Rcamp
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Posts posted by Rcamp
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I spent a fair bit of time on the rebuilt St Albans instrument a couple of years ago and found it very good indeed. A local organ builder was with me and was also very impressed.
However, we moved on to St Georges, Windsor a couple of days later for 2 Sunday services and realised that we had been fooling ourselves!! It simply blew St Albans out of the water. The fact that it speaks down the nave meant for a very exciting couple of services in the quire with lots of party horn and roar!!
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You are forgetting, perhaps, that this is the Internet. It is a long-accepted "principle" that whoever owns an on-line forum, bulletin board, mail-list, blog comments section, can "take his ball home" any time he wants and for any reason or none. There doesn't have to be a "policy" - it is a judgement call for the forum owner. If the owner finds something tasteless, then it is tasteless and will be removed.
I have had comments of mine removed, in other places, and not agreed with the "reason" for removal (if any were given, which is seldom); I suggest that you do as I do - just "roll with it".
Moderator, Mander Organs
Fair enough! Thanks for the response
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Responding to the alert (Reported Post) relayed to me by John Mander - tasteless joke deleted, and all the posts that referenced it.
Moderator, Mander Organs
I am surprised by this I have to say! Is it policy to censor anything that has a complaint raised against it?
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. Am I too sensitive?
I think so SL but let the mod decide and then we'll know. Accept and move on. We all have different standards and CB only implied words - the level of offense depends on what letters you replaced the **** with!
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I was very taken with Muso's description of the 16' Tuba at Hull 'barking away like a Cavaille-Coll Bombarde on acid'.
The account in 'Choir and Organ' of the new Nicholson organ at Llandaff Cathedral describes it as 'cheerfully authoritative' when leading a big congregation, which I thought was a particularly happy way of putting it, and a fine proof that the organ is successful in doing what it is meant to do.
Stephen Hamill of Belfast used to describe the quality of French-style reeds, especially in the bass, as 'blasphemous'. Especially when delivered in a Northern Ireland accent, I reckon that paints a perfect picture.
Laurence Elvin used to use the term 'loose' to describe certain types of diapasons, and Father Willis Ophicleides have been described as 'ripping silk' (I think this term was specifically applied to the one at Cirencester PC).
On the other hand, the buried and enclosed Choir Organ at St. Mary-at-the-Walls, Colchester was described by the organist as 'a fart in a trance'. (The organ is now in Brentwood Cathedral, where it has a much better site than in its original home).
Do any more such apposite descriptions of organs or stops spring to mind?
I well remember you telling me about someone standing beside the pedal reed at Down Cathedral describing it as "bullfrogs from hell"!!
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PM on the way shortly....
it never arrived
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PM on the way shortly....
Look forward to it!
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Not quite.
Ralph Downes gives some fairly good clues as to his opinion of it in his book Baroque Tricks - Adventures with the Organ Builders..
I never met Elgar or Sumsion, neither have I ever owned a handlebar moustache. However, I did meet Ralph Downes - specifically to discuss the rebuilding of the Gloucester Cathedral organ. It featured in a chapter of my degree thesis and so I telephoned Ralph Downes and asked him if he would be prepared to meet and share some thoughts on the rationale of the re-design. He readily agreed and was most gracious. We met at the RFH, after one of the old 'Wednesdays at 5.55' recitals. He was quite candid in his remarks - and left me in little doubt as to exactly what he thought of the old Gloucester H&H.
Please do share!
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Try this about the boys of ST Pauls...not sure if this is on already. I couldn't get a direct link, so click below and its one of the first clips from the cathedral's website
Oh dear! Not what it was under Scotty and certainly nowhere near St Barry's high standards!
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It's a strange thing, but one of the things I remember most clearly from the Organ Club's visit to Paris in about 1975 was Andre Fleury at St-Eustache - on the old organ....
I see that the Johnson was played as part of a master-class with Yanka Hekimova - now she is a stunningly good organist. We had her at Belfast Cathedral twice and she was amazing. The first concert, in particular, was the best I have ever heard on that organ - or anywhere else in Ireland come to that.
USOC (Ulster Society of Organists & Choirmasters for those of you not from these parts!) did a trip to Paris in 2006. I also found ST-Eustache quite memorable for the NEW organ and Yanka's playing although it was obvious who her teacher was seeing her there and play in his style on his organ! Luckily the old man wasnt about and we got to play it!
