John Robinson

I'm very pleased that my request elicited so much interest. Thank you all. Your suggestions are being 'short listed' as I write!

And where the microphones were placed. The Royal Trumpets come across as particularly forceful, sounding wonderful in 5.1 surround sound. Their sound is without doubt my favourite of any of the 'party horns' I've heard anywhere. As a slight aside, the demonstration track concludes with what may be described as part of a 'Fantasia on the Harry Potter Theme'(!). Was this an improvisation especially for the DVD, or is it part of a published work?

I wonder whether I might prevail upon members here to offer some suggestions for wedding music... ...with a big difference! My neice is getting married soon and has sent us all a message asking for suggestions for music for her reception. She asks for "favourite songs to: - dance to - chill out to (I believe that this means to relax to, rather than putting in a freezer) - eat to" Of course, I'm sure she expects us to suggest some 'pop music' (or whatever it's called these days) but I thought, just for a bit of fun, I'd list some suitable organ music! At least her grandfather, who is an organist, might appreciate them! Any suggestions? Perhaps not too obscure, or she won't have a clue what I'm talking about.

I hope we're not including case design in the equation!

Ah, I didn't know about the Bombarde being a later addition. Perhaps you're not so old, after all!

Not sure about this, but I do know that televisions and Wiis (whatever they are) have replaced books!

Sorry. This naughty computer posted it twice.

I haven't heard it for a long time, certainly not since they moved the Choir organ, but what about Armley?

I'd go along with all of this (I was a choirboy there for a very short time). Why they built an organ chamber like that when they extended the cathedral beats me. Then again, do architects ever consider the organ? Find a box or a little side chapel to put it in and forget about it! The loss of the Nave organ (it was there when I was) is also sad. A building like that, with a deep organ chamber facing south to boot, really needs another organ at the west end, and a 'hi-fi' in its place isn't the answer, in my opinion. I think we both feel the same way about the previous powers-that-be at Bradford. Didn't someone end up at Lincoln and upset everyone there, as well?

I agree with this. York is, of course, a mongrel (a bit of Elliot and Hill, a bit of Hill, quite a lot of Walker, some Harrison and topped off with some Coffin!) yet, to me, it sounds perfectly cohesive. One of my favourites, too. Changed three times? In my lifetime, I think it has changed twice - 1960 and 1993. You must be very old(!), or did I miss one?

That's just taken me back and reminded me that whenever we sang: ...I, ere I sleep, At peace may be I hadn't a clue what I was singing about, probably because I had never heard the second word before. I never read the words - it was just singing parrot fashion at my school - so I thought the word was 'air'. I always liked the tune, though!

Duplication does not bother me at all. I find it interesting to compare the sounds of different organs, although a wide range of music is also nice. I have them all, so far, and am presently trying to persuade SWMBO to buy me the Exeter one as a late birthday present, or an early Christmas present. My favourite so far is St Pauls: an organ with a very interesting range of sounds, further extended wonderfully (if I'm not being too sycophantic) by our hosts in 1977.

This is one of the most entertaining threads I have read for some time! Thank you, all.

This is one of the most entertaining threads I have read for some time! Thank you, all.

Indeed. Terra incognita to many!

Great. We'll try to call in some time. Thanks.

Thanks, Barry. That's worth remembering. Free old pennies? Don't you have to pay, then?

I think it's a shame that these no longer feature in pubs. I'd much rather listen to one of these than a juke box! And only a penny, too!

I thought it meant 'little old lady'!

Hear, hear. Carlo is one of the most effective evangelists of the organ and, God knows, we need all we can get!

Quel bon mot. Still, I suppose you and I shall one day be 'wrinkly old prunes' too!

Hear, hear. Standing throughout a service is good for the soul!

I agree. I didn't mean to imply that ET is perfect; I'm well aware that thirds are 'way out', but that we have become accustomed to them. This also, as I think has been mentioned, has implications with regard to the use of mutations, especially in chords. I'd be more than happy if everyone* adopted one of the 'better' well temperaments for the reasons I said. There would be at least one key which will be unpleasant or even unusable, though, but I suppose that if a piece of music happens to be written in that key one option would be simply to transpose it. (*Assuming that instrumentalists or orchestras intend to play along with the organ.)

If Bach (and others) wrote for 'well tempered' temperaments, wouldn't it be more authentic to play these on an organ tuned to one of these temperaments? Of course, do we know for certain which specific temperament Bach wrote for? Then, of course, if an organ is tuned to one temperament, perhaps that is good for Bach, but not for other composers. Personally, I feel that a 'well tempered' option would be preferable on the grounds that each key would sound different (whereas in equal temperament they all sound the same, apart from pitch). The downside, needless to say, would be that certain keys would be at best less than perfect and at worst unusable. If playing along with orchestras or other instruments, there would have to be some agreement for them to re-tune to fit in with the organ. The easiest option, of course, would be for everyone to continue to use equal temperament, but I feel that something of colour is missing!

I've just received this DVD and I have to say that I am very impressed with both the playing and the organ, whose grandeur belies its (relatively few) sixty stops. Perhaps more impressive is a recitalist who can play all those pieces (and no doubt many more) from memory. I feel proud to share the same name (although I can't play a note myself)!