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Michael Cox

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About Michael Cox

  • Birthday 10/08/1960

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    Auckland New Zealand
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    Master of Arts (First Class Honours) from Waikato University<br />Thesis- 'The Organ Reform Movement of New Zealand'<br /><br />Victorian and Edwardian English Organs<br />New Zealand Organ History<br />Anglican Church Music<br />French Classical & German Romantic Organs

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  1. So far, so good. Now those "traditional ways which seem self-evidences" are completely ignored outside the UK (and the United States, Australia, New-Zealand...), and will soon be in the english-speaking world when a next generation of organists will have been trained entirely on modern organs. Let me assure Pierre that New Zealand has several players who really do know how to play Howells- especially with registrational subilties. Some of these players are English born or trained and several are not, including several rather gifted organ scholars in NZ at the moment!! We also have the instruments; the 1906 N&B at Wellington Town Hall for instance, the Dunedin Town Hall Organ, ANY instrument in original preservation by Lawton & Osborne, a 1910 William Hill & Son in Christchurch. Indeed, any any board reader who wants a late romantic organ playing experience should consider a holiday in Aotearoa. For further evidence see the web site of the New Zealand Organ Preservation Trust or www.organz.org.nz Best wishes Michael Cox
  2. Wow! I'm impressed with this. Why don't you write an article for Organists Review on Reger- it would certainly stir our consciousness. Yes- there is a very deep essence in Reger. I believe Karg-Elert had a challenging personality and life-style too. The essence of German composers of this period really interests me-you are so correct to allude to the destructive psyche. We need more understandings like these to assist us to perform the music rather than superficial discussion on this or that organ register.
  3. I would rate Healey Willan's Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue highly. Also worth mentioning are works from the 'North German' organ school by Lubeck, Bohm and Bruhns.
  4. Katherine Dienes no over at St Mary's Warwick formerly Assistant at Liverpool R.C Cathedral. So guys watch out ! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Katherine is one of several New Zealanders doing wonderful things for classical church music in the UK. Her choral set up at Warwick is very good and she certainly knows how to handle choirboys as evidenced by me in watching her take a rehearsal in October. She has a very good musician in Luke Bond assisting her. Although not female two other Kiwi church musicians of note are Andrew McMillan who is assistant at St Mary's Bourne Street and the superb Thomas Wilson who is doing fantastic work in his position as Assistant Organist at Westminster Cathedral. He's a name to watch out for.
  5. Christopher Herrick is a charismatic organ performer of high ability who really knows how to relate to an audience. He is very popular in New Zealand and Australia where he draws some of the largest organ audiences we have seen in recent years. His Hyperion recordings are very highly regarded here as they are in Europe- Beck's in Munich had every single one of his discs for sale.
  6. The Rawtenstall organ is highlighted in an article by Gerald Sumner in BIOS Journal 18. He concludes that the organ is certainly Hill in character, with a Cavaille-Coll style console and a French quality to the tone. I would thoroughly recommend this article and its general theme of the French influence in High Victorian Lancashire. ..Surely an organ that must be saved.
  7. There are problems - but there are problems everywhere! Quite true, and Australia and New Zealand have similiar issues with once flourishing parish churches of inner city suburbs giving way to their former congregations. Today for example my Choir from affluent Remuera joined with that of the Central Methodist Church in Auckland known as Pitt Street Methodist. Methodism in NZ embraces a polynesian flavour and caters for the diversity of Tongan, Fijian, Samoan, Rarotongan and Niue Islanders. Within this we did an introit by Purcell and his verse anthem "Declare his honour' with organ music by JSB and Whitlock, various hymns from traditional methodist to 'Pacifica' hymns. All blended beautifully with good liturgy and a power point presentation on christian work in the Islands. The organ by the way is a 3 manual George Croft (NZ builder) dating from 1911 with additions in 1936, 1947 and 1965. It has a division of 'floating mutations' at 2 2/3, 2, 1 3/5. Several neo-reform NZ instruments have these. My point is that there can be hope for an organ and choral input in a redefined ministry. And it can save our valuable pipe organs too.
