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Are you sure about that? I heard it - once - but it is a long tome ago!! I think there is very little Hope-Jones left. All of the choir, save the Tuba, is from the 1935 Hill, Norman & Beard rebuild and the Great and Swell have additions from 1905 and 1935. I think, if I remember rightly, it has had a rebuild reasonably recently with all of Hope-Jones electrics being removed and put 'on display'. The console is, broadly speaking, Hope-Jones but the stop keys are not the original ones! I think that the church has seen some re-ordering also - and, very slightly I'm under the impression, along the lines of St. Michael-le-Belfry in York! …………………. but it is in beautiful part of the world!!!

Mozart - Fantaisia in F minor K608Bach - Trio Sonata No 5 in C, BWV 526Liszt - Prelude and Fugue on the name BACHDuruflé - Prelude and Fugue on the name of AlainBartók - Six Romanian Folk Dances (transcribed by Thomas Ospital)Improvisation on given themes

LOL - my experience of going into St. Michael-le-Belfry was being asked at the door by a welcomer if I "had been saved!!" - I went into the 'York Arms' too! Getting rid of the organ will enable them to have more room for another screen or drum-kit or whatever other impedimenta they use for the worship of Almighty God!! Certainly the organ will be appreciated in St. Laurence's which is undergoing a dramatic revival. Not of charismatic fervour but of, slightly, High Church Anglicanism - which I thoroughly approve of!!!

Mass is to be said in Notre Dame this evening, Saturday June 16th, for the first time since the fire. For safety reasons it is being said in the Chapel of the Virgin, on the east side of the cathedral, behind the choir, with a small number of invited guests who will be required to wear hard-hats and will be celebrated by the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr. Aupetit. The Mass is to be televised on French Catholic TV Channel KTO. June 16th has been chosen as it is the date of the anniversary of the consecration of the Cathedral.

I see that the, long silent, three manual, Wm. Denman organ that has been languishing, seemingly unloved and un-used, in the North aisle of St. Michael-le-Belfry, the church next door to York Minster, for years and years, is to be rebuilt and re-located to St. Laurence's Church in York. St. Laurence's has been without a pipe organ since 2011 when the organ from there was rebuilt and went to Lastingham in North Yorkshire. Nicolson's of Worcester are to do the work and there is an interesting review of the work they are doing on their website.

And taken from a concert that included a first performance - Music for Malmo by Trevor Grahl and Souvenir a work by John Cage written in 1983/4 for the American Guild of Organists. 'Facebook' tells me that by the 6th day of the Malmo Organ Fest 5900 people had visited the Organ festival!

I also spent ten minutes of my life trying to work it all out!!! It's not quite as absurd as it, at first looks!! My understanding is that the six manual console controls not only the new 18 rank choir organ - and its pedal organ -situated on either side of the church - which is entirely extension, but also the 'great Marcussen' organ, a large 'straight' four manual which is in the West Gallery of the church and also the small echo and altar organs - the remains of the 1914 Walcker organ. I can't make up my mind whether the console is the way things will go from now on! "It'll never catch on!" is a dangerous phrase to use - not that anyone has - yet!!! And I can't make up my mind whether I like the console either! But, like MM, I won't be booking a ticket either!!! 500 posts - I didn't know I had so much to say!!

I'm not sure I entirely agree with that. Both of my parents were honoured, and both with the CBE. My mother earned it for her work in France in 1944. My father for his work during the cold war. My late wife's father was knighted for his work for the defence of the UK in 1941/2! I looked at the list. I wasn't aware that Sir Stephen Cleobury held a Doctorate but his knighthood was, nevertheless, well earned! Jonathan Dove, the composer, Prof. Joanna McGregor, the pianist and Mark Padmore, the tenor have been awarded the CBE.

Let us hope that, following the interregnum which begins on Trinity Sunday, the newly appointed Vicar of Hull Minster is as keen, and supportive, as the departing incumbent, to see the 'Grand Organ' fully functioning. The organ is a magnificent beast and there is clearly a desire, by the present authorities, to return it to it's former glory.

I'm sorry - but, on the innumerable times I played a 'cello concerto with a symphony orchestra, in a strange concert hall, often in a strange land, I had other things on my mind than the tonality of the instrument!! ……………………….. but there are, of course, members on here for whom this is hugely interesting. I, and a couple of others of us, aren't among them though!!!

