Denis O'Connor
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Posts posted by Denis O'Connor
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I understood that the assistant organist of the cathedral in question asked whether he might apply and was told that he could if he liked but could not be considered.
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Two recent gleanings which may be of general interest.I heard that a recent cathedral appointment was made following a criterion that the successful applicant had to be a cathedral organist. This is surely a vey odd policy: if it were to be generally adopted it would only be a matter of time before there were any eligible candidates left!. I believe that an outside body-employment consultants/headhunters-was employed to assist the cathedral in making their choice.
In another diocese, the chair on a body appointing a diocesan organ adviser went on record as saying they did not want a candidate who would"rock the boat". Of all the qualities required in an organ adviser, I would have thought imaginative thinking,together with the ability to stick to one's beliefs,would have been a pre-requisite. You can't make omelettes without breaking eggs.
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As a very small contribution to the Compton thread,my neighbour, who worked for the Gloucester Aircraft Company.recalled meeting John Compton at the works during the war.Sadly she died some years ago so I am unable to ask her for any recollection she had of the man. Incidentally,there is a 7-rank Compton in St Peter's Catholic church in Gloucester recently restored by Nicholson with Dr John Rowntree as adviser. Dom Gregory Murray gave the opening recital.
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'Can do if still required.
Denis O'Connorr
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Apologies to our hosts for this little bit of publicity
After a few years of toying with the idea, I have decided (as a sideline to teaching) to buy and sell books and periodicals associated with the organ (all second-hand). My first list is out which is mainly books on the organ (Hopkins and Rimbault et al), I also have large numbers of back-issues of The Organ, ISO Journal, American Organist etc. The books are the first up and I will eventually get around to putting the old numbers of periodicals up as well. I also have a few 'inventaires' from France as well, although these are still boxed up following our recent house move.
PM me if you would like details of the list.
Hector
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I am quite certain that the heavenly host will be singing Adeste Fideles-not "fidelis"
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Has The Organ really ceased publication ? There was a rumour to this effect some time back. A telephone call to the proprietor established that there was no truth in that story and the journal did appear. It would be a pity if this journal were to cease publication. Perhaps someone could give an authoritative answer?
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[According to the Rollin Smith book"The Aeolian Organ and its Music"
,the original contract was dated 17th July 1930 for a price of 18,460 dollars.A subsequent addition for August of the same year was an adjustable combination system for 900 dollars. Subsequent information shows a special carved case. The instrument was enlarged by Kilgen to IV/55 in 1938. Specification to be found in the American Organist for November 1938
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Do a search on "Eglise St Martin,Vertus,France"and you should get a link to a full description of the organ together with some fine photographs.
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Several years ago, whilst browsing an American bookseller's catalogue, I was intrigued to find a booklet published in Germany in 1945 which was a description of the organ in Liverpool cathedral. The author's name was Dr Thomas Moore.
I find it quite amazing that a book about an English organ be published in Germany during the last year of WW2.The authorities at Liverpool were interested in having the book for their archive but were unable to shed any light on the author. There is a copy of the book in the OHS archive and they give the translator's name as Paul Smets who was a German writer on organ topics who died in 1961. Can anyone throw any light on the author?
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Having telephoned Musical Opinion(the parent company of The Organ) I am assured that the May number of the journal will appear,perhaps a little late,but the future of The Organ has the support of the publishers. There is a problem in that Dr Baker has retired from the editorship;judging by some of the members' contributions,I am sure there will be someone ready to take on the job.
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In the episode Day of the Devil one character, Canon Humphrey Appleton (Richard "Pie inthe Sky" Griffiths), seems to be an organist. Can't remember what he played though.
Peter
Didn't Nicolas Kynaston play the organ in a film which I saw on TV. I think it was a Ken Russell production and the music was a transcription of Sheep May Safely Graze. In the film the organ seemed to be a very basic one- manual and I wondered how he would solo the melody when it appeared. Thanks to the miracles of film production it sounded as though it was played on a larger instrument. Perhaps a very obscure version of tracker double touch was involved...
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The Ampleforth Trompetta Argentea was also made by Boosey and Hawkes. It is of course not strictly a chamade reed, but in a way I am glad. Without its construction as is, we could never have called it 'The daffodils'.
This remains one of my favourite instruments, early neo baroque JWW without the Downsian oberton, and IMO a perfect marriage of instrument and acoustic. I think it represents a more natural example of the genre developed by the builders without the overbearing influence of a consultant, and is all the better for it.
I have a recording of the Dupre Stations of the Cross played by Simon Wright, a really lovely man, I hasten to add, which is simply stunning.