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Well here's a genuine treat for all lovers of English organ-music, which I stumbled across almost by accident:-
http://www.youtube.com/user/Theodopolis?bl.../48/vhK_XEdSaNQ
After God knows how many years, the penny has finally dropped about the Elgar Sonata.......I've heard a PROPER rendition of it for the first time....wonderful stuff!
It's interesting that Herbert Sumsion did the Elgar in one take.
Enjoy!
MM
It is an amazing recording! Its a pity its recorded a bit close IMO. Much better than anything I have heard since although I need to catch up on the recordings mentioned above. I referenced this recording when learning the Sonata - I'm still learning it! It should be remembered that people who lived in the era and knew the composer are likely to interpret the music as it should be rather than someone who was born much later and has no direct link. I imagine the best person to interpret the music of Bairstow is FJ for example.
Its amazing that this organ was dumped in favour of its successor and at least it wouldn't happen now - I hope!
Perhaps I am missing something but what exactly was wrong with the Harrison?? I'm not surprised Sumsion never set foot in the place again after they put in the squeak box!
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This is so very true! I used to play for a lot of funerals at a church in Portadown, Northern Ireland. At one point, the place got rather shaken up by a nearby terrorist bomb. After renovation, the acoustic was quite reasonable, but shortly afterwards they put down carpets and the difference was immense. It was never a favourite organ of mine (apologies to Double Ophicleide, who will know which one I mean!), but it sounded a damn sight better without the carpet.
HA! I know you never quite liked that particular instrument and I understand why. I still do a concert there every Christmas and it frustrates me no end. It's about to have the soundboards renovated as the runnings have become unbearable. Unfortunately the church has no money to do more. The organ builder (WK) proposed new soundboards with some tonal alterations/additions that might have addressed some of the short comings but alas its not to be!
The carpet was always there BTW (well at least since the 70's) but it was taken out for the renovations. The few weeks we had without it after we moved back in were glorious and made a real difference to the organ and the choir whose sound carried so much better down the church. Wish I had recorded it at that time!
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After my recent bashing of neo - classical positive divisions and all things 60's and 70's in general... I would like to ask a practical and sensible question. So here goes for anyone here has been an organist at Magdalen Oxford or Christ Church oxford, or anywhere else without something approaching a romantic swell division with chorus reeds.
How do you get Stanford in C and Balfour Gardiner Evening Hymn to sound sensible? I notice a fair amount of that kind of repertoire on the music list of CC Oxford. Any ideas? I'm thinking more about achieving a suitable blending sound rather than the problem of organ management without pistons - though that's a valid concern too! Personally I've never had this issue to deal with - every organ I've regularly played has done justice to the English repertoire, but I realise there are many out there who have a more complicated task!
I played Darke in F, Stanford in C and other such repertoire in Ch Ch in 2006 with a visiting choir and I agree with Hecklephone that you simply have to accept what it is and play it like a musical instrument and not try to make it sound like a Harrison or Willis! I found it a good instrument and while it wasnt my cup of tea I enjoyed what it had to offer and really brought Bach alive for me in a way that other instruments never had. Warning though if accompanying a choir; it is very easy to swamp them - it really is a case of less is more!
I also played Magdalen at the same time for one service and hated it - I would set fire to it in a heartbeat. I had expected it to be the other way around and was pleasantly surprised to end up playing extended practice sessions on the Rieger as I enjoyed it so much!!
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Thought this news might be of interest from Philip Prosser...............
"After thirty-three years tuning the Cathedral Organ I heard today that my services are no longer required."
A great shame that Philip should be treated this way after all that has gone on over the last 10 years never mind his many years of service that have gone before.
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The 2001 scheme included mostly new pipework for the Great chorus. The existing pipes had been worked over and rescaled, but in many ways the effect just didn't come off. As you say, the Choir Cimbel is an excellent stop and really clinches the presence of the organ in the building. Unfortunately, many visiting players failed to grasp this.
I understand your opinion of the new Swell sharp mixture. The 2001 scheme aimed to exchange it with the Vox Humana so as to get it on the main soundboard, where it would be more amenable - always assuming that we could still 'trem' the Vox! There was also to be a new Principal 4 in the Swell in place of the Octave Gamba, which was just that bit too thin to support a bigger chorus (it is, in effect, a Geigen Principal). When adding upperwork, so much depends on what is already underneath.
