Youtube

[Dee Surtees]

On 28/11/2020 at 11:45, Martin Cooke said:

Does anyone know when they were recorded? I was surprised to see the digital organ at St Mary's Edinburgh as I thought the Harrison rebuild had been completed some months ago. 

I don’t know when that clip was recorded. The organ is definitely back in action however, and Acting Assistant Master of the Music Adam Wilson has been posting some fine videos of it over the past couple of months. Most recently the Reger Toccata in D minor from Op. 59: 

The rest of his videos are well worth checking out as well. 

[Martin Cooke]

2 hours ago, David Surtees said:

The rest of his videos are well worth checking out as well. 

Many thanks for that pointer, David.

[DaveHarries]

My favourite recording of Garth Edmunson's "Von Himmel Hoch" prelude is this one played by Andrew Lucas at St. Paul's Cathedral. Sounds great with a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

Dave

[Dee Surtees]

Discovered this performance (from memory) of Franck’s Final by Vincent Dubois at Soissons cathedral, where he was titulaire at the time. This from a series of the complete Franck works. Some of the others are also on the same channel. I haven’t checked to see if they all are.

 

[DaveHarries]

The organ of Auckland Town Hall sounds in excellent voice with Tim Noon at the console accompanying the Auckland Symphony Orchestra with the Finale from Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony no.3. The clip is dated 04-Nov-2013.

Dave

[Choir Man]

On the lighter side, here's a 10-year old giving a tour of an organ. Listen out for his description of the trumpet stop and also (at 2:34) a clear shot of a ratchet swell and horseshoe coupler.

 

[michaelwilson]

On 02/02/2021 at 17:31, Choir Man said:

On the lighter side, here's a 10-year old giving a tour of an organ. Listen out for his description of the trumpet stop and also (at 2:34) a clear shot of a ratchet swell and horseshoe coupler.

 

I just came here to post that, seems it's "going viral". Interesting for someone like me who probably knows less about organs than everyone else here, having not played one since I was five.

I hadn't heard of St Saviour's Cathedral, they have some lovely little lockdown services on the same channel.

 

 

 

[Rowland Wateridge]

This is somewhat closer to home, and aimed at young people.
 

 

 

[Choir Man]

Interesting film about the KCC organ and it's restoration by Fugue State Films published for the London Organ Day: 

 

[S_L]

Thank you Choir Man for posting that.

As those who know me will testify, I have a certain affection for the Chapel at King's College Cambridge. Except for when I was away, or stuck in a practice room, I attended Evensong and Mass there, almost daily, for, I suspect, nearly five years. In my day Ian Hare followed by James Lancelot were Organ Scholars. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the film - but I think there must be more to come? And, if there is, does anyone know where it is to be found? 

[Choir Man]

I believe it's taken from Fugue State Films boxed set "A Legend Reborn: The Voice of King’s". I doubt if we'll see any more of the set on YouTube, but you can buy it from their website: https://fuguestatefilms.co.uk/product/the-voice-of-kings-a-legend-reborn/

[S_L]

Thank you for that!

[Choir Man]

An organist wrestling with a reluctant instrument. I'm sure other members have had similar experiences.

 

[Rwolff]

This kid does a nice job demonstrating this ca 1900 6 rank organ in Brazil, I still can't get over how it's only 6 ranks and yet you can hear the power especially in the end of the video below and the reverberation in the church.

The kid does speak English and Ive asked about the organ, they dont know who built it, but my questions brought out what I suspected- the organ was moved to this newer building as he said an older parishiner told him she remembered it being  moved in long ago. I suspect it came from their older demolished church, it doesnt fit the style or size of the building so you know its not original.

The kid said the churches there had moved towards bands, but he has been pushing the use of the organ and even putting together a little choir and working with them, now they are using more of the organ at this cathedral because of his efforts!

