Colin Harvey

I don't think I would be so hasty to apply the all-or-nothing rule. The metal lever finished in a fleur-de-lys is a very nice touch indeed. Is it a coupler? At least this looks like proper calligraphy in the right inks on what looks like vellum, rather than laser printer on pretentious printer paper... I had a look though the photos. It's very French. It's beautifully made. All that oak! A magnificent case, too, superbly executed. This is what building organs should be like. I wish Bernard Aubertin the very best.

I've got a friend who sings there at the weekends, who tells me they're very into their early English stuff there on the organ during quiter moments - stuff like Byrd, Gibbons, Blow, Purcell, etc. It comes off very well on that organ, apparently and works well. Perhaps something like that would be a good idea - especially if parts of the organ will be out of action and if practice time is short (which I guess it will be).

Well, that's increasingly becoming the Russians. Worth noting that about 90% of internet connections in the UK are routed through the hook of Holland though. But 100 years ago?

A very interesting post. I would like to make 2 points further to this: Matching new material to old material is an extremely difficult job and very few people ever get it exactly right, or indeed, are encouraged to try (especially in England) but for a few notable projects. I remember talking to a renowned expert who inspected Naumberg and a few others who had an insider's view on the project. It really was a magnificent project, painstakingly getting every material detail right - including painstaking archaeological work restoring the frame back to its original state but not completely excising evidence of later additions. I know many projects wouldn't have bothered with this sort of thing but it brought its own rewards, like finding that the old evidence of joins lined up exactly and so they could be sure they had got the frame right. However, when it came to the new pipework while the key things, like the scaling, pipe construction, etc, are as close as could be found, a few detail differences were introduced: the number and depth of the nicking is not the same and the attack of the pipework is just ever so slightly different - but only someone who really knows what they're listening to would know. Tonally, the organ hangs together and is an outstanding experience but they stopped short of going the full 100%. The rest of the project has gone through each detail so carefully, one can't help but wonder whether the treatment of the new pipework being very slightly different to the old is intentional. I guess the question would be: Why would they do this? An organ which will give an authoritative experience of what Herbert Howells had in mind. I think over the past 50 years, we have experienced great uncertainty about what our organs are supposed to sound like and this created a serious threat to Britain's rich heritage of romantic and symphonic organs. Over the past 150 years, we have experienced a period of unprecedented technical revolution on the organ, which charming backwaters like rural Holland largely managed to escape. I think that the organ reform movement needed to happen and make the development of the organ turn full circle and re-establish itself as an artistic creation, something 150 years of technical development had the unfortunate by-product of almost excising, whether by accident or purpose. Converse to my second sentance, alongside the reform movement of the past 50 years, came a growing awareness that organs serve a historical and musicological purpose alongside their purely functional purpose, especially those organs linked to important musicians. The discipline of historical restoration has only come about in the past 40 years and now supposedly "traditional" names like Harrison & Harrison are leading the way in this country. There is a need for custodians of organs - both organists and the councils that are responsible for their upkeep - to be aware of the differing needs and factors on their organs and to act responsibly for their future. Although the tide has turned and there is now an awareness of these issues that wasn't around 60 years ago, there is still a long way to go. I am very aware, even from this board, that there are many PCCs and organists who still strive to have that mixture altered or celeste added to more extreme action like wholesale replacement with an electronic imitation, in the name of functional requirements for today's needs. There are also organ builders out there - even some fairly major names - who I wouldn't trust to put forward good advice about the future of an organ and who I wouldn't count on to do any work sensitively or intelligently. That is alongside the difficulty of communicating these issues to gain the interest and support from a largely ignorant public and the difficulty of securing funding. But the tide has turned and the picture is far rosier than it was 30 years ago. But there is still a need to be vigalent and to improve what is still an uncertain picture.

I agree got back after 3 weeks holiday and spent 3/4 hour getting rid of a stray service sheet left erroneously on the music desk and polishing the pedals. I was in a right mood, swearing under my breath... A duster is now specially kept in my little box by the console for dusting. I'm sorry, I must go. A bird has just landed on my balcony railing. I must disinfect it again and then my cat's teeth will need their early evening flossing...

