Organ matters - Organs matter!

Hi!

I have a friend who was engaged by a minor classical recording company to do a couple of CDs. He's a bit other-worldly as the most truly musical musicians can be . . . Apparently he was paid (something but certainly not a fortune) by the company to do the recordings.

He says he didn't sign anything but seems to think that there was an agreement that he should be paid royalties on sales beyond the first 1000 CDs . . . He doesn't know how many CDs have been sold and has never been paid further. He now finds that tracks from the CDs are sold as MP3s to download by Amazon and iTunes.

Is there a mechanism of performers being able to demand audited accounts from recording and distribution companies?

Presumably this is the importance of belonging to The Musicians Union or Royal Society of Musicians? Which professional organisation is most helpful for professional musicians to belong to?

Best wishes

David P

Dear All

I have just received a phone call from a great friend who happens to be an organ builder. Comments made by an Asperger's Syndrome sufferer had been brought to his attention . . . Luckily he knows the lad, and his distraught mother who is being driven to tears. We joked about who needs enemies when one has friends with Aspergers . . . It's a serious problem.

On one of my videos on YouTube a comment reads:

QuoteI am a great friend of David's, he has awful hair now...
and an electronic organ that is quite good and has a 62/124 self destruct stop

to which I simply responded "What an epitaph!".

Really the comment speaks for itself in the weight that any sensible person should give to it . . .

Certainly Aspergers Sydrome can cause a Bad Hair Day for all . . . But the question is "HOW CAN WE HELP?"

Suppression? Doesn't really solve the problem.

On a YouTube video of the organ at Albi Cathdral the comment was made:

QuoteVery imposing, but no subtlety at all. I bet it's rubbish with the reeds off, doing quiet stuff like chorale preludes or Romantic pastorales.

I responded patiently:
"Actually this organ is most beautifully voiced with really refined and beautiful solo and chorus flues which play with great sublety and excitement. Similarly the organ at St Maximin and a later instrument at Lorgue near Carces. In the tradition of Dom Bedos, the father of modern organ building, Moucherel and Isnard were masters of their craft."

To which the response was:

Quotefair enough. I prefer a bit more refinement to the reedwork - I'm more of a romantic organ man, but, if pressed, I must admit a soft spot for the Dutch classical organ. And while I do not wish in any way to denigrate the work of Dom Bedos, is he really the father of modern organ-building? Schnitger was building organs that are recognisable as a similar animal to today's organ 20 years before Bedos' birth, and the big Silbermann at Freiberg was build when Bedos was only five years old.

and I replied patiently again:

"The quality and heritage of Moucherel's work at Albi is demonstrated by its capability to have been "preserved" by incorporation into successively romanticised instruments seperated in the 1980s work into two instruments in the two neighbouring buildings, one wholly romantic and this, a restoration of the classical instrument. However St Maximin remained unincorporated into later developments and unaltered since 1776. It's the "unrefinement" of reeds giving real excitement"

We see in this example great intelligence, and that is all the greater tragedy, together with erudition which generally may be misguided or misinformed at times.

I concluded that patience, tolerance and teaching was the only way. . .

What else?

I wrote to him recently suggesting that he take up some academic discipline requiring rigour of the application of strict relevance and a mental training to curtail verbal diahorrea - or that he should steer away from words and train in a practical craft such as musical instrument building . . .

Has anyone any suggestions? Has anyone any experience? What can we do? How can such an intelligent young lad's energies be best directed?

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

I happened to be in Carrefour the other day and an iPAD was sitting there as demonstration loaded with keyboard software . . . Great until one tried a chord . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVvhpN522yo

Not at all why one would want to buy such a toy.

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

Reading a comment by a facebook contact about an organ console:

QuoteI might be mistaken, but this looks like A482 at Ibstock Methodist Church, which was actually a transfer of A43 - a Model 4 dating from 1929 at the Grotrian Hall (now Wigmore Hall) London. It was a standard four rank spec of Diapason, Flute, Salicional and Tuba with no pedal relay. Removed from Ibstock some years ago and bought by Damon Willetts.

