Choir Man

I agree that people sing less than they used to slightly lower pitches are now considered more comfortable. I've noticed that the melody of a number of modern worship songs goes quite significantly into what I would consider the alto register, and as a tenor I find it more comfortable to sing up the octave. It also occurs to me that many film scores with choirs from the same era also sound quite high pitched (and screechy to my ears). Perhaps that's how tastes have changed over the years.

Found this about problems with air conditioning in the organ chambers. I wonder if it's related? http://www.oaklandgroup.com/case-studies/worcester-cathedral/

Music can be heard in the background of this clip and one the interviewees comments on it.

A little more info is on the St Paul's website: https://www.stpauls.co.uk/worship-music/music/concerts-and-events/sunday-organ-recitals

If building works are taking place, then it's sensible to wrap the organ to prevent the ingress of building dust. I believe that there are some organ builders that specialise in this, and that it is also possible to wrap the organ in a way that leaves it playable

Having spent an evening recording with our organist followed by a few evenings getting my virtual choir organised for Christmas, I was wondering how other members will be celebrating this rather different Christmas season. At my church all the usual services have been replaced by Zoom offerings. Instead we a producing a pre-recorded Nine Lessons & Carols (using copyright free music and home-grown descants). This will then form part of an 'installation' in the church. The church will remain open all day every day (as it usually is) and, along with the Nativity and other Christmas displays, 9 L&C will be played on a continuous loop. People can then drop in at any time for as long as they like to hear the Christmas message in a COVID-safe manner. Not sure if, at just over 3 weeks long, this will be the longest carol service ever? Other than a short service on Christmas day, which hopefully we can have the organ and a couple of family bubbles forming a small choir, there will be no live singing in services for the foreseeable future. The good news about outdoor singing ( https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches ) means that the choir may be able to do some carol singing in the churchyard the week before Christmas. Best wishes to all.

I find it amazing that they were all in tune with each other. A slight pity about the variable sound quality of the different recordings, but good fun nonetheless. Apart from Worcester nave console, which could potentially have been playing the Tickell pipework, I spotted two other toasters. St Mary's Edinburgh was not their 4 manual H&H and of course the American organ at the end.

From the Churches Conservation Trust, here is a short history of English church organs...

A couple more examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DybNb3THRNU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bjveNavQFE

I remember a video of a trumpeter accompanying himself on organ but can't find it now. Of course a trumpet can be played one-handed so that makes life easier. I did find two other videos:

Southwell Minster have a section of their website dedicated to EricThiman: https://www.southwellminster.org/eric-thiman-collection/

Prompted by a discussion about contemporary composers on this forum, here is Denis Bédard playing one of his own compositions.

If copyright permits you to have your music on a tablet device, you can now get software that recognises facial gestures to turn the page. ForScore is one of the apps out there but I'm sure there may be others.

I have a fond spot for Gloucester since singing there as visiting chorister when I was quite small. Gloucester have been live-streaming their Sunday services on their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/DioceseofGloucester/videos All have had some wonderful organ music - I particularly like the little improvisations that fit between the gospel and the sermon. However my favourite begins with 5 1/2 minutes silent contemplation of the organ before it bursts into BWV 542. It's a pity that the audio isn't high definition, but you can't have everything.

For those that missed it last week, Jonathan Scott's recital from the Royal Albert Hall is available on iPlayer. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p08n8ns0/bbc-proms-2020-the-symphonic-organ A fantastic instrument (thanks partly to our hosts) played in the way it was intended to be. (Dare I also say that the acoustic in the RAH is enhanced for the lack of a live audience)

I don't usually get excited when organs come up on ebay - usually church organs in poor condition with no assistance offered so would end up costing a lot more than the ebay price. This has piqued by interest although I have no room in my house I hope it goes to a good home. An organ built by our hosts which can be had for a mere £5,500. The cost also includes help from the current owner to dismantle and re-erect it in its new home. Looks like the only additional costs will be the hire of a good sized van and a few well-earned pints for friends providing muscle power. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Church-Pipe-Organ-Rebuilt-As-House-Organ-For-Home-Practice-By-Mander/254665741749

The announcement doesn't say anything about timing and the monks still have to find a new home. So I don't think there's any danger of them simply walking out this week and leaving an abandoned schurch. Althoughwe have heard nothing yet, I would imagine that the Abbey and the nearby church of St Benedict will come under the jurisdiction of the Clifton diocese. I don't think that the organ will be in any immediate danger so long as the abey doesn't lose its congregation when the monks leave.

