Pipeline Press
  • HOME
  • Books
    • Organs and Organists
    • Organ-isms Anecdotes Book
    • Organist at your service
    • Puzzle Book >
      • Grids
      • Puzzle Images
      • Errata
      • Solutions >
        • Alphabet soup
        • A-mazing tuner
        • Crosswords
        • Letter Ladders
        • Plain Difficult
        • Ring the Changes
        • Logic Problems
        • Spot the difference
        • Sudoku
        • Tricky Passages
        • Word Search
    • Looking Up
    • The Organ's Prayer
    • Olivier Latry in conversation
    • Paradisus Musicus
  • Recordings
    • Resounding Aftershocks CD
    • Organ Capers
  • Organists In the kitchen
    • RECIPE INDEX >
      • Gillian Weir
      • Dianne Halliday
      • Martin Doering-in English
      • Martin Doering-in German
      • Robin Peirce
      • Hannah Parry
      • Birger Petersen
      • Marie-Louise Langlais
      • Thierry Mechler
      • Nina De Sole
      • Martin Setchell
      • Roberto Bertero
      • Carson Cooman
      • Ronald Watson
      • Katherine Dienes-Williams
      • Grimoaldo Macchia
      • Alexander Kellarev
      • Dorothy Young Riess
      • Andreas Willscher
      • Katelyn Emerson
      • Agnes Armstrong
      • Michael Barone
      • Claudius Winterhalter
      • Titus Grenyer
      • Alison Clark
      • Paul Spicer
      • Christiane Sauter-Pflomm
      • James Kibbie
      • James Flores
      • Inoue Hiroko​
      • Barry Jordan
      • Gareth Perkins
      • Thomas Ospital
    • Notes on weights and measures
  • Newsletters
  • Gifts
  • Articles & Reviews
    • Book & CD reviews >
      • Bevington
      • Booths of Wakefield
      • The Organ of Saint Sulpice, Paris
      • Messaien - Pierre Pincemaille
      • The Music of Ripon Cathedral
      • The Nordic - Baltic Organ Book
      • A Life in Music
      • Franck played by Pincemaille
      • Mystical vision
      • Noëls of Louis-Claude Daquin
      • Homage à Daniel Roth
      • Bach's complete works
      • Organ works of JPE Hartmann
      • The Box of Whistles ​by John Norman
      • Kristiaan Seynhave plays César Franck
      • Bach Orgelwerke played by Michael Radulescu
      • Le Grand Cavaillé-Coll de la Cathédrale d’Angers
      • The Organs and Organists of Ludlow Parish Church
      • The Hakims at Sacré Coeur
    • 2002 >
      • Alfred Hollins
      • Snetzler-1
      • Snetzler-2
      • Organ Voices
      • Organ Blowers 1
      • Organ Blowers 2
      • Organ Blowers 3
      • Organ Cases
      • Organ Cases 2
      • Organ Cases 3
    • 2003 >
      • Organ Cases 4
      • Architects and organ builders
      • Plain vanilla or chocolate?
      • Canterbury Cousins
      • Blenheim Palace and elsewhere
      • Ornament - applied and misapplied
      • Of hats and arms
      • Invisible organs
      • Organ Anthology
      • Organ Anthology Part 2
      • Ghosts
    • 2004 >
      • Spanish Fly
      • The Wonderful Woofyt
      • Mine's bigger than yours
      • Flames, frets and fiddles
      • Angelicals
      • Telegram from America
      • Booth's Puffs
      • Barker Lever
      • Bettering Barker
      • Alternative Hymn Book
      • Tale of Two Organs
      • Tale of Two Organs (continued)
      • Guitarists do it better
      • Music for the feast of Christmas
    • 2005 >
      • The art of improvisation
      • Records and Reminiscences
      • The Case is Altered
      • Fashion Notes
      • Two town Halls - Sydney & Reading
      • The organ that time and men forgot
      • Edward Heath
      • Tin Whistles
      • Secrets of the Opera
      • Singing in the train
      • Buttoning up
    • 2006 >
      • Automobile blues
      • Pipes and packing cases
      • Harry remembers
      • Harry remembers 2
      • Bismarck and the pipe organ
      • Harry remembers 3
      • Playing Aids 1
      • Playing Aids 2
      • Connections
    • 2007 >
      • The birthday Present
      • Harry Remembers 4
      • Playing Aids 3
      • Wonder of Gascony
      • Gilding the Lily
      • A Most Eloquent Music
      • Seeing Double - Part 1
      • Seeing Double - Part 2
      • Humble Relations - American branch
      • Humble Relations - French branch
      • Tops, Noils, Shoddy and Mungo
      • Tops, Noils, and Handel's Messiah
    • 2008 >
      • Neanderthal Hymn Writer
      • Brindley and Foster Byway
      • The demise of Brindley and Foster
      • Flying High
      • Dorothea, Queen of Denmark - and an organ​
      • Time's Ever-Rolling Stream
    • 2009 >
      • Giving them names
      • Dudley Savage
      • Three organ cases
      • Henery's finest hour
      • Sneezes from the Organ Loft
      • 20th Century Organists
      • Philip Marshall Part 2
      • Part 2 20th Century organists
      • More sneezes from the organ loft
      • Country church curiosity
    • 2010 >
      • The Italian Face of Salzburg
      • Ladies at the Console
      • Gothic organ cases
      • Gothick organ cases
      • Orders and decorations
      • Organs-in-fiction
      • Christmas-recipes
    • 2011 >
      • Oddments and Oddities
      • Memorials and Monuments
      • A Cunning Player - King David
      • Facing the Music
      • Celestial Bands
      • Look-Up
      • Durham-Degrees
    • 2013 >
      • Archibald McIndoe
      • Brigadier-Wagthorpe
    • 2017 >
      • Transports of Delight
  • JIGSAW PUZZLES
  • Competitions
  • Sheet music
  • Photos
  • Calendars
  • Links
  • Blog
  • About Us - and other info
    • Contact Us
    • Search
    • NZOrgan
    • Part 1 of Jenny's earthquake story
    • Part 2 of Jenny's earthquake story
    • Shipping >
      • Returns & refunds
      • Privacy policy