. . .

can one really imagine an instrument based just upon these four ranks? Isn't it a strange conception to do this or do these sounds really mix homogenously to produce something of which the whole is more than the parts?

Best wishes

David P

:-)

I suppose that for 59p one can't expect it to be better than to support "Bach" Lehman: I am beginning to be irritated by the "Bach" trademark on the Lehman temperament - I believe that to be pushing Lehman's upside down interpretation of the Bach Squiggle as _the_ unique solution to the squiggle is academically sloppy. Other valid permutations of the squiggle are possible and particularly making use of the squiggle the right way up.

Di Veroli has pointed out the universality of Werkmeister based temperaments of which Vallotti and Vallotti Young are family members and if anyone has claim therefore to the Bach title it's Barnes which is Vallotti altered by the tuning of one note on account of the correlation of the errors from just thirds to use of thirds in Bach's work. There is also another contender for the title based on modified Werkmesietr which is similarly unfashionable nowadays.

Lehman's temperament peaks the key colour at 4 sharps, leaving remoter keys purer. This is unprecedented throughout the Good Temperaments (or Well Temperaments) and therefore an oddity. The temperament does not make the white keys pure enough at the expense of the black keys, so he misses the colour of the black keys - and whilst he notes interesting beatings in the A sharp and E sharp areas, he'd get those with any of the historically founded well temperaments.

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

This must be the ultimate answer to organitis:
http://www.ship-of-fools.com/gadgets/apps/227.html

Quote"Did you ever dreamed to carry a big Church Organ in your pocket, to play while travelling or sitting in your sofa?" Well, frankly, yes. But back to the app. Church organists who can't bear to be parted from their instruments can now practise Sunday's tricky voluntary on the go, with two keyboards, four octaves and plenty of stops to recreate that "in church" feeling.

THanks to Darren for drawing attention . . .

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

Facebook users this morning were blinded by http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1334970181727&set=a.1313773811831.45651.1455244980

Best wishes

David P

Redundant Pipe Organ - Jardine c.1900 - Platt Lane Methodist - Manchester UK - M0180


Enquiries have unfortunately not matured and the church advises that building work will commence on 21st Feb. The organ is available for parts until that date, otherwise it is, sadly, to be scrapped.

Graham Jones

Graham Jones
32 Harington Road
FORMBY
L37 1NU
Tel. 01704 876 134
BB Talk. 01704 826 475
Redundant Pipe Organ                                                    M0180

Jardine & Co c.1900

Platt Lane Methodist Church Manchester UK
Fallowfield Manchester M14 7BU

NPOR K00476

2 manuals with pedals
17 speaking stops

Tracker manual key action
Pneumatic pedal note action
(1/4 in bore lead tubing)
Mechanical stop action

Compass 30/56

Dimensions
Width   18ft
Depth    12ft
Height   20ft

Pedal
Bourdon                       16
Bass flute                      8

Great
Open Diapason            8
Stopped Diapason        8
Dulciana                       8
Principal                       4
Harmonic Flute 4
Fifteenth                       2

Swell
Lieblich Bourdon          16
Open Diapason            8
Hohl Flute                    8
Echo Gamba                8
Voix Celeste                 8          also draws Echo Gamba
Geigen Principal            4
Dulciana Mixture          II
Cornopean                   8
Oboe                           8
Tremulant                                 whole organ

Swell Octave
Swell to Great
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal

Drawstop console

Central balanced swell pedal

6 composition pedal levers

Radiating Concave pedals

Three combination pedals each to Great and Swell

2 wind reservoirs

Electric motor/blower

The 6 front pipes on each side of the console are dummies; the rest of the pipes in the display wings and the upper flat, are speaking.

The organ was brought from the Heyrod Street Mission in Ancoats in 1933 to serve the newly built church at Platt Lane. Jardine & Co of Manchester have maintained this organ since building it more than 100 years ago, and offered inter alia the following remarks after an inspection in 2008.

