Andrew Lucas
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Posts posted by Andrew Lucas
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I never heard him play Bach on the organ, but if his piano perfromance was anything to go by, I would expect it to have been pretty heavily on the romantic side* (like Harold Darke - an almost exact contemporary) One day he told me that it was part of his regimen to play one of 'The 48' on his clavichord at home every morning. I cheekily asked for a demonstration one day and got one - from memory - on the little grand in his teaching room (in the basement of the RCM).*Mind you, that was the way that he was brought up.
I had the impression that he hadn't played the organ at all, seriously at least, for decades ... probably since his time at St John's in the war.
We played through some of Bach's fugues on the piano in some of my lessons - his favourite was the B minor (organ - BWV 544) - I was 'allowed' to play the pedal part! You couldn't really tell from his piano playing about things like his touch when playing Bach on the organ - I just remember it all being rather stately. But then he was 86! We were primarily concerned with musical structure and he even more so with beautiful lines - so there were lots of stops and starts.
I still think that people are getting too hung up on the "right" organ rather than how well does the music come over.
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Dear Mr Lucas,That's precisely what Norbert Dufourcq wanted!
An eclectic organ.
This said:
-I Heard St-Alban's live, and came back with an LP I still have
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Had I said to Bach he played late-baroque central german organs, I may have
had strange comments!
Best wishes,
Pierre
Hmmm. Then we are agreed - eclectic it is.
There is a wonderful hymn by Frederick Faber 'There's a wideness in God's mercy' which has the verses :
For the love of God is broader than the measure of man's mind,
and the heart of the eternal is most wonderfully kind.
But we make his love too narrow by false limits of our own;
and we magnify his strictness with a zeal he will not own.
This could apply to categorising organs into "styles".
Aren't organs just good bad or indifferent as musical instruments? Shouldn't we concern ourselves with how well they do the job they were built to do more than being in this style or that style.
We all have preferences, and mine would be that if we had 100 instruments preserved around the country for the perfect performance of the music of Herbert Howells that would probably be 97 or 98 too many. And I suspect that HH would have been one of the first to agree ... and, by the way, in terms of organ music Bach was his hero!
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Pierre - it may have something to do with the fact that Mr. Lucas is Organist and Master of the Choristers at St. Alban's Cathedral - and as such, I expect that he knows the organ rather well; that is to say aurally, as opposed to merely by a paper specification!I started to type a more detailed reply to Pierre but managed to lose it! And now am in danger of losing the will to live.
But I think you have hit the nail on the head ... making assumptions from the written word and a knowledge of history rather than from direct and intimate knowledge of the instruments.
Mind you, it is understandable. After all most of us in England think that St Bavos Haarlem is an old baroque organ, (which it appears to be on paper) whereas in reality it is a modern and versatile Neo-classical (?) organ - its certainly not old because it has been revoiced at least twice - and its not eclectic either, because it wasn't designed to play Franck or Vierne, even though one can do certain pieces of this type on it to great musical, if not historically "authentic" effect! (I have even played Howells there before now).
But then you can play Bach very effectively at King's, and that organ is neither eclectic nor neo-classical to most Englishmen.
You can, however, play Bach Sweelinck Vierne Reger Elgar Howells and Messiaen wonderfully effectively at St Albans, Coventry and Windsor, because they were specifically designed to do that. That's eclectic!
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"Coventry isn't a neo-classic organ. A Grant Degens & Bradbeer is a neo-classic organ. Coventry is an eclectic organ. Not quite the same thing."(Quote)
-Eclectic organs from about 1930 up to 1978= Néo-classique.
Some examples: Coventry, St-Albans, Holtkamp Senior organs, Victor Gonzalez,
Hans-Gerd Klais.
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The Néo-classique organ is not very well understood, because Norbert Dufourcq took that name for himself while working with Victor Gonzalez.