I would be loth to alter the Swell chorus reeds. They are fine examples of their type and were voiced by W.C. Jones, as were all the reeds. The Tuba I found fine enough, but it needed the octave coupler in the completed building and with the new upperwork. There was a plan for a Fanfare Trumpet in the opposite triforium (with promises of donations for the soundboard and pipes), which would have capped things off when needed. It sounds a bit extravagant, but Belfast Cathedral has a lot of civic and military services where it would have justified itself. The Great Trombas are extremely fine - not as loud as some (e.g. Redcliffe!), but surprisingly adaptable. I mentioned that they capped off the Positive chorus perfectly - they shouldn't have done, but they did!
Philip Prosser was anxious to add new reeds to the Great, with the trombas in a secondary role. I was always uneasy about this and think that a really good principal chorus would have served more than adequately.
I, too, used to use the Solo (particularly the Orchestral Oboe and Viole) a lot to 'rough up' combinations, especially in stuff that was written with a Cavaille-Coll in mind. I think I was proved right one year when two candidates played the Franck Second Choral for an LTCL exam. Both played more than competently. One used the registration I cooked up for him and passed, the other played it like any old English organ and failed (he passed the next time, using my stop combinations).
I think the reason for the 32' Wood failing to sound properly was its elevation - I believe such stops are very fussy about location. We did find that it was speaking on static wind and added a new reservoir to give it a more appropriate pressure, which helped things somewhat. In my opinion, the 32' reed was too much of a good thing and should have been shaded off a little in the bottom octave. Was it you or Peter Thompson who used to use it in the Gloria of Bairstow in E flat at boys' Evensong on Tuesdays??? I sometimes used it without the 16' - e.g. towards the end of the St. Anne Fugue.
I think that the tweaking Philip carried out during my time made the best possible effect from what was there, but one still had to avoid certain bad spots. The 2001 scheme would hopefully have removed these and resulted in a finer and more tractable instrument - and because Philip had such a long and treasured connection with the place, the price was more than reasonable. In the present circumstances, I think it could be another twenty years before another attempt is made.
Interesting! I was unaware of the new scheme being as far reaching tonally. I always use your French registrations as St Annes and the instrument really works for this sort of stuff if you couple everything and select carefully!!
I nearly always use the 32' reed on its own as the 16' is a bit too foghorn like for most things IMO. It may well have been me in the Bairstow - I always aimed to get at least one "blow" in during every service and often managed a few more I suppose - still do!!!
It may not take 20 years so get the instrument sorted but it will take quite a while. H&H looked at it, by invitation of the cathedral, a couple of years ago. I was not told what they said about it or suggested, even though I did ask. Who knew such things were so top secret??
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Quite magnificent if you took the trouble to work out how to drive it, but infuriating in many ways.
The original organ was installed at the east end of the south aisle of the nave, which was the only part of the building completed at the time. It was a three manual, consisting more or less of the Great, Swell and Solo plus the Pedal without the 32' reed and the upperwork. The idea was to move it to a loft in the south transept with the console on the other side. In the event, there was a long wait before the north transept was built, so the console went on the south side behind the organ.
Nearly all of the old organ was retained (against a fairly influential amount of advice to scrap the lot and start again), with the following alterations and additions:
Great: Rohr Flute substituted for Hohl Flute (I never understood why - the Rohr Flute is quite plummy), Harmonics reconstituted as Mixture 19.22.26.29, Cornet V added on new chest, Sub Octave Reeds coupler scrapped(big mistake).
Swell: Mixture 26.29.33.36 added on new chest
Positive: all new, in ruckpositiv position (although the console was downstairs), plus the Great reeds and Cornet borrowed.
Solo: Clarinet revoiced as Cromorne, Octave, Sub and Unison Off scrapped(very big mistake).
Pedal: Quint 10 2/3, Fifteenth, Octave Flute, Twenty Second, Mixture 22.26.29, Bombardon 32, Fagotto 16, Bassoon 8 (44 note unit) and Shalmei 4 added. [uOpen Wood scrapped[/u] and the 16 and 8 derived from 32 (another big mistake).
There was a certain amount of revoicing, deleathering and rescaling, although the organ had originally been conceived for the completed building and scaled accordingly.
The worst part of it was the Great chorus, which was gormless. The big diapason was fine, but the second one not particularly pleasant and the Principal rather characterless. The Mixture was pretty filthy and the whole thing suffered from an unsteady wind supply. Philip Prosser revoiced the Mixture as well as could be, and the wind was improved by changing the wire from the bellows-top to the chopper valve to cord, which quickened the response quite remarkably. There were some really splendid Great stops, particularly the Geigens 16 and 8, and the Trombas, although smooth were not overbearingly loud.