'The organ was built around 1900 by Jardine and Co Ltd Manchester, and installed in Platt Lane Methodist Church in 1933. It is a fine example of its type and is in original condition with all its action intact. It is however, showing signs of its age with general wear and tear. The main part of its deterioration is the pedal organ which has a pneumatic action. The original leathers have lasted well but they are now porous and in need of replacement. We have patched the odd one where we can access but the whole pedal organ and pipework require an overhaul. The second item is the fact that the organ has not been cleaned for many years, the pipework is quite dusty and there are a number of reed pipes collapsing due to broken support tapes and metal fatigue. The mechanical actions to the manuals are quite worn, the regulating buttons are of leather and perished, which makes adjustments difficult. Whilst this report does highlight a few failings, we can assure you that the organ is not going to pack up in the short term. A thorough restoration will give the organ a further 50 years of useful service.'

The church is to be refurbished and downsized in early 2011. There will then be no space for the instrument and the organ is to be replaced.

It is immediately available.

Buyer makes all arrangements for dismantling, packing and transport

Care has been taken to see that the information provided is correct but the Methodist Church Organ Advisory Service takes no responsibility for errors.

Offers and enquiries to the church contact, please.

Church Contact:
Mary Fair
Tel. 07951 785788 
Email: iandmfair at email.com



Graham Jones
32 Harington Road
FORMBY
L37 1NU
Tel. 01704 876 134
BB Talk. 01704 826 475
Email: g.mjones at btinternet.com

"There are many mansions in my Father's house" . . .

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

Perhaps none of us, when we have got the bug, can claim innocence from being obsessed by organs in some way - and personally, much to my wife's chagrin, speakers too . . . generally things that make a good deal of wonderful noise! What fun!  :)  ;)  :D ;D

There is in all of us a fascination that comes out of the human capacity to be in control of forces on a gigantic scale beyond that which we can imagine to be capable of ourselves - and it's in this that trains, planes and organs possibly have something in common.

The obsessions that we have can clear or cloud our views and certainly train spotting or plane spotting starting in childhood can lead to big things in later life. By repute cricket matches in which my youngest son was fielding had to be temporarily suspended whilst he identified whatever aircraft was flying overhead and within two or three years http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=history+of+aviation+in+alderney appeared from his desk, much to the consternation of his publisher in having the surprise of having to deal with parents on the signing of a contract for an under age author. Later http://en-gb.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=148526651853814 resulted. This obsession for aircraft and airlines is nothing to do with his parents but it was his Godfather who suggested to him that he write a book . . .

In this way, parents can end up having little influence upon the obssessions of their children, and just as we with children learn how to be father christmas to the young generation, so it is as adults we should all be as godfathers to the younger generation with enthusiasms. If guided well, they can go great places and far. . .

I hope that as a community we might be able each to guide and inspire younger obsessives and perhaps even if they don't play, perhaps they might go and be trained and apprenticed as organ builders . . . or otherwise utilise great knowkedge of the "what" and the "where" if not perhaps so much the "why" and the "how" to useful purpose.

It's so important for young people to find the path that leads them towards doing something useful in life and helping where we can is the factor that can make all the difference. People to whom "no" "no" "no" is said all the time can and do feel terribly boxed in and instead saying "what about . . . ?" can transform the world.

After all, isn't inclusion, forgiveness and understanding part of what Christianity in terms of love thy God (and all his Creation) and Thy Neighbour as Thyself of which the Organ in church is part is all about?

If this posting is not part of Organology perhaps this post should be moved to Atheists' Corner . . . ?

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

The other day a YouTube suggestion popped up and a recording of a Trumpet at Église Saint-Martin at Seurre (Côte-d'Or) in France blew me away . . .

I posted the video link on Facebook and Nigel Allcoat responded raving about the organ

http://www.uquebec.ca/musique/orgues/france/seurresm.html has more details and perhaps anyone finding good YouTube or other recordings of the instrument might helpfullly post them here in reply.

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

Whilst a student a well known organist at a conservatoire in a rather pragmatic city was in the habit of frequenting public transport to get to college. On a crowded bus, local "working girls" were in the habit of suggestive remarks such as "Would you like to come to my place for a bit of fun?". On a particular occasion said organist replied "Sorry - can't - I've got an aural lesson in five minutes" . . .

