handsoff

Thanks AJJ. Gosh, this is embarrassing! I've got that disc and whilst I've played the David Briggs track loads of times, the others have remained silent other than the first play through. It honestly didn't strike a chord with me at all when I heard it yesterday. P

Umm, not sure that it was. I listened at home on a fairly elderly but high-end set-up and I thought that the microphone placement made the organ sound quite different to other years' broadcasts and very different to the live experience. The pedal foundations sounded enormous, so much so that I had to reduce the bass setting on the amplifier to -4 which is most unusual! The 32' pedal reed's first use is always a special moment for me, because of an historical connection detailed somewhere on another thread, and I wasn't sure if it was used in the usual places. I think that the Tuba was used in "God Rest Ye Merry..." but I couldn't be sure. It's not often one can say that. Perhaps a new team of sound engineers or director was working this year with the result that the organ sound was compromised in favour of the choral sound which was, I thought, superbly presented. I did think that the choice of music was as good as it's ever been and the singing was a huge improvement on recent years. I enjoyed the George Baker voluntary; good to hear something new (to me). I caught a few moments of the TV broadcast (in which the Tuba was perfectly audible ) and have rarely heard anything as gorgeous as a setting of O Magnum Mysterium they sang. I didn't see the composer's name as I missed the first few seconds of it along with the on-screen title. With all good wishes for 2010. P

A very Merry Christmas from frosty Warwickshire and may the congregations listen to your voluntaries...

Hear hear! I mostly dislike descants with about 3 exceptions. There's one to "Of The Father's Heart Begotten" that sends shivers up my neck, another for a hymn the words of which I quite forget, but it's in E flat and plunges down to a B flat for the trebles. The descant we used to use at Warwick was stunning. Finally Andrew Fletcher's descant to "Hark, the Herald Angels". The art of final verse reharmonisation seems to be dying out. I love hearing them, and used to love playing them. I went on an RSCM course learning accompaniment skills at Addington Palace many years ago, probably in about 1972, and spent the best part of one day being taught the principles and practising them. Huge fun! Does anyone here play them?

Thank you. When next I visit my sister in Paignton I'll contact the museum in advance and ask if a visit to the basement might be possible. P

The inclusion of the Maori Horn on the Solo organ is interesting. I have a memory of hearing one of these whilst at school, played in our chapel by some relative or other of a Maori boy who was with us for 12 months, and recall it having quite a loud and strident tone with a distinct "buzz". Google produces this which seems to confirm that there would indeed be a buzz from the reed placed towards the bell end of the instrument. I like the part that tells how enemies were frightened by shouting curses through it. One can imagine it being used thus in the Concert Hall "Stop coughing in the stalls!...", especially if placed En Chamade ! This rank must present quite a challenge for the builder and voicer to replicate and I should be interested to learn how the process would be gone through. It is presumably a type of Regal? P

Vox Humana highlighted this in another thread. The stop numbered 38 did make me chuckle although it clearly is a typo. I hope... P

Thank you all for the additional information. I love the Latin stop names of the Torbay instrument and can imagine the discomfort of a young organ student who suddenly had to have a crash course in Latin before being able to sort out his registrations! I have relatives in the area and would have very liked to have seen those before they went. I wonder why "12' " is used for the rounded-up 10 2/3' Quint rather than 11' - just a nicer number maybe? The pedal quint on the organ I play sounds rather hefty from the console but in common with one or two other stops sounds fine from the nave of the church and does give a good impression of a 32', but really only in the bottom octave and a bit. I don't play for services and would probably hardly ever use it if I did, but when playing for my own amusement (and I possibly mean ONLY my own...) I quite like the effect when used with the 16' Open Diapason. The organ in Inkberrow Paris Church, between here and Worcester, has a "3' Twelfth" on the Swell which has hung on despite a relatively recent rebuild. P

Thank you Pierre; one of those fascinating historical idiosyncrasies! P

I have recently bought the CD of J S Bach's Trio Sonatas recorded by Benjamin Alard on the Aubertin organ in Saint-Louis en l'Ile, Paris. I love the sound of this instrument and feel that it perfectly fits the music, but have a question to demonstrate my ignorance of non-UK organs. In the stoplist there is a pedal stop named "Quint", but at 12' length rather than the 10 2/3' I would have expected and occasionally use on the organ on which I practice. It isn't a misprint as the stop label is clearly visible in one of the photographs in the accompanying the disc. I'm sure that I have probably forgotten more about harmonics than I ever learned but wonder how common a 12' Quint is in Europe and when it would be used. Thank you in advance. P

Sadly...............

