octave_dolce

I was wondering if people generally use 8-foot stop(s) or 4-foot stop(s) for the chorale tune in the pedal. I have experimented with both, and 4-foot stops sound fine even if Bach didn't call for them.

I just started learning Anton Heiller's Meditation on the Easter Chant "Victimae Paschali." I cannot find any recording of this piece, not even on Naxos Music Library or YouTube. Has this piece been recorded?

I attended the dedicatory service this past Sunday and plan on going to the dedicatory recital tomorrow night. From what I heard, it is a glorious instrument with fiery reeds. A colleague commented that the principal stops could have been fuller. I liked all the French pieces I heard (Titelouze, Couperin, de Grigny, Franck, Durufle), though I wasn't too crazy about the Bach (but I think it was the playing rather than the instrument).

Any recommendation?

This is not true! I have purchased organ music from the Juilliard Store. The collection is very limited, though. If I need something that I can't find in a store, I either ask the store to place an order for me (with no obligation to purchase when the scores arrive), or get them through sheetmusicplus.com

In New York, your best bet would be the Juilliard Bookstore. The biggest sheet music seller in the city went out of business about a year ago, unfortunately. The Juilliard store is OK. If you are looking for specific titles, you may wish to email them to put copies on hold first.

I went to his recital last night. This was my second time hearing him live, and I must say that I was more impressed with his playing this time. The first time I heard him, I was quite turned off by his interpretation of the "traditional" repertoire. The playing was not very musical, to say the least. Last night, I felt very differently. The programme was mostly transcriptions. While I did not like everything that I heard, the playing was musical--meticulous phrasing, sensitive articulation, clear delineation of form, etc. Sure, some transcriptions did not work as well as others (such as the Chopin Etudes and the Schubert Erlkonig), but the colours that he got out of the organ were simply dazzling. I knew that organ very well, and yet I heard many sounds that I had never heard before. No doubt he is a flamboyant performer. Nevertheless, based on what I heard and saw last night, he did not change registration frequently or take rapid passages in the pedals for the sake of showmanship alone. Also, he displayed an effort in reaching out to the audience: greeting the audience personally half hour before the recital, and giving intros to the pieces he played.

Definitely. Fingering is such a personal thing. The choice of fingering is affected by the player's hand span, technique, and interpretation.

I have been using Finale since 1997 and am very happy with it. I have no plan to switch to other notation software such as Sibelius. I think Finale is still regarded as the best notation software in the market. But with its steep learning curve, many new users go for Sibelius instead. Finale comes in different versions. I would recommend the "full" version, not Finale Allegro or Finale PrintMusic, etc. Educators and church musicians can purchase the software at the discount pricing.

I'm thinking of purchasing an electronic organ for practice at home. I'm on a tight budget and space is limited, so for now, I just want to get a modest, two-manual instrument with built-in speakers. I prefer a digital instrument than an analog instrument, but can make compromise if need be. I have only played on Allen and Rodgers organs, so prefer them over other brands. I have a slight preference for Allen. The Rodgers instruments that I played had decent sounds, but I didn't like the pedalboard. Do you have any recommendations? As I understand, electronic organs of the same brand vary in quality depending on the time period and where they were manufactured.

On the East Coast, Hyfrydol is far more common.

I own two pairs of organmaster shoes, and I must say that I am quite disappointed with the newer pair. Apparently the shoes are manufactured by a different company now. The shoes are quite stiff and uncomfortable on the feet. (But if you have to walk in them, the newer shoes are safer because the heels are not slippery like the older ones.)

I heard Jeremy Filsell's recital tonight and it was a disappointment, to say the least. Sure, he has fast fingers, but his playing was unmusical. I thought he didn't have very good control over the Bach pieces. The Durufle Suite was awful, particularly the Sicilienne movement, which was rendered mechanically.

I've heard both organists at the same venue (different concerts in the same recital series). I must say that Nathan Laube is a much better musician. While Cameron Carpenter has amazing technique and showmanship, Nathan Laube shows way more depth in his interpretation.