nfortin

I accompanied choral evensong in Brecon Cathedral on Saturday. Since my previous visit several new, digital stops have been added by Phoenix Organs. I believe the only addition to the manual divisions is a 4' flute on the Positive. Several new pedal voices have been provided, I think including Violone 16', Open Wood 16', Double Open Wood 32' and a 32' reed. The 4' flute is stunningly good. I don't think anyone would realise this was a digital voice. The Violone is also quite wonderful - and very useful. The other pedal stops are a bit heavy and bring with them a lot of rattle. This may be partly due to vibrations from the furniture around them. They may also not be in correct balance at the moment because the speakers for the pedal stops are behind the high altar (as there was no room for them in the case) and the rest of the organ is currently wrapped up in thick plastic sheeting. All in all, despite my previous doubts about the values of hybrids, this has been very well done.

Ooh err! How very dare you! It seems to me that general pistons are, as a matter of course, placed where they're most difficult to reach on british organs. By contrast (luckily, as it's all that matters) the "advance" toe-piston for the stepper/sequencer system is placed in the most accessible position. I would find general pistons on the right-hand end of the key-slips to be a chocolate tea-pot, but I guess its mainly a question of what you're used to.

I generally prefer hymn tunes in their original higher keys. I strongly dislike Hereford in E flat, it does seem to me to be too low for the basses in this key. "All glory laud and honour" is strenuous in C because of the sheer number of higher notes called for, but is does sound dull in B flat. Austria I find OK in E flat. We use Common Praise, which I think is a great hymn book, but there are an annoying number of tunes in silly keys. I think "Praise to the Lord the almightly" is in F, which seems completely unnecessary. I can't remember what key "Now thank we all our God" is in, certainly its in E flat in some recent hymn books and I hate it in this key. Not being good at transposing, there are many occasions when I reach for my AMR to restore the hymn in question to its more familiar key.

I only have first-hand experience of two of these and I'm not sure that I would class either as good examples. I accompanied an organ-only performance of Elgar's "Kingdom" in Usk perhaps some 20 years ago. I remember being underwhelmed by the instrument and do not recall the horizontal trumpet of being a stop of any excitement at all. However, it is a long time ago and my memory could be faulty. Perhaps the whole organ has been well restored in the interim. Cirencester Parish Church, by comparison, I know extremely well having played many times and recently. I must say that (with the possible exception of the choir cremona you-know-where) I consider the fanfare trumpet to be probably the most unmusical and least useful stop on any organ that I know of. Its far louder than the rest of full-organ put together and fails to blend in the most spectacular fashion. Spending vast sums of money in extending this (in part FW) organ to 4-manuals, seems to me misguided. Its a dreadful instrument and a fresh start would be the best option IMO.

Well I've met a few organists that I suspect would be faggottos. I'm not sure what I'd be, but something of half length but wide scale would be appropriate.

Hi Tim, its easy to understand the church's concern, but the response does seem to be OTT. I'm sure many of us have on occasions been bothered by strangers in the church - especially those of us with consoles at ground level rather than in a secure loft. Its also easy to imagine that someone could catch us unaware, particularly when practicing at mf or above. I would find it almost impossible to do any practice given the restrictions you have described and would have little alternative but to tender my resignation in a similar situation. I do hope common sense will prevail. Neil

It wasn't supposed to be a complete list. Its a long time since I played "Pip & Jim" but I don't recall being particularly excited by it. There are further 3M instruments at St. Matthew's (Willis), St. Luke's (Brindly & Foster), Holy Apostles (Nicholsons), Holy Trinity (A J Price), St. Peter's Leckhampton (HNB), St. Stephen's (Monk / HNB), Dean Close School (unrecognisable Hill, altered & extended by Percy Daniels), and The University Chapel (formerly St. Paul's College, A J Price / Walker). Not bad for a town of this size.

