S_L

I have been away from both my home in France and from the UK and was shocked to hear, when, briefly, arriving back in the UK, that Andrew Davis had died. He was 80 years old. His 'very model of a modern music festival' sung at the 1992 (?) LNOTP will go down in orchestral musicians folklore. And his moving tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, Sir Georg Solti and St. Mother Teresa at the end of the 1997 'prom' season showed a man who deeply cared about his craft and its effect on our emotions. He made his name as an International Orchestral Conductor but, of course, he began his career at the RCM followed by his appointment as Organ Scholar of Kings College, Cambridge from 1963 to 1966. May he rest in peace.

David Pipe - not Pipes!!! Yes, I just read that too! And I agree with what you say!! It's high time that the organ, and the organists, got out of their 'fusty' archaic selves! Good on David Pipe - and Anna Lapwood - and all of those fine young players working so hard to drag the instrument screaming into the 21st century.

And I'm pleased to see 'It is not essential to be an organist'

Hugo Kaun is an interesting man and quite a prolific composer. Born in Germany he emigrated to the US where he had a successful career, eventually, settling back in his home country. He was much in demand as a teacher but produced three symphonies, three piano concerti (although he refused to allow the first to be published), quite an amount of chamber music including four string quartets and four operas, one of which was premiered by the Dresden opera company. His 'Five 'cello pieces' Op. 124 have some difficult moments in them and bear some similarities to the 'cello works of Franz Schmidt, of whom, of course, he was a contemporary. Some of his music is available via IMSLP

And much deserved too!!

And in E flat too - much more satisfactory than in D - but I thought the re-harmonisation in the first clip was awful and anything but uplifting. Yes, there was a phase of organists providing an alternative harmony for a last verse but it was so often, like the first clip, so badly done that it fell out of favour. And some tunes don't need it because of their strong harmonic sense. In his edition of English Hymnal Vaughan Williams relegated the tune to, what he called his, 'Chamber of Horrors - where is appears in E. I'm not sure I agree about it deserving that accolade!

Something tells me that they ended up with Willis - but I couldn't be absolutely certain about that! Malcolm Cruise used to be organist at Almondbury Parish Church. He was also the music critic for the Huddersfield Examiner and active in the, now defunct, Huddersfield Organists Association. I googled him and he is still Organist Emeritus at Almondbury. Perhaps the Vicar, Rev. Felicity Cowling-Green, can point you in his direction. Philip Tordoff will know him! I'd be willing to bet money that Malcolm knows the whereabout of Conacher's records! Or you could try Woods Organ builders of Huddersfield. David Wood's father, Philip, now deceased, worked for Conachers in his early days 1000 posts!! Mostly worthless but I hope that, since coming here in 2010, I've been of some use!! I've been accused of being acerbic and a bit forthright! If I have offended then now is a suitable time to apologise!! Wishing all forumites a very Happy Easter - when it, eventually, arrives!!!

I can sympathise with that. I also play in rural France although, I suspect, in a slightly different circumstance than you!! Why is it that, in the UK, we are required to stick with the prescribed texts of the Common and yet, in France they seem to be able to sing paraphrases of the text. And, yes, some of the music is awful! I'm lucky in that i play, on a monthly basis, at a large monastery Mass begins with a procession around the cloister so no music from the organ at the beginning. That is followed by the Latin Plainsong for the day accompanied by organ. After that the Mass continues in French but with the Common, one week in the vernacular, the other week being Latin Plainsong. I'm playing on Easter day when we have a mixture of French and Latin Plainsong (with the long Plainsong Alleluia - Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus preceding the Gospel) And I get to play a Sortie at the end following the Priest singing "Allez dans la paix du Christ Alleluia" we sing, loudly, with organ, "Nous rendons grace a Dieu, Alleluia, Alleluia" Happy Easter, Andrew - when it comes!!!

Perhaps everyone is practising for Easter!!! I know I am!!!

A rather narrow minded and thoughtless remark, if I may say so. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Arnold Schoenberg said of Cage that "he's not a composer but an inventor - of genius". To categorize him as simply “a composer” would certainly be failure to adequately describe all that John Cage was, nor would it serve to encompass the vastness of his influence on the arts as a whole. I worked with John Cage when he was in residence at York in the heady days of the early 1970's. He was, believe it or not, a quiet, thoughtful man. You never won an argument with him and he had a huge pallet of knowledge on a wide variety of subjects. (He was considered the world's leading authority on mushrooms!!!) The performances he directed, at that time, fully demonstrated Schoenberg's definition of an inventor of genius!

