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Nothing spectacular I'm afraid but nothing spectacular to play on and I rarely play! Before Mass we observe silence and the Midnight began with the Nuns singing the introit Dominus dixit ad me accompanied by a very light organ!! The Mass setting was Mass IV, again lightly accompanied, Cunctipotens Genitor Deus with Credo III. During the offertory I played Bach Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ BWV697 (In Bach's time, in Leipzig, it was the hymn for the day) Afterwards I played the Daquin Noel X. The Mass of the day began with the Nuns singing the introit Puer Natus est nobis, again accompanied. The Mass setting was in French, written by one of the sisters and unaccompanied. The Creed was sung, again in French, to a setting by Naji Hakim and, during the offertory, the Nuns sang a French version of In Dulci Jubilo. After Mass, I played the Bach version BWV 608. As I said - I rarely play!! It was an interesting experience - for me and the good sisters!!!

Oh dear!! Many apologies - I had forgotten about the other thread - and I made a contribution too! Must be getting old!!

I used to know this church quite well and, trawling the Internet, I see they are having a new four manual Skrabi organ. I thought members might be interested and so the stop list I give below: PÉDALE (32 notes) Soubasse 32 Contrebasse 16 Principal 16 Bourdon 16 Prestant 8 Flûte 8 Octave 4 Contre Bombarde 32 Bombarde 16 Trompette 8 I: GRAND ORGUE (61 notes) Bourdon 16 Montre 8 Diapason 8 Bourdon 8 Flûte harmonique 8 Prestant 4 Flûte 4 Octave 2 Trompette 8 Clairon 4 Quinte 2 2/3 Fourniture IV Recit - Grand Orgue 16 Grand Orgue 16 Grand Orgue 4 Grand Orgue annulation 8 II: POSITIF (61 notes) Diapason 8 Bourdon 8 Rhorflûte 8 Viole de gambe 8 Voix céleste 8 Octave 4 Bourdon 4 Octave 2 Dulciane 8 Quinte 2 2/3 Tierce 1 3/5 Trémolo Positif Positif 16 Positif 4 Positif annulation 8 III: RÉCIT EXPRESSIF (61 notes) Bourdon 16 Diapason 8 Bourdon 8 Violoncelle 8 Voix angélique 8 Flûte ouverte 4 Nazard 2 2/3 Octavin 2 Hautbois 16 Trompette 8 Hautbois 8 Voix humaine 8 Clairon 4 Plein jeu IV Trémolo Récit Récit 16 Récit 4 Récit annulation 8 IV: BOMBARDE (61 notes) Flûte traversière 8 Flûte traversière 4 Trompette Pontificale 16 Trompette Pontificale 8 Trompette Pontificale 4 TIRASSES Tirasse Grand Orgue Tirasse Positif Tirasse Récit Expressif Tirasse Bombarde ACCOUPLEMENTS Positif - Grand Orgue Récit - Grand Orgue Bombarde - Grand Orgue Récit - Positif Bombarde - Positif Bombarde - Recit Grand Orgue - Bombarde ACCESSORIES Tutti I Tutti II Divisional pistons 1 - 10 General pistons 1 - 10 (to 999) Stepper Pedal divide

Some of the phraseology in the write-up on he church website is interesting! ………………………. and all paid for by the local council - now that is clever! The church, I see, also boasts a high-quality 'toaster' as well as a 'Makin' analogue 'in store'!!!

From the Pershore Abbey Weekly Bulletin - 27th October 2019 "A new Fratelli Ruffatti 3-manual pipe organ for Pershore Abbey It is with great pleasure that we announce that having satisfied all the faculty conditions, the contract between the PCC and Fratelli Ruffatti for the new organ was signed by the Revd. Claire Lording on 10 October. The organ, which is to replace the Bradford Computing Organ, will be built at the Ruffatti factory in Padua, Italy, shipped to the UK and transported to Pershore where it will be installed by their skilled craftsmen. Meantime there will be significant building works in the Abbey in preparation to receive the new organ and the whole build, installation and voicing of the organ will be completed within the next two years. The PCC …………………………………………………………………"

In the UK, of C of E Cathedrals, neither Oxford (Christ Church) or Wells Cathedral have 32' stops - and Gloucester and Chichester only have 32' reeds. There may be others Neither St. Chad's Cathedral Birmingham or Clifton Cathedral have a 32' stop! I'm certain there are other RC cathedrals without!

