The UK's leading Digital Church Organ specialist
Every Sunday morning RTE in Ireland televise a religious service. Mostly this is recorded in a TV studio in Dublin but on special occasions there is also an outside broadcast from some church around Ireland. Generally a Yamaha grand piano is used in the studio, or the musicians bring in their own instruments usually in…
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About five years ago John became involved with the music and musicians in Durban, South Africa. The first person he met was Pinkie Mtshali who is Director of Music in Emmanuel Roman Catholic Cathedral. She introduced him to many top-class musicians including Melvin Peters who is organist and choir master of Saint Paul’s Anglican Church…
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Our newest recruit, Richard Patt, talks about how his father’s love of the organ influenced him and how a chance meeting in a music shop led him to marrying the love of his life. My interest in the organ started when I was eight years old. My father, a green grocer and ice-cream maker, felt…
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I am sure we all have stories of strange and unusual items we have seen in the organ lofts we visit. Perhaps you will be able to add to these stories for me? I will always remember the loft at St Johns College Cambridge where on reaching the top step I bent down to pick…
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Gosh what a year! It is hard to know quite where to begin to share with you how much has happened in 2018. It is absolutely true that if you asked a group of organists to express their opinions on the sound of various instruments pipe and digital there would be a great spread of…
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This is a post written by a young organ enthusiast, Anna Hallett. Anna is 13 years old and avidly blogs about her organ playing on her website Pipes Keys and Chords. We asked her to write this piece that encapsulates some of the challenges youngsters have in gaining playing time on an organ. Many young…
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It is about 8 years now since we introduced our new company branding. This was an image we found on one of the stock picture websites of a lovely stained glass window next to an organ pipe façade. We have used it in our advertising, literature and website ever since so it was only natural…
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Sometimes it just takes a kick in the backside to draw attention to matters that have passed you by in daily life. I have sat in our Bicester offices for 12 years now. In the early years just occasionally as I was involved in other businesses, but in recent years near full time as the…
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I was delighted to get a request from the PianoCzarX to use the soundtrack from one of our organ videos for his next keyboard animation. The Elgar Chanson de Matin arranged for organ is presented in a very appealing visual way on this video. Seeing the actual note pattern presented may actually help with understanding…
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I think it will be fair to look back on 2017 as the year when the true quality and value of Viscount Digital Organs was seen as equal to any other supplier and by many to be the best sound available although this always has to be set in the context of personal preference. Instrument…
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Some years ago, we asked our audience if they could tell if recordings were made on a digital organ or a pipe organ. We thought it would be fun to run the challenge again, so we have done that in the quiz you will see below. TAKE THE TEST NOW The last time, some people…
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Wikepedia lists just fewer than 100 ‘musicians’ that have reached or passed the age of 100 and for the most part, the names on the list are unknown to me. As yet Francis Jackson is not amongst them. I suppose if I knew how I should have added him. The names that did strike a…
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Looking back at our major achievements It is frightening just how fast last year passed by and we are now in sight of mid summers day. Recent conversations with a few customers prompted me to write this review, to create a single post where the major achievements of our year are set out. No doubt…
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Viscount Organs have just added a new vehicle to the fleet. This will help us better serve our growing customer base around the UK. Those of you who know my accountancy background will understand the reluctance with which I enter into capital expenditure. So it was surprising that early this year I found myself suggesting that we…
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My very first job was as an articled accountant in London working a stones throw from Borough Market in a brand new tower block by London Bridge station. That block has since been demolished and on that site now sits the Shard. Who would have though a tower block would become redundant in just 40…
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In the last weeks before Christmas I have been listening to the previews of Hymn of the Month and the Regent Classic Tutorial videos. To speed up the process of review the files are sometimes ‘compressed’ by the various delivery systems in differing ways and I have been conscious for the first time of how…
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Trying to compile a list of the greatest composers of organ music, is a little like putting ones head in the lion’s mouth. Given the influence of personal taste, period, and style, perhaps the question is almost a silly one to pose? Even so, I think there will be universally agreed ‘giants’ of the instrument…
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Since the instrument was first invented, the organ has fascinated players and audiences for its construction and size and its musical tone. I doubt there is any other musical instrument that has evolved so greatly, incorporating new technologies as they become available, and where sheer size has been a driving ambition of many builders. Years…
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Everyone who is involved in church music will have their own view about a pipe organ and its use in church life, most likely based on how they use the organ in their own worship. Ask 100 people and you’ll get 100 different answers. Here, I’ve tried to give a little historical context based on…
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Recently, while I was setting up a blog post on the Regent Classic web site to promote the 6 recitals that Joseph Nolan will play for us this year, I remembered that I must get them listed on www.organrecitals.com and this got me thinking. Management of web sites as they grow gets ever more time consuming and complex….
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Now that our quiz is over and the winner announced I can reveal the location where much of the recording was done. Our near top secret visit to St John’s Harpenden took place later than planned on November 6th last year. The original date we reserved during the half term weekend was double booked with…
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As a fun challenge that runs until June 30th this year we have set up an online quiz. You can play for fun or have a chance to win our Envoy 35-F if you are resident in the UK, Northern Ireland or Eire. What is the challenge? We have 2 challenges – each comprising of…
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When asked to play the organ, many pianists agree only very reluctantly. Often, they feel pressured into helping out during church services, when the regular organist is not available. Most times, they’re not unwilling but worried that they don’t understand how to ‘work’ all the knobs and certainly the pedals that manage the sound. The…
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Are you an organist in search of new and interesting pieces to add to your services and performance works? You’re not alone. I share some of the music I’ve found to be less demanding and delightful to play… I imagine most organists that fall into my proficiency bracket (reluctantly, I know my place) suffer the…
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