DaveHarries

The transept organ of Cologne Cathedral (Klais, 1948 & 1956, refurbed 2002) has a high-pressure division - the "Hochdruckwerk" - which has no less than 5 tubas! Two of these - the "Tuba Episcopalis" (played when the archbishop enters) and a "Tuba Capitularis" (played at the entry of canons to mass) - are located at the west end of the cathedral and are, I understand, voiced on 39.3-inch (998.2mm) wind pressure. There is a YouTube clip - look for "Kölner Dom - Orgelmusik am Ostersonntag 2010" - where one of the Tubas, if not both, gets used at the end. Quite loud: worth hearing! Dave

We in Bristol said farewell to our last Dean back in September 2019 (he was well liked and very good at his job but applied for the post of, was appointed, Dean of a large church in London: doesn't seem like 11 months already): his successor was announced a month or two back as the then Canon Chancellor of Southwark and she will become the first female Dean of Bristol when she is installed (for which there is, understandably, no date at present), thereby continuing a line of Deans, almost unbroken (bar the civil wars of the mid-1600s I think) which goes back to 1542. Dave

And who, interestingly, was succeeded by Francis Pigou (Dean, 1888-1891). Pigou didn't like Chichester - he is said to have found it "unbearably sleepy" and that there was "so little to do" - and he eventually became Dean of Bristol Cathedral in 1891 where he remained in office until he died in 1916. (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Pigou) Dave

I have signed up on the replacement forum too. I will be very sorry to see this forum go: the knowledge and chit-chat on this forum has been great over the nearly 16 years (I joined 13th October 2004) that I have been a member. I hope that the replacement forum will be just as busy and knowledgeable. I extend my thanks to our hosts and admin who have run this forum. Dave

I am happy staying here for as long as this forum continues to exist. Dave

In view of the lack of choral music in Cathedrals at the present time I thought that members might enjoy this. On 28th July the Choral Scholars of Tewkesbury Abbey, along with those of the Cathedrals of Bristol, Worcester, Exeter, Truro, Gloucester, Wells and Hereford raised money for the CCEF (Cathedral Choirs Emergency Fund) by doing a virtual Evensong. The fundraising target is around £1m and, as of 27th July, was at just short of £850k - see https://bristol-cathedral.co.uk/news/scholars-evensong.-tuesday-28-july-6.30pm - and the resulting service, which also features Romain Bornes (Organ Scholar, Bristol Cathedral) and Manuel Piazza (Organ Scholar, Truro Cathedral) is very good indeed. MUSIC: Pre-service organ music: Scherzetto from Sonata in C Minor (Percy Whitlock) Cantabile from 3 Pièces pour grand orgue (César Franck) Introit: Lead me, Lord (Paul Mealor) Responses: Bernard Rose ATB Psalm: 23 (C. Hylton Stewart) First Lesson: Micah 6 vv.1-8 Canticles: Wood in E for Double ATB Second Lesson: Corinthians 13 Anthem: Let all the World (Roxanna Panufnik) Hymn: Glory to thee, my God, this night (Tallis’ Canon) Final Responses: Ferial (Edward Naylor) Voluntary: Prelude and Fugue in B Major (Marcel Dupré) CAST: Altos: Ella Venn, Jessie Woodhouse, Alice Risdon, Esmée Loughlin-Dickenson, Adam Fyfe, Hope Pugh Tenors: Michael Burgess, Matthew Jeffrey, Daniel Maw, Robert Murray John, Oliver Fulwell, Tomasz Holownia, Edward Dunne, Rufus Pawsey, Horatio Carr-Jones Basses: Benedict Dimond, Tom Noon, Andrew Culver, Harry Hoyland, David Bevan, Tom South Sorry for the black background to the music and names: I couldn't work out how to remove it. HTIOI, and enjoy! Dave

On my side of the River Severn we have a ban on singing hymns but I attended the service in my local cathedral and, IIRC, we had organ music before the service. Dave

Wonder what the score is here - I just checked the website and it is still live with no news of closure. The same goes for the company's FB page. However if this is true - and I join everyone else here in hoping that it most definitely isn't - then it is be very sad news indeed and my thoughts are with the workforce. Dave

Tomorrow's service from Sheffield Cathedral could be interesting: I wonder what the Dean will have to say for himself. If I was he I would be choosing my words rather carefully in view of the backlash from the disbandment of the choir. Dave

Can't find anything from Ripon Cathedral, either on social media or the cathedral website, saying so. Doesn't mean he hasn't of course. Dave

The suggestion that the press were told before the choir is, if true, a very poor way of doing things. Dave

Meanwhile a group of former musicians, including a former ADoM, have had their say also: this has appeared online. https://sites.google.com/view/savesheffieldcathedralchoir/home Dave

I have seen that letter to the editor of the CT. If what is said in it is true (and, as you say, we have no proof either way) then it is not good at all and doesn't reflect very well on certain people in the cathedral. Dave

BBC News have said that the arrested man was released without charge on Sunday evening (19th July): see https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-53462790 in which can be found a quote from a clerk (priest?) of the cathedral, Jean-Charles Nowak, who is quoted as saying that the volunteer was "a man of duty who had suffered a lot in Rwanda [.....] I don't believe for a second that he could have set the cathedral on fire. It's a place he adores." Dave

Post withdrawn @ 2353 BST, 19/07/2020: please delete.

