OwenTurner

I used to know a chap who made a wage of hiring out Hammond organs for gigs. He complained that he had to replace a lot of keys due to excitable tribute acts based on that precedent. I am sure replacing a broken key isn't an easy job, but gets easier with repetition!

I'm sure the situation was not unique when I was once one of a group of three volunteers and an organ builder sitting inside a big instrument overdue a rebuild in one of its final fundraising concerts, under instructions to watch things that might stop working. So that was four of us regardless of the console crew.

I think there's something going on with a pencil in this - jump to 45 mins in for about 5 mins. Player is Claire Innes Hopkins, on Hradetzky 1973 IV / 40.

I've no feel for this but how does the frequency of awarding of honours to cathedral musicians compare to honours to senior clergy, perhaps deans?

The Maxwell Davies 'Farewell to Stomness' is paired with 'Yesnaby Ground' in the piano book. Both transfer to organ well and are unlikely to frighten a congregation. If you would consider music pre-dating Burns and you are inclined to open the Fitzwilliam book on occasion this book has a few good pieces in it: Early Scottish Keyboard Music. Transcribed and edited by K. Elliott. Stainer and Bell I'd commend Tom Wilkinson's performance of the same Cull transcription, played at Paisley Abbey, available as an apparent filler on a CD of folksongs. If you have Spotify, I think this link will take you there

Not sure what others think but I've found JBIOS 44 an absolutely compelling read and I have found it hard to put down. For me this annual book justifies most of the annual BIOS fee.

King’s Cambridge must be the richest of all our choral foundations. They must get significant recording royalties not to mention the TV fees or their belonging to one of inevitably the richest educational institutions in the world. If the point was to encourage donations to some fair balanced committee such as “Friends of Cathedral Music” I can see your point as very reasonable.

Anything an employee gets given by employer for free is taxed as a benefit in kind in schedule D income tax. The usual mechanism is that the value of the benefit is decided and then taxed as if salary and recovered in PAYE by a reduction in personal allowance. There would also be a year end P11d form and a likely personal tax return. This area is most common with company cars or company funded health insurance but it is bound to apply to accommodation I fear. It strikes me that being a paid choir member (eg lay clerk or choral scholar) is potentially a lot more lucrative, by the hour, than an organist. A lay clerk will rarely need to do a lot of prep outside contracted rehearsal time, an organist inevitably will. Fairly obviously, people don't take up these appointments with the money as the attraction. Coupled with a part time teaching post, perhaps some BBC "Daily Service" work, some big weddings and concert work I am sure it could look better, but all those are extra work too. We are all lucky that there is a queue of amazingly talented people wanting to take such posts.

Glad to have seen West into a post box. Grace is still available.

I seem to have acquired two copies of each of these. Both spares are aged though have intact spines and are in readable condition. Free to a good home. I might even pay the postage as I can’t face putting them in the bin.

Two interesting videos I have come across. I found the Leighton spellbinding:

I enquired to this one a few months back http://www.pipeorgansirl.com/kennethjones and the figure of 16,000 eur was floated but transport and reassembly would be on top. I stopped subscribing to Organists’ Review a long while ago when a letter to the editor which I’d written was edited to half length but in such way as to change its meaning and make it unpleasant! What are they advertising? My heart is set on something like a double decker Collins, though space and funds mean I need to wait another few years probably. In my younger days, when I’d more time and enthusiasm than now, I was blocked or rationed for practice which stifled my development. I was a tracker snob and didn’t want to touch anything else. In retrospect I regret that stance! I’ve a Hammond RT3 at home and up to about 8+4 type of tone it is acceptable if you want to note bash to learn repertoire that you can take and hear and play properly somewhere else. The pedal board is to American dimensions so a bit different to UK conventional but not enough to make a difference. There’s a lot going for unplanned snatched frequent sessions in the warm without having to negotiate for keys, and a dead acoustic helps develop technique more than a forgiving one.

Volume 1 is in Lancashire library collection, according to a quick internet search. This was a very good collection when shelved in Preston until the 90s and I think still intact in boxes. Not sure how you’d get at it though. Contents listed as: Voluntary in F, Sarabande, Voluntary in D minor, Air, Prelude on "Rockingham", Postlude on "Nun danket Alle Gott". Try internet searches of a few counties and you’ll probably get there. I remember Leeds had a very good collection better than Preston. Cardiff’s was good too. Leeds and Preston were mainly pre 1960 books where I guess the scale of investment declined but Cardiff included some newer publications. These are just places I’ve visited and spent significant library time, far from a comprehensive view.