"Hmm. I understand the issue leaves some cold and seems only theoretical, but the way in which the scale notes interact with the harmonics of the instrument has a great bearing on what the instrument sounds like, its tonality in its acoustic." OK! So what!!! Perhaps it leaves me cold because I am, first and foremost a musician and not, in any way, shape or form, a Scientist. It is my proud boast that I don't have a Science O level to my name! There are others on here who are, also, first and foremost musicians but do have interest in scientific thought and different temperaments and have contributed to the thread. One of the good things about this board is that we are a diverse bunch of individuals and, I had hoped, the days of patronising and talking down to other contributors were over!

I ought to be - did I ought to be? - I'm not sure - but I don't think I am! I've read all of the thread and, in truth, it has left me completely cold! I haven't felt that I wanted to contribute or that I could contribute. The conversation as to present performance, of any period of music, will go on and on. Some will present this argument others presenting that argument. A similar comparison might be - Are you a 'tubby' Bach man - or a 'skinny' Bach man?

Oh dear - that does bring back some memories! I knew of a Chapel, in Hull, where the organist did exactly the same but he also held the final chord on for every verse for, what always seemed, an extraordinarily long time - just in case anyone felt the urge to sing the verse again! If they did he would increase the volume and off they went again! My grandfather, a local preacher, was fond of 'starting up' again! Indeed he left, in his will, that we should sing the hymn 'I will sing the wondrous story' to the tune 'Hyfradol' ( at least it wasn't the Bilhorn tune!) and that we should sing the verse 'I was lost' twice. In the end we did but the organist held the chord on for the last verse as well and someone decided that that was worth a second go too!! Seven verses in the end - Bizarre! I think it was a feature of Primitive Methodism! My only reason for saying this that Redbourne Street Primitive Methodist Chapel in Hull was the only place I have ever come across the practice - and my grandfather was a local 'Prim' preacher! Doesn't help your problem - but it's a good diversion!!

Hello. I've done this a lot but it is difficult to explain exactly what I do and I have never used Musecore! In Sibelius, I basically copy the SA line and put it into the treble part of the keyboard part - with 'Notes - Arrange - keyboard reduction up to 2 voices per staff. This copies the music exactly and sometimes it looks a bit of a mess. I then do exactly the same with the TB parts onto the Bass line. I then 'tidy it up' and make it musical - the text needs removing - sometimes there is more tidying to be done (if the A part goes above the S part, for instance) sometimes none! Tied notes I make into single notes. As I said - it's difficult to explain - but that's it in a nutshell - or have I misunderstood what you want?

"There is a collection of Four Pieces by Ernest Farrar who was killed in the First World War in 1918. The volume contains his Fantasy-Prelude Op.5, Prelude and Variations on a Ground Bass Op.22, Elegy Op.13 and A Wedding Piece Op.18. Farrar was taught by Stanford and he himself taught Gerald Finzi. The collection is published by fitzjohnmusic@btinternet.com Please forgive the commercial!" from : David Patrick - Mander Organs Forum - October 25th 2014 Hope that helps.

and of Railway memorabilia!!! I had a 'good rummage' a lot of it I would never have used but it was definitely worth the time - if only to find out about the Hull to Barnsley Railway company!!!

Perhaps a better phrase might be 'An Anglican church in the Evangelical tradition'. It's not my tradition either - and I wouldn't go - but, rather than single figures sitting listening to Choral Evensong, it seems to be packed every Sunday!!!

The only female member of Les Six, Germaine Tailleferre, wrote, in 1939, a Prelude and Fugue for organ with ad lib Trumpet and Trombone. There is also a 'Nocturne' for Organ dating from 1977. Helene Fleury-Roy wrote an attractive Pastorale for organ. There is an Alleluia for organ, written in 1958 by Lydia Boucher, a Canadian composer and music educator. She was also a Nun and taught composition and organ at several Canadian institutions. It wouldn't surprise me if there was more out there by her. Evelyn Faltis wrote a Mass with organ Op. 13b and a Fantasy and Double Fugue with Dies Irae Op. 12 (in 1922). Johanna Senfter, who had been a pupil if Reger left, as you might expect, a number of works for organ. Fantasie and Fugue Op. 30a, A set of Seven Chorale Preludes Op. 30b, a set of Variations on 'Morgenglanz der Ewigheit' Op. 66, Ten Choral Pieces Op. 70 and Six Choral Preludes Op 73

I don't agree - and, speaking as one who has played at the 'Proms', on a number of occasions, as a 'cellist, I think to use the phrase 'scratching of strings' does you little credit!

