mgp

Firstly there are two 10 2/3 on the pedal, one (quint) is from the bourdon and the other (minor quint) is from the solo gedeckt. Both were pretty well inaudible at the console due to the large amount of air escaping from various parts of the organ as is any combination below mp. Secondly it is not in the best of health. H&H warned some time ago that it could all fail at any time. Today CCC, EE and GG on the Sw 16' reed unit were dead, as are a considerable number of notes on the upperwork and the Solo Orch Oboe is disconnected (a sticking slider and a shame as it was a nice sound). These are recurring faults and Andrew Scott and Laura Venning both report in the tuners book that some action parts are virtually inaccessible and there is little they can realistically do until major work is done. The main Gt, Sw and Pedal choruses all function (which is what I needed) but with many slow or virtually inaudible notes in individual ranks (the 32 reed is particularly uneven ranging from fff to p in the bottom octave). There seem to have been quite a few faults in the Pedal and Solo caused by low humidity but that wasn't a problem today. It was in good tune and the French Horn was a delight! A quick play round the mp-mf combinations found lots of colour but more issues with speech/uneveness of regulation due to wind differences. In all pretty much what you'd expect after 37 years heavy usage in Central London.

I played it a coupke fo years ago and it seemed fine - if rather powerful.

The building work was to reconfigure the front stage etc - nothing to do with the organ. The organ is showing its age and Andrew Scott is struggling to keep all of it in good working order. I'm playing it Mon-Thurs next week so will report back on exact condition. From memory the pedal is heavily extended and one 10 2/3 is from the open wood and the other from the bourdon.

Recently an aquaintance turned up for recital at a local church to find 62 out of 64 channels locked (though the key was present). I have had the same experience at cathedrals where the 'visitor channels' are locked . In these circumstances I unlock them and try to return them to what they were. (Assuming I had time to write it down - not always possible given limited console time). At 'home' we have a regular clean up in which all locked channels (other than the permanently allcoated ones) have to be reclaimed - its surprising how many are freed up each time (and no-one can remember using them!!!)

The Primo Libro di Capricci of 1624 (Published in 1626) includes as the third piece a Capriccio sopra il Cucho. This is on page 16 of the 2nd Volume of the Pidoux/Barenreiter edition of the organ/keyboard works. There's a recording by John Butt on Harmonia Mundi HMT 7907178.

This is appears as part of the second design (pp 90-93) in RD's book. The actual tender spec (pp93-96 differs. It was reduced to: 8 Flûte Majeure 8 Violoncello 8 Viole Célestes (from A) 4 Orchestral Flute wood, harmonic 16 Cor Anglais 8 Corno di Bassetto Tremulant 8 French Horn 8 Tuba Major 4 Tuba Clarion This changed again (pp 120-122) 8 Flûte Majeure wood 8 Violoncello 8 Viole Célestes CC 4 Flûte Harmonique 2 Piccolo 16 Corno di Bassetto 8 Orchestral Oboe Tremulant 8 French Horn 8 Trompette Harmonique 4 Clairon Harmonique On p133 RD details the complete change to approx what was actually built that you refer to. On p170 RD details increases in wind pressures and reboring holes in the soundboards to get more power from Gt & Sw. Presumably with more 'normal' acoustics little of this would have happened, but doubtless something else would!

All true (ish); but... RD had the organ voiced for the building as it was, pipe by pipe - an extremely long and expensive procedure. Hopefully the changes have finally delivered the acoustic there should have been (but wasn't). This is great news for orchestras and choirs (and I well remember the sensation of being alone when sing or playing there) but ... how do H&H set about revoicing to get to what RD would have insisted on in these changed circumstances? (and, for example, should they reverse the changes made to the Solo organ late on when RD worried that there was insufficient power?) .. at best it will be an informed guess. Inevitably it isn't going to be exactly as RD would have done it (and he probably would have wanted a slightly different sound in the different acoustic). The best accolade the instrument had was from GTB who said it rewarded skilled playing just like a well adjusted concert grand. If the 2007/9 work does the same then that's as much as we can reasonably hope for.

But what speed do you expect them to sing at - that of the 'playover' or the speed at the end of the 'rall' and how would they know??

The articles you cite are from OR August/2000 and November 2000 under the title Spirituality and Symbolism in the music of J S Bach. There are many articles about this. One public starting point is this.

Do you have a basis for this assertion? We've got 25 year guarantees on ours and i don't recall any maker of old fasioned wiper contacts offering that much when pressed.

