Frank Fowler

I have problems about the Armistice hymn "The Supreme Sacrifice" - "O valiant Hearts". The words are a little outdated for these days and it is a problem to get the `old soldiers' not to wallow in the singing of it making it sound like a Saturday night pub performance. FF

Gordon Reynolds personally designed the Hampton Court Palace organ specifically for Choir Accompaniment - he was not interested in having a recital organ saying that was a sufficient amount of organ music that could effectively be performed on his scheme anyway. He said that he thought this was the last accompaniment organ that would ever be designed for church choral music and wondered how long it would be after his death before it was re-modelled with the recital repertoire in mind. FF

POSITIONING OF GENERAL PISTONS The positioning of General Pistons was always a problem as everyone had their own ideas as where they should be. The idea of having them above the top keyboard was adopted because some organists felt they needed to make a dive for them when necessary and could then easily see the piston they wanted and go for it. The problem being that if a page turner was needed to press one of them they could get in the organist's way. Then there was the thought putting them at one end of a manual key slip - this was good access for the page turner but not always easy for the organist to locate the piston he wanted without leaning backwards from the playing position to locate it. Sometimes organists would like the Generals split into having half of them in the Bass end of a keyslip and the other half in the Treble end. This meant there was a choice of the organist using the available left or right hand to make the change. Some organists had the habit of always pressing a piston twice to make sure it worked. This habit becomes fatal if using a sequencer piston. You pays your money and makes your choice! FF

Strangely enough I do! At one time, years ago it was hoped that he was going to make a recording at St.James the Greater Leicester but it all fell through and never happened. FF

Not very nice, but Ronnie Barker got away with it in "Open All Hours". FF

Please spare a thought for the tuner. You might feel the console is up high enough - the tuner keeps on going. The scariest one I ever knew was the old New College, Oxford organ in the days of H K Andrews. Mind you he could be scary enough. FF

I can remember, many years ago, when Dame Gillian first came to this country she was refused permission to practice on an organ in London by the vicar because she had no RCO qualifications. The fact that she had recently given a Festival Hall recital cut no ice as far as he was concerned - she was "unqualified" and not safe to let play. FF

I've always found its the loudspeaker that counts in the end. FF

<{POST_SNAPBACK}> For the sake of history I do not have square thumbs or fingers and most organists seemed to prefer round pistons so for various reasons HNB reverted to round pistons around 1973. FF

I only hope Virgil could see the amount of `post' his topic has caused - he would be thrilled! F

.........then I can only apologise on behalf of organbuilders in general and tuners in particular. We are not all that ill mannered. FF

.....but were you the incumbent organist of that church when you offered your help - or a stranger who had just wandered in? FF

Years ago I remember standing by for a broadcast by Arnold Richardson at St James the Greater Leicester. The first thing he did was to pull out all the 8' stops (except the Celeste) on the Swell and Great. I was far more a purist in those days, (when Peter Hurford was at his zenith) and said "Youv'e mixed up all the 8's". He beamed at me and said "Warms it up my boy!" FF

I am sorry to think that someone would even consider making a recording of a public performance without permission of the artist concerned. There could possibly be quite serious legal implications if you get caught. FF

Of course the organist could always offer to hold the keys for the tuner, point out the defects and help regulate the reeds - and find out what is actually involved, how the time can slip away and get home late as well. FF

I read with interest David Coram's remarks - they are sound solid sense. Tunung an organ is a vocation, not just a job and these days getting taught the basics is almost impossible. Just putting one pipe in tune with another is not tuning an organ. FF

As an apprentice, on leaving a church after a tuning visit I was taught a little `safety' chant that I still use today. "WINDS OFF, LIGHTS OFF, I'M OFF!" Its saved me (and still does) driving back to check many times. FF

Having added a couple of electronic pedal stops on instruments in my time it is simply up to the organ builder to stipulate (hopefully if he knows his job) a pitch and a volume control, but keep the volume control out of the way of the organist! FF

Using the right had requires much less body movement than turning with the left. FF

Contact an organ builder who builds organs. FF

I seem to remember Dr Arthur Wills did not have the smallest feet. FF

At a recital I once heard an eminent organist, keeping a very straight face, calmly announce. "I am now going to play some Scheidt". The only people it seemed to have any effect on was the Vicar and myself. We could not look at each other for the rest of the evening without starting to laugh. The music wasn't that bad either. FF

Some of the music books that I buy these days seem to have an automatic closing gene in them. With out our little friends, life would be impossible. FF

At last, an organist who cleans his keys! FF