The new Swell Mixture worked reasonably well (the old 12.19.22 one was retained), but was a b***** to tune, being on its own soundboard. Thank God they didn't ditch the Vox Humana to make room for it! Altogether, the Swell was a very distinguished department, but the build-up of the flues in the completed building lacked firmness to a certain degree.
The new Positive was as unlike the rest of the organ as chalk is from cheese. Everyone will know the sort of thing, but this was a textbook example. No nicking, light, spotted metal pipes. The 8' Diapason had a whacking great chiff at the console, although down the church it was much more civilised. The lack of a 4' Flute was very noticeable, and the 2' was a very big-scale open metal flute which didn't fit in with very much (it would have made a good Tibia if corked). However, if you coupled the Positive chorus to the Great chorus, it sounded very fine indeed. Because of the less favourable position of the rebuilt organ, the Positive had the effect of drawing the sound into the building, booted firmly in the behind by the Full Swell. Oddly enough, the Positive chorus with the Trombas added was a superb sound, for players who were imaginative enough to discover it.
The octave couplers to the Solo were sorely missed, particularly for use with the excellent Viole.
On the Pedal, the loss of the big Open Wood was unfortunate, although the ensemble had just about enough weight (on a visit when I wasn't around, I believe David Wyld said it was the weakest set of pedal basses he'd ever heard, which I think was an exaggeration, but not a complete one). In its new position, the 32' octave of the Double Open Wood could never be got to speak properly on some notes. The Fagotto unit had insufficient presence to be much use and the Schalmei was too soft to be accompanied by anything decent on the manuals (again, many readers will have been here before!).
Nevertheless, once one learned how to get around the awkward bits, it was a superb sound, in a huge acoustic (7 seconds echo), and very adaptable to different styles. As Philip Prosser once mentioned, 'With this organ, you know you're in the presence of a bit of class'. The trouble was that too many players registered with their eyes rather than their ears and sometimes it didn't yield its full potential. Some of those who got the measure of it included Stephen Cleobury (the best Liszt BACH I've ever heard), Yanka Hekimova (quite remarkable altogether) and Roger Fisher (although, oddly, he liked the Great chorus!).
Others who know the instrument may well disagree with my assessment of it, but I played it for a lot longer than anyone else (apart from Ian Barber, the excellent Assistant Organist, who had already been in post for some years when I arrived in 1988 and is still there), so I reckon I had the measure of it pretty well. Interestingly, over the years as Romantic music came back into fashion, a number of recitalists said they preferred it to the Ulster Hall.
It might be born in mind that the rebuild took place at a particularly nasty period in the Northern Ireland Troubles, and it was remarkable to have got it done at all.
By the end of the century, a growing number of minor action faults pointed to the fact that an overhaul was going to be necessary sooner rather than later. A lot of the work had been done when the organ came out in the sixties, rather than when it went back in in the mid-seventies. Bearing in mind that in Philip Prosser we had one of the UK's most accomplished voicers, Dean Shearer agreed that we should also try to improve in the areas where the tonal scheme had proved not quite right. A scheme was evolved which would have rebalanced the Great and brought the whole job into better cohesion. Unfortunately, it got as far as installation of the new action and cleaning of the Great and Swell when Dean Shearer died. The organ would have been his last big project before retirement. The powers that be then sank the whole scheme, the new regime was not disposed to be friendly to it, and thus it has remained ever since. At least we got back the couplers which were lost at the rebuild....
David, I agree with your view of the instrument above but I do have a few reservations! I really think the Great chorus should mostly be scrapped. In my opinion (and of others who know the instrument well) it needs replaced with pipework that actually has some musical value and works in the building. David Briggs said it sounded like a Copeman Hart...............
In my view the instruments biggest problem is that H&H simply took the old organ and moved it back into a building that had grown by about 30-40% and did not re-voice a lot of it to suit. The regrettable losses you mention did make a big difference and the lack of weight in the pedal is a problem that still needs addressed. The tuba doesn't cut it at all and is easily swamped by the rest of the instrument, the trombas being much finer reeds of the type.
