DaveHarries
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Posts posted by DaveHarries
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I have the DVD and book as well Paul from when I purchased it while in Lisbon on holiday. Very good indeed.
Dave
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I thought this might be of interest.
The Facebook page of the organbuilding workshop of Atelier Bertrand Cattiaux has this video showing some of the work to dismantle the organ of Notre Dame de Paris for the work of 1990-1992. I am guessing it won't be long before they start dismantling it once again for restoration work following last year's near disaster: hopefully within a few years the beast will roar again. Meantime the video from Cattiaux is at https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2614655468778918
Dave
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Good opportunity for someone: wonder who built the various organs (or so it seems) which make up the instrument? I hope someone saves it: looks like the sort of instrument that might suit a small parish church somewhere.
Dave
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2 hours ago, Philip Moore said:
A lovely organ. I am so pleased it will be restored. It sounds rich and warm.
Indeed. I attend Evensong on Wednesdays and tend to find that if the organist uses one of the low pedal notes it makes the stall vibrate (I tend to sit on the Cantoris side, below the organ) which is a strange feeling in some ways.
Dave
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I was lucky enough to go to a service at York Minster for the consecration of a bishop back in February 2019 (coach from Bristol at 5am so up at 4am - eeek!) and it was a pity to hear an electronic (albeit a reasonable one). The music for the service (Songmen & Choral Scholars of York Minster, along with singers from the University of York (dir. Ben Morris) singing WA Mozart's "Spatzenmesse" (Sparrow Mass) K200) was extremely good and I am glad that the work on the organ has been a success.
Dave
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5 hours ago, Andrew Butler said:
As a former member of the cathedral congregation, and having played this organ, this seems a sensible scheme - particularly the Clarion Mixture. Clifford Harker used to play RH up an octave with a big congregation. However, I am surprised at the same nomenclature for two Clarinets...? I am also struggling with the logic of an Acoustic Bourdon at 32' AND a separate Quint stop from the Bourdon.....?
The Clarion Mixture is a stop that I have heard of but, AFAIK, have never heard used. Same as an ordinary mixture or different in some way? I did try a YouTube search but to no avail.
Dave
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Hi all,
I hope that my fellow members of this forum, along with their families, are managing to maintain good health in these troubled times: my good wishes to you all.
In the midst of the current situation details have been released of substantial planned refurbishment / restoration works to the organ in the Cathedral of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Bristol. No builder has been chosen as yet for the work (although Dr. William McVicker is given as the consultant for the project) and I think we can safely assume that there will be a delay in this due to the current COVID-19 episode.
Among the works proposed are revisions to the tonal scheme of the instrument comprising of new stops (eg. on the Great: replacement of the Fouriniture III-V with a new Clarion Mixture of either 3 ranks - 22.26.29, planned to be modelled on the 1889/1892/1965 JW Walker organ at St. Mary's Portsea - or 4 ranks - 19.22.26.29) and extension or revision of others.
Proposals are currently out to consultation from 20th April until 17th May and details can be found at https://bristol-cathedral.co.uk/music/bristol-cathedral-organ-project-public-consultation and the proposed resulting specification can be found in the first link on that page. If the work goes ahead as proposed I look forward, as a member of the congregation, to the result.
Hope this is of interest. Stay safe all.
Dave
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Thanks for posting the link to the documentary: I watched it last night. So good that they didn't leave the Cathedral as a ruin after that catastrophic fire. I hope to do a cruise at some point of which Vienna is a call and I will hope to get into St. Stephen's.
Dave
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This was mentioned in another post. I did listen in and thought it was very good. Coventry have obviously got a very talented DoM elect in Rachel Mahon.
Dave
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I only once got to hear JB play a recital which was at the Colston Hall, Bristol. I forget when the concert was but it was extremely good. May she rest in peace.
Dave
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On 28/03/2020 at 08:23, Tony Newnham said:
Hi
I notice that Rachel Mahone (Coventry Cathedral's DoM elect) is on BBC Radio 3 at 1:00 today (28th March)
Every Blessing
Tony
Didn't see this post until too late but I will try and catch it online.
Dave
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On 20/03/2020 at 19:56, wolsey said:
Which episode? I played the organ decades ago, and remember the Saxhorn stop on the Solo. It's a shame there aren't more examples of it.
Sounds interesting: I have never heard a Saxhorn.
Dave
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I am also out of my Cathedral volunteer work for the duration of this as well: missing it already.
Dave
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An interesting post: thank you for this. Looking on Wikipedia where there is a 2012 picture of the hall - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Ballroom#/media/File:Empress_Ballroom_Winter_Gardens_Blackpool.jpg - I can see that someone appears to be sitting at an organ console on the right of the picture. I guess the sound comes in through the grilles on the ceiling (not shown in the picture in carrick's post) but I have no idea as I have never been to the venue. Clearly not a pipe organ, however, as the NPOR has no information.
From the NPOR it would seem that the Wurlitzer that was installed in the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool in around 1930 (NPOR R01469) was transferred to the Empress Ballroom in 1934 (NPOR D08326). That instrument was then transferred to the Playhouse Theatre, Manchester sometime in the 1970s (NPOR D08327) before finally going to the Assembly Hall, Worthing, Sussex (NPOR D08328) in around 1985. The current instrument in the Empress Ballroom is also Wurlitzer though thanks to the Cannock Chase Organ Club - https://www.tccoc.co.uk/installations/blackpool-empress-ballroom/ - and it must sound lovely in there.
It would indeed be interesting to know what happened to the pipe organ in carrick's picture though.
Dave
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Well done MM.