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

Not quite a playing course . . . but a great 5 days of touring organs which sounds brilliantly perspective-broadening.

Visiting St Columb's Cathedral, the event is dear to my heart, the Hammerwood instrument spent a dozen years serving there and is an example of an electronic keeping organ music alive and leading to the resinstatement of a pipe organ in further course.

Best wishes

David P

Organ Congress
2011
Northern Ireland and Dublin
20 – 25 July

The Organ Congress 2011 is organised by the
Incorporated Association of Organists (IAO).
Congress is open to all, whether members
of the IAO or not. The IAO is a registered
charity dedicated to the improvement
of organ playing at all levels and to the
advancement of organ and choral music. It
has nearly 90 affiliated associations in the
United Kingdom and abroad, to which new
members are always welcome.
Congress Organiser
James Little
2 Demesne Close
Holywood
Co Down BT18 9SF
t: 0*2*8*9*0* *4*2*1*3*3*2
(outside business hours)
e: c o n g r e s s @ i a o . o r g . u k 

Artists to include...
Venues...
The Organ Congress 2011 is organised by the
Incorporated Association of Organists (IAO).
Congress is open to all, whether members
of the IAO or not. The IAO is a registered
charity dedicated to the improvement
of organ playing at all levels and to the
advancement of organ and choral music. It
has nearly 90 affiliated associations in the
United Kingdom and abroad, to which new
members are always welcome.
Congress Organiser
James Little
2 Demesne Close
Holywood
Co Down BT18 9SF
t: 02890 421332
(outside business hours)
e: congress@iao.org.uk
Peter Barley
Colm Carey (Belfast City Organist)
Emma Gibbins
Professor Gerard Gillen
Stephen Hamill
Professor Desmond Hunter
Ian Mills
Nigel McClintock
St Peter's Schola Cantorum
Theo Saunders
Armagh: Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic
Cathedrals
Belfast: City Hall, Ulster Hall, St Anne's
Cathedral, St Peter's Roman Catholic Cathedral,
St George's PC, St Thomas' PC
Dublin: Christ Church and St Patrick's Cathedrals;
St Mary's Pro Cathedral
Hillsborough: St Malachy's PC
Londonderry: St Columb's Cathedral and the
Guildhall
Also, visits to...
The Giant's Causeway
Parliament Buildings, Stormont
Disclaimer: The IAO reserves the right to substitute events and/or artists if necessary

Congress 2011 will be based in the 4 star Europa
Hotel in Belfast city centre. This will be the first
ever Congress to be held in Northern Ireland.The
itinerary will also involve a day south of the border
in the historic city of Dublin, noted for its Georgian
splendour and associations with Stanford, Swift and
Wilde.
We shall visit no fewer than eight cathedrals, three
churches and four civic buildings including the Ulster
Hall (home of the Mulholland Grand Organ featured
in Dame Gillian Weir's BBC TV series). Also, a world
heritage site – the famous Giant's Causeway, set in
the breathtaking scenery on the north coast of Co
Antrim.
The programme spread over five days will feature a
number of superb players, keeping up the standard
enjoyed in Sussex in 2010, as well as short talks at
Belfast City Hall and Parliament Buildings, Stormont,
and the Congress Dinner.
Congress is open to all who love the pipe organ and its
music: players and non-players alike. You can expect
lively conversation with friendly, like-minded people
as you journey in luxury coaches to Armagh (the
birthplace of Charles Wood and ecclesiastical capital
of Ireland), Londonderry, Hillsborough (birthplace of
former IAO President Sir Hamilton Harty), the Giant's
Causeway and Dublin.
Please do bring this exciting opportunity to the
attention of anyone you know who might be interested
to ensure they have received these details.
Tariffs
Double Room:£450
Single Room:£525
Prices include dinner, bed and breakfast as well as entry
to all events, concerts and masterclasses and your copy
of the illustrated Congress Handbook. In 2011 the cost
of three light lunches (sandwiches etc.) in hotels near
venues being visited is also included to allow people to
have something to eat in comfort within a reasonable
timescale.
Cost of travel to and from Northern Ireland is not
included. However, a leaflet is available on the IAO
website giving hints on the most efficient ways of
making the journey and how to book the best value
flights.
There are no parking facilities at the Europa but it
should be possible to arrange to leave cars (without
charge) at either of the two sister hotels on the
outskirts of Belfast for the duration of the Congress.
For those who fly and intend to extend their stay
beyond the Congress dates, most major car hire
companies are represented at both Belfast airports.