The musician's puzzle book

12/10/2020

0 Comments

 
It's finally here, folks - whether you live in New Zealand, Australia, the USA or the UK, you can buy the perplexing, confusing, fun, challenging/not-too-challenging, special, illustrated puzzle book for musicians. 
​
"Enigmatic Variations - Puzzles for Musicians" is a 48-page, stylish and beautifully produced collection of all kinds of brain teasers that are intended to provide entertainment and to help people who do a lot of waiting around (for whatever reason) with something to do. 
A special feature of the book is that it has no answers in the back, so you can't give in too easily when ideas and solutions are not coming quickly. But there is an answer to hand, simply by signing up on the puzzle page on our website (all free!) and accessing the answers that way. 
Another bonus is that grids for crossword puzzles and logic problems are available for downloading and printing out on the website. Go to the grids page here.

Better get cracking and buy your copy now while they last!
​

cover of Enigmatic Variations
Contents page of Enigmatic Variations
0 Comments

And now: FREE SHIPPING!

4/3/2020

0 Comments

 
Free shipping on CD
Now with free shipping!
Free shipping offer on book
Now with free shipping!
It's been a long time coming but at last I have completed the process and now you can buy "Organs and Organists: Their Inside Stories" and Martin's wonderful CD "Resounding Aftershocks" with free shipping worldwide!
No-one likes the awful cost of postage, and I've been battling this for what seems and lifetime. But at last, it is now available - even if only for one book and one CD from our shop (but also on eBay now too) . It is a start. How long it will be free, goodness knows. Our postal service tends to raise prices mid-year, so I will be keeping a watchful eye. Meanwhile, do visit the Organ & Organists page and Martin's CD page and make the most of it!
​
0 Comments

Knock-down price of popular book for only 2 days more

27/11/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
The highly popular new book peeking behind the scenes of the world of the pipe organ and organists is on sale for only 2 days more! Get your copy of "Organs and Organists: Their Inside Stories" NOW before the cost goes back to the usual pre-sale pricing.  This is a one-off offer so don't miss out. And besides, you will want to order now if you live in the northern hemisphere, to make sure of your copy. 
Go here to order "Organs and Organists: Their Inside Stories"


0 Comments

Cushion for concerts competition

25/11/2019

0 Comments

 
organ concert cushionOne of the dozens of designs available for our organ concert cushions
Those concerts are what inspire and stimulate and soothe and all the rest of it, but boy, can they be tough on the old backsides if you have to sit for hours on a hard pew with an excruciating upright straight pew back. Believe me, I've struggled with many different types and although they are designed to keep the faithful souls from napping during long sermons, they don't help enjoyment of musical events. 
SO! enter our competition to win a concert cushion and you could have more pleasant concert experience  (can't guarantee the quality of the music - that's in the hands of the performers). The prize is a cushion (sometimes referred to as a stadium cushion) with a picture of the jaw-dropping Flensburg pipe organ façade.  
Go here to read the details and enter, but remember to do it before midnight on November 29th, 2019.  If you don't want to wait for the competition to finish, look at the different designs on other cushion in our shop here.