Dave
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Just found this clip to do with Canterbury Cathedral (UK)'s recently installed new organ. Clip dates from November 2019.
Dave
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On 20/12/2019 at 18:01, chrisogorman said:
The current director of music is Hamish Dustagheer.
The church's music website suggests there is an acting DoM - http://www.stpeterswolverhamptonchoir.co.uk/index.php?page=music-staff - after the retirement of Peter Morris at Easter 2018. Also the most recently available music list on the church's website suggests likewise but that is dated Easter 2018. Clearly needs an update!
Dave
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Daniel Roth improvising on the hymn tune "Lobe den Herren" (Praise to the Lord the almighty the King of creation) on the organ of St. Sulpice. Only came across it recently but I really like it.
Dave
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I heard of this through a Facebook post from Bristol Cathedral this morning. This is very sad news indeed. He was as much a part of Christmas to the choir, clergy and scholars of Kings College as he was to the many listeners on BBC Radio 3, both in the UK and in other countries who have, do and will continue to, crowd around their radios on the 24th and 25th December each year. He will be much missed at the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols this Christmas, and always. We should also remember that, for many singers and organists, he was an inspiration.
I have heard his setting of the responses at Bristol on a number of occasions when I have been at Choral Evensong. I don't know if Sir Stephen did settings for the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis but, either way, it seems appropriate to quote Luke 2 v29 which words form the opening to the Nunc Dimittis: "Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word."
I know this is not the forum's YouTube thread but I will post the link here to a recorded statement issued today from the Dean of Kings Cambridge, Rev. Stephen Cherry:
Our sympathies go not only to Sir Stephen's family and friends but also to the choristers and scholars at King's. May he rest in peace.
Dave
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An interesting documentary in English on the restoration, by Fratelli Ruffatti, of the 1579 Oratory organ at St. John's Cathedral, Valletta, Malta. What a pity that it ended up being dormant for as long as it did before being restored.
Dave
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Greetings all,
While looking for information on the organs of St. John's Cathedral, Malta I came across this article on the restoration of the organ at St. Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral on the island which, according to the article, started life when it was built for Chester Cathedral, England by Father Smith in 1676. The news article, dated 2014, relates to recent work to make it fully playable and it seems that the dummy case pipes were replaced with ones that play notes. The console was also replaced.
Other than the case, therefore, how much - if any - of the organ of 1676 remains?
Dave
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IMO the design of the new one is rather too modern for that cathedral. I wonder what will become of the current instrument and its historic-looking case?
Dave
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Two renditions of the same piece. I had never heard the piece in question until earlier today when I was trying to find Kalevi Kiviniemi's renditon of a piece by Wagner. The piece in these clips, however, is Michel Corrette's "Carillon".
First up: the rendition by Frédérique Gros on the organ of the Cathedral at Puy; a lovely building described on Wikipedia as exhibiting "architecture of every period from the fifth century to the fifteenth". Organ by Jean Eustasche (1691); moved and / or modified 1754, 1776, 1827, 1848, 1892 & 1937 and then restored to the composition of the 17th & 18th Centuries by Boisseau-Cattiaux 1995-1998 - https://www.aeolus-music.com/ae_fr/Instruments/Orgue/Le-Puy-en-Velay. I wouldn't mind a look at this Cathedral and I hope I will get there one day. It looks to me as if the main case dates from at least 1691 or perhaps slightly older? The picture of the organ in the link can be clicked on to give a much bigger photo.
The second clip is played by Kalevi Kiviniemi on the well-known organ (Holzhay 1792-1797, res. Kuhn 1979) of Neresheim Abbey, Germany. I have heard this instrument on BBC Radio 3's "Choral Evensong" a few times and love the sound it makes. I like the way that this organ has been put in without hindering the light through the windows and that certainly helps the Abbey to look at its best internally.
Both clips best listened to with a decent pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Enjoy!
Dave
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From the FB page of Belfast Cathedral, along with a photo of David:
"Belfast Cathedral is saddened to announce the passing of David Drinkell, a former Organist and Master of the Choristers here at St Anne’s Cathedral, making a wonderful contribution to the music and worship. Our thoughts and prayers are with Elspeth his wife at this very sad time."
Very sad news, not only for us on this forum but also for all who knew him personally. Like many of us I only knew David through his posts on these forums but his posts were always an enjoyable and informative read. He also once told me on the lines of this forum that, as a student, he used to use the organ of my local church (St. Mary Magdalene, Stoke Bishop - NPOR D07728) for practice.
Two verses that spring to mind:
"Laudate eum in tympano et choro; * laudate eum in chordis et organo" ("Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.") (Psalm 150, v4)
"So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house [.....] Therefore I will play music before the Lord" (2:Samuel 6:21, NKJV)
In relation to the second part of that bible verse (which is only quoted in part) we may safely assume - with no doubt at all - that David is now doing exactly that. May he rest in peace.
Dave
Youtube
in General discussion
Posted
Members of this forum might be interested to know that a YouTube channel was established about 3 months ago dedicated to the organs of Cologne Cathedral, Germany. There are - at the time of writing - 9 videos featuring not only music, interior tours of the crossing and nave organs and other things besides. The clips are mostly done by Winfried Bönig (organist of the Cathedral) but one of the clips also features some technical insight from an employee of Klais (Bonn) who built both instruments and the videos are in German.
The YouTube channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNAbpw1TN1AVttE3v2zRSSQ/ and there is also a Facebook page for anyone who has it - https://www.facebook.com/domorgel - which has been in existence longer than the YouTube channel.
HTIOI,
Dave