Davidb

Yes it does. and a very good album it is too. I seem to remember there is a michael jackson album that features an organ. its probably a hammond though

i brought this box set off amazon. it took 6 weeks but is worth it. The sound quality is good. I recommend it to anyone who plays this period of music, to hear vierne/widor/dupre perform has been a great help to me in performance of their works. Of course if you can't wait six weeks... theres a PM button..

John Rutter is a classic in this field. Well known for his many religious text settings (requieum, christmas carols) yet claims to be a non-believer, or at least unsure.

On Thursday during the Bairstow Lamentations, at our church the lights gradually go out. The **** doing it this year accidentally turned off the choir lights (on one box) before moving onto the second box... this lead to the last section being done in pitch blackness until i could spin the organ light round onto the choir which sort of restored the quality. Pity. It's the best our boys have ever sung (Well, this group)

EXPOSURE this is the key. I joined a choir when i was 7, so got into the organ that way. Now 10 years on, when i have big services and concerts, i often ask friends to turn pages and registar. 3/4 years ago this was met with 'ask someone else' but now i have 6 who enjoy it, and have organ cd's, (one has the complete Bach) even if they can't play a note, enjoy it as is.

As Paul says, what a wide question, but no doubt a good one. The truth is, there is 'no such list'. I've known people who have posted lists before they were given by teachers, but it is so subjective. Maybe there is a small amount of 'must - play' music but it depends what you like Some 'Schools' that are worth contemplating Germanic Baroque There is a lot of quality stuff by Krebs, Walther etc off that well beaten bach / buxtehude track. Much of it is not hard, indeed the Pachbell P+F and Chorale Preludes, though not quite sight readable, certainly won't have you slogging around for the rest of your life. Older English 'Manuals Only' Novello publish a 10 book series on this with blue covers. People like John Stanley etc feature heavily in these. German Romantic Mendelssohn / Karg - Elert / Reubke / Liszt / Reger This starts turning into a lot more technical music. Mendelssohn Sonatas have some lovely simple movements. (Last bit of 6 etc) Dont bother with Reubke unless you are stupid or got a lot of time to spend on it. Liszt has some simple movements (if you look beyond B-A-C-H and 'ad nos') including a piece on the Grade 2 syllabus, that deserves more respect than that suggests!! Karg Elert i don't know much about (Paul has a CD on him, he'll tell you) but the 'Nun Danket' postlude is well known, and probably played by many organists every harvest time. French Symphonic Tradition (Franck / Vierne / Widor / Guillmant) Much of this has extensive techinical challenges of G8+ level. But so much is rewarding. Widor is probably the hardest, the Guillmant 'March on a theme of Handel' is a classic (and on G8 i think) and some of his sonata work isn't fantastically technical. Vierne has the '24 pieces en style libre' which range from grade 5 (bercuse) upwards. Francks pieces have their own challenges, but in a piece like 'Prelude Fugue et Variation' (Subtitle 'this is much harder than you ever think it will be) there are only two or three truly testing moments, mainly starting from Francks large hands! English Edwardian (Elgar / Brewer / Howells / Bridge / Darke / Walton / Vaughan Williams) This seems to be rather fashionable at the minute. Its hard to think of everyone to list, but think of the edwardian canticle settings , and its most of those people. Howells has some beautiful movements (ducks from MM's missile) especially the Psalm Preludes, much easier than the harder rhapsodys. Walton and Elgar both have very good Orchestral transcriptions, Crown Imperial not being the hardest piece ever written (Unlike Orb and Sceptre!) and Pomp and Circumstance 4 is a nice play through if you can do quick pedal scales. French Later 20th Century tradition (Messiaen / Langlais / ?Alain? / Dupre/ Flor Peeters) Much of this stuff is harder on the casual listener, and a very aquired taste (less so Flor Peeters) and harder to learn until you get into the style. Personally i find it rewarding music (Messiaen is not all hard !!! La Banquet Celeste and the vision of the eternal church move so slowly that you can think about it chord by chord... the later being a good trinity prelude) But there are also composers who have stood alone in Organ writing at their time, hindemith definetly being one. That took like 30 minutes... but oh well a break from revision. Hopefully stimulates a bit of discussion. I have ommited to talk about Bach in particular, and other composers that i know others on this board have far greater repetoiral knowledge of

i have got some of these disks, and feel that they are fantastic as a 'record' of what the English cathedral landscape is like at this time. (i hope this is how they're intended:P) I think if it ends up at a 40+ disk set, this could be one of the defining organ recording series, definitely on a par with the 'great european organs' One thing i have noticed on some disks, is obscure works by contempory local composers (such as Ronald Watson on the Norwich disk) - If Regent have any say in this, i would certainly wish they encouraged more of this

Theres been a lot of fuss about it, but it has been standard for many years for Christmas and Easter to be filmed back - to back.

