wood yet. It is not clear, for example, how reliable or authoritative Mme Walström's pronouncement actually is. In addition, the DTI's offer to back a claim to the EU for exemption is too risky an option, as exemptions have to be re-negotiated every 4 years, and the assumption is that the industry will use the intervening period to find an alternative technology. For the IBO this represents a permanent sword of Damocles hanging over the industry. Who knows how the eurocrats will view an application for exemption 12 years hence, for example? As one would expect, there seems to be no clear understanding across Europe in the matter and the Commission has asked for further consultation with member states, ie. the subject is not as cut-and-dried as the DTI would clearly like it to be. The only proper answer, it seems to me, is to remove pipe organs completely and permanently from of the scope of the of the Directive, which was never intended to include them in the first place. What is it in the minds of (British) civil servants that they can't see their way to a commonsense solution? Why are they in such obvious thrall to the EU Commission? Perhaps one of our European contributors (Barry, Friedrich, Pierre) can say what the position is in their own country, in particular among organbuilders. JS

No, it was indeed the (ailing) Voice of Jupiter on one of its last outings before dismantling and rebuilding. There was barely enough wind for the big Tubas (and not much else) at the beginning, and the organist (I believe it was Susan Landale) just about won on decibels. Sorry to correct you, but I was standing in the second row in the arena at the time and was nearly lifted off my feet! I wouldn't have bothered going if an "applance" was to have been used. JS

Deutsche Grammophon made a commercial recording of the performance. Alas, I've ditched my vinyl copy, but there is a CD available. JS

From exchanges I have seen elsewhere, the villain of the piece (or one of them) seems to our own DTI, which is bent on over-interpreting the directives (which, as writ, are actually quite reasonable) and on adding all sorts of catch-alls, for example by adding categories which were never intended to be included. Other European governments seem to be less literalist and lees bureaucratic in their interpretation. JS

Excellent idea - he's a sensible sort of chap and bound a) to be sympathetic and glad to take a swipe at EU bureaucracy. An organisation (ie. the EU) which can lay down rules for the curvature of cucumbers is perfectly capable of implementing these directives to the letter unless made to see reason. Is anyone up to writing a letter to the Times itself? It must be suitably pointed and pithy, though - no anorakian ramblings. JS

Let's not forget the Berlioz Te Deum with those great antiphonal blasts and counterblasts between organ and orchestra at the beginning; and those wonderfully solemn, hieratic organ interludes in the Sanctus. Colin Davis did it at the Proms about 5 years ago, with huge orchestra, choirs stacked up to the roof, brass bands in the boxes and 3 cymbal players with the biggest cymbals you've ever seen. Berlioz wanted the effect to be 'Babylonian' - this was how it should be. JS

I should have said that the relevant bars of the manuscript are printed in Stauffer & May's book. According to Peter Williams, Bach made a fair copy which is now in private possession. I'm pretty certain a facsimile copy has been published, but is now out-of-print. The other organ with a 32ft reed associated with JSB is, of course, St Wenzel, Naumburg, for which he acted effectively as consultant with Hildebrandt. He spent 5 days there in September 1746 for the inauguration celebrations. I suspect he thoroughly enjoyed himself. The original stop was lost, but Eule provided a historical copy in the recent reconstruction, based on surviving pipes from the 16ft rank. It has wooden resonators and is full length: the sound is pretty cataclysmic in the church. The whole organ, in fact, is amazing - a wonderfully colourful, coherent sound and, for my money, more impressive than the roughly contemporary Silbermann organs at Freiberg and Dresden. The American organist Robert Clarke has recorded most of the big P&Fs plus a variety of CPs on a double CD (Calcante CD041) - both playing and sound are truly magisterial: one of the best Bach CDs I've come across. JS