Hi!

It's so very frustrating to hear people talking about "good" and "bad" and that perhaps such an instrument might best be restored by Bryant and May. Whoever it is, non-players and experienced even eminent players alike, such judgments which are often infectious from one uninformed opionator to another who might believe them to have superior knowledge or experience (such as Tony Blair when he made the WMD speech for the Iraq war persuading us that he had good reason . . . ), such opinions are often so very badly misguided . . .

They can be greatly subjected to influences of fashion and sometimes vested interests alike.

In terms of instruments, often it is a matter of purpose and being fit for that purpose, which might not equate to another purpose or someone else's differing criteria or opinion on that purpose. The original purpose might still retain validity but one has to be magnanimous enough in removing one's blinkers to recognise it possibly from another perspective.

Hope Jones suffered so dreadfully and unfairly at the hands of vested interested blinkered judgmental opinions. The fact that his ideas for organs provided such pleasure to people in a differing arena is testimony to the principle.

An example of this arrived in my inbox this morning on YouTube video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQZcVQtw3cs
with the comment "What a horrible Vox Humana" . . . to which I replied:

QuoteHorrible? It depends on what criteria - Vox Humanas vary very widely so there is a spectrum of them. The Vox at St Paul's Cathedral London sounds very strange on first hearing and Wurlitzers are different still. There are 6 different Vox Humanas to choose from on this Hammerwood instrument . . . and this is the one that the organist chose that day. The sound depends also on what stop you put with the Vox, whether it is detuned or whether a tremulant is used and at what speed . . .

Essentially I provide a musical and acoustic laboratory in which anyone can experiment with anything, whether it be any one of half a dozen types of Vox Humana with differing accompanying stops and tremulants, temperaments and instruments. . . .

As in any laboratory, some experiments are successful and others not so much. That is not a reflection upon the laboratory but upon the viewer to understand what they're looking at.

Hammerwood is a microcosm of the macrocosm and as one travels from place to place to experience organs of different makers of different times in places of different requirements, one is looking at a laboratory of experiments on a wider scale. We have to understand the intended outcome of the experiment before we can say whether it was successful or not.

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

I'm sorry that it's not on organ but I have just discovered an intriguing recording:
http://www.jungleboffin.com/mp4/jill-crossland-unequal-tempered-fortepiano/well-tempered-bach.mp3

Hope this might be of interest to anyone who might have wondered what Bach was doing writing in all the keys on a well tempered clavier . . . Here it is played on an excrutiatingly difficult to play unrestored clavier with Viennese action tuned well tempered in some way . . .

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

I have this afternoon tuned a neighbour's upright as a favour . . . first time I have come face to face with an upright in battle, and finding the spots to insert the wedges was a challenge . . .

It was a ghastly upright, not tuned for years as my neighbour found the pro chap rather weird . . . and it was a semitone down. I'd love to have brought it up to 440 but wanted to do a quick job on this occasion and, being used to tuning unequally, it received my usual treatment - a temperament near to Werkmeister and not quite as strong as Kirnberger. This seems to have received a bit of attention lately in the USA - http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1599324/1.html

I didn't have time to deal with the top two octaves . . . and always treat those seperately in any event, and as the neighbour's daughter is a beginner on the very early grades, going right up there is a rarity, so I'll go back and finish it off rather more at leisure. But the effect was interesting - the temperament is the strongest I dare use on a piano and it gives a very good range of key colours. The importance of this is a wonderful purity and harmonious comfort in the home white keys . . . and this to the child was really great and encouraging. She's not going to be playing in C sharp for a long while yet - so she certainly does not need equal temperament!