LOL - the improvisation I heard was based on repeated notes up and down each of the five keyboards - furiously fast - and LOUD!!!

I can't comment on the action or the instrument at St Eustache except to say that the last time I was at Mass there, possibly 10 years ago, the music that preceded the Mass, played on the West End organ, was so loud I thought it was going to jump off the back wall and attack me. I don't think I have ever heard anything quite so loud. I might be wrong but I remember being not too impressed with either the orgue du choeur or the singing of the Mass and, when it came to antiphonally singing Credo III (La Marseillaise of the Catholic church in France, I once heard it described) it was almost impossible to sing the congregation verses with the west end organ.

I stand corrected!!!

I'm sorry - but I have been advised, by another member, that I should not send copies of MM's work without his permission. And, if I had thought about it more carefully, I would have realised this. As a consequence i am not able to furnish fellow forumites with my copy. Very sorry!!!

I have found MM's work on Compton. I'm a little wary of sending it out 'to all and sundry' but, as he doesn't seem to be around, I'll try to respond to any private requests via my profile. SL

It is not a book - and never published as far as I know!!! My analysis, and I have some experience in these matters, is that it might be suitable as a dissertation for part of a 1st degree - but we are not talking 'Doctoral thesis'!! but it makes for some interesting. I don't know why but I think Dr. Colin Pykett may have a copy. reading. MM sent me a copy. I have it somewhere on my computer but I can't find it. As for MM, I have no idea of his whereabouts.

Judith Weir C.B.E. - Master of the Kings Musick - now Dame Judith Weir C.B.E.

So they can go around calling themselves Dr. when, in fact, they have no evidence of study at Doctoral level!! No, Martin, it won't do!!!!

I, so, wish they hadn't published the proposals!! It would save so much speculation by well intentioned amateur, 'back of fag packet' organ designers. I do understand the reasons behind publishing but I fear that this thread will go on and on until it has been thrashed to death!!! Why can't people just wait until the scheme is realised?

I love Advent Sunday - and those great hymns too! Helmsley is one of my favourite tunes - with so powerful words!! "Lo, he comes with clouds descending" I don't do much playing either but I'm playing this morning. Mass, as always, in French with the Common (minus Gloria, of course) also in French. Latin Plainsong Common on the 2nd and 4th Sundays. We sing the Plainsong Ad te levavi accompanied by a very light organ, as an Introit but, apart from that, nothing sparkling!! But I shall play the Chorale Prelude from Wachet Auf as a Sortie and improvise on 'People, look East' at the offertory I do so miss those great Advent Hymns!!!

At Canterbury the Mass was coming to a close and they were singing the final hymn when the Celebrant, the Canon Missioner, asked people to, quietly, leave the building because of a security alert. At Chichester, during Evensong, which was being broadcast, activists, from Christian Climate Action, stood up holding placards which read 'Chichester Diocese Funds Climate Chaos'. I don't know the extent of the security alert at Canterbury but I am absolutely certain that, whilst we should be aware of the damage we are doing to our planet, and do our best to 'do our bit' to counteract that damage, Interrupting Divine Worship is not the way to go about things!!! I noticed, amongst the protesters, a number of 'dog collars'!!! Shameful!!

The Bishop of Norwich seems to be coming in for a 'lot of stick' and, in my view, some fairly unfortunate language!! It is worth remembering that, in Norwich Cathedral, as in all Cathedrals of the Church of England, the Bishop is a visitor and does as he is told! The service will have been written, probably by the Precentor, with considerable input from the Director of Music, and then presented to the Dean for ratification before being sent to the Bishop's office - so that his Chaplain could brief him on what was expected of him. And, of course, it would be the Dean, although this one has only been in post since January, who would have chaired the Chapter that decided to 'stump up' the money for the organ rebuild/renovation./restoration etc.

So you believe in the Holy Ghost? Well, that's something I suppose!!!

That reminds me of a story I related here many years ago. I think it was the opening of the organ in St. George's hall in Liverpool. W.T. Best was on the keys that day. A rather pompous Lord mayor declared "Let the organ play!" - nothing happened. "Let the organ play!" was repeated and, again, nothing happened. "I said, Mr. Best, let the organ play!" - to which Best waved his hands in the air and exclaimed "Let it, I'm not stopping it!"