pwhodges

This reminds me of that "chopsticks"-type tune which we used to play at school on the black notes by rolling a clenched fist. Paul

The editor of BBC Music Magazine is an organist and enthusiast, so it doesn't do too badly in there. Paul

Remember all that money pledged by billionaires towards the repairs? No comment Paul

Apparently a much bigger collapse was closer than we might have imagined, according to this piece in the New York Times. Though actually, the main point seems to be why there was a delay in the initial reporting (an employee sent to check went to the Sacristy to check for fire instead of to the Cathedral, for instance).

From the Hauptwerk FAQ: This is simply using MIDI from the iPad, of course.

Presumably the swell pedals at the sides are for the registrants to operate? Paul

The idea that better keys means worse keys is obvious, but is it necessarily true? In terms of simple maths, of course it is. But consider the opening of David's post above in which he remarks (with a brief explanation) that the ET third is especially discordant - more so than a slightly wider third. This opens the possibility that a "worse" key may have "more acceptable" errors. Paul

Heh! I once played that instrument for a christening. It was not an experience I wished to repeat. Paul

AbeBooks has a number; the cheapest is barely £10 including shipping from the USA: Copies at AbeBooks

Just for the record (I have no connection with it), I recently happened on a CD of organ music by female composers - played by a women as well: From the American company, Raven CDs: "Music She Wrote"

Some before/after views of the cathedral (with a slider to move between them): http://m.nouvelobs.com/societe/20190419.OBS3029/avant-apres-notre-dame-sous-toutes-ses-coutures.html# Paul

In what sense were the organs of, say, Father Smith and Renatus Harris not "fully fledged, independent" instruments? Sure, they were smaller than the largest organs of the mainland continent, and suited to a somewhat different repertoire, but those are hardly the defining factors, I'd say.

I have a recording of Bach's Art of Fugue played on three chamber organs whose specifications add up to a typical modest two manual and pedal classical organ. The group was the Ensemble Wolfgang von Karajan, headed by the conductor's brother. I bought the original LP release in 1966; but when looking for the link above to a CD release, I came across a review of Herbert von Karajan's 1944 recording of the work with a string orchestra which contained the following fascinating bit of gossip: Paul

There was a Hammond in the nave at Canterbury by the end of the time I was at school there (1960-65), and even then, as a teenager knowing nothing in particular about organs, I found its sound oppressive and uncomfortable. Paul

The requirements also include coherent casework - which is why Mander's 1966 organ for Cecil Clutton is not included. The oldest British organ listed is a 1964 four stop (8842) organ by Arnold, Williamson and Hyatt for the RC Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in Romford. The next few included are by R H Walker (1965, St Martin's College, Lancaster), Harrison and Harrison (1966, RCM, London), T Robbins (1967, Kingsnorth, Kent), Grant Degens and Bradbeer (1967, St Ann's, Nottingham, 1968, West Brompton), Mander (1968, St Michael Paternoster Royal, London), P D Collins (1968, Shellingford), R Yates (1969, Dartington). Paul