But Klais in Germany and Holtkamp in the USA did exactly the same thing before Gonzalez! modern "in the open" design included.
See for instance what Klais built in Antwerps as early as 1930:
http://users.skynet.be/quickbase/parochie/klaisorgel.html
So any organ that gathers classic and romantic features before 1978 (Beauvais) is a neo-classic one.
Pierre
St Albans Organ is not a neo classical organ. It is nothing remotely like the organ you refer to in Antwerp. Eclectic I can just about agree with but neo-classical - never!
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I've also heard it suggested that earlier awareness of sexual stimuli (its excessive use in advertising, for example) may also be a factor in the earlier breaking date. Intuitively, I would have thought that psychological influences are much less likely to affect physiological development than physical influences such as food, but what do I know? Has any research been done on this?I can only speak of my own experiences, but from what I have observed psychological factors actually can play a very large part in determining when the voice breaks.
Boys voices here in St Albans seem to last longer than I remember them doing in previous employment at another cathedral. We keep the boys on into year 9, i.e. one year longer than most choir schools which, being prep schools finish in year 8. Most boys make it to the end of year 9 - a few doing it with no problem at all, others by careful management of gradual changes to their voice. Some do leave early, but it has been very rare that they leave earlier than some stage in year 9.
I find that stress can play a large factor in the onset of voice change - either stress at home or at school. It can be because of, say, parental break up of marriage or other troubling factors including bullying.
Boys here like being part of the choir and never seem to want to leave - which is good, but sometimes I feel that one or two have oustayed their welcome. Persuading them that it's time to move on can be difficult and traumatic for them and I find it takes careful handling and patience (and sometimes endurance) on my part.
It's a big thing for them to deal with and cannot be rushed or glossed over. They like being in the team - they have a strong sense of belonging and don't want to lose their precious treble voices. So many manage to hang on to their higher registers and as long as they don't create either musical problems or appear to be straining their voices I let them carry on until they are ready to go.
What I observed before, when I worked elsewhere, was something rather like a subtle form of understated peer pressure. The move to a new school at 14 could be embarrassing with a squeaky treble voice (the boys in St Albans change schools at 11 so the pressure they feel at age 13/14 is much less). So the boys at St Paul's tended to "allow" their voices to change earlier - they were leaving the school and choir and moving on so they wanted to grow up that bit earlier. Many had changed voices before they left at the end of year 8 and some even in earlier years. I also thought that the school environment helped that to happen - it could be rather pressured at times.
I'm sure that you are right about the earlier awareness of sexual stimuli as well. In a choir school there could be the possibility of being more aware of that and being exposed to it in some form or other than of it happening when living at home with your parents.
So I think that the boys themselves and their environment can cause them to have some control over when or how quickly their voices change.
I haven't done a scientific study, but this is what I observe here. And I don't think we eat less red meat or have special water in Hertfordshire!
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Yes, I agree with you - I don't think the guy is talentless, just tasteless. At least, to my stuffy British ear.Sorry - going to stick my head above the parapet here. He isn't talentless but he is clueless. He has technique but he hasn't bothered to learn how to play the notes in the score accurately - so he's just making it up. Most of the Widor is there for example but theres a bleeding chunk missing for no structural reason at all.
I suspect that he may even not read music and does it by ear - an achievement in itself if that's the case.
But music making doesn't even come into it. It's just vacuous nonsense - listen closely to the improvisation - theres no real skill just a few flash ideas - and most organists can sound impressive on the tutti.
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Oh God, I take it all back. WTF is a Fusician?From the bio page:
"Arty is a Fusician, fusing the genres of art, architecture, literature, theater, and music in one unique and startling whole. He bursts upon the stage ....."
I'm disappointed that the taping of his TV series has been 'postponed'. It has the potential to be the organ equivalent of Spinal Tap.