When the daughter played one of her pieces, probably A minor or something like that, the sound of the formerly horrible piano became very harmonious, beautiful and charming and she was clearly beguiled by it.

Potentially this can generate so much enthusiasm!

In contrast, equal temperament is always so "on edge" and boring too. Make a wrong note on a strongly flavoured temperament and the instrument will sharply tell you all about it. . .

I wonder if piano tuners are locked into equal temperament simply because they have been trained to achieve the exactitude of being able to do it . . . it has become a challenge that they have to conquer, as a matter of professional pride. It certainly doesn't add to the music.

It's apparent from my American discussion that the professional tuners over there only dare play with the temperaments departing from equal by a cent here and there, and that people argue over hair splitting schemes about which cent where should be moved . . . From memory, my tunings depart from the norm by up to a full 12 cents . . . and have lovely thirds approaching purity in C, F and G. Yummie! Who likes hot curry? Or should we be confined to Pizza with neither chilli nor anchovy?

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

The Lyme Regis course looks excellent and well worth the £150 cost for the three days, Thursday Friday and Saturday. The Lyme Regis organ is a new 50 rank instrument built by Skrabl in Slovenia, tracker, and this is a great opportunity to have the privilege to become familiar with such an exciting beast.

Tutors include:
Philip Scriven ex Lichfield Cathedral but now at Cranleigh School - a place of an exciting new organ
Richard Godfrey, organ consultant to the Salisbury DAC
David Bruce-Payne, ex Birmingham Cathedral
Robert Fielding, Romsey Abbey
Timothy Hone, Salisbury Cathedral.

One cannot imagine a more comprehensive lineup and the various illustrated talks and study sessions look very interesting and informative.

Organists of all levels are encouraged.

Perhaps people who have recently started taking up the organ again through using Hauptwerk at home would find such a course a brilliant opportunity . . . And others who are taking on the challenge at their local church . . .

For further details please contact Dr Godfrey on email rgodfrey78 |at| hotmail.com
or phone 0 * 1 * 2 * 9 * 7 *   * 4 * 4 * 5 *   * 7 * 0 * 9

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

It's great to welcome a new forum member who's a greatly inspirational player and wonderful advocate of all things superbly organistic.

From the spec of the instrument he plays:
http://www.organanoraks.com/pcndap01.html
which includes a very spectacular en chamade trumpet his CD
http://www.organanoraks.com/pcndcd1.html
which includes a greatly interesting programme is certainly going to be worth buying . . .

I've put one on order and look forward to hearing it, and hope that other members will enthuse likewise.

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

I happened perchance to be distracted by
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAQZ8JKnDTk
and a photograph of the recording studio for the organ impressed upon me how such instruments really were the forerunner of the electronic synthesiser. A collection of pipes all voiced to achieve the greatest individuality to be called upon at any musical pitch by a switching scheme of extraordinary complexity that is the console where numbers of manuals and tabs bear little relation to the numbers of pipes.

The video is intriguing as it exemplifies the extraordinary foundation tone colours that arguably don't go together at all to produce a sound there intended as total hideosity. It brings a smile to the face but classical organ builders' hair would have been raised in shock . . . and might certainly be turning in their graves.

;) ;D

Best wishes

David P

Hi!

I have been working recently on developing a cheap speaker suitable for Hauptwerk for home installations. The 15 inch at the beginning of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I_9pxKPYXc
is the result.

The drums at 01:05 are an indication of the sort of bass which one can expect and it's better in real life. Driven by around 30-50Watts per channel a pair of these will quite realistically reproduce the organ spectrum but I need to experiment further with crossovers and phase.

Total cost of these units is under £160 per pair, which contrasts substantially with the very expensive and PA optimised active monitors that the Hauptwerk software writers like to to promote.

I have recorded with other top speakers for comparison.

Whilst making these test recordings it was apparent that the Manger speakers are very excellent near-field monitors and am sure that these, which a friend wants to sell, would work pristinely for a home Hauptwerk and h-fi installation.

Best wishes

David P