An internet search returns the British Carillon Society saying there are 15 in UK http://www.britishcarillons.org/carillons-in-the-british-isles/ and Wikipedia gives 20 as follows of the 5 disrepancy, one is counted twice (Godalming / Parkgate). I've put the others in bold and followed the links for a couple and they look real. Perhaps the BCS one is out of date, some have become unusable or there's some definition criteria which makes them proper or improper. I guess they're not easily mislaid. There are 20 carillons in the United Kingdom. Aberdeen: Kirk of St Nicholas. 48 bells by Gillett & Johnston Armagh: St. Patrick's Cathedral. 39 bells by Taylor Bournville, Birmingham: The Bournville Carillon. 48 bells by Taylor and Gillett & Johnston for his model village.[33] Dumbarton: St. Patrick's Church. 23 bells by Gillett & Johnston. Godalming: Charterhouse School. Guildhall, Kingston upon Hull Kilmarnock: Bell tower of St Marnock's Church. 30 bells by Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Leek: St Edward's Church by Gillet & Bland 1874 London, Old Bond Street: Atkinson's Carillon. 23 bells by Gillett & Johnston. Loughborough: Loughborough Carillon. 47 bells by Taylor.[34] Newcastle upon Tyne: Newcastle Civic Centre - The Edith Adamson Memorial Carillon. 25 bells by Taylor.[35] Parkgate, Cheshire: Mostyn House School. 37 bells by Taylor. Donated to Charterhouse School in 2014.[36] Perth: St. John's Kirk. 35 bells by Gillett & Johnston and Peter Waghevens of Mechelen. St Andrews: Holy Trinity Parish Church. 27 bells by Taylor St. Helens: St. Mary's, Lowe House. 47 bells by Taylor[37] Saltley: Our Lady of the Rosary and St Therese of Lisieux RC Church. 23 bells by Gillett & Johnston Spalding: South Holland Centre. 23 bells Little Walsingham: The Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. 12 bells by Gillett & Johnston 1936. Enlarged to current number 1993 by Taylor Wisbech: The Wisbech Institute. 23 bells York: York Minster. 35 bells by Taylor.[38]

Can’t be any harm posting this here: Dear BIOS Member, We thought that you would like to be given early notice of this important new publication by our President, Dr Nicholas Thistlethwaite, and particularly of the special offer being made to early subscribers. ---o0o--- A new book by Nicholas Thistlethwaite marks the restoration of the Minster’s organ. The book documents the earliest reference to “a pair of organs” in 1236 and describes other instruments right through to the present day. It will be published in Spring 2021 at a retail price of £30. It can be pre-ordered now with a £5 saving by emailing HLFGlass@yorkminster.org. Early subscribers can also have their name inscribed in the book.

Thanks Nic for sharing this, and having just listened to a few recordings of this that is one where the harmonium is most prominent to the recording balance as well as a great performance. The score is available at https://imslp.org/wiki/Bagatelles%2C_Op.47_(Dvo%C5%99%C3%A1k%2C_Anton%C3%ADn) and others. I note that the title page says harmonium or piano. I'd say that the writing isn't pianistic though, with sustained chords and swells within the chord. I supposed a pianist could arpeggiate but that's not written and it could easily end up sounding like a choir practice accompaniment. There's more doubling of the string parts than I'd realised through my headphones too. The swells within held chords would be too much for the pipe organ without frequent stop changes within a phrase. You'd be playing the pistons more than the keys in some phrases. Very interesting.

Wow, thanks Tony for such an informative response and a link which in turn opens up lots of other links which give me plenty to digest. I’ll post back once I’ve read it all and see if my conclusions pass muster.

I bet I'll stand corrected by people with better knowledge of the topic, but isn't there a rule that if your institution changes academic dress you should wear the dress that was current at the date of your graduation ceremony? I'm sure I remember this when the university of Wales split out (and my hood lost its shot silk and became cheaper but I needed to stay with the expensive one) and I think it applies to the CNAA qualifications too, though in those cases the institutions changed so this one is probably different.

I realised, only this week, that I have had an unfair perspective of harmoniums. Dissecting this, I am annoyed with myself because I have judged them on a very limited experience of poor instruments (or instruments in poor condition) played badly; the very same perspective as the ordinary person in the street (or perhaps church) might have of the pipe organ! Anyway, spotting the Scott Brothers' home concerts such as https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS3t-xzVGqc as well as stumbling into some recordings on Spotify of Joris Verdin, playing Franck and others, have made me consider getting hold of one and self-learning. I have missed what looked like a good opportunity on eBay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174476547488. I wonder if anyone has any experience or advice, in particular of how long they take to master and whether they are rewarding to play?

All straight forward at Southwark. Peter Wright retired. https://www.london-se1.co.uk/news/view/9902

I didn’t know there was a piano version. Who publishes it? Does it work, is it worthy, as a piano piece?

Would the Walker 1986 organ in Bolton Town Hall (an insurance funded new instrument after a fire) be the last new civic instrument by a British builder? I seem to remember comment that it was disappointing, but I can’t remember the source or reasons. Can anyone enlighten? St David’s Hall Cardiff has had well known problems too.

Very interesting, thanks S_L. I've never heard of this before. Does it really work? In my experience of the Hammond and its equal temperament 2 2/3, 1 3/5 ad 1 1/3 drawbars I don't think it does. Does it work here or is the ear and brain forever trying to bend it into what it ought to be?, a bit like practising on an out of tune keyboard instrument.

Yes great news indeed. Here’s hoping that a good number of the old firm’s workforce can find suitable roles here or elsewhere. For me, if I ever find the spare cash, floor space and obtain spouse permission to commission a modest house organ, I am firmly committed to buy British and I’d urge others to seriously consider the same. Some continental builders are probably cheaper but, in my opinion, we need to support our own firms wherever we can.

Hi Andrew It is on another thread but this is the link you are missing: https://www.houndscroft.co.uk/organ-forum/