And here it is P

This was also the case at St Mary's, Warwick in the 1970s at least as far as chorus reeds was concerned. I recall that the use of the Oboe was OK in a solo context. P

CE Chapel Royal, St James's Palace 18.11.09 Organ Voluntary: Praeludium in G minor BuxWV149 (Buxtehude) Organist: Ashok Gupta Director of the choir: Huw Williams

Thank you, Nigel, for posting this link. What a treat the programme is. The picture of Ms Skeaping with strategically placed Play Button just added to the pleasure... P

Thank you for the further replies. I have listened to quite a few excerpts online as well as YouTube offerings and rather like Christopher Herrick's interpretation along with Benjamin Alard's new recording on the Aubertin in Saint-Louis en l'Ile Paris. Many of the performances on YouTube, while quite beautiful, are not available on CD and I haven't been able to find recordings by other organists on the featured instruments. I could listen to these works all day; I just love the ease with which JSB threads together the themes and inversions and in the hands of a great player makes them sound so effortless. As one who sweated blood and tears over No 1 many years ago without ever getting properly to grips with it, I appreciate how difficult a good performance is to bring off. P

I must check my dictionary for "gullible"...

From the stoplist...."There is a warning light for the Last Trumpet" ...presumably in the form of a lighthouse, placed outside the Basilica and switched on at least 60 minutes before the stop is deployed. Given the tasteful and modest specification I should have thought that virtual effigies of the Messrs Hackenback would rise through the floor on demand. Seriously though, I should love to hear this instrument when completed in 2015, and I think, will make that trip then. On topic, I would donate a decent sum to St Ouen to enable a careful restoration of the organ there; some work on the wind supply and action is clearly needed. P

Thank you all for the responses, which have given me some good ideas to check out. I wish that W.H.Smith still had those little booths where one used to listen to records on a Saturday morning (and annoy the girl on the counter by pressing the button requesting her to turn the single over and play Side B!). I guess that downloaded samples are a similar thing, if less fun... I'll have a good trawl through some available samples later today and make a decision then. I am quite interested in the transcription version Jonathan suggests and will, I think, buy that as well as an organ version. This recent recording also looks quite interesting. Is anyone here familiar with the instrument? P

I'd be interested to learn members' recommendations for recordings of BWV 525 - 530. I have Helmut Walcha's recordings from Lubeck and Cappel and have to say that I don't especially like the sound, finding that some of the registrations almost set my teeth on edge. I don't wish to start a thread on the relative merits of historical versus modern instruments or whether Bach should be played only on "authentic" organs and would appreciate some open-minded comments based on what I should like to hear, which is something akin to the sound Thomas Trotter produced when he played No.1 at Birmingham Town Hall a few weeks ago. What I'm probably saying is that I'd like a recording on an English instrument to which I can relate irrespective of whether it's anything like what may or may not have been heard in 17xx. Thank you in advance. P PS D'oh! How can titles be edited to make me look less stupid?!

Start?

Here is an alternative video of a similar piece; scroll down to the fourth screen... P

Thank you Heva - I recall now, having seen the map, that it wasn't far from St Etienne du Mont so that will be another one to visit. Peter

Might I ask a question of the Paris based members please? Many years ago, the summer of 1979 to be precise, a choir with which I sang spent a week in Paris recording Charpentier's Te Deum and Purcell's Te Deum and Yorkshire Feast Song. The orchestra was conducted by J-C Malgoire and soloists included Charles Brett, Ian Partridge and Michael Georges, the discs being recorded in L'Église Notre Dame du Liban. We didn't use an organ at all and I don't recall seeing one as I would have gone for a look, I'm sure. Given that the establishment lists this, "L'Eglise Maronite est une Eglise Orientale Catholique de tradition Syriaque Antiochienne", as it's designation there may not be a need for one. When next I visit Paris I should like to visit the church but can't remember where it is. Would someone please be so kind as to remind me? Thank you. P

There's little doubt that the singing on these discs is not up to UK cathedral standards but I really enjoy listening to them as they give a feel for ND de P as it was at the time, with the faith of the participants shining through. The recording of Vierne's Messe Solennelle from the same period is, despite the less than perfect singing and slightly early organ entries from PC in a couple of places, easily my favourite of the 4 recordings I have. The sheer enthusiasm for the music is so apparent, the organ is simply stunning and the atmosphere from the cathedral leaps out of the speakers. For me, the best singing in a recording of the piece is the one from Westminster Cathedral but that is a typically English sound; nothing at all wrong with it but the fire so evident in the earlier French performance is missing. Don't forget St Sulpice; a wonderful building in a glorious setting, an organ unmatched just about anywhere and with Daniel Roth likely to be in the tribune. P