Thanks for the info. I wondered why the Brustwerk sounded so open and airy and unlike a brustwerk - now I know.

The pedalboard looks like a replica, with short octave, etc. I agree with Vox Humanam, it looks too new to be the original. It certainly isn't a radiating concave pedalboard.... Interesting to see how the player looks slightly too large for the console - I guess they must have been a couple of inches shorter in the 1690s... I just discovered the following which demostrates all that was unique and brilliant about Glenn Gould, and also why some people can't stand him. For me, a unique musical genius - I know one person on this board who reminds me just a bit of Glenn, especially when they play and the talent starts to hit home...

Browsing around on YouTube, I found another couple of items I'd like to share. The first is Bernard Foccroulle playing Buxtehude's Toccata in d minor very stylishly at Norden. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DROr7_YH7eo Watching this video is very revealing. Things I have noticed is that he does manage to change stops himself and it looks very possible to use heels on the pedalboard. Bernard also does a lot of sliding between notes. Also notice the shove-coupler between the Brustwerk and Hauptwerk - a nice touch. Interesting to listen to the Brustwerk in relation to another discussion on mixtures without principals on this forum. The other is Gustav Leonhardt playing Buxtehude's G minor prelude http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VrGQGi4lvA Leonhardt is one of my favourite organists of all time - arguably my no.1. Every note he plays is so musical. Here, he is in spectacular and virtuostic form. Note how the Hauptwerk couples through to the Ruckpositive - a common feature of these organs. There's much else round here to explore - enjoy!! I saw a brief clip of Leonhardt playing a Silbermann in black and white, obviously acting Bach in some film. One other quick link of wonderous playing (of Sweelinck and not on an organ) has to be this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKkY3oSsCNg

For all those who like Dom Bedos's pictures of the inside of an organ, including a real organ blower pumping the organ, I just came across the following and I knew I had to whip it out to share with you all at once: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qccBF1beTmY&NR I must be honest, this is the sort of organ that makes me excited. There's also a lovely example of a real Spanish trumpet - very unlike many misguided attempts since 1950.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB3IqXy48wo

I have heard a few stories where people have had to take steps to protect their identity on this forum or leave it to preserve their positions because of people with malicious intent using their messages against them. It is very regrettable that there are people out there like that. I think this is a problem with this otherwise cosy and charming common room being in the public domain. However, I wouldn't take this is an argument to move it to a private domain, although I often wish I had set myself up with a little more anonymity myself and often regret some of the posts I've put up myself...

I must be honest, I gave up taking this forum seriously a long time ago. Perhaps it's got something to do with working with real workers in the field who really know their stuff and perhaps it's got something to do with having an organ built for my church that represents what have become my ideals and hence I have no particular desire to rattle any cages as I'm satisfied with my lot. Right now, I wouldn't get too hung up on what is the serious purpose of this forum and getting too intense about it. However, I do have tremendous respect for many of the contributors here past and present, for all that they bring (every contributor brings something very different) and Pierre falls firmly into this group. While I don't always agree with some of Pierre's views which I don't think are pragmatic, I've often found him an enlightening and enlightened voice and it would be a shame to see him - and his considerable experience and knowledge (and his Belgian sense of humour) - disappear completely.

I use the dotted semiquaver trick and find it very helpful. It allows you to practise playing pairs of notes at speed but still at a slow overall tempo. So you still feel fully in control and not freaking out even though you're playing 50% of the notes at speed. Then you swap over and do demisemiquaver- dotted semiquaver to practise the other pairs of notes at speed. It's also really helpful for smoothing out lumpy semiquavers (which many of mine are) and awkward bits like thumb crossings and jumps which otherwise stick out. I use it if I'm finding practising a passage is losing interest or if it sounds uneven or if the passage is fiddly and difficult to get upto the right speed. So try it - unless you are one of these really annoying people who play very dificult passages very evenly at high speed while sight reading. Happy New Year to everyone on the board - just got back from skiing for 3 weeks where I spent the first week with my right arm in a plaster cast after injuring my thumb in a skiing accident so I suspect my playing will be even more lumpy than usual...