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I'm quite tempted to offer him a concert here, but we're booked out until 2008...Stephen time it right and I can get him in for the IOF
A
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I would generally agree (apologies to our host) that H&H consoles are a league apart, and, dare I say, the place we don't mention is a case in point.Yes there is only one thing better than an H & H console ... and that's an H & H console with curved stop jambs!
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The changes ... represent monumental changes, and very big decisions indeed in the context of the restoration. For most of its long history, the Sydney Town Hall organ has had a fully enclosed Choir and mostly enclosed Solo. I suspect we're delving into philosophy here, but it is arguable that the instrument with Wiegand's changes was valid historically, even if not original. At least, I suspect that this is the view that will have been taken in justifying those that were retained ...Rgds,
MJF
Many thanks for taking the time to answer my query. At least I wasn't imagining that something had been changed (I had forgotten about the swell box changes to the choir and solo too).
I'm sure you're right to see the changes that took place in Wiegand's tenure as City organist as part of this instrument's heritage and worthy of preservation. It's one of the grandest organs of the world. Hearing, and seeing, Olivier Latry play it in a recital about 12 years ago is something that I will always treasure - fantastic organ and a fantastic musician.
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This was nearly the same in Europe!Pneumatic actions did not really spread before about 1880-1890, while round 1910
the electropneumatic was already beginning to be common.
A short time also to get a technique ripened!
In Britain I know of Willis and Binns systems to be quite good, but
others here know better than me by far.
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All of which I have seen organs by them in good state with their original pneumatic
actions.
Of course there are certainly more!
Pierre
There are also many examples of pneumatic actions by Hill, Harrison and Norman and Beard which work well today (i.e. 100 years later).
To try and answer Nathan's (Tubular Pneumatic) earlier question:
As the use of a stable electricity supply became more common place, didn't pneumatic action get overtaken by electro-pneumatic actions for 3 reasons?
1) with advances in technology and manufacture of electro magnets, electro pneumatic actions turned out to be quicker to make, took up less room inside the organ and are much less fiddly to install and adjust
2) enabled the console to be placed anywhere, within reason - only the speed of sound being the restriction as opposed to the length of the pneumatic tube runs
3) the response of the action was quicker and cleaner on the whole, especially in terms of repetition and of course the organist could have more gadgets on the console!
In the USA money was more freely available so organs were upgraded to the new technology more quickly.
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The restoration work was carried out very well, and the only quibble that I have had was entirely unrelated to the actions. Although it's not on point with this thread, I may as well mention that the decision was made to swap the Trumpet 8' and Vox Humana 8' once again - to return the Trumpet from the Choir to the Swell, and the Vox Humana from the Swell to the Choir.The Trumpet and Vox Humana had originally been interchanged in 1891 at the request of the then-Sydney City Organist, the Belgian Auguste Wiegand. This took place so early in the organ's history that, for all intents and purposes, it could be said that they had occupied their swapped positions ab initio. In fact, this took place some six years before the Swell Piccolo was re-made from 2' to 1'. Yet the latter change was retained.
To me, having the Trumpet on the Choir gave that division - which was otherwise without a chorus reed - a little more flexibility, while its absence from the Swell was effectively covered by the Cornopean and Horn, both of 8'. I don't believe returning the Trumpet to the Swell has noticeably changed the effect of that division (although I suspect some others may disagree with me). And the normal place of a Vox Humana is on the Swell (or sometimes the Solo), but seldom the Choir.
Rgds,
MJF
I wonder if you would be able to answer something that has always been a question mark in my mind since I played the organ in the early 90s, as I suspect you may know this organ well.
On the Choir there is a 4' Celestina (or Celestino) stop. From memory it is a flute stop and at the time I played the organ it was tuned to beat like a conventional celeste. But there is not an 8' "celeste" (i.e. undulating) stop on the Choir, so the only undulating rank out of 20 stops is a 4' flute.