0 Comments

NEW PRODUCT: Cushions for concerts

30/9/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Sitting on hard pews for hours on end does nothing to encourage people to go to organ concerts (or recitals, if you must). The hard wood in so many cases was probably designed to keep the congregations in years gone by awake as they listened to 2-hour long sermons. I have suffered sitting in many a pew that felt more like a medieval torture chamber than a means of resting, so I was delighted to discover that Zazzle has released these cushions (which they can "Stadium cushions" and which I would refer to as kneelers) which I have assembled in a collection called "Cushions for concerts, kneelers for gardeners". 

The website details are 
  • Dimensions: 12.5" x 14" x 0.67"
  • High-quality durable neoprene provides the perfect cushion and insulation from cold wet, stadium seats
  • Also ideal for camping, kneeling in the garden, hunting, ice fishing, and canoeing
  • Convenient cut-out carrying handle
  • Approved and permitted for NFL stadiums
  • Water-resistant
  • Bottom of cushion is black
At the moment there are 20 designs (many with entirely new photos) in the collection but it will grow in the next few months.  These would be perfect gifts for concert lovers or even for gardeners - help save those knees! 
If you don't see your favourite organ there, drop me a note through our contact form and I will see if I can help. 
​Click on the image below to go to the collection - and happy sitting!

Picture
0 Comments

Muddled composers competition - CLOSED

4/6/2019

0 Comments

 
And the winner was Lynley Clark!
Here was the puzzle:

​Well, THEY'RE not muddled - just their names. I've been having fun mixing up the names of well-known composers to use as a competition. If you would like to enter a competition by un-mixing their names, and be in the draw to win a copy of "Organ-isms: Anecdotes from the World of the King of Instruments" - or even if you just like puzzles, go to our competition page. But hurry - the deadline is Sunday June 9th  at midnight, New Zealand time. What have you got to lose? 
PictureFront and back cover of Organ-isms
0 Comments

Gotta love those giveaways

21/11/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Well, these ones especially. That magnificent magazine The Oldie runs weekly giveaway prizes, and you can land yourself some rewarding goodies by entering. (The Oldie magazine, by the way, is a kind of Punch meets Private Eye and spawns Huff Post for those who have no time for bullshit. Satire and irony are high on the ingredient list and old age is targeted by and for the contributors. A refreshing publication in a world of sycophancy. I recommend it.)

 The point is, keep an eye on the page offering these giveaways over the next few weeks as several items from our Pipeline Press shelves are being dangled as prizes. At the moment, Organs and Organists: Their Inside Stories is one little offering (ends tomorrow Thursday, I think, but best go and do it now while you can) and others, which include Organ-isms: Anecdotes from the World of the King of Instruments and Martin Setchell's CD Cardboard Cathedral Organ Capers are coming along shortly. So bookmark the page and check back. Remember the old adage about mouths and gift horses...
Cover of Organ-isms
Picture
0 Comments

Little things that matter

30/9/2018

0 Comments

 
Bent spoon, 1950s grapefruit knife
Bent spoon and 1950s grapefruit knife
Sometimes it's surprising the small things which matter but never achieve the success or importance they deserve. Such as these two much-used items from my kitchen drawer: a bent spoon which can balance on the lip of a mug, and a grapefruit knife which slices in 3 directions at once. A saucer which has the cup indent to one side so a biscuit can perch without falling, and a little garden hook digger which looks like a baby coat-hanger without wings are other miracles of practicality which make life easy in small ways.  Simple, effective, unheralded. 
They are rather like a continuo player on harpsichord or piano. They are not soloists, they don't stand out from the crowd, but blend in to support and provide basic harmony. Work like Trojans for most of whichever work they are playing for, but are the quiet, background heroes of any mass or major work where they play a vital role. A skilled continuo player is worth their weight in gold, often required to read from figured bass and have a highly honed musicianship. 
So I bow in awe and admiration to the organist who was asked late last night to step in to fill the shoes (or bench?) of a sick continuo player for a Mozart Mass for a concert this afternoon in St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in  Manchester Street. He still hasn't seen the music, and has not rehearsed with the other musicians (and will not be able to before the concert), but I am certain he will carry it off with his usual professional aplomb. This will be like jazz in frockcoats. If he does it well, no-one will notice; that's the rub. It will seem like business as usual. Just like one of those small but important gadgets from your kitchen drawer.
​Long live the professional musician - and good luck mate!