AJS
I thought Dom Ambrose Wright was the consultant for Ampleforth's organ (and Liverpool's RC Cathedral) Does any know what part he actually played in designing or advising on the construction of these instruments?
I
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In these un-liturgical times
There's a number of musical crimes
Chief among those
Is to play with your toes
Unsuitable nursery rhymes
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[The reason why there are no pipes seen on view in the Grand Organ screen at Westminster Cathedral is because the architectural style is Byzantine. As readers of ths forum well know, the Byzantine rite does not allow organs in its churches. I know that Byzantine liturgy is not the order of the day in Westminster Cathedral but respect for the style adopted precluded an organ on show.
If you like you can blame Westminster Abbey because the cardinal archbishop of the day did not want a Gothic style building to compete with the place up the road. Although the present organ was not installed until a quarter of a century after the building opened, Bentley's architectural scheme was still respected
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Are they not all online via the JSTOR archive?
I have just checked the JSTOR website and they don't hold Musical Opinion,nor The Organ for that matter.
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As a keen collector of books and journals relating to the organ, I have long sought an opportunity to browse back numbers of Musical Opinion. I understand that before WW 2 there was often good debate in the columns of that publication,debate to which some of the leading lights in the organ world contributed. I have never seen such volumes advertised for sale or disposal. Do any members of this forum know where such volumes can be found? I don't really want to spend hours in the British Library (especially since it is a long way from Gloucester!) Any help would be appreciated.
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I had the pleasure of turning for a midday recital a few years back and thought this a splendid instrument in every way. I seem to remember that the museum staff expected the tuner and /or organist to wear gloves as they were handling an historic artefact! My recollection is that the recitalist certainly didn't wear gloves and that the curator would have got a suitably robust
reply had he insisted.
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I hope no one replies in a positive sense to this request. Many organists lose out financially through the advent of electronic "aids" to worship.
It is surely putting another nail in the coffin of the organ and its music if the CD player is allowed a place in churches in place of a real organ and a real organist. Incidentally, I saw a posting on an American forum relating the tale of a priest who had such a horrible machine in his church. During the celebration of Mass (Tridentine?) he had placed the remote control in his pocket and every time he struck his breast at the words" mea culpa,mea culpa,mea maxima culpa",he set off the device . Unfortunately he did not know how to use the control and the machine ground out several verses of each preset hymn every time he inadvertently activated the thing. Serve him right.
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As a younger man I attended the centenary RCO dinner at a location in London as a guest of an eminent organist. Dr Dixon impressed me on two counts: first the enormous earring and,secondly,the fact that he.as one of the few non-Anglicans present ,bellowed Amen after the Grace.
An ecumenically-minded Roman Catholic before it became fashionable to be so! The rest of the assembly neither said( nor bellowed)anything.
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This organ was the least damaged Dallam in Brittany.
It has been restored by Formentelli in the 1990's; here
is a 6 minutes+ Video which shows many features of
this rare and invaluable organ:
http://www.tv-tregor.com/streams/dallam.ram
(Had Samuel Green built some organs aboard...)
Pierre
This is one of the best postings for some time. What a civilised country to have a TV station which devotes time to the really important things in life!
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This organ was the least damaged Dallam in Brittany.
It has been restored by Formentelli in the 1990's; here
is a 6 minutes+ Video which shows many features of
this rare and invaluable organ:
http://www.tv-tregor.com/streams/dallam.ram
(Had Samuel Green built some organs aboard...)
Pierre
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Readers of a certain rather glossy mid-Atlantic journal devoted to organ and associated matters may have picked up in an advertisement for a new recording that one of our prominent Anglican cathedrals is housing a 5 manual organ by Father Willis. Considering the old boy shuffled off tnis mortal coil over a century ago,the cathedral authorities must be congratulated on concealing the existence of this large instrument with conspicuous success for such a long time. Are there any other 5-manual organs by this builder still waiting to be discovered?
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I am a convert to Catholicism; I once had "Protestant Scum Out" scratched on the organ loft door in my RC church.
(In a very middle-class / upper class area in the south east of England - what is the world coming to, eh, Dennis ? :angry: )
I am sorry to learn of the nasty message . If it is any consolation, I had a stop on the organ I was partly responsible for acquiring for our Catholic church,engraved with the name Orange Flute 2ft. Thus every time it is used an "Orange"contribution is added to our praise. I am a cradle catholic myself so i thought an ecumenical gesture.
Playing for your first service
in General discussion
Posted
It certainly was not the first service I played for,nor even the several hundredth,but I did play Blaenwern for Cwm Rhondda with interesting results at one Sunday service.