I had expected this stop to be non-beating, principally because I had known that Hill had used the name Celestina for a conventional 4' stopped flute in that period, e.g. on the Swell at Lichfield Cathedral and which is still called Celestina Flute.
It's certainly unusual as it is (or was) and I wondered if it had been re-tuned either as a misunderstanding of the name or even opportunistically to give another colour, using the name as licence to do so. I suggested this but told very firmly - no its a celeste. It seems even more odd because I think that the organ has only two 8' celestes in its 120 or so stops, one on the Swell and one on the Echo.
It's not very important of course, but as an historical instrument which is claimed to be in almost unaltered form, things like this and the 1' rank and the switched about reeds beg questions.
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It is indeed, Mr. Lucas.However, thank you for the information - I found it quite interesting. It just goes to show that even well-known organ commentators can get it wrong occasionally!
I'm not really sure if he got it wrong or not.
I have a suspicion that there was a certain amount misinformation going on at times and perhaps Sumner got caught out by it. But equally he may have been right. Or he may have misunderstood.
There were all sorts of peculiar things about this organ's history - odd bits and pieces which make it difficult to be clear about what happened when, for example. (Perhaps a bit like sorting out a composer's real intentions from different manuscripts and copies).
I don't think it's essential to know because it's still a fantastic musical instrument as it is now, but it holds a fascination for me at least.
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Reassuringly, there's actually quite a lot of new instruments being or about to be constructed in the UK before Worcester:
St Peters Church, St Albans (Mander, IIIP/39)
Aha! Now that is interesting - I recall reading about the previous instrument in the history of the firm of Bishop and Son, by Laurence Elvin. The old organ, on paper, appeared to have somewhat more extension than I would personally wish to see on a scheme.The new Mander stop-list looks good - I would be interested to know if any old pipe-work is being utilised. Whilst it is smaller (particularly with regard to the Pedal and Choir organs) than the previous instrument, the scheme appears to make more sense - even if it has lost a Tuba (not something I am likely to whimper about!) and a few other things.
I cannot decide from the drawing, whether the case is new, or a partial re-working of the old pipe-fronts.
It is all brand spanking new. The old organ was, frankly, rather unpleasant and largely constructed out of bits of other organs. Although the case gave the impression of being an old one it was only parts of one, patched together as a screen. (Bill Drake has taken the oldest parts of the case as material for future use in a 'period' instrument).
The new organ has two new case fronts. It looks glorious and sounds very good so far (the Great and Swell have been pretty well completed now). The standard of the workmanship and detail is outstanding.
I wouldn't fret about the Tuba. This new organ has an integrity the old one could never have, if perhaps a little on the large side.
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Perhaps we could organise a meeting of these two gentlemen - now that would be really interesting....
But, just for the record:
At the time of writing his article in 1948, W. L. Sumner gave the following information - which I have arranged as a list:
The GO Lieblich Bourdon, trebles of the Double Open Diapason, Open Diapason I (of IV) and Principal 2 (he probably meant '1') were voiced on a pressure of 125mm.
The former wooden Open Diapason (of V), added in the 1899-1900 rebuild, was only named Tibia between 1930-39.
The 'Tibia' was indeed replaced by a Claribel Flute 8p (from c13 to the top) in 1946. Apparently it was modelled on the stop of the same name on the GO of Truro Cathedral (FHW 1887). However, since the St. Paul's rank was voiced on 90mm and the Truro stop on double this pressure, it is possible that they were not that alike. Certainly, I do like the sound of the Truro stop - if I had not known, I doubt that I would have guessed that it was on a high pressure - for a flue stop, at any rate.
It's all a bit odd, isn't it?
I remember reading that bit of information too, but it doesn't quite stack up from the information I gleaned whilst I worked there.
When Willis first built the organ in 1872 the Great (and also the Swell) pipes sat in two storeys, as they do now. On the top level sat the 3 Great reeds and the Solo organ (2 small soundboards I think, one for the 8' and 4' Flutes plus the two small reeds and the other for the 8' and 4' Tubas).