0 Comments

From Auf Wiedersehen to Ar'reet*?

27/6/2018

1 Comment

 
It was an unusual transition on Monday - or was it Sunday? Time blurs when on the road. A frantic last weekend in Germany, with a concert in calm Rheda-Wiedenbrueck on Friday evening. Fast forward to early morning for quick escape via the Autobahn 2 hours up the road to Hildesheim to return hire car, check in Gasthof and be in time for Martin to play the concert in The Mariendom on Saturday morning. The almost guaranteed traffic jam never eventuated so everything went disappointingly smoothly (worst times make best stories later). 
Martin Setchell at the Seifert organ console in Mariendom, Hildesheim.
Seifert organ facade
Although Martin had set up registrations on the Seifert organ in the Dom three days earlier, he was only able to walk in and start playing his concert with no warm up or chance to check that they had held - so a little stress on the old nervous system there. But again, all went well on this state-of-the-art instrument, and it sealed the organ's position as being one of the best to play that we know in Germany. Thanks, Hildesheim. We'll forgive you the cool temperatures. I still can't wait to return to Germany, in Schopfheim on July 26...
I am beginning to wonder if Interpol have been alerted about the 2 mad visitors who keep fleeing hotels far too early with bulging bags - in hands and under eyes - heading for train stations. It's us, chaps, so don't fret. This time it was to catch the train on Sunday morning to Frankfurt airport, fly to Manchester, hire a car, drive to Kendal in the lake District. Holidays! All 3 days! And the best weather that the UK has ever had to offer, in a sublime part of the country with a close friend. Scores 120% on my happiness chart.
But first the airport brouhaha. Security is one thing but chaos and treating travellers like so many headless chickens or bales of hay is another. Anyone who has flown will know this of course, and Frankfurt has never been an easy place to leave from, but Sunday was worse than usual. Chaos, lack of signage, clear instructions, and duplication of queues for queues for queues. Strange and extremely unpleasant and uncomfortable. Can it really not be better organised?
But we got there. And unlike unfortunate refugees and asylum seekers elsewhere, we had a place to go to, and were by contrast treated with kid gloves by comparison. Something to remember.
And now, our 4-week UK tour begins, after having been revived by the charms of Lake Windermere, Chapel Stile and Wray Castle. Have a look at Martin's concert schedule for June/July and come and join us; if nothing else we can always chat afterwards over a beer in the local pub. Ah, England!
Meanwhile here are some fond memories of beloved Germany:
Wiesbaden Marktkirche
Woehl organ in St Michael's, Hildesheim
Art installation in Marktkirche, Hannover
Original ceiling in St Michael's, Hildesheim
Goll organ in Marktkirche, Hannover
Schumann's grave, with fresh flowers, in Bonn
Italian organ, Marktkirche, Hannover
One of the 7 deadly sins, on a house in Limburg
Marienburg Castle, Lower Saxony
Door, Marienburg Castle, Lower Saxony
sage butter ravioli.
* Ar'reet? : my translation of a northern greeting. Love it.
1 Comment

