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Ian Tracey In Plymouth


Vox Humana

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Just in case anyone within hurling distance is interested, Ian Tracey will be giving a recital at St Andrew's, Plymouth (IVP/77 Rushworth & Dreaper) at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 October.

 

I don't know the precise pieces he will be playing, I'm afraid, but they will be by Bach, Franck, Howells, Peeters and others.

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Guest paul@trinitymusic.karoo.co.uk
Just in case anyone within hurling distance is interested, Ian Tracey will be giving a recital at St Andrew's, Plymouth (IVP/77 Rushworth & Dreaper) at 7.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 11 October.

 

I don't know the precise pieces he will be playing, I'm afraid, but they will be by Bach, Franck, Howells, Peeters and others.

 

 

I have to ask, is 'hurling' the exact word you intend?

The only two meanings of hurling known to me are

1) propelling an object in some kind of sport

2) projectile vomiting

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have just been e-mailed details of Ian Tracey's programme:

 

Soler - Minuee (VI concerto for 2 organs)

Bach, arr. Tracey - Orchestral Suite no.2 in b minor

Bach - Prelude & "St Anne" Fugue in E flat

Haydn - Three Pieces for Musical Clocks

Franck - Choral no.2

Edward MacDowell - AD 1620 "Sea Pieces" op.55

Sain-Saens - Allegro Giocoso (from 7 Improvisations)

Bossi - Divertissment en forme de giga

Peeters - Lied to the Flowers & Lied to the Sun

 

No Howells after all, apparently :ph34r: Interesting programme though.

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Quite a good turnout tonight for IT by Plymouth standards - about 90 people.

 

Yes, the Lied to the Sun was excellent. The Saint-Saëns was a rather super piece too.

 

No Vox Humana for the Franck available on the St Andrew's organ,* but he found a very effective substitute. I asked him afterwards what he had used and it turned out to be: Solo Orchestral Oboe, Viol Celeste + Flute Bouchée-Harmonique 4' coupled to Swell Oboe + Concert Flute 4'! He also said he thought the organ was absolutely wonderful (and sounded as though he meant it too) - which I thought interesting. It certainly seems to be an instrument that polarises opinion.

 

* When the spec was being drawn up Harry Moreton kept adding stops to it. He got as far as asking for a Vox Humana, but at that point the church authorities decided enough was enough!

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Quite a good turnout tonight for IT by Plymouth standards - about 90 people.

 

Yes, the Lied to the Sun was excellent. The Saint-Saëns was a rather super piece too.

 

No Vox Humana for the Franck available on the St Andrew's organ,* but he found a very effective substitute. I asked him afterwards what he had used and it turned out to be: Solo Orchestral Oboe, Viol Celeste + Flute Bouchée-Harmonique 4' coupled to Swell Oboe + Concert Flute 4'! He also said he thought the organ was absolutely wonderful (and sounded as though he meant it too) - which I thought interesting. It certainly seems to be an instrument that polrises opinion.

 

* When the spec was being drawn up Harry Moreton kept adding stops to it. He got as far as asking for a Vox Humana, but at that point the church authorities decided enough was enough!

 

 

Yes - I agree that it is a fine instrument. I have not had the pleasure of playing it since John Bowden was Organist there (I assume that he is not still there - although organists at St. Andrew's do have a reputation for longevity!).

 

What is the new (to me) GO Mixture like, incidentally, Vox? Does it blend or stand away. Also, what is the composition at CC? (19-22-26-29?). Were there any other tonal changes?

 

One further thing. Did the church authorities ever get around to putting some east-facing cases on the job - or does it still display all its glories into the 'transepts'?

 

Thanks in advance, Vox!

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John Bowden is indeed still the organist (though not the DoM).

 

I can't swear to it, but I think the GO Fourniture is 26.29.33.36 (the Harmonics is now 19.22). Maurice Eglinton may be able to give me some definitive info on that since he now looks after it. It fits the rest of the organ very well: you hardly notice it's there. :(

 

I wasn't active in the organ world down here when Deane's did their work, but I know they added a 4' Schalmei on the Pedal and I believe they added a Fifteenth along with the Fourniture on the Great because a local organist once noted that these last two "added brilliance which was sadly lacking in the Rushworth & Dreaper specification"(!) I would be surprised if there was no Fifteenth previously, but on the other hand I have some old recordings of Harry Moreton playing the previous St Andrew's organ and the Willis in the Guildhall next door (both were destroyed during the war) and the lack of Great mixturework in his registrations is very apparent.