I don't doubt that an experienced singer singing an open vowel will create little air movement (although lots of vibrations - see "Concerning Pipes & Sound" thread). However the fricatives which are formed by turbulent airflow in the throat, mouth and lips are more likley to pick up microdroplets of saliva. How singing differs from speech in this respect is as yet unproven by the scientific community. The direction that people should wear masks in enclosed public spaces applies to all, not just singers. We could, perhaps, listen to muffled choirs, but I don't suppose the sound will be as moving as that of half-muffled bells. I'm hoping that, at least in the interim, some allowance is made for choirs to practice with face masks and perhaps some minor distancing. The value in singing together will be immense after such a long hiatus, both to get people back into practice musically and also fostering community.

We, the general public, will probaly never know the full reasons why the D&C chose to make the whole music team redundant. It ceratinly feels to me that it is not just musical direction that has led to this decision. Sadly this is not without precedent and there have been other well documented cases of church authorities disbanding groups that didn't fit with their ambition. Why now? Well, the choir won't have sung together since March. Now is the end of the summer term when many choral and organ scholars move on and, depending on set-up, many yonger singers may move on as well. The current COVID restrictions will have put a stop to usual recruitment activities and it is unlikely, unless some startling new scientific evidence to show singing is 'safe', that the choir will be singing together until Christmas at the earliest. So faced with a (potentially) 9 month gap in activities and then returning to a depleted choir makes some sense of the timing. I hope that the D&C have been engaging with the impacted people and their parents before the decision was announced to the public. I also hope that they have some plan to keep music alive in the cathedral in the interim before their new music department is up an running.

How should a recitalist make an emotional connection with their audience? How can you create a sense of joy? A computer can play a piece perfectly via midi but I wouldn't want to go to a recital given by a computer. Likewise I haven't enjoyed some recitals that were note perfect (to my ears) given by an organist hidden away in an organ loft. One of the challenges for many organs is that the audience don't get to see the performer. Video relay can help but how many venues have a good enough projector to show a sharp bright image on a good sized screen with multiple cameras so you can see the hands and feet, but just as importantly the face of the recitalist? For me a good programme should blend familiar with the less well known and unknown and play to the strength of the instrument. A performer who lends their own interpretation to a well known work will help keep it interesting. (I think Olivier Latry's Bach To The Future album is brilliant). Finally it is a sad fact that nowadays many people have a shorter attention span than on years gone by. Couple that with the often uncomfortable seating found in churches could mean that some of the longer pieces of repertoire will have audiences shuffling in their seats. Some people say a recital should always contain some Bach, others don't like transcriptions. For me a good recital doesn't have to contain anything other than something that can make me sit up and say 'wow!'.

Richard McVeigh's channel has been a favourite of mine. He's been keeping very busy, doing a full recital each week on top of three hours of hymn playing every Sunday afternoon. Richard is also very engaging with his audience, talking about the pieces he's playing and other matters relating to the organ (and cats). https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdRXZZXDmLJM6XBnUpIoog/featured

Looking at the diagram referenced above makes me think that with a side console you wouldn't need a roller board to spread the action from the width of the keyboard to the width of the chest, you just have different length track rods to reach from side to side of the chest. Combined with stop knobs above your head acting directly on the sliders, this would give a much simpler action.

...and without the organist... https://goo.gl/maps/tWjM3LFZeYn8d8ZA7 ...and inside the organ https://goo.gl/maps/cxdaMCJgiwURPHJJ6 A building worth exploring on Google as it seems the camera has been give "access all areas" including behind doors that are normally locked and on the roof.

A small local church https://goo.gl/maps/YitiYoT8s5z5ncfZ6

Just wondering how many church organists & DOMs have been put in furlough? My church furloughed the DOM back in March and he isn't expected to return until public services with hymn singing are approved.