On the concert road again

8/6/2018

4 Comments

 
 Friedrich von Thiersch-Saal Steinmeyer organ, Wiesbaden.
Friedrich von Thiersch-Saal Steinmeyer organ, Wiesbaden.
First stop, Wiesbaden
Apart from the obvious joys of touring in the northern hemisphere during our winter, reunions with friends and family, and the fun of concerts and music always somewhere, is the variety and spice of life. 
Even in the short week which we have been on the road in Germany again, we have met various organs which have been so diverse they almost seem totally different instruments - which they are, I suppose. 
Trying to shake off jetlag, Martin and I called in to watch an organ open day in the Wiesbaden Kurhaus. It was a chance for all comers to drop in and play, so we happily sat in as audience for a change. The  Friedrich von Thiersch-Saal is gorgeous, and the instrument itself, a Steinmeyer from 1954,  comes with a bright red detached console. 
Marktkirche orgel, Wiesbaden
Marktkirche organ, Wiesbaden
The Saturday morning 11.30 half-hour concert is a famous regular feature of Wiesbaden life, and large audiences of 300+ are guaranteed. Prospective punters first swarm into the nearby marktplatz for the Saturday market, then totter in to the church for the organ half-hour. International organist Hans-Uwe Hielscher has masterminded this series for longer than any of us can remember, and both he and the organ, (originally a Walcker from 1863, then added to by Sauer, then Oberlinger, and now with Rodgers digital enhancements), are old friends. And talking of old friends, we were bowled over to be greeted by a couple from Christchurch who had been plotting to surprise us at this concert; and surprise it was. Certainly wonderful to meet up with familiar faces along the way.
Picture
Schlangenbad
But there is little time to relax. Barely 5 hours later, with only 2 hours in which to explore the tonal resources, Martin is thrust back on the organ bench to play the second concert of the day - this time in Schlangenbad, about 20 minutes drive from Wiesbaden. Set in a beautiful forested area (and near the Wambacher Muehle - a famous mill museum), Schlangenbad means snake bath. Hmmm. I kept toes firmly out of any water. In contrast to the 4-manual Marktkirche, this little tracker organ has only 2 manuals and no sequencer (which means I have to keep awake and alert to help pull stops). The church is neatly and delicately decorated after recent restoration, and the audience almost seems to have had the same treatment. All very warm, friendly and well-behaved. (Trust me, this is not always guaranteed). The post-concert meal at the Mill by 10pm was hard-earned. 
Speyer Cathedral organ
Speyer Cathedral
Doorway in Bretten
Doorway, Bretten
Organ console
Organ in St Pauls, Muhlacker
Moving right along, our next stop was down south; en route we called in to get some respite from the heat (no - not complaining. Just sayin') at the World Heritage UNESCO site of Speyer Cathedral. If you ever want a perfect example of Romanesque architecture, this is it. No chance to play the organ but it was simply enough to wander around the historic site and soak in the history. Besides, look at the climb necessary to get to the console. 
Discovering little hidden charms between concerts is part of the fun, and Bretten was one such town, where we stayed en route to Bavaria (and snared a nice little warning from the authorities about parking - ouch). Half-timbered houses line the streets, and the town has an enchanting legend about a little dog (the Bretten Hundle) which was fattened on scraps when the town was under siege, then sent out to convince the enemy that the township still had plenty of food. Courageous dog, although I don't think it had much choice in the matter. 
Then a welcome return to Muhlacker for the 5th time; such a welcome and a warm audience. It really does make a difference, so think about this when you are next listening to a live concert. It isn't like watching TV; the performer can hear (and sometimes see) you, and knows when you are paying attention and they know when you are getting restless, and they know when you are having a good time. That is the biggest buzz - when an audience leaves with smiles, chats, and even better, they want to know when you can come back again. To some, the word entertainment is an embarrassment, but we love the idea that people have enjoyed their time with Martin's music. To us, this is what it's all about, and if the audience have spent time and money to get to a concert, then we have a responsibility to make sure they are well rewarded. Seems they were. Thanks for having us back, and see you again in a couple of years, Muhlacker.
And on, amid the lightning and pouring rain, to Hanau, discovering the gem that is Aschaffenburg on the way ...
Sculpture in Stiftsbasilika St. Peter und Alexander, Aschaffenburg, Germany
Sculpture in Stiftsbasilika St Peter and Alexander, Aschaffenburg
4 Comments
<<Previous

      Sign up for Blog alerts

    Blog alerts

    Little blogger

    Jenny Setchell is an author and photographer who enjoys the quirky bits of life as well as music

    Archives

    October 2020
    March 2020
    November 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    April 2017
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015

    Categories

    All
    Books
    Competitions
    Fine Art America
    Just Mulling Things Over
    Latest Organ Products
    News
    Sales
    Site Updates
    Touring
    Travels In Germany
    UK Concerts

    RSS Feed

Picture

looking for SOMETHING?

Books
Recordings
Printed music
​
Photographs
Gifts
​Calendars
​Blog
​
Links

Puzzle book grids and solutions
(Free registration & log in required)
GENERAL INFO
Contact
About Us
​
Search
​


Our earthquake stories

Support

Shipping
Returns and refunds
Privacy and Cookie declaration

© COPYRIGHT 2025 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.