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Joanna Lumley plays the organ in Jam and Jerusalem, playing Nimrod and accompanying 'All things bright and beautiful', both in the first ever episode. Trevor Peacock (as Jim Trott) plays the organ in the vicar of dibley

But I also have that same first name, and wouldn't think my suggestion of Tournemire is exactly a weird taste (although that would depend on your opinion of that particular piece).

Tournemire Victimae Paschali- because its a farily ubiquitous easter piece and i haven't learnt it yet. I need to learn some Langlais at some point as well, as Peter recommends; trying to get to grips with the Te Deum atm (amongst a load of pieces by other composers) simply because his 100th birthday is not far away.

Of course, if you live on a farm, like me, you would have a substantial stone barn which is bird proof and damp proof and would be able to install the following: Builder: Harrison and Harrison Pedal Subbass 16 Principal 8 Flute 4 Posaune 16 Great Principal 8 Stopped Diapason 8 Octave 4 Flute 4 Fifteenth 2 Mixture IV Trumpet 8 Swell Chimney Flute 8 Echo Gamba 8 Voix Celeste 8 Principal 4 Fifteenth 2 Harmonics III Cornopean 8 Oboe 8 However, for the living room, the following would be somewhat more feasible: Great Stopped Diapason 8 Principal 4 Quint 2 2/3 Octave 2 Swell Chimney Flute 8 Spitz Fltue 4 Principal 2 Quint 1 1/3 Trompette 8 Pedal Subbass 16 Of course if space did not permit this you would lose the quint stops.

:angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: O dear o dear o dear! We think we've seen it all then these sort of things happen. How did you react btw?

Whoever had such an idea as floor level consoles.... They are an absolute nightmare for me, especially playing for services in a school chapel where during a voluntary people will walk past and say "can i press a key?" I have learnt how to refuse them permission while still playing, but sometimes this doesn't deter them. How nice it is at church to have an organ loft!

Back to the topic... Most Oxbridge organs are good, and it really depends on what your tastes are. They all have a nice sound, and all the ones which I have played (at Oxford: New, Worcester, Magdalen, Queen's, St. Peter's and the Keble toaster; at Cambridge: Emmanuel, Girton, Pembroke, St. Cats, Peterhouse, Caius, Selwyn, Queen's, Robinson, Sidney Sussex and St. John's) I have really enjoyed, although playing Franck on the Robinson Frobenius was interesting to say the least!

In my experience many of the good organists end up as organ scholars at Jesus College, Cambridge. Of the current organ scholars there, one has FRCO already and I'm surprised the other hasn't yet (or maybe he has now). My point is that New College seems to be quite far down the 'priority list' for many of the young organists of that calibre. Therefore they don't appoint an organ scholar as they can't find one of appropriate standard often enough, and so they end up with only one organ scholar at any one time, so they have to appoint an assistant organist as well. This is nothing new: both Robert Patterson and Matthew Martin have held this post in the recent past (neither of which were ever organ scholars of the college).

In which case I refer you to the following: Vicar of Dibley between 3:00 and 3:15

I don't think the vicar of dibley has a toaster. All that is ever shown of the organ is some pipes with one manual and a pedalboard attached to them. The vicar of dibley organ music was recorded at christ church, in the same whay that the theme tune was recorded by their choir (as with most howard goodall tunes)

I think, for example, that most of the Vicar of Dibley organ music was recorded on the Reiger at Christ Church, Oxford, played by David Goode or Stephen Farr or someone like that. That's why Jim can seemingly play Wachet Auf on the one-maunal instrument.

The comment was very much off the cuff as i remember it; indeed i would be surprised if anyone besides myself and Barry have remembered. I don't really think that this opinion represents people's thoughts in general about Kings/Queen's, it only represents one person's view.

I was there; I thought she was referring to Queen's college, which could be described in this way; in my opinion it's one of the best in Cambridge. I also like the Emmanuel College organ. And btw girton's console is incredibly uncomfortable to play! (at least that's how i found it)

I'm playing four carol services this year, for four different congregations, and they're all getting the same voluntaries: Before: Nun Komm (599) and Wachet Auf (Bach) After: Carillon de Westminster (vierne)

I am often asked (when I have to pick the hymn) if I would be able to play a certain hymn which is called 'Caterpillar Caterpillar munching munching' (this is completely true!). Absolutely dreadful.

Before: Vierne Berceuse plus some improvisation until the vicar arrived; After: 3rd movement from Mendelssohn Sonata 2

Who do you think successors will be? I think Andy Lumsden may very well go to St. Paul's; Adrian Lucas may be resigning from Worcester to apply for the John's job, after all he was an organ scholar there.

No, they are really really good!

I think Colin Walsh does prefer playing to directing; I think this system is in place at Lincoln currently: Colin Walsh plays for the boys choir, which the sub-organist Charles Harrison directs, while for the girls choir Charles Harrison plays and Aric Prentice (choirmaster) directs. As for recitals Colin Walsh plans all of them, and plays a fair number as well. I think he gave up being director of music at Lincoln due to the number of recitals he plays in faraway places As for Christopher Robinson doing all the playing at Windsor, this seems less likely as he tends to be seen more as a choir director than an organist

The following is not quite as hilarious as that, but it concerns a chaplain at the school where i play services: he started his blessing (which he was reading out of the service sheet) as follows, "Christ the sun of darkness shine upon you..." (as opposed to the sun of righteousness)

Has it ever been known for cathedral organists to pursue a well-paying job simulatneous to their cathedral post, or indeed for anyone to give up such a job to be a cathedal organist i wonder?

There are many other organs which have have exceptional loft arrangements: I once remember eight people cramming into the Corpus Christi college Cambridge loft, which is tiny, and then a similar number of people in the (not much bigger!) loft at Clayesmore college in Dorset. If you are in the nave of the Clayesmore chapel, then you can see how precarious this might be: the organ loft seems to be suspended over the south-west end, and I was surprised that the construction propping it up could support the weight of the console, let alone eight visitors! Incidentally both of these have stone staircases. Luckily the organ where I play (St. Mary's, Hanwell, Middlesex) has a very spacious organ loft accessed from a side gallery; it is constructed in such a way that there is a space in the middle of the organ as well, which is big enough to walk in and sit down. At the other place where I play (St. Paul's School, London), an organ loft would be most welcome, as it would stop busybodies pressing keys/pulling out loud pedal reed stops at imappropriate places in the middle of your playing. Do any other organists who have no organ loft suffer from this?

People may say that Mr Nethsingha is young, but then again so was George Guest when he was first appointed at St. John's. And he seems to have a proven track record, and he was at John's himself. These seem to be good reasons for appointing him.

What I think needs to be done about the organ is that a new four-manual needs to be built, and instead of trying to incorporate a choir organ into the concrete case, to build a 'nave' organ. If that was done the concrete case could be used for its oroginal purpose. The only other course of action would be to restore it back to its original condition, and that would leave us with a Hope Jones, which may not be to everyone's taste.

New Cathedral Organ Appeal What are people's thoughts on this?