The wandering organist

It would seem that I have started a race to summer. A church for whom I play asked me for dates up to June, and I thought they were getting well ahead and nicely organised. I looked in my diary and found that, between then and today, I have only four Sundays free. The same church has got back to me today, and asked for dates through to August! Now that is  organised - no pun intended. I do enjoy playing for different churches. For decades I was attached to one console or another, from my first job at St Peter's, Acton Green at age 14, to the last at St Bendybus, Hove. The variety of organs was huge: from 2-manuals and 10 stops (Peter Collins, 1974) to three and 70 stops (Noël Mander, 1964). They've been far too loud, too soft, on the west wall, buried in a chancel cavity, and, just occasionally, right. My favourite organ was St Augustine's, in Brighton. With three manuals, 42 stops it was certainly not small, but the sounds it produced belied the nameplate on it - Morga...

St John the Evangelist, Findon  Sunday, and playing at the charmingly (and inconveniently) sited parish church of Findon. Inconvenient because it is far out of the village, beyond the old manor house, across the A24 which can be busy. Charming because it sits between fields and a wood, nestling in a fold of the South Downs. I turned up to play their recently overhauled (and somewhat indifferent) organ, which is not a thing of beauty, hung high on the west wall, with the console en fenêtre to the clergy vestry in the south transept. I was looking forward to playing there, as I like the service, very simple setting and hymns, and there is a peace about the building which is rare, even in churches. At quarter past nine, then I had selected the music play before, during and after, bearing in mind it was Lent I, so switched on the blower. At which point, all electricity died. No lights, heat, anything. So I earned my fee by humming the first notes of the hymns and sett...

It was pointed out to me that the "comments" part of my blog on my site lacked an "approve" facility, that anyone could publish anything and it might be days before I noticed - since I don't update the site on a daily basis. I am truly grateful, Jenny :-) So, I've taken the old one down and started here (http://wandering-organist.blogspot.co.uk/) where there are different things to learn (and I haven't managed to work out the website controls yet) and sprain my brain on. Bear with me as I learn, please.