Barry Jordan

We hope that that is what we've got or will get, when it is properly finished. B

Hello all, our job here is slowly reaching completion, and the flues are almost fully done. The tuba is going to be a bit of a challenge for German voicers who have never really encountered such a best and have no idea how it should end up sounding. A short excursion to the UK would seem to be the logical way forward. If anyone has any good tips as to particularly good examples, especially of the heroically ringing (as opposed to the very closed, dark sounding) type, that Matthias Schuke and his crew could hear and see - it is important that they should be able to get their hands on them. please let me know. Contact details would be very helpful, especially of the organ builders caring for the instruments in question. Thanks Barry

Simon has indeed moved. B

Well, yes of course he is. But he studied in Frankfurt (with Walcha), and after a tenure as organist at a church in Hamburg he was cathedral organist in Bremen, taught at Lübeck and Hanover before becoming Professor in Freiburg in 1978, which was ages ago. He stayed there until he retired, which must have been 2004. So I'm claiming him as a sort of German. Lest this be construed as jingoism, let me add that I am not one. I just live here. B

You can also simply live in Germany and have a German keyboard. Then it's what you get when you type a question mark without the caps. You also have to get used to having the "y" where real people have the "z" though. So that whenever I'm "at home" (meaning, where I come from) and write an e-Mail I end up signing myself Barrz

Vox's American experience more or less reflects the strictly legal position here. A company who refused to complete the instrument would be on shaky ground, but if an organ is dedicated or rededicated publically before being examined by the consultant it is de jure approved by the parish - the position is, that the consultant does not actually accept the instrument itself, but recommends that the parish does so. If the consultant finds fault with the work afterwards, the organ builder can in theory refuse to do anything more, though they might be ill-advised to do so. We are not allowing the new organ here to be used publically until the 18th May 2008, when it will be dedicated, although it will be recorded before then. But since there is another organ in the building, we can allow ourselves that luxury. B

USA: William Albright, though unfortunately fairly recently taken suddenly dead. Zsigmond Szathmary incidentally German, not American. Nobody has mentioned Peter Eben, not perhaps a famous organist, but he is or was one. In France, Jean-Pierre LEGUAY. Amongst others, of course..... actually I sometimes wonder if one of the biggest problems with organ music isn't that it tends to be written by organists rather than by composers. Of course a lot of composers who aren't organists tend to display an ignorance about the instrument only matched by that in regard to the harp and the guitar , but nearly all instrumentalists complain at times about the unidiomatic writing for their instruments by composers of newer music. As Beethoven said to the violinist who complained that the "Große Fuge" was unplayable, "What do I care about your stupid fiddle?" Mostly, they just go on and play it anyway.. B

Wanda Landowska B

Yes, you are right. I was pleased to discover CV Stanford, Julius Reubke (who lies about his age, claiming to have been born in 1934) and even Olivier Messiaen, who has relocated to Newcastle. And I could see the pictures of the Oxford Aubertin. But it still didn't help me with the French ones. Thanks anyway Barry

No. The Steinmeyer I mentioned was built in 1937, and it had its Theorbe then.

All my attempts to look at these pictures meet with a "403: forbidden". Do any of the more computer-literate have any idea why this might be? Cheers B

No. I recently played an organ which had one (St Lorenz in Nuremberg, Steinmeyer 1937) but even after trying it out I wasn't sure what it was - some sort of bundle of mutations, it seemd; but it was only working on about 50% of the notes, and those were so quiet that it was difficult to establish anything at all. Come to think of it, I have never played an organ with so many stops of which I'd never previously heard. Ever come across a "Lurenbass" before? Or a Meerflaut? http://www.kirchenmusik-st-lorenz.de/orgeln/haupt.php?nav=2 B

They have a Boychoir there too, don't they? B

Derek Byrne gave up trying to build organs in Africa after the money run out on the half completed Durban City Hall organ job and vagrants moved into the case. He went back to Ireland, which, as you might imagine, was his point of origin. Selway Robson is actually a harpsichord maker. His organ in the Priory church in Kommetjie is a bit Heath Robinsonish but I adore the sound it makes. There are of course organs in Joburg - but the best in Africa are in Cape Town (Hill at his best.....) Cheers B

Scott Bennett (who?) 216, Peter Planyavsky 5. What a strange world we live in. B

I haven't tried it, but I hear it's dead boring. B Whereas incest is only relatively boring.

When I posted the news that there was to be a competition on the organs here in 2008 there were some enquiries as to when details would be available. They are up now and available at http://www.ritter-orgelwettbewerb.de/index_e.html With a 1st prize of € 7500, this is a good one to go out and win. Cheers Barry

Do you think that Richard Moorhouse really said, "The British organ gives us the repertoire we need for the songs that the choir sings." I do hope not. B

Wasn't it : "There's something wrong with this microphone...." "and also with you!"

Indeed. On the three manual, not very large organ, there were 478 registration changes. And no combinations. My poor registrants were totally finished at the end. Probably. This bar is analogous to bar 22 or 46. so the bass progression is correct. In other cases the chord is always g-minorsomething. Cheers B

Not really, we are twinned with Worcester cathedral and we are lutheran. Nothing anglicanish around here! Cheers Barry

They rented an apartment, but yes, it was property of some parish or church organisation. Well, they are still there. Pastor Michael? Rings no bells, strange, because there aren't that many of them here. In the unchurched East we have no need of them! B

It's Langlais' 100th birthday. The 1st Symphony is an excellent piece, I think, but I've never actually heard anyone play it, and I've been to a lot of recitals. I've never played Mad Rush before. I try to include one piece that I don't think anyone will have heard before. Last year it was "Riff-Raff", went down a treat. Cheers Barry

I'd just like to draw your attention to the fact that it's just a year now until the dedication of the new Schuke (Werder) IV/93 organ in Magdeburg cathedral. The voicers are making very fine sounds already which are making me very happy.... Why not spend a week with us in May 2008? The preliminary program for this week is online at http://www.magdeburgerdommusik.de/html/orgelfest.html the page should be looking a little better within the next few weeks! Young, up-and-coming organists should consider the concurrent 4th August-Gottfried-Ritter Organ Competition, the final round of which will form part of the festival in the cathedral, and with a first prize of € 7,500, not to be sneezed at. While you're at it, take a look at the programme for this year's "Orgelkunst" summer recital series at http://www.magdeburgerdommusik.de/html/orgelkunst_2007.html Cheers Barry

The Schuke crews are enormously busy at the moment; hey are also installing an organ in Zamora (Mexico) - http://www.schuke.com/imglib/Zamora_gross.jpg - 51 stops - and have just finished an organ III/34 for the Academy of Music in Poznan. And they have also just completed the restoration of the Köhler organ of the Kreuzkirche in Suhl. One may ask how a 30 man firm turns out well over 250 stops in one year, and restores a bunch of others at the same time.... one answer is, one turns to pensioned-off former employees! One of the interesting things about the Königsberg project is the reconstruction of the historical case, which was entirely lost. This is however not being done by Schuke or their usual contractor Andreas Klein (who learned the organ builders craft at Schukes but then took over the family joinery, an ideal constellation perhaps). The organ will not however be modelled on the historical instrument. The trucks left for Russia last week, and installation will begin shortly. All 4 voicers are currently here in Magdeburg; after the summer two will stay here and two will go to Königsberg, but it will be extremely difficult to get the job done by Christmas. The organ here will take at least until the end of September, probably longer. Incidentally, after a bumpy start, the work here is going very well and I am very pleased with what I have heard up to now. Cheers Barry