I saw the advert! It made it clear that Paul Dewhurst was leaving because of his commitments closer to the East coast and that Bridlington was a sensible move for him. It also said that prospective applicants were welcome to contact him to discuss the position - which shows a certain amount of transparency of behalf of the Leeds authorities. The current music list at Leeds is standard 'Cathedral type faire' with nothing to frighten a prospective applicant and they are advertising for Choral Scholars for the forthcoming academic year to sing three choral services a week. If we are indulging in gossip, and I'm not sure that is a good idea, I heard that the music at Leeds Minster was almost 'dead on its feet' at the end of the last regime and that the new Vicar was wise to be a 'new broom sweeping clean'! But, of course, it is only gossip on the grapevine!!!

LOL - wonderful!! My builders start putting up the new guttering on Monday! Now I know what to do with those bits left over!!!

A tribute by John Rutter

Yes, Colin, I knew someone would pick me up on that! But Saint-Saens only uses the organ in the 3rd symphony - there are four others which have no organ part. I suppose I was thinking in more general terms - Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Berlioz, Dvorak, Bruckner etc. Even in England there are no organ parts in any of the Seven Stanford symphonies or of those by Parry or the Elgar symphonies. However there is an essential organ part in the Havergal Brian 'Gothic Symphony' and I have a feeling in a couple of the other 31 he wrote!!! …………………………………. and I would agree about the organ entry in 'Cockaigne' too!! I knew it was a dangerous statement to make!

As I said. In the case of Elgar he marks the score ad lib! Elgar doesn't regard it as necessary! In the case of 'Cockaigne' there are only 14 bars of music for the organist to play - and I can see why 'the authorities', whoever they might be, would be reluctant to pay professional rates for 14 bars! In an orchestral concert it is pretty unlikely that the organist would be needed for any other works being performed. How many composers include an organ part in their orchestral works? I'm struggling to think of any in standard orchestral repertoire (dangerous statement!!!!) I agree with iy45 about the organ in the last variation being an aspect of the self portrait. And I find it difficult to understand why Elgar wrote ad lib at the front of the score - because the effect when the organ pedals enter at fig 78, marked by Elgar 'ped. 16' & 32'' followed by the big chords at the presto, at 79, is devastating - even if the organ part does nothing more than support the orchestral harmony.

You're right Colin - Elgar certainly knew what he was about when it came to orchestration! Interestingly, though, he marks, on both the scores to Cockaigne and to Enigma, that the organ is ad lib. In Cockaigne there is only 14 bars of music for the organ and, in Enigma, it only appears in the last variation. But I would agree that the organ entry, in the finale, 100 bars from the end is devastatingly powerful and should never be omitted. There are no organ parts in any of the five Pomp and Circumstance Marches - save for No. 1

That is an experience I have also had! Unfortunately, at the time and for reasons I'd rather not disclose here, I couldn't give up!!!

https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=E01835 The second picture? Is that the kind of thing? Described here https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N05143 as: "W face of limed oak paneled in a Georgian style (clearly later than front) to impost level, above which is a screen of natural pine lathes (clearly later still - possibly 1960s)" If you don't know St. Mary's Lastingham it is well worth a visit. Both St Chad, and his brother, St Cedd, who is buried there, were Abbots of Lastingham. The crypt is completely magnificent and Mass is said in there every Wednesday morning. The church, above, was heavily restored by Pearson but, I think, is one of the most ancient and venerable places in the UK.