I'm very interested, and rather pleased, to see Frank Fowler's and pcnd's recent comments re. Gloucester. The swell organ is, to my particular tastes, lacking in several respects. There are, within the "design specification" of needing to fit within in the case, severe restrictions due to lack of space. But the swell organ could really do with:- an open diapason 8' a soft manual double (16' lieblich bourdon or the like) a clarion The existing 16' and 8' reeds would, to my ears, benefit by being a little smoother and less coarse. I would venture to suggest (without expecting widespread agreement) that the 8' Vox Humana is an unncessary and unmusical waste of space when compared with the stops lacking as mentioned above. The soft strings and 8' flute create a magical effect in the Gloucester accoustic, this just emphasises the disappointment that its impossible to then create a warm and satisfying crescendo to a "proper" full swell.

Further to David Coram's ongoing thread re. a possible Oxford trip, I would be prepared to put together a day in my home town of Cheltenham if there was sufficient interest. With no guarantees at this stage as to which venues would agree to a visit, there are a number of interesting organs in the town including:- 4M Hill in All Saints', known locally as "The Holst Church" 4M Hunter in Christchurch 3M Rushworth & D. in the Town Hall 3M Tickell in the Ladies' College 3M H&H in Cheltenham College 2M Blank (I think - Cynic will correct if necessary!) in St. Gregory's RC.) I'd also ask anyone attending to be at least prepared to hear the Wyvern toaster in my own church of St. Mary's, Charlton Kings. If you're happy not to compare it with a top-quality pipe organ, but judge it for what it is, I think you'll be impressed. It might be possible to include (the 4m Jones-Walker-Willis-everyone and his dog but very fine) organ in Tewkesbury Abbey too. Anyone interested?

I find it difficult to comment objectively about Exeter, having played it several times in the last few years. My overall impression would be of being underwhelmed. There are some lovely voices, from memory the choir Corno springs to mind, but its a difficult instrument to play as a rare visitor because, more than most cathedrals I can think of, you're very aware of having little idea whether the sound that you're hearing matches that heard in the quire (or nave). Even in the loft, the tutti is, to my ears, less than thrilling, and I personally could not place this organ close to the same league as say, Salisbury, Hereford or St. Micheal's Tenbury. I'd go further and suggest that if you compared it with other H&H cathedral organs in the region, such as Coventry, and (dare I say) Worcester (rip), its a damp squib.

I thought the £20K was for the whole of the church interior furnishings, not just the organ. It seems unlikely that anyone would have a suitable, and just the right size, room to house all of the pews, galleries etc. so it may be hard to find a buyer. Its not clear (or not to me anyway) whether they are open to offers just for the organ.

Mmm. It was certainly brave of Jo Brand to put her self through this, including as it did several public ordeals along the way. It's probably also fair to say that she can be proud of what she achieved in a short period of time. Beyond that I think previous correspondents have been a little generous. The Bach was pretty dire to my ears, if any of us turned up and played like that in a public concert at the RAH we'd be booed of the stage. Repton was played in an obviously simplified version, and the Waltz was always going to fail due to her inability to play a steady 3 beats in every bar. Don't give up the day job.

I'm interested in theory, depending upon the date.

Gosh, I haven't been asked that since my school days. Negotiations are continuing. I remain, for the moment, willing to agree to review by the vicar, or for the church to bring in a choral music "expert" to review my work should they so desire, but reluctant to accept the validity of a church warden for this purpose.

I'm grateful for the replies, almost all of which seem to agree that:- this is a most unusual request/requirement from the PCC as DOM I report directly to the vicar if an appraisal is required proper objectives and success criteria should have been agreed at the start of the year (they weren't) a churchwarden will not normally have the correct skills and musical background to be a fit person to appraise a DOM I don't think there's anything too sinister about this, I don't believe anyones "Out to get me" or that I should have anything to worry about. Its just the principle of the thing. I might well go along and be told what a wonderful chap I am, but I'd just as soon not. I must say that I found the description of (I believe) Cirencester to be quite enlightening. It seems that our situation has the potential to develop the same way.

It can be frustrating. Working in Cheltenham there is the risk of choristers winning scholarships into Dean Close School, Cheltenham Colledge, and into the Gloucester Cathedral Choir/King's School. I've lost choristers to all three. There's not much you can do about it, but you can sometimes try to use it to advantage. I see no harm in suggesting that parents might like their children to join my choir because it may give them a chance of getting a scholarship later on. I did get very annoyed with the cathedral a few years ago when they were blatently trying to poach choristers from church choirs. Our PCC Secretary received a letter asking if she knew of any children who sang and, if so, could she pass on a cathedral choir recruiting pack to them. Luckily she came to me and asked if she should give the details out to our choristers (and I replied in the negative). Let the cathedral publicise its voice trials in the usual way and I'll support and help prepare any chorister that wants to put it an application, but I don't expect the cathedral to steal the choristers by "Back door" methods.