One nomination I'd put forward is "What a friend we have in Jesus" to the tune Converse. I cannot understand why some churches still insist on singing it. I came across a Naval version of this hymn "Me no likee English Sailor", a lament by a waterside prostitute in the far East comparing the attributes of the English sailor ashore to American sailors, which was very refreshing. David's 3 hymns are absolute class...

Yes, let's just hope we keep Andy at the Cathedral as well. I can quite understand why the great and the good are congregating round here, ever since Winchester was voted the best place to live in England on the telly...

yes to avatars but please no animated avatars - they are a real distraction on the eye. The new forum looks good! When you re-instate the branding, could you leave out that background image? Sometimes less is more... especially so with website page design. Well done to get it sorted.

That is simply gross - and I can't see the point... even if it were a ravishingly beautiful and nubile female organist, it would still gross me out completely. Who on earth would someone be derranged enough to want to publish themselves doing something like that? I don't like playing the organ in shorts, yet alone wearing rather less...

I'd suggest going the whole hog and going for The Source or Songs of Fellowship. This will make the happi-clappies happy bunnies as they're the best foundation for worship songs and The Source is edited by that leading light of worship songs, Graham Kendrick. They also don't have too many traditional hymns in them so your traditional hymn book won't be under that much threat. Later versions of The Source are supplements to earlier versions, with an ever increasing proportion of songs that are completely unsuitable for congregational singing. My church used to have Songs of God's People (SOGP) that supplemented AMNS (much needed). I think SOGP was a modern supplement to Church Hymnary III - the Scottish equivalent to NEH. I don't know whether Common Ground has replaced SOGP - the editors are the same. I thought Songs of God's People (or Soggy Pea, as we called it) was rather more like no man's land. We eventually decided to replace it with a supplement we made ourselves and I'd recommend this approach - it worked really well for us. The idea was to create our own hymnbook supplement to AMNS, printed and produced locally and just for our church. It wasn't that difficult to do: books like The Source come with CDs of the words for hymn sheets and projectors so it was easy to bring together all the words. We formed a little group of musicians from all camps in our church to decide the contents and ended up with about 75 hymns and worship songs. The exercise knitted together all the different camps of music in the church very nicely and all is harmonious between the groups: Modern traditional hymns written over the past 20 years are well represented, like Christ Triumphant, Praise the Lord of Heaven, etc, and we've also got the best worship songs like "In Christ Alone", "Jesus Christ, I think upon your sacrifice", etc. All parties were agreed upon cutting out dross like "Make me a channel of your peace", "Kum by yar, my Lord", etc. It was printed cheaply in A5 booklet form and the plan is we keep it for about 3 years before bringing out a new version, with more modern "trad" hymns and modern worship songs, while culling the hymns and songs that don't catch on. That way, we can keep current and not replace our hymnbook (the expenditure for which wouldn't be that politically astute for us right now, as the donor of AMNS is still a leading light in the church - and the church has been very generous shelling out over 1/4 million pounds for the new organ... Anyway, the homegrown hymnbook is really cheap to do - the costs are 1 copy of all the hymn books you use, the CCL copyrights (having a single hymnbook rather than lots of bits of paper at individual services has really simplified admin on the copyright licence) and printing costs, which for us and 500 copies, came to about £50 with our very friendly printer. You do need to watch the copyright carefully - make sure CCL cover them. They cover 99% and it's easy to check. It does mean a bit of extra work initially but it'll mean you won't have to worry about an audit of your entire music library every time you do your annual CCL return - just copy and paste the index of your supplementary hymnbook in and off you go... I agree with everyone else - keep your Worcester Psalter! It's the best. If you need something more manageable, do photocopies with the chants and pointing on sheets of A4. Lots of people seem to do it. You can also put in your own instructions e.g. dec and can in funny places, dynamics, etc - it works really well and the choir won't have to juggle 2 books at once. I guess you could recycle the psalms over time if you want to save the planet. Am I wrong or is a heavy duty photo-copier a must-have for churches these days? With CPDL, ever more elaborate psalms and CCL, I find I spend more and more time in front of a photo copier...

