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Worcester Cathedral's Organ


Pierre Lauwers

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It had been hacked around a bit though. Half of me thinks it is a shame no pure Hope-Jones now exists, since no one can now experience the sound its creator intended. The other half of me suspects that there is a very good reason for this.

 

Hi

 

Battersea Town Hall has a virtually untouched Hope Jones (badged by Norman & Beard, but built when H-J worked with them). There's been some comment on the UK Theatre Organs list. The organ is currently unplayable (because it's virtually untouched!) but I hear that there are proposals for restoration in the pipe line - there's details and pictures on NPOR.

 

Also, All Souls, Clive Vale, Hastings has(had?) a H-J that has only had minimal alterations - but again, it's unplayable.

 

Does anything survive in the USA? And you could argue that the early Wurlitzers are H-J.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

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No, the Imperial goes quite a lot lower than that.  The only piece I have ever come across that uses the extended range is Bartok's Piano Sonata, which has just two isolated very low chords in the slow movement.

 

I think some Bosendorfers go down to low F and the big ones go down to low C. There are sometimes wooden flaps as previously described, othertimes the extended notes are all coloured black.

And Bach could be practical; when he transposed the Magnificat from Eb to D, he changed a couple of notes in the violin part to prevent them going too low.

I would rephrase that: Bach was the most practical of composers. He frequently wrote exactly to the limit of the particular instruments at his disposal. The Eb and D versions of the Magnificat are hugely informative not only for the organological details (eg flutes substituted for recorders, oboes for the solo (?slide) trumpet) but also for Bach's attitude to so-called "key-colour"; we hear so much about D major being a festal, triumphant key but the Eb version came first and was specifically written for the great feast of Christmas.

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Guest Roffensis
Hi

 

Battersea Town Hall has a virtually untouched Hope Jones (badged by Norman & Beard, but built when H-J worked with them).  There's been some comment on the UK Theatre Organs list.  The organ is currently unplayable (because it's virtually untouched!) but I hear that there are proposals for restoration in the pipe line - there's details and pictures on NPOR.

 

Also, All Souls, Clive Vale, Hastings has(had?) a H-J that has only had minimal alterations - but again, it's unplayable.

 

Does anything survive in the USA?  And you could argue that the early Wurlitzers are H-J.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

 

 

Hi Tony.

 

There is also a Hope Jones in Ambleside Parish Church, 3 manuals, containing a great deal of original pipework. The organ is cared for by Gary Owens (GO Organs Ltd.,Liverpool) and I was up there with him assisting him with tuning some months ago, and played it. I have to say I found it very musical, with some really lovely stops. The organ also has a Diaphone :) which was fascinating. The console (detached on North) appears to have been altered at some point in its history, but the side panels looked original, and the overall "shape" was still there if memory serves me correctly. The organ is quite buried in a chamber to the south of the chancel, so what you get in the church is less than you would expect. At close quarters the organ really has quite some magnificence to it, and it would be good to think one day this historic and important survival could be restored.

 

Mr. Owens has a far greater knowledge of this organ than I, and he would be the one to ask about it.

 

There is also a small untouched HJ in Wales, a 2 decker I think, with an unusual spec... :D. I cannot recall the place name, but it's an odd one, like Dipnock or something!! I'm getting old!! :lol:

 

All best wishes,

 

Richard.

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Needless to say, these *remains* should receive the care they deserve...

 

Pierre

I think I played this:

 

http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N03183

 

(for the non-clickers: St Paul, Burton-on-Trent 4-manual Hope-Jones)

 

about 25 years ago. It wasn't fully-functional even then but I was told it was pretty much a H-J original. I hated it!

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I think I played this:

 

http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N03183

 

(for the non-clickers: St Paul, Burton-on-Trent 4-manual Hope-Jones)

 

about 25 years ago. It wasn't fully-functional even then but I was told it was pretty much a H-J original. I hated it!

 

 

It was later dismantled and stored by the church. The console and some ranks are now on display in the Hope-Jones museum belonging to the Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust at Peel Green, near Eccles.

 

http://www.voxlancastria.org.uk/heritage/heritage.htm

 

I can't remember the name of the North Wales church with the 2m H-J still playing, although I was talking to someone about it recently and it has apparently been kept well. Is there not also a substantial amount of H-J left at Pilton in Somerset?

 

You see - if I hadn't loaned out my copy of the Fox book I'd have all the answers to hand!

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Guest Roffensis
Well, well!  Decades ago, the priest there was a family friend; and I had my (first) honymoon there.  Never noticed there was a H-J organ (perhaps it was just as well!).

 

Paul

 

 

That's the one! :blink:

 

All that upperwork!

 

A very interesting organ!

 

R

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