 

 

 

 

 

[michaelwilson]

As part of the RCOs Organ Show, James O'Donnell gives a musical tour of Westminster Abbey, briefly playing several of the organs:

 

 

[carrick]

A rare Reginald Dixon broadcast at the Wurlitzer of the Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, from 1957. In December 1956, Blackpool Tower Ballroom was badly damaged by fire. For the following year, whilst restoration was underway in the Tower Ballroom, Reginald Dixon was transferred a few hundred yards up the road to the much larger Empress Ballroom to play the 3/13 Wurlitzer there, whilst resident organist Horace Finch was transferred to the Pavillion Theatre next door. 

 

[carrick]

Another broadcast from the Empress Ballroom, this time from it's resident organist, Horace Finch. This was broadcast way back on the 21st of June 1937 at 3:45pm, there are a couple of pieces to mark the coronation too. This broadcast is extremely rare, one of the very few examples I have heard of Horace on the Empress from the 1930s. Despite the quality of the recording, Horace's clean, crisp and articulate playing shines through, coupled with his colourful and varied registrations making the best of the 13 ranks he had available to him. This is what you call PIPING HOT playing!
 

 

[innate]

You know that movement in the original orchestral L’Ascension that, for whatever reason, Messiaen decided not to rewrite for organ which meant we got Transports de Joie?

Here are those orchestral Trumpet and Cymbal alleluias on the organ in an astonishing performance of his own transcription:

 

 

[Barry Oakley]

On 12/12/2020 at 00:51, DaveHarries said:

My favourite recording of Garth Edmunson's "Von Himmel Hoch" prelude is this one played by Andrew Lucas at St. Paul's Cathedral. Sounds great with a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones.

Dave

It's one of my favourite recordings, too. Andrew Lucas is a fine organist. Many decades ago I had an LP of this work played by a former organist at Beverley Minster, David Ingate. It sounded equally spectacular.

[Barry Oakley]

16 hours ago, innate said:

You know that movement in the original orchestral L’Ascension that, for whatever reason, Messiaen decided not to rewrite for organ which meant we got Transports de Joie?

Here are those orchestral Trumpet and Cymbal alleluias on the organ in an astonishing performance of his own transcription:

 

 

To what destinations does this monstrosity fly?

 

[S_L]

1 hour ago, Barry Oakley said:

Many decades ago I had an LP of this work played by a former organist at Beverley Minster, David Ingate.

Wow, Barry - that's some time ago!!

David Ingate left the Minster, in Beverley, in 1962. He had been appointed in 1957. He was succeeded by Peter Fletcher - to whom I owe a considerable debt!

[pwhodges]

13 hours ago, Barry Oakley said:

It's one of my favourite recordings, too. Andrew Lucas is a fine organist. Many decades ago I had an LP of this work played by a former organist at Beverley Minster, David Ingate. It sounded equally spectacular.

The CD that comes from is a very rare beast indeed, and took me several years searching to find a copy of.  It is on the Mirabilis label, and so was recorded by David Wyld.  It's a shame that buying Willis (presumably) left him no time to continue his organ recording project, as every one of the disks he released is outstanding.

As David's recordings are in Ambisonic surround, I have listed them in an appendix to my web site which is about that technique.  The St Paul's disk is the fifth one down.

Paul

[Peter Allison]

the mention of Mirabilis, got me thinking, am sure I have one that I ripped to the SSD to listen too.... and sure enough, there it was , Mr Fletcher at Warwick  🙂

[innate]

I found this guided tour of the latest instrument from Juget-Sinclair very interesting.

 

[Vox Humana]

Hells bells, and I thought I played the 'Dorian' toccata fast. It works, though. Nice organ, too.

One thought. Shouldn't the canonic chorale in O Lamm Gottes BWV 618 be double pedalled? Bach's MS seems to imply this, or at lease permits this interpretation. The chorale parts are notated at sounding pitch so must be played an octave lower on a 4' stop.