  8. The Reed Organ Museum at Saltaire should be considered a national treasure for English organ building. Reed organs are a parallel development to nineteenth century/early twentieth century pipe organ history. I visited the museum on my first trip to the UK in 1987 and had a great time playing as many of the exhibits as I could. The warm welcome and invitation to have a go was most encouraging. Included in the collection is a spledidly preserved example of a 3 manual John Holt of Birmingham as built for Marmaduke Conway to practice on when not on the Ely Cathedral console. Also to be found is a reed organ by William Hill built very much in the style of the smaller church organs. I'm a great fan of John Holt reed organs as I owned one for quite awhile and several were exported to NZ in the 20s. There are several two manual and one three manual preserved here. These 3 manual models have pedal 32s. The full swell effect on my Holt was most appealing as was the Great Clarinet. The engineering was very creditable. I look forward to visiting Saltaire again when I am the guest of the Bradford and Halifax Organists Associations for a lecture on New Zealand Organ History in November. We also have an interesting 'compensating' reed organ in the Roman Catholic Church of Lyttelton near Christchurch. Reeds plus one Open Diapason 8' rank. Again, perfectly preserved and very loved. Caleb Simper sounds ideal!!
  9. quote=Tony Newnham,Jul 24 2005, 04:55 PM] And I still say that it's insulting. Your right to freedom of speech, as with all rights, also brings responsibilities, especially the responsibilty to respect other points of view, not denigrate them. I would have no problem if you said Latin Mass/traditional music or whatever is your (personal) preference, but to say that it's the only valid worship music is not only insulting, it's patently untrue. I agree with Tony. No classical organist should write off the musical ability and spiritual integrity of those who play in quality church music groups. Some worship bands such as those of the Hillsong churches are extremely sophisicated and play with sensitivity and skill. That's more than could be said for SOME organists. I actually find no difference in ideology between those who play digital organs with artificial audio devices and guitarists or keyboardists. The days of the organist dominating the entire musical culture of a church are greatly over and full credit to the musician in a parish who cooperates with and encourages the work and talents of other musicians. I too love latin and renaissance motets and here at St Mark's Auckland our Agnus Dei settings are such but I also have able clarinet and flute players in my choir and congregation and not to give them opportunity to express there talents is down right wrong and theologically unsound. It IS a question of balance.
  10. I would encourage Edinburgh to be the most viable for an ECHO United Kingdom City for a start. It has such a diverse and interesting organ culture that really does cover many periods. Also, the Scottish seem passionate about organ conservation and its history although I believe the Scottish Historic Organ Trust is now defunct. There are several very fine players there too such as John Kitchen who reguarly record instruments in that region.
  11. I rather agree with some of the sentiments of deadsheepstew. If those of you in England feel passionate about the retention of the Worcester organ why not form a lobby group and approach the Cathedral Chapter, Diocese, Diocesan organ advisor etc. Can anyone get alongside the Organist and Master of the Choristers? The retention of many organs is usually the result of a passionate and determined person attracting a like minded philosophy around him/her. I fought for the preservation of the Wellington Town Hall organ on one hand and lost a battle with an embittered former Cathedral Organist of Auckland who saw no merit in authentic restoration of the 1909 3 manual romantic organ he was in charge of on the other. It was electrocuted and somewhat neo-baroquised by NZ's less discerning firm. Today, only 20 years later everyone regrets that. I too concur with the sentiments about the proposed case designs. Wouldn't it be best to overhaul everything of the Chancel organ and retain that as a musical and artistic (in the broader sense of the word) monument to various important periods of Cathedral organ building. Then commission a new instrument within the existing Transept Hill case in the spirit of the William Hill organ it once valiantly contained but retaining the Hope-Jones solo and pedal registers. What a wonderful project for the right builder and what a British solution for a British Cathedral. The Hill would play all the GREAT repertoire, accompany congregations superbly as pristine Hill & Son organs do and you'd have those unique Hope-Jones voices preserved for colour purposes. The specification of both Hill organs are in various publications. Players and affeciandos would flock to this and Worcester would have two contrasting instruments of enormous merit at well under the estimated cost of two completely new organs. How about a letter writing campaign to the organ magazines?
  12. I agree with these sentiments. I'm reminded of a black n'white photo of Max Reger playing a symphonic organ in Germany-the console lid is piled high with music. Sloppy organ lofts can of course reflect the incumbent musician or reflect a hard working environment! My church is open each day from 8.30am-5.00pm and as I once had 75% of my repertoire stolen and sold to a second-hand music dealer I do not keep even one album around the console now-its all safely in its storage shelves in the locked Choir Vestry. I also have a thing about dusty consoles. Cheers Michael
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