The website of the Diocese of Nantes contains this image from the fire confirming what we already knew: Further photos can be found at https://diocese44.fr/incendie-a-la-cathedrale-saint-pierre-et-sainte-paul-de-nantes/ (Diocese website) and https://www.rt.com/news/495186-nantes-cathedral-fire-arson/ Very sad. Dave

Yes. One of the two other fires was on one side of the nave and has taken the console of the OdC of which the pipework has survived, albeit probably in need of a clean by now. Dave

I can understand consideration being given to the cause as possible arson. Interestingly, however, one of the members of the "Aristide Cavaillé-Coll" group on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/aristidecavaillec0ll - a member called Jean-Pierre Pottier - posted a comment containing a quote from one of the cathedral's titular organists - Michel Bourcier - who is quoted as saying: "Hier soir, à 21 h, j'ai répété sur l'orgue jusque 21 h, je préparais les messes de dimanche et du 5 août, je n'ai rien vu d'anormal." which translates as "Last night, at 21 pm, I rehearsed on the organ until 21 pm, I was preparing the masses of Sunday and August 5th, I didn't see anything wrong." That makes me think a bit. If M. Bourcier was in the cathedral practicing he would presumably have had a key and I imaging that the building would have been locked while he was in there so there would have been no public access. He also says he saw nothing out of place during that time. I do, of course and before anybody asks, make no suggestion that the organist was responsible for this. In the event that arson is ruled out I would be tempted to suggest that one cause might have been an electrical fault (power surge?) affecting more than one part of the cathedral simultaneously. The fact that a nearby resident heard "a bang" at around 0730 local time might add to the suggestion of an electrical fault / power surge. Dave

Both confirmed by Reuters. One local prosecutor has said that "three fires had been started at the site". Perhaps it is possible that someone somehow stayed in the cathedral overnight somehow but you would think that the building would be checked over at locking up time. Organ was by Cliquot (1784) and others. IV/74/104. The man thing here is that the damage to the cathedral in Nantes is understood to be not as serious as that at NDP. Interestingly, despite the words from that local prosecutor, a local fire chief has said that the fire "had broken out behind the grand organ" but confirms the instrument's destruction. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-france-nantes-fire/fire-destroys-organ-shatters-stained-glass-at-nantes-cathedral-in-france-idUKKBN24J07Q So two probable causes: either arson (as suggested by the prosecutor) or an electrical fault in the organ (if the local fire chief is correct: electrical equipment for the organ might have been located there). A sad loss either way organ-wise. Dave

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Cologne Cathedral's organ can be seen here but, unfortunately, not from the loft. I wonder how Google would go about adding images although clearly it is possible for users to do so as shown by this one - https://goo.gl/maps/AWjPSFYDNtpxk5Gn6 - which has been added by a user. If I find myself in Cologne again it would be tempting to ask if I can do a panorama from the organ loft. The view of the cathedral interior would be as splendid to see as the organ itself is to hear! Dave

Yes correct: effective 15th June I believe. No need to publish a list here at Bristol though: the music here has been coming from a CD released by the girls choir of Norwich and we had the same setting for several weeks. The only change this morning was the setting. I look forward to hearing the Bristol Cathedral choir once again when the new Dean is installed, if not before, later this year. Dave

Zeemans was obviously a busy person: he was also organist of the Grote Kerk in Breda for a time. Dave

I think we have good reason to be hopeful: he has a YouTube channel - from which that clip is taken - and his last upload was 2 weeks ago playing at Lviv, Ukraine. Clearly a promising young musician whose YT channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPAlikiXI0qO1f7D3wFLktQ Dave

Although I am unlikely to own a pipe organ (unless I acquire a house with one - I ended up not learning for as long as I would like due to the local church being kept locked after the verger left) I would prefer to have a box organ. The temptation would be there to have some pedals with it that could be detatched for transport if desired: I have come across something like that before. This example is taken from the website of Škrabl - https://www.skrabl.co.uk/small-organs.asp - and is advertised with the specification of Bourdon 8, Flute 4 (both wood) and Principal 2 (Metal) with a 56 note compass: the pedals, if I had them, would play from the Bourdon 8. Dave