Everyone, do also listen to Anton Heiller and his perfect tempo of the G minor fugue, Helmut Walcha (who hits many musical sweet spots missed at faster tempi), Schweitzer and the E Power Biggs Polonaises as well. Van Trichte also hits the spot for me - it's so convincing, measured, perceptive and soooo passionate - in the true romantic manner. These are excellent and inspiring performances. I'm rather interested to note the similarities between E Power Biggs and Fox in their registrational crescendos in the Jig fugue and A minor prelude and fugue. Who'd have thought it! I have to say GTB fugue leaves me cold at all levels, although the recording quality is not great. The organ sounds deeply unattractive, even after the remarkably ugly Atlantic City, and while the playing is fast, it gives no insight or inspiration. It sounds like the recoding engineer turned down the volume knob on the final page - a very strange effect.

Which has now been replaced with a new toaster - a Makin or Wyvern, I believe. completely understandable if you'd heard or played the Copeman Hart. I believe the toaster was a tactical solution until a project for a longer term pipe organ can be comissioned.

Oh, Adrian, you're not already thinking of moving from St. Mary's!?! What sort of Organist is this church after? My mind boggles a bit from your note. What do organists look for when looking for a job? Well, a number of random things spring to my mind: a vicar I get on with and respect, a healthy and friendly congregation (healthy in all ways, preferable), a friendly and enthusiastic choir, well run administration, solvent finances, etc, etc. In a nutshell, I would want somewhere I look forward to going to on a Sunday. My point is the organ is only one factor for a prospective organist, and a factor that can be changed if other factors are favourable. In your situation, I would leave the organ as it is for now and suggest to the church that it may be better to hint at the possibility of an organ project to prospective organists, rather than present them with a solution they may not like and have little likelihood of changing. That will appeal to many more organists, whether they would prefer a 7 stop Brombaugh in meantone temperament or a 90 stop Copeman Hart with "French" voicing. The problem your friend may have is the fear of the unknown and what this new organist may want. In this case, I would give your friend some advice on how to run an organ project, in particular getting good quality, professional, impartial and responsible advice for the church.

Jsut for the record - how many people here have actually had singing lessons?

It certainly does work with a fuller sound, like organo pleno. M-C Alain's recording at Alkmaar uses "organo pleno" (whatever that is supposed to be on the multiple possibilities with that organ), coloured with an 8' trumpet and a 16' manual chorus and very fine it sounds, too. It is, despite its title - "All Men must die" - an optomistic and exuberent chorale prelude: Bach seems to be looking at death as a glorious event, perhaps a release from the drudgery of the earthly life to ascend to heaven for a glorious celestial life with God. The writing, with those consitently rhythmic figurations in the A & T lines lend themselves more readily to a motoric rather than an expressive interpretation and it works best at quite a bouncy 4 in a bar for me. It doesn't have a heavily decorated chorale line which lends itself better to a more expressive and intimate interpretation while its comfortable major key (F major?) tonality (from which it doesn't stray far) gives it optimistic and extrovert character. So, for me, it works best as quite a lively and loud chorale prelude - I wouldn't feel shy about letting rip a bit on this one. Registration wise, I'd probably start with an organo pleno as a base and experiment with adding a reed to give it a bit more colour and roundness.

I agree with pcnd about the need for foundation stops and David Coram that it doesn't need to be loud but provide definition. A 16' flue on the manuals is also useful for accompanying a congregation as it gives support to the men's voices singing the melody an octave lower. One does need to watch out for muddiness, of course. I don't know whether you'd need one on the nave division though - that could be provided by the main organ

He must have been on something - he talks rather a lot about trips and tripping in the Jig fugue - a big hint to about 5,000 people if I ever heard one. But simply fantastic - completely unihibited. It always brings out my inner child in me each time. Love it.

B****R!! I should have gone over to C4 I haven't watched Songs of Praise for years but watched it for the first time last week. It was devoted entirely to Katherine Jenkins, who made very pleasant watching and is actually a properly trained musician with a professional outlook. Such a nice girl, too. I guessed I was hoping for more of the same this week...