Our PCC have decreed that all paid staff, which includes myself as DOM, should be formally appraised each year by one of the churchwardens. After nearly 30 years in various church organist posts I've not come across this before and fail to see the validity of the church warden as an appraiser. (So at the cost of really being out of favour I'm taking the line that if its not in my contract I don't have to do it.) I regularly meet with the vicar, which gives us both the opportunity to discuss how things are going and anything we're not happy with, so I don't see the need or purpose of this beyond pointless red tape. Does anyone else out there in the parishes have any similar appraisal requirements?

How about "Mallard Lacrymosa"

...or any stop tuned flat to "Lay Reader cantoring responses", and the tremulant could become "Retired lady priest"...

I've got an LP recording of the choir accompanied by Christopher Dearnley made during the last rebuild when large parts of the organ were out of action. I think it was probably called "Music for a Great Cathedral" (I'm in the office at the moment and can't check the details). Anyway it includes at least one organ-only piece on it to stupendous effect. Can't listen to it of course - haven't had a record deck for some years now.

When I was a student in Worcester I used to do the majority of my organ practice in the church of St. John in Bedwardine. At that time the vicarage (now the parish centre) was attached to the church with a connecting door. When it got really cold it was not unknown for the vicar (Frank Bently, later archdeacon of Worcester) or his wife to take pity on me and come through with a hot drink.

We have a special "all age" eucharist in the morning to which the local guide, brownie & cub packs are invited. There will be posies. (I hate the whole concept of special "all age" services, surely every service should be open to people of all ages so to label occasional services in this way is to send out a clear message that we don't think our usual services are suitable for everyone. In my experience "all age worship" means "wet and watered down kiddies service" anyway so it doesn't pass the ronseal test.) In previous years we've used settings of the magnificat instead of a more usual anthem, especially those that feature a treble/sop solo like Stanford in G or Dyson in F. This year I've put down the Carter "Mary's Magnificat" from NCAB. As a father I've always found the whole concept of the occasion difficult to accept. I really think its an outdated anachcronism that should be scrapped. What my two chorister daughters will make of it all, bearing in mind that they've been abandoned by their mother who's run off with a bit of rough, I really don't know. We revert to lent 4 for evensong.

Not convinced re. wider repertoire... enumerate! I know that we're not nessessary as far apart as our basic starting points re. Gloucester would suggest. To be honest I find it a frustrating instrument. 18 months ago I played Stanford Postlude in D on it. Commenting on the organ rather than the standard of my playing, I would say it came over pretty well. When I was practising the local Nicholson's rep (DG) said "what a sound" to which my reply was "perhaps, but not what Stanford had in mind". That just about sums it up.

You must be having a joke. The Gloucester organ plays french 20th century music and german baroque music reasonably well. In that wonderfully soupy accoustic you can produce a limited range of etherial sounds with atmospheric and varied solo flutes. It is a dreadful instrument for "core" english cathedral repertoire from Wesley to Howells and very limited for colourful and sympathetic accompaniment of the psalms. Whilst full organ sounds quite exciting (if to my ears coarse) at the console, particularly if you open both sets of swell shutters (which you're not supposed to do), it is wholey inadequate for leading a full congregation in the nave. There are no solo reeds of any description apart, arguably, from the cremona on the choir which is quite the foulest stop I've ever come across. Both its admirers and its detractors would agree that it is an instrument which has always polarised opinions. I don't like like very much. I'm happy to agree it has artistic integrity and cohesion in a way that many other organs, much altered over the years, don't have. I just don't think it sounds very nice. Even its fans on this message board tend to agree that its a struggle to get it to accompany evensong sympathetically. Thats just not my definition of eclectic.

The action is very noisy and has frequently been criticised both here and on Orgue-I. Perhaps the concluding voluntary was chosen bearing in mind the fact that we're in Lent.