Pictures
Top right: A scene at last year's Town Hall Open Organ Day

Universities and colleges report that numbers of first-study organ undergraduates are at an unprecedented low level. The issue, of increasing concern to bodies like the Royal College of Organists and the Royal School of Church Music, was debated at the association's committee meeting in November.

It was agreed that a small group of committee members will be formed to examine the feasibility of establishing some form of educational bursary scheme for young players. We shall also look at forming links with local schools and musical associations in the hope of encouraging young pianists to try their skills at the organ.

As a prelude to what should prove to be a sustained programme, the RCO, Huddersfield University and the association are holding a Great Northern Organ Day on Saturday, March 14.

The programme remains provisional but it will open in St Paul's at 10am with an introduction to the organ by University organist Keith Jarvis. After a 10.30am coffee break, Margaret Phillips will give a masterclass on J S Bach on the St Paul's organ. Meanwhile, in the department of music, Neil Cockburn will be give a class on Frescobaldi and Dr Graham Cummings will be available for lessons in harpsichord technique.

After lunch at 12.15 in the town hall, Gordon Stewart will give an organ recital. It will be followed at 2pm by a masterclass by Neil Cockburn on the Romantic repertoire. At 4pm there will be a question and answer session.

While morning sessions are taking place in St Paul's, members of the association will host a 'Meet the Town Hall Organ' session. As in our last organ day, members of the public, particularly aspiring organists will be encouraged to have a go. Similarly in the afternoon it is hoped that HOA members will be on hand to show interested people the St Paul's organ.

Please support this event. Further details will be carried in the Clarion spring issue.

Gordon Stewart of Blackburn Cathedral and Huddersfield Town Hall has kindly agreed to host a masterclass for us at Holy Trinity Church on January 20. His theme will be: 'A more musical approach to organ voluntaries' and he will concentrate on the the type of pieces that we tend to play before and after service.

These works, which may run from Bach to Mathias, Wesley to Whitlock, are pulled out with hardly a glance and, in many cases one suspects, without a moment of practice. We may reason to ourselves that we learned the notes years ago and that they pose no problems to us.

But too often familiarity has bred complacency: the music fills, but fails to occupy, a silence. Can the piece be better built and shaped? Can it be more rhythmical, better phrased, better articulated? Are the dynamics convincing, are there registration improvements to be made? Gordon, a noted teacher and a former pupil in Geneva of Lionel Rogg, will examine all these aspects with the help of volunteer members.

With only minimal persuasion from the former Clifton organist, no fewer than five Huddersfield University students elected to join the association. We are delighted to welcome the following members: David Brook, Keith Brown, Jonathan Fletcher, Jonathan Kingston and Christian Spence. We hope that this marks the start of a flourishing career and we look forward to welcoming them to our meetings.