The Lady Organist in Winter – Stable Girl Style
Stable Girls are expected to turn out morning and evening, in all weathers, to perform repetitive tasks for dismal amounts of money – sounds familiar? This winter I’ve discovered a whole untapped aspect of my wardrobe, perfect for winter organ…
RCO Summer Course – organ mirrors of the world
I try to control the trainspotter* tendencies in my personality, but I do like taking pictures of organ mirrors (wait for my fully-illustrated coffee table book Organ Mirrors of the World, Part 1 – it’s going to be a wow) because they…
Get on-trend this Spring with the now colours from the Methodist Church
Given that my day job is teaching at an interior design school in London, I couldn’t resist this, which appeared on Twitter this morning. Thanks Central Methodists @preston_church and Dave Walker @davewalker for tweeting.
International Organ Festival wants new members
Whenever I bump into the people who help run the St Albans International Organ Festival I’m impressed by their knowledge and enthusiasm. They are one of the secrets of the success of the Festival, which last year celebrated its 50th…
St Cecilia – the ultimate lady organist
Last year I gave you four St Cecilias to celebrate the day of our patron saint. This year it’s just one – this extraordinary early 17th century drawing by Daniele Crespi. Cecilia’s clothes are practically dropping off with the energy…
Organists – artists or crowd-pleasers?
Here’s a nice exchange on Twitter. Are organists (particularly church organists) artists, servants of the music, or simply servants of the people? Discuss, as they say in exams.
Nowadays, no-one calls you Marm
Those were the days! – when a Lady Organist had a Village Organ Blower at her command, who addressed her as Marm. From Punch and dating from around 1910 (judging by the costume, and obsequiousness). My favourite…
Calgary Organ Festival 2013 – spooky goings-on
Calgary organists promise howling pipes and decomposing musicians from 10pm on 31st October at Knox United Church, as part of Calgary Organ Festival, coming up at the end of this month. Entry to this event is by donation to the…
Liturgical Hair
After the usual stalwarts of coffee mornings, bazaars, quiz nights and raffles, what other options are there for parish fund raising, when the organ, inevitably, needs expensive attention? The historic 1914 Lewis & Co organ at St Andrew’s, Leytonstone, in…
RCO Summer Course 2013 – lightbulb jokes
Q. How many altos does it take to change a lightbulb? A. One, and nine others to say ‘But it’s too high for me’ Q. How many sopranos does it take to change a light bulb? A. One,…
10 performance etiquette tips from Take Note
Take Note is the blog of Sheet Music Plus. Click here for a recent post by Zachariah Friesen on concert etiquette, which I particularly enjoyed. Good advice for youngsters coming into the music profession – and a few reminders for…
Hymn book heaven
My church had a clearout of cupboards recently, and I volunteered a home for a selection of ancient hymn books. It’s not just the old music typefaces I love (often clearer than in modern hymn books) but the snapshot of…
Welcome
Organists are, by and large, a reticent bunch. We like to grumble, but we seldom complain. We know why we play, but we don’t talk about it much*. Maybe it’s because our chosen instrument is so darn difficult – after…
My favourite Dave Walker cartoon
Cartoonist Dave Walker has a mission, he says, to explain the church to baffled outsiders. This cartoon is one of my favourites.
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