At the time of installation the troubles where at a peak so it is understandable why H&H didn't want to hang around but they did not leave an instrument that does them any credit now. The 32 DOW never worked in the new chamber despite the fact that it worked very well in its old position (I am told!) and H&H certainly didn't have to worry about any issues with lack of space, St Anne's having one of the biggest chambers around.t;;;
For my money 2 of the best stops on it (that you don't mention) are the solo orch oboe, which is simply one of the finest examples of such a stop anywhere in Northern Ireland, and the the choir Cimbel which works so much better in chorus than the new swell sharp mixture. I generally avoid the new swell mixture and feel it really needs to go on the main soundboard. (The vox humana would have been better on a chest of its own). The wind supply to it isn't terribly good on its little chest and the (very smooth) swell reeds make it sound flat. On the subject of the swell reeds, I always wondered if they would work better on the great organ with new reeds for the swell? I would welcome your thoughts on this. When David Briggs played a few years ago he avoided the swell reeds like the plague and concocted all sorts of reedy sounds using the solo reeds with the sub and super couplers. He did use the trumpet & clarion for bigger moments but I don't think he used the swell double trumpet at all!
Of particularly special mention should be the 12 note extension of the pedal Ophicleide which is one of the most bombastic and dirty 32 reeds in existence!!
Details of the spec from 1976 - c. 2001 here http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=D01440
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A purely hypothetical question here - and I'm hoping as always to draw on the experiences of members who have played much more extensively and on many more instruments than myself.
You turn up in an English cathedral with a visiting choir to play for an Evensong (for example). You have never played the organ before, although you know the music well, and the repertoire is a relatively substantial setting requiring numerous registration changes (a Stanford, Dyson or Howells, perhaps). You haven't had time to arrange a visit beforehand to practice or familiarise with the instrument, so you arrive with about half an hour to spare before the choir are due to rehearse. How do you spend that half-hour getting to know the instrument? Is it just a matter of looking at the pre-set registrations used by the incumbent organists and pushing some pistons or is there a more methodical way?
On the occasions I've been presented with an unfamiliar instrument (not in a Cathedral, I hasten to add) I've tended to dive straight in but is there a better way?
I suppose the question could equally well apply to giving recitals too.
I too simply run through the divisionals, try and remember what most of them are, and then set some generals (if available!) for some stock registrations. For more complicated stuff I try and find a couple of levels of generals and set up major registration changes.
I have almost stopped using the sequencer on instruments I dont know as I have been caught out too many times with over complicated systems I haven't had time to get my head round! I had to hunt for which general i required in the middle of the Cook Fanfare at St Albans a couple of years ago after I hit general cancel and the system turned off rather than just cancel and stay where it was in the sequence which is what I was used to on the 3 instruments I have played locally with sequencers. I also seem to remember giving up on the sequencer at CC Oxford a few years ago and doing it all on divisionals and my organ scholar & I doing a few bits of hand registration.
I had to play at St G's Windsor a couple of years ago and we arrived 15 minutes before the service due to the coach driver getting lost and the choir having to run from a coach park to the castle! I arrived at the console dripping with sweat and had to launch more or less straight into the pre-service music. I couldn't get the camera to the conductor to zoom in and relied on texts from one of the tenors to give me an idea of balances - I got messages like " we cant hear you" and "more, more, more". I quickly realised that the whole thing speaks into the nave and you can really go to town when they are all in the quire!! By the end of Eucharist and through Matins & evensong I ended up having a ball after a very off putting start.
I should mention that I had played at Windsor about 12 years before for a week but I had forgotten everything about balances etc that I had obviously discovered before. I had also forgotten what a superb instrument it really is - and coming straight from St Albans to it made St Albans seem a very poor cousin indeed!!!
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Philip Prosser looked after the organ at Belfast Cathedral while I was there - and still does, as far as I know. He once told me that he was assigned to Gloucester because of the voicers available he was the one most likely to be able to work with Downes. He is a fine voicer, and did some sterling work on the rather unsatisfactory Great chorus at Belfast (the revoicing at the 1976 rebuild left something to be desired, but to have done anything at that point in Belfast's history was quite heroic). He is also one of the best tuners I have ever encountered, exceptional on mixtures and much better on reeds than most. We had a scheme worked out to pull the entire organ together and balance it as well as could be done for the completed building, but everything was thrown out when Dean Jack Shearer died suddenly in early 2001. The organ work would have been his last major project before retirement. Perhaps this year, with a new Dean to be appointed, Philip will at last have the opportunity to finish the organ in accordance with his vision.
On the subject of consoles, I quite liked the HN&B style. I even liked the sugar-lump pistons, especially since they were least guaranteed to stay straight. The old RCO organ, although tonally infuriating in some ways (that 2' flute on the Great!), was at least a comfortable beast to drive.