Perhaps this is true - it's certainly bad planning - and they did it last year as well if I remember! - except that the first Sunday of August was always one of the Sunday's I was absent from the organ bench! Perhaps others are too! The week afterwards, on the 10th, Olivier Latry gives an Organ Recital at Buckfast Abbey performing music by Widor, Schumann & Saint-Saens as well as the Bach Fantasia & Fugue in G minor - after the piano version by Lizst - ending, of course, with an improvisation.

I remember, a long time ago, Lionel Dakers writing an article about paying a visit to a church! He was invited for lunch at the home of the organist and was surprised when he looked at the organist's CD collection. His comment was that he had never come across a collection with such a wide variety of music, in all his visits at Director of RSCM. I remember looking at my CD collection, at the time, and thinking how strange it was that he felt he needed to comment. My collection, in those days, featured main-stream orchestral repertoire, organ music, opera, oratorio, chamber music and so on. It also included the complete works on CD of Messiaen, John Cage and Stockhausen as well as music from the 13th cent. to the present day . Were organists that narrow minded? I fear so - certainly in those days! Is it the same nowadays? In some circles, very much so although I do think that those who have studied at a half-decent University or Music College have, possibly, in the last 30 years (it is nearly 50 years since I graduated!) been exposed to a wider spectrum of music than in previous times! I am reminded of when I was a student at RCM prior to University. I took part in performance of the John Cage Theatre Piece. The day after the performance which began with one of the performers counting to ten, hitting a cymbal and eating a banana, we were summoned into the Registrar's office "We'll have no more of that kind of thing!" we were told! It was a time when History of Music lectures conveniently stopped at the doors of the 20th century!!! I don't think you are being cynical VH - I think you are, very much, touching on the truth! But of course, I don't claim to be an organist!!!

An ex-student of mine went, after composition lessons with me, to Diana Burrell, I think when he was doing a Master's at the Academy. She was, he told me, an inspirational teacher. Arched form with bells is available on a recording with Kevin Bowyer which also includes works my Brian Ferneyhough, John Tavener and Wilfred Mellors - among others. The music is available on UMP. It was first performed in 1990 at a Prom, by David Titterington. Also on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9ny4EmDEyE

27 women composers are featured at the 'Proms' this year. ………………………………. but of organ music - I'm not sure I could name more than half a dozen - if that!!!!

Lots of really exciting Music at the 'Proms' this year. Already mentioned on another thread is the visit of Olivier Latry on 14th of August. The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig play Bruckner's huge 8th Symphony preceded by Michael Schonheit playing Bach. Unaccompanied choral Music features in several Proms and major choral works include Berlioz L'Enfance du Christ, Walton Belshazzar's Feast, Elgar Music Makers, Rachmaninov The Bells and Janacek Glagolitic Mass (with Peter Holder) And, between the 19th of July, the beginning of the 'Proms' and the 14th of September, when they end, there are 28 Organ Recitals taking place in London.

M. Macron has said that Notre Dame will be rebuilt within five years and, I have a suspicion that he will ensure that this is achieved if only for his own political ends! I think what concerns me is the way it will be restored. Our village church has just spent two years being restored. It is an ancient building, a Templar church, nearly 1000 years old and, living within 500 yards of it, I have to have specific permission to rebuild or even replace any building on my property. The restoration is now complete and I would have thought that our, twice yearly, Mass might resume - but the doors remain firmly locked on a Sunday. There was a funeral the other day and I attended the Mass! English heritage would have a fit! Plaster had been chipped off the walls and replaced with new plaster and then somebody, very carefully, had painted the new plaster white and drawn red lines all over it to simulate stonework. The outside of the building was cleaned - not with high pressure water but with a industrial electric sander, thereby removing a substantial amount of the already quite soft stone. The ancient door has been painted a nasty colour of brown rather than be carefully restored. And it is like that all over France and not only in little village churches. My daughter was in Chartres cathedral some time ago - they were cleaning the stone in the choir! Actually they weren't cleaning it - they were painting it - white! She was horrified. There was a discussion some time ago concerning the new console at Notre Dame and many members thought it not to be in keeping with the architecture of the building. Be prepared for some interesting developments at Notre Dame. The French idea of restoration is very different from what you would be allowed to do in the UK.