Hollins wrote his autobiography, "A Blind Musician Looks Back". It is a book about which I could genuinely say, I couldn't put it down. He was an amazing man and a formidable musician for whom blindness was no handicap. He wrote a large amount of music of which his organ compositions are but a part, but it is largely out of fashion now. To read his autobiography enables one to discover a great deal on the general musical background of the time and to hear some of the inside stories about famous personalities around then. The book is quite expensive, but it can be downloaded safely and officially on the internet.

@@ZL54JK8 I've downloaded it! :D thank you!!! i've read only the first pages. he was also a good writer! an ironic person!

The Chamade stop sounds just like the Trompeta Real stop on the Chapel Organ of my old school, St. Johns!

Very well played indeed, and a thrilling sound it is. Interesting to notice the title, "A Trumpet Minuet". What is a minuet? It's a dance. What sort of dance? One that conjures up visions of elegant and graceful couples in the 18th century dancing in the opulent surroundings of some stately country home. In order to understand what a minuet is you have to think very hard about such an image. Ideally you should dance one yourself! One thing that is clear about a minuet is that it was never something to be rushed. Rushing about wouldn't suit the mood of the occasion, and the elaborate dresses of the ladies would never allow it anyway. Now, I couldn't really say I am convinced that this performance isn't rushed, as you say, and that it is a great tempo.

It sounds rather innocent but there’s a couple of rather tricky moments in this piece. It’s good fun though.

I haven’t heard it before either, but I reckon it’s fantastic. It’s so bright and happy 😊- Beautiful

Dear Gert, You have provided us with a real festive tune to ring in the new year, and I thank you for sharing it with us here. Hearing the solo stops and that triple meter here causes me to think of Handel's The Trumpet Shall Sound, from "Messiah." Happy and healthy New Year to you and your family, and to those who assist you in your performances pulling stops and recording, editing and posting clips to this channel. It's a great way for us across the pond to get to hear and know you!

Is this the church where Gert is organist at?

@@TheProsaicCult I'm not aware of a church where he serves regularly.

Gert van Hoef you are magnificent. Genius. God bless you and your family.

@@TheProsaicCult I dont think so, I dont think he is in service of any church. To busy with concerts I hope. This is the big church (St Laurens) in Rotterdam. The church was bombed in WOII and rebuild. The organ is from 1973 and the biggest one in the Netherlands.

Geweldig mooi bedanktGertuit liefde gespeeldook jevrouw veelaltrouw aan jezydeallen deHgroeten ook de 2 kids hguit Zeist

On the contrary, I hope that Gert stays with his harmonious style and does not end in contemporary dissonance. All in all, Dutch organ music is so beneficial because it largely does without the weird disharmonies. Imho 😉

Depends on what you call contemporary, you have pirates of the caribbean, you have fantasie of the opera, you have sound of music, you have polar express, i would consider all those contemporary.

@@rojostu1 So you're right.👍 Gert's fantasies about the works you just listed are wonderful.

I do not agree with Oxford's Contemporary term assigned to any composer born after 1881. Hollins could be considered a Neo Baroque, by the way, so beautiful!