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Llandaff


jfdg

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Much more important to my mind, is the present state of the organ at Bangor Cathedral, which is a Hill/Compton job of considerable merit.

 

Is it still functioning, and have they got any money to do anything with it?

 

MM

 

I have seen a planned scheme, which is supposed to be executed by David Wells; whether or not the cathedral has the financial resources to proceed, I do not know.

 

I did play the old Compton years ago - it sounded OK; however, I think that I would prefer to have the old Hill organ back.

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I think I'm right in saying that the Hope-Jones organ took a more-or-less direct hit from a parachute mine during WW2, so you'll not find much of it left now!!

 

Rude to say it, I know, but:

Anyone who suggests that the Llandaff Cathedral job is a valuable bit of organ heritage that should be left alone has clearly never heard it in the flesh!  People have, frankly, already tried their best with it (several times/several firms). The Cathedral musicians have been despairing about it for many years. At last, someone appears to be listening. Good luck to them.

 

I would agree with Paul, here - even without playing this instrument. It has had a fearfully bad reputation for years and is largely quite broken down.

 

In case Frank Fowler notices this post, I further understand that HN&B did what they could with it, but funds were scarce and I think that they were obliged to use what they could of the wreckage of the old H-J.

 

If the cathedral authorities had got their act together sooner, they could perhaps have put in a bid for a virtually entire four-clavier H-J/H&H/W&Co. .... They would have to keep their existing 32p ranks, though.

 

:unsure:

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That is such an important article I think it is essential to quote at least one sentence here:

 

...yn un o'r tîm cyflwyno rheolaidd ar y rhaglen gan ddarllen y newyddion yn ogystal â bod yn un o bartneriaid Terry Wogan ar ei sioe.

 

 

Oh my God!

 

Terry Wogan is to rebuild the organ of Bangor Cathedral....

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Guest Roffensis
How refreshing Roffensis - you are clearly a refined person of tender years!

 

Reading the news (at any time of day) was not an activity for which she was well known.

 

A

 

Why thank you. Most kind of you to say.

 

R

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I played an Evensong at Llandaff once, but I remember about the organ is that it was uninspiring and instantly forgettable. I have now renewed acquaintance with it through the choir's Priory CD of Cathedral Anthems. It does rather confirm the general opinion here.

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Hmmm.... if anyone smiled at me 'swetly' I think that I would run in the other direction....

 

 

------------------

 

 

Which instantly reminds me of a joke about the Yorkshire stone-mason.

 

A unfortunate man had lost his wife, and went to the undertaker to make the appropriate arrangements and order a head-stone.

 

On the day of the funeral, the poor man looked at the headstone as the coffin was lowered into the hole in the ground, and on it read "SHE WAS THIN"

 

The next day, the man stormed down to the undertakers to complain bitterly about the missing 'E' on the headstone, and the undertaker said that he would have the stone-mason rectifiy the error.

 

Satisfied, the man went home to grieve.

 

A week later, the man decided to lay flowers at the grave and remove the old ones, and when he got there, he was horrified to see that a new headstone had replaced the old one, on which was carved the inscription:-

 

E SHE WAS THIN

 

 

:unsure:

 

MM

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Guest delvin146
That is such an important article I think it is essential to quote at least one sentence here:

 

...yn un o'r tîm cyflwyno rheolaidd ar y rhaglen gan ddarllen y newyddion yn ogystal â bod yn un o bartneriaid Terry Wogan ar ei sioe.

 

Heartwarming stuff indeed.  Thank you, Pierre.

 

 

I think that translates to, "the organ is to be thoroughly overhauled and revoiced by Terry Wogan Pipe Organ Builders"

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...yn un o'r tîm cyflwyno rheolaidd ar y rhaglen gan ddarllen y newyddion yn ogystal â bod yn un o bartneriaid Terry Wogan ar ei sioe.

 

Take it from me as a polyglot Taff, the literal translation of this is

 

"..If Terry Wogan shows his face here again performing the Floral Dancel, I shall insert his stick microphone up his blankety-blank.."

 

Coming back to the original topic, Michael Hoeg the asst at Llandaff really does get the best out of the old mongrel (rather like Geoffrey Morgan did at Guildford) proving the maxim that whilst impossible to polish poo, a bow may be tied around it!

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Coming back to the original topic, Michael Hoeg the asst at Llandaff really does get the best out of the old mongrel (rather like Geoffrey Morgan did at Guildford) proving the maxim that whilst impossible to polish poo, a bow may be tied around it!

 

Although at Guildford Cathedral, the organ is at least fully functional, mechanically reliable and arguably tonally superior to the instrument in Llandaff Cathedral.

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What's that, then?

 

====================

 

 

The organ of Guildford Cathedral was based on an old Harrison & Harrison organ which came from the Baptist Church, Shipley, West Yorks. (Now demolished)

 

It was, I believe a 4-manual instrument.

 

I haven't checked in the NPOR, but I'm sure it will confirm this.

 

:o

 

MM

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====================

The organ of Guildford Cathedral was based on an old Harrison & Harrison organ which came from the Baptist Church, Shipley, West Yorks. (Now demolished)

 

It was, I believe a 4-manual instrument.

 

I haven't checked in the NPOR, but I'm sure it will confirm this.

 

:o

 

MM

 

 

You are right.

 

AJJ

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====================

The organ of Guildford Cathedral was based on an old Harrison & Harrison organ which came from the Baptist Church, Shipley, West Yorks. (Now demolished)

 

It was, I believe a 4-manual instrument.

 

I haven't checked in the NPOR, but I'm sure it will confirm this.

 

:)

 

MM

 

Hi

 

Not totally accurate - the organ was a rebuild of a Nicholson (presumably of Bradford rather than the Worcester firm) by H&H, and in its final form in the church was a 4 manual - the info is all there on NPOR.

 

Shipley Baptist Church still exists, but now using their former Sunday School Hall - the land that the church building was on is currently a car park.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

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Hi

 

Not totally accurate - the organ was a rebuild of a Nicholson (presumably of Bradford rather than the Worcester firm) by H&H, and in its final form in the church was a 4 manual - the info is all there on NPOR.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

 

Even this may not be the full story - there is a possibility that Elliot & Hill may have provided the nucleus of this organ. In addition, there are suggestions that John Loosemore (in one of his rare trips away from the Westcountry) worked on the case and the GO Open Diapason.

 

There were also purported to be certain similarities with the case of this instrument and that built in 1390 at Sion, Switzerland....

 

:)

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