Maybe stretching it a bit, but both Robbie Williams and Gareth Gates were choirboys. And they are FAAAR from the only ones

I'm not so sure about this. To me the basic principles are - You accompany the choir - This is done sensitivly, neither too loud nor too soft (unless indicated on the score, i have seen mp below an F vocal line) - If a part is 'faltering' the ability to help them out through a subtle addition of their notes to the organ accompniment. - Following a conductor for ralls, gaps (Think Stanford in C, could you play that 'as written' ) - In psalms, appropriate 'word painting' Is any of that really too hard to test? possible solutions to me would be (for each point) - an assessment of a prepared piece - as above - self explanatory, have a 'weak' part, for example an exposed treble solo, that needs 'propping up' - A piece with ralls, and breaks, possibly with the conductor leaving an extra long gap to check the altertness of the candidate. - Playing of a psalm. my tuppence worth anyway -

There is a certain beauty attached to accompnying a good choir for sure. Evensong on a summers evening with proper (non kendrick-ised) music is really one of the great pleasures in life. One of the favourite services i ever had the pleasure of accompnying had: Smith Responces Psalm 147 ( Stanford) Wood in D (underated) Evening Hymn (B-Gardiner) and a piece of Stanford to finish with. Not exactly shine jesus shine is it?

Thank you for the opinions expressed, they have certainly raised good points to me, and equally put a lot more (positive) questions in my head) As ?pcnd? said, i think a lot of this has a lot to with where i want to 'end up'. In an ideal world (which we don't live in) i would be very content with my lot if i ended up as an assistant organist at a Cathedral (more so than as a DOM perhaps) - To this end i think that going for an ARCO might be the best move. I plan on discussing this with my teacher when i next see him (Saturday) and if he thinks it is apropriate for me.

I've discovered that i've never written in this thread. so here goes. David Ballard, 17, from 30 miles out into the north sea (alá near Norwich) Presently doing A-level's inc music, Grade8 playing in the summer. Hopeing to do UEA music degree Presently, Ass. Organist at St. Nicholas, North Walsham (Town of about 12,000) with Men and boys choir, singing every sunday morning, and 1 or 2 full evensongs a month. (especially festivals) Hopeing to move onwards in the organ world , slowly but surely!

Thanks mr bouffant, My 'aim' in life is to have a career that involves playing the organ in some way, be this in a cathedral (the 'ideal' scenario) or in a school which has a well established musical department, if that makes it any clearer. From the point of view of 'too learn new repertoire' - I am fortunate to be able to do 6-10 hours of practice a week, (hopefully going up next year at uni) so have never found it a problem.

Hi guys, your advice has always been invaluble in the past so i've got another poser for you: 'What do you think would be the best move after Grade 8: ARCO, ABRSM(dip) or other?' (and why!) All i know at the minute is that I will work towards one of these exams (im presently 17) but am unsure as to which. Any help greatly appreciated

Ours stays either on or off all the time. I can't think that i've ever used it though, can't think of a more annoying thing.

We have the usual delights of our vicar and 'family services' - normally lets hit the lowest common denominator. Unfortunatly the bloke doesn't have a built in sense of embarassment. Hence Shine Jesus Shine, for the beauty of the earth (every family service ) and all things bed and breakfast. The boys are singing brother James air because it was always the favourite of the Choirmasters now desceased Mother, and the organ voluntary is one of my own mothers favourites, the original (Herbert Chappell) songs of praise music (when it was still an organ solo.) Oh well, Ebdon responses at Evensong are somewhat more appropriate

Since i Never answered peters original question:: An A-Level piece for Violin and Organ (to be recorded shortly) An 8 Part Choir Vocalise (formerly an ave verum) for Music GCSE (synthasised) Two Anglican chants that aren't particuarly exciting Couple of Descants Couple of Gospal Alleluias for three parts (cong, upper,lower) Started work on a solo organ piece, some variations on the national anthem (music for its own sake, more like the Reger ones than Ives) - have so far written a three part counterpoint fugal section Sure there will be more when the music degree starts....

You could always try and get a job at Kevin Mayhew writing formulaic compositions, that look like exactly the same thing I write for Grade 8 theory! I'm not sure the Reger-Esque fantasia you describe would particuarly fit in 'Throwaway music for a throwaway age volume 14' however. Incidently, (and well away from this thread) has anyone ever used these books and found something of great worth in it?? (Excluding that Colin Mawby book of last verses of Hymns, which has some very useable stuff in it for the lazy)

http://www.yousendit.com/download/T2djUGhaTlFsMHcwTVE9PQ It's good for 25 downloads (or 7 days)

Would just so happen i recorded this program... only listened to it the other day, haven't deleted yet. Drop me a pm with your email address and im sure i could fix you up. its about 30 mb

I've always taken 'something wiht a bit of go' to mean something that has a bit of fight to it - George Duffields Stand up Stand up for Jesus to Morning Light for example. It has considerably mroe life than, say , forty days and forty dreary nights

Messiaen. Indoctrinate the child quickly.

I heard recently of a scheme where all couples hoping to get married in the forthcoming year where invited to a kind of 'wedding show' - the church in question presented (With the help of a choir) hymns that were rarely used at Weddings but would strike the right tone, and readings of a similiar nature. It worked quite well.

are you implying that people don't just sight read hymns? apart from the first few i ever played i always have,