Philip does indeed still look after "the beast" as I seem to remember you calling it years ago prior to letting me loose on it before a lesson or 2!
He also looks after the other 2 big instruments in Belfast (Ulster Hall and St Peters Cathedral) but has scaled his work back to tuning only these days. I don't believe there is anyone else locally who can keep these big instruments in as fine a fettle as he does although St Anne's was in a reasonably poor state in December, when I played it last, which I believe is mostly due to the situation there and no one even thinking about getting the organ tuned!
I have pointed Philip in the direction of this thread and hopefully he will read it and make some comment. I have also asked if I may read his unpublished work and if he would even consider having it published in some small way.
David, I wouldn't hold your breath on the job being finished in any way soon. There is barely a choir and it will take a new Dean, with a new DoM, some considerable effort and time to sort that out before considering the organ. Maybe in 5-10 years!
Hope all is well with you!
Best regards
R (double ophicleide)
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What do Boarders think about the solo string chorus at Ely??
Contra Viola 16
Viole d'Orchestre 8
Viole Celeste 8
Viole Octaviante 4
Cornet de Violes III
When I was younger I thought it was rather a luxurious waste- but I haven't heard it since.....
I haven't heard the Ely chorus but if it is anything like the Durham one it is absolutely wonderful and adds a whole new range of colour particularly to the Psalms. I remember spending nearly a week in residence with a visiting choir in Durham a few years ago and used the string chorus a lot. You could use the orchestral reeds with it and really do all sorts of things. Sounded great with full swell too!
Best
DO
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I'm sorry to read the lukewarm or negative reactions to Richard's post. Anyone who brings the organ and its music to more people has my wholehearted support. As for bringing the Christian message to the wider public, I suspect I am not alone on this board in seeing that as one of my aims in life - and I am proud to say so.
JC
There is no doubt that any church musician is bringing the Christian message to the wider public - even if they either don't "believe" or don't wear their religion on their sleeves. However, I think that every single cathedral musician who is involved in the Opus Dei is doing more than Ms. Bish to promote the Christian message as she seems to play mostly concerts which happen to be in churches and she just happens to be a Christian!
What I am sorry to read is the negative comments about Cathedral organists!! I am not one BTW, just a humble parish church organist who happens to play in Cathedrals a bit.
Can Roffensis clarify what he thinks Cathedral organists should be doing more of? Bringing the organ into the modern world or the Christian message or both??? And could he suggest how they do these things and when/where?
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You're making an awfully big assumption that many of our cathedral organists actually believe the message themselves...
And when would our Cathedral organists find time to do this??? I don't think Ms. Bish plays in a church that produces first class music on a daily basis!!
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When I was there on June 21, I saw that a new console was situated near the entrance of the quire.
I just now read the latest newsletter concerning the restauration of the cathedral, which makes me believe this is a new permanent situation and the console is not going back to its previous position in a loft above the quire stalls.
The newsletter states " ....the opportunity is being taken to provide a new alternative console which will be positioned on the church floor."
So the original console remains; this being a new additional console I believe!
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Hmmm...?? these claims are in fact more likely to be true!!
I am the best, most accomplished organist with the largest repertoire in GU51 3LT!!
Exactly Douglas! Don't we all use the facts, whatever they may be, to our best advantage? If we are honest have we not all exaggerated slightly on our CV's or at least worded something to show it in a better light? Particularly those of us who are not in the same league as Cynic, PCND et al!!!
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Following on from GP's thread about playing to the gallery, I thought I'd ask for opinions about 'crowd pleasers'. By this I mean pieces of legitimate organ music that an uninitiated crowd might be likely to get into even if they haven't heard them before*. Pieces like Vierne's Carillion de Westminster, Mushel's toccata or the Lanquetuit toccata that has been discussed here recently.
I'm especially interested to hear of lesser known music that you have found has gone down well whenever you have played it.
Best wishes
J
*So I'm excluding (for the purposes of this thread) transcriptions like Thunderbirds.
I find most Whitlock always puts a smile on peoples faces!
Recordings of Gloucester Cathedral Organ
in The Organ
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Received and appreciated! Sorry things have been so chaotic for you. I'm forever glad I didn't go into teaching!!
As mentioned elsewhere on here some time ago I know someone who voiced much of this organ and has written about it. The work remains unpublished and I have yet to read it but I must chase him up again as he did say I was welcome to read it.
WIll keep you updated if I do manage to get my hands on it.