 

The most notable thing Deane's did was to make the console mobile so that it can now be wheeled out to middle of the chancel step for recitals. Oh, and they added a sequencer.

 

As for the east-facing cases, I'm afraid it's a bit like the answer to the question "Do you smoke after sex?" - I don't know; I've never looked. I'm pretty sure nothing was done on that score though.

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:(

John Bowden is indeed still the organist (though not the DoM).

 

I can't swear to it, but I think the GO Fourniture is 26.29.33.36 (the Harmonics is now 19.22). Maurice Eglinton may be able to give me some definitive info on that since he now looks after it. It fits the rest of the organ very well: you hardly notice it's there.  :(

 

I wasn't active in the organ world down here when Deane's did their work, but I know they added a 4' Schalmei on the Pedal and I believe they added a Fifteenth along with the Fourniture on the Great because a local organist once noted that these last two "added brilliance which was sadly lacking in the Rushworth & Dreaper specification"(!) I would be surprised if there was no Fifteenth previously, but on the other hand I have some old recordings of Harry Moreton playing the previous St Andrew's organ and the Willis in the Guildhall next door (both were destroyed during the war) and the lack of Great mixturework in his registrations is very apparent.

 

The most notable thing Deane's did was to make the console mobile so that it can now be wheeled out to middle of the chancel step for recitals. Oh, and they added a sequencer.

 

As for the east-facing cases, I'm afraid it's a bit like the answer to the question "Do you smoke after sex?" - I don't know; I've never looked. I'm pretty sure nothing was done on that score though.

 

 

Thank you, Vox.

 

As far as I can remember (it was years ago that I last played it), there was a Fifteenth on the GO. The Harmonics was originally 17-19-22; there was no flat-21st.

 

It sounds as if the new mixture is nice and bright!

 

B)

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It sounds as if the new mixture is nice and bright!

Er... nope! When I said you'd hardly notice it was there I wasn't joking. It's very restrained. Like the 2-rank Harmonics it merely adds a little sheen to the foundation work - there is certainly no "glitter". But it suits the organ and I suspect it was the only type of Mixture that would have worked. Anything else would have stuck out like a sore thumb. This is an essentially 8' organ; even the 4' and 2' stops are voiced accordingly.
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Er... nope! When I said you'd hardly notice it was there I wasn't joking. It's very restrained. Like the 2-rank Harmonics it merely adds a little sheen to the foundation work - there is certainly no "glitter". But it suits the organ and I suspect it was the only type of Mixture that would have worked. Anything else would have stuck out like a sore thumb. This is an essentially 8' organ; even the 4' and 2' stops are voiced accordingly.

 

Sounds like some of the big Skinners we both know... ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...
What is the new (to me) GO Mixture like, incidentally, Vox? Does it blend or stand away. Also, what is the composition at CC? (19-22-26-29?). Were there any other tonal changes?

Well, would you believe, no one down here knew the composition of the Fourniture for sure. So we ended up asking Deane's. I've now been passed the info they supplied:

 

Note CC = 19.22.26.29 (scaled at 19th = 33mm, 22nd = 27mm)

 

Breaks as follows:

 

Notes 1-18 = 19.22.26.29

19-30 = 15.19.22.26

31-42 = 12.15.19.22

43-52 = 4.12.15.19

53-61 = 8.4.12.15

 

So there you have it.

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Notes 1-18 = 19.22.26.29

        19-30 = 15.19.22.26

        31-42 = 12.15.19.22

        43-52 = 4.12.15.19

        53-61 = 8.4.12.15

 

So there you have it.

 

I assume the last two to be 8.12.15.19 and 1.8.12.15? Otherwise some mighty strange sounds going on - never even heard an Osmond mixture do that...

 

Didn't know Deanes were still going.

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