pwhodges

Also while I was a student, the BBC recorded two short concerts played by George Malcolm for separate broadcasts. They were recorded back to back in the Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford. It was possible to get entry tickets free. On the day, we were sitting waiting, and George Malcolm's car had been delayed. So the announcer spoke to us for a time, explaining what was happening, and telling us we shouldn't think of complaining, because "after all, where other than the BBC would you be able to get two concerts for the price of one - for nothing!" Paul (and I have the EP with that recording on, too)

As a student I was buying a copy of the newly published book on harpsichord building by Hubbard and was told that behind me at the till was Michael Thomas, a noted harpsichord builder. We got to talking, and the outcome was that I promised him the wood of a diseased pear tree my parents were about to chop down - he said he used pear just for the jacks (as I recall), and the tree would be enough for the rest of his career. Paul

In the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, this blessed bread is referred to as the Antidoron. Paul

OK; that makes it clear that our difference is more because you are addressing changes in temperature with constant (absolute) humidity, rather than my thinking of changes in humidity with constant temperature. For interest, note also that figure 2 in my second link suggests that at frequencies below about 300Hz and 20°C, the absorption is higher in the very driest air - but RH that close to zero is not common... Paul

Wrong way round; the absorption of sound reduces with increased humidity as water vapour is less dense than air. Simple account Scholarly account Calculator Which is good, because most instruments have wooden parts which suffer if kept too dry! Paui

Not forgetting (though not solo) Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle. Paul

I'm not sure about that (re tuning), as the difference between equal and historic tunings is so much more apparent on organs, with their held tones, than on pianos, with their dying tones and greater amount of inharmonic sounds. This is presumably the reason that unequal tunings persisted in the organ world longer than anywhere else. But maybe you just meant that the sonic effect of the organ is such as to distract from such considerations till they are pointed out, which may also be true. Paul

I find that piano simulator (just from listening to their samples) rather unconvincing, and their organ version is much worse - not remotely near the same league as the one we all know the name of. Paul

I have barely had time yet to do more than sample (but you'll find my name in the list of subscribers ) Fugue State's other organ recordings and DVD sets are uniformly excellent, and I also recommend their Maximum Reger set. Paul

My wife's top-end hearing aids have effective limiters to prevent over-amplification of loud noises (which could damage her eardrums). These are good enough that they do not cause problems or interfere with intelligibility in normal use, even in the music program.

The pedal does have a couple of harmonics of 32' though, which would give gravitas in louder registrations - though not that quiet purring that some English organs are so good at. I remember the old organ at Ch Ch Oxford being a good example; but the present organ there also has no 32' (but it's much smaller than that Klais). Paul

Bartok Bluebeard's Castle? The organ is required for the climax at the fifth door, but what's more can't be omitted because it also has a four-bar solo near the end. The other problem there is the matter of whether the opera house has a grand organ anyway... The Solo Alto part in Bruckner's Te Deum is also very bad value on a per-note basis. Paul

My son, now a pianist, briefly also played the organ. He learnt on the Rieger at Christ Church, Oxford, and a local chamber organ. When I took him to Winchester College at the age of 12 for a pre-application visit during which he got to show off his skills, he was sat at the organ in the chapel - the one prior to our hosts' provision, a Normal & Beard of 1908 at the west end with the console in the choir. He had not been warned about the delay, I suspect - certainly had never had a chance to experience it. As he launched into a bit of Bach, a look of sheer horror appeared on his face, but he managed to keep going and finished in more-or-less good order - at which point he burst into tears! He did subsequently return and got a music scholarship. Paul

You have a PM.

I'm struck by how similar (on paper) this is to the Willis/H&H organ of Christ Church Cathedral (pre-Rieger...), which was a fine accompaniment instrument. Most obvious differences are that Oxford had tierce mixtures, and less 16-ft reed tone on manuals (Gt had 8, 4 reeds, and Sw had Double Oboe). Oxford also had a couple of harmonic flutes, a 16 ft on the Choir, a heavy OD... Paul

My wife's are also currently Phonak - and they have a music program; it's a bit more complex than some because she has very delicate eardrums and requires a limiter as well to prevent physical damage. Previously she had been using Siemens, and before that Resound (they were the ones that first convinced her that throwing money at the problem was actually worth while).

My wife has top-end hearing aids, and has kept near the best available for a couple of decades now. With each update she finds that she can hear more things that she was previously unable to hear; with her latest she has started hearing birdsong which previously she could not. She has always enjoyed music, and is conscious that her newer hearing aids have helped her appreciation of it. Paul

I have no objection to Bach on a piano. He himself showed that the timbre of the instruments his music was played on was not necessarily the prime consideration. Of course, it's possible to play Bach very badly indeed on a piano - but then I've heard some pretty bad harpsichord playing as well. And further, when I was growing up many harpsichords were also very foreign to what Bach would have heard. As an illustration of how style and musicality are separate issues, I like to point people at an old Saga recording of Handel's Eight 'Great' Harpsichord Suites, played by Christopher Wood. The instrument is apparently a Dolmetsch, but sounds heavy and dull, and the playing is full of exaggerated contrasts, both of tone and speed - and yet, I enjoy it because it clearly demonstrates real enthusiasm for and enjoyment of the music. (Seven of the eight suites can be downloaded here, where the write-up is considerably politer than mine!)

He had the (nearly new) Tickell organ at Keble revoiced by Ruffatti shortly after he arrived there. Oh, and alumni of Gonville and Caius (such as my son) often refer to it as "Caius" alone. Paul

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