Not three months after his retirement and going to God on the Feast of St. Cecilia. Requiem aeternam

I'm not sure that phrase is always helpful - although I do know what you mean! It's not my thing either but I suspect that 'my thing' would not appeal to quite a number here! I know a church, no names, that is, for want of a better phrase, 'happy-clappy'. Actually a better way of putting it would be to say that they are extremely Evangelical, only just within the boundaries of the Church of England, and what they do, I'm told, they do extremely well. In the church there was an organ. It was built for that church around the turn of the 19th/20th century. Given no Diocesan Advisor, no Diocesan bureaucracy, it would have ended up in a skip thirty years ago! Indeed that was the desire of the then incumbent. Now it has been taken out of that church and is, as I write, being rebuilt to go into another church where it will be used and valued. The DA knew of the instrument, knew of a church that was wanting and managed to marry the two! Success! On the other hand I know, I'm sure that we can all recount, of occasions where the DA has suggested one thing and the church has stuck to its guns and gone in another direction. I'm told that, my late good friend, Raymond Sunderland, at Bridlington, in the early 1970's, stuck out against an Advisor who wanted to scrap the old Anneessans organ and put in a Baroque 'box of whistles'. Raymond eventually won his case and the Priory organ, since rebuilt again, is, I'm told a magnificent beast! Bureaucracy, as I have said, may be a d****d nuisance sometimes. My experience is that, generally, it can be made to work to one's advantage. Rarely, although I'm sure we can all give examples, does it totally hinder!

And thank goodness for it too! Because, without bureaucracy, a bit like the Roman church used to be, any Parish Priest or Vicar, would be able to do exactly as the mood took them and we all know where that can lead! Bureaucracy might be a d****d nuisance sometimes and some of those who administer it may not, always, exactly agree with our viewpoint but having it there protects the rest of us from the excesses of some of the modern clergy and of passing liturgical fads!!

Together with the, now abandoned ARCM. it makes some of us feel a little 'put out to grass!!!!

The Improvisation on The First Nowell is also available, free, on IMSLP - and it looks well worth playing! http://petruccilibrary.ca/files/imglnks/caimg/e/e3/IMSLP533632-PMLP862971-Burton_First_Nowell.pdf

Totally off topic but my late wife's father, who was a remarkable man, built a television for them to watch the Coronation! Wasn't it the Dean, it would have been Dr. Alan Don, who was concerned about the service being televised in case it was watched by men in pubs wearing their hats!!

Actually only the Credo and the Sanctus! The Service music was as follows: Fanfare I Anthem ‘I was glad’ :C.H.H.Parry Fanfares II, III, IV, V Introit: Behold, O God our Defender*: Herbert Howells Gradual: Let my prayer come up * : William Harris The Creed (from G minor mass): Vaughan Williams Come, Holy Ghost: VIII Mode Melody: arr.Ernest Bullock Zadok the Priest: Handel Confortare *: George Dyson Rejoice in the Lord: John Redford O clap your hands together: Orlando Gibbons I will not leave you comfortless: William Byrd O Lord our Governour *: Healey Willan Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace: S.S.Wesley Homage fanfare VII founded on Scots tune ‘Montrose’ Hymn: All people that on earth do dwell: arr.Vaughan Williams Versicles & Responses, Sanctus: Vaughan Williams O taste and see *: Vaughan Williams Gloria in Excelsis: Charles Villiers Stanford Three-fold Amen: Orlando Gibbons Te Deum *: Walton Fanfare VIII and God save the Queen: arr.Gordon Jacob (fanfares I to VII composed by Sir Ernest Bullock) * these were First performances! In addition during the procession of the Regalia: Oh most merciful: Charles Wood Litany for 5 voices: Thomas Tallis Not a foreigner in sight!!! And I have a feeling that the music for the next Coronation will be a good deal more eclectic!!!

No doubt there is someone on here who will correct me and it seems a little bizarre but I'm sure that I remember reading somewhere, possibly in the Kennedy book, that Vaughan Williams, when conducting Bach Passions, as part of the Leith Hill Festival, which he did for years and years, refused to have a harpsicord in the place and had the Recitatives accompanied by piano.

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I'm sorry - perhaps I am being a little dense - but I don't understand that comment! I thought the organ at Gonville & Caius was by Klais - put there in the early 1980's! Is there a move to replace it?

St Mary Aldermary, Watling Street, London.