I think you've been slightly misled by the previous mail. The Viol d'Amour is an 1876 Willis stop. It was moved to the choir in 1970 when the 1876 salicional went to the Sw to rejoin the Vox Angelica that was moved from Ch to Sw in 1905. It was a very late change by Conrad - well after the console photographs were taken. He wanted a slightly stringier sound on the Choir to compensate for the removal of the 1935 Viola da Gamba (which became most of the pedal Dulciana). I was fascinated by this as I remember him spending hours comparing various stops and combinations on Ch and Sw before finalising the 1970 rebuild. I can also recall H&H doing various bits of work (like reworking the winding of the new Violone/cello unit) afdter the official opening and it may be that the pipes were moved that late on. Certainly I remember him discussing it several lessons after we had first returned to the cathedral. The Flauto Traverso is an 1876 stop as is its 4' companion and has always been on the Choir. He discussed a number of things with me, like the mixtures and the pedal toe-piston layout, but the Positive mutations were a complete surprise. It was me that suggested a Positive on Solo transfer was probably more use than a Positive on Great (assuming couplers 'read through') so that may have started a train of thought (In the end both transfers were provided)

And Piet Kee recorded a whole disk of Hindemith and Reger on the Bavo (Chandos CHAN 9097) - two registration assistants are credited and they certainly achieve very effective sounds. I did hear that Franck has been played successfully too.

I thought that just meant it only went down to FFFF (24')

Yes indeed; I did get into serious trouble some years ago for playing Bach's Toccata in F when the other was expected - to say nothing of the occasion when the service sheet said Toccata and fugue in F minor (Widor IV i and ii)... and the bride and groom couldn't agree on what they really meant. JSB in d won eventually! - I do still wonder that they might have preferred a certain March in F by FvM...

Ralph Downes

Still Schola Cantorum - now in Switzerland. Web site www.schola-editions.com/

Much to my surprise, my wife and I both found the ENO production of Satyagraha enthralling. I can't claim to have sorted out exactly why but the ritual/repetiton (and some lush melodies) were certainly part of it.

I agree there's a need - for specially chosen stuff produced as Paul described - but it needs approaching with care (and thoughtful discussion). I'd hate the idea of a commercial CD of "20 Greatest Exit Tunes Ever" which slowly but surely drives everything else out. I played for the funeral of a much loved member of our church earlier today. The nave was full (circa 350) and almost the whole choir (kids and adults) managed to get there. The deceased had specified exactly what he wanted (including something we hadn't sung for over ten years). I don't think we've ever done the Nunc of Stanford in C quite so slowly or with such passion (as the coffin was taken out) and we all felt we'd been able to say 'goodbye' properly. Playing a CD wouldn't have been the same (even though it would have been rather more accurate here and there and much less stress all round). It would have been an intrusion by strangers into 'our' service. Knowing it was a live 'one off' was important. It would be easy to dismiss this as a (very) unusual occurrence, but I've has the same sensation when playing for very simple occasions - the fact that it is being done live makes it something dedicated to that person. The funeral of my uncle with piped music (including 'heavenly choir') and a (standard)address by someone who'd never met him was the most soulless funeral I've ever attended - everyone couldn't wait to get out because it had nothing to do with the person we knew. If this all seems a long way from the original topic I should say that some of our funerals are accompanied on a Gulbransem whilst the mighty FW slumbers opposite!

Forgive my ignorance, but what do they (and similarly minded places) do for funerals and weddings?

I believe Nicholson's are in the frame for the Worcester Nave organ once funds are available

Also Tournemire (Petit Fleurs), Litaize (24 pieces) and Hakim (Expressions)

Steve, The Symphonie Gothique recording was also re-issued on CD by English EMI on CDC 5 55037 2 (1994) as part of its 'Composers in Person' Series. The disk also features Vierne, Dupre and Mesiaen. I know the Messiaen was remastered and sounds quite different from the French release 'Messiaen par Lui meme' - theye've fixed some of the bumpy edits clearly audible on the original LPs. A quick comparison suggest the same is true of the Widor. There's some information on the recording sessions (but no explanation of what happened to movement 3) in John Near's study of Widor pp 289-291

Excellent points. Anne Page wrote a series of 4 articles on harmoniums for Organists' Review starting in November 2001. That article, as well as explaining the standard stop sets, covered Franck's use of 4 (LH) and 16 (RH) eg an Air Bearnais where CF writes a lowish texture in the LH (at 4') and 'solos' the melody two octaves higher (at 16); in effect just adding extra colour to the top line, all at 8'. The same effect is possible by only drawing the treble half of a stop (they divide at middle E/F) and organising the distribution so that only the top part sounds both stops. Stop sets in summary: 1 8' Cor Anglais/Flute 2 16' Bourdon/Clarinette 3 4' Clairon/Fifre 4 8' Basson/Hautbois 5 (treble only) 16' Voix celestes (to beat with 2) GJ - Grand Jeux - Draws 1-4

Joris Verdin has recorded the 'Complete works for harmonium' by Franck on Ricercare RIC213 - a double CD. He uses several harmoniums (?harmonia?) dating from 1860 to 1891. I participated in a workshop on these with Joris in Goteburg in 1998. At that time Joris was convinced that the registrations were by someone who didn't understand the harmonium (eg unneccessary stop changes) and that the pieces were not that suitable (they exceed the normal harmonium compass, playing the scherzetto on a harmonium results in lots of clatter and little sound). His view was that the harmonium registrations were added by someone else to increase the potential market for the pieces. I have detailed notes in the loft which I'll try and dig out.

On our FW Hautboy & Vox = Cromorne. To get Orch Oboe I use Sw Hautboy & Ch Viol De Gamba