The 1984 Ruffati at San Francisco Davies Hall

Pipedreams, website of the US public radio show, is well worth a visit, even if we can only listen to the archives, not the live programmes, outside of the USA.   Their archives contain hundreds of hours of online listening, with detailed programme notes and links galore, featuring pipe organs from all over the world. Pipedreams newsletter is worth a subscription too.

Pipedreams presenter Michael Barone will be over this side of the pond next year, for the 28th London Organ Forum next March (see Events).   Subtitled Stars and Stripes it will explore American organ culture on the new Richards Fowkes & Co organ at St George’s Hanover Square, London – which is of course a US built instrument, the first American organ to be commissioned in a London church.  St George’s  has always had strong links with the US of A – after Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States, was married there, it became (and still is) quite the fashion for Anglo-American weddings to take place at the church.  (More on St George’s and the USA here)

In the meantime my pictures provide a little US razzle-dazzle to brighten a cold London February day – two splendid Ruffatis courtesy of Pipedreams extensive photo gallery.

Garden Grove Crystal Cathedral – the 1977 Ruffati organ

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Diane Bish is an international concert organist, recording and performing all over the world, but her career is grounded in church music.  She was senior organist and artist-in-residence at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for over 20 years. While at Coral Ridge Church, she led the design of the 117-rank Ruffatti organ, which is quite eye-popping in its own right.

I discovered Miss Bish when searching YouTube for performances of Bach.  This clip is my favourite.

Never mind that the use of the swell, changes of registration, and the organ itself (the awesome Ruffati) would offend the baroque purists.  This is Bach with a capital B and she just sweeps you along.    I love the way she smiles to herself as she’s playing – isn’t that what Bach’s music does to you, when you know you are playing it well?

Follow bishfan for a whole host of other Diane Bish clips on YouTube – or search for The Joy of Music, which is Diane Bish’s television enterprise.

Find details of Diane Bish’s performance schedule on her website.

And the shoes? Here they are on Flikr.

Marjorie Meinert

Joyce Jones – queen of the pedals

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