In the next rebuild (1899) the softer stops were moved to the much enlarged new Solo division on bay further east, with the pipes of the Pedal organ, whilst the Great reeds and the Tubas remained. The old soundboard for the removed stops was reused and two new Great Diapasons (Nos I and IV) were placed on it. Actually the old Solo 8' Harmonic Flute bass pipes - 10 pipes in all - were the pipes facing east and west in the sides of the case and they just became the bass of the new Open Diapason IV. (They were still marked as Harmonic Flute pipes when they were removed in the 1970s.) This layout remained until the 1970s.
It was all very cramped up there which is why the two extra Diapasons were removed in the end (and it still is, even though now there are only the Great reeds and the Tubas at this level).
The rest of the Great pipes (all the original stops except one) remained on the soundboard on the level below and it could be assumed that they were not altered or moved around. So it's impossible to guess whether there were several different wind pressures but it seems unlikely that Opens I and IV, being on the same chest, were on different wind pressures. And the Great Double Open and Principal were on the lower chest. A bit of mystery but I think not really that important.
I never understood the Wood Open Diapason thing either. It appeared on the organ in 1899, and the same stop seemed to become a Tibia, as you say, in the 1930 restoration of the organ after its five year sojourn in the Nave.
There was a Claribel on the Great in 1872. That seems to have disappeared in 1899, but there is no mention of its pipes either staying or going.
The history is all a bit blurry but maybe someone knows what actually happened.
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Andrew Lucas obviously has the patience of a saint !!You're too kind - but no I haven't!
It's just that having spent 17 years playing that organ, and the best part of a decade being responsible to the organist and the D&C for its maintenance and welfare, I made sure that I knew as much about the organ as I could possibly find out.
The Niland and Plumley book came out after I left but I was aware of it being in preparation. I find it answers all questions and the more you read it the more you see how much has been altered over the years, and more interestingly what happened to it between 1925 & 1929 and again between 1939 and 1946. It's like detective story and I think it's fascinating stuff.
But then, I would
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The stop of Lewis I am suggesting is the bottom 12 of the 16 double open in the new manual dome chorus by Manders. You will note that these 12 are not not listed as new pipes in the 1970s. Rather it seems to be that they are from the SE quarter gallery collection.They are Willis pipes from the pedal stop of 1899.
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A hearty thanks to those sincere contributors who participated in this discussion without losing their cool or resorting to intolerance or sarcasm etc. I am prepared to make a summation of a preliminary sort pending the arrival of the book Mr Lucas has asked me to read.He asked if in fact the 1899-1900 added diapasons nos. 1 and 4 were high pressure as I asserted by Father Willis. I have heard they were but cannot cite a reference. My rationale:
They went in on a soundboard of a former Solo division. The new Solo must have been relocated at that time behind the choir stalls.
The need for more projection of tone would have been the motivation for additional fundamental diapason tone in 1899-1900 and since 1872 the potential for high pressure had been developed. So the vacant Solo soundboards at the top of the case could be supplied with higher wind than the Great pipes below from the 1872 era. Higher pressure would be one component toward more volume. The drawback realized in the 1970s was the inbalance that 2 more unisons created in the chorus already nicely finished in 1872. Also the physical obstruction of the bass or bottom pipes of these 2 added open diapasons created more problems for tonal egress of the existing tonal elements.
Mr Lucas: The matter regarding the wood open "Tibia" diapason. I read a printed spec in an album by Christopher Herrick from St Paul's which stated the tibia on the great but with an asterisk saying it had been replaced in 1946 by a claribelflute. Thus my confusion sir.
The choir koppelflote: was a harmonicflute rebuilt unsuccessfully into a koppelflote.
the solo chorusmixture beginning at 4ft pitch: made redundant by the new dome diapason chorus.
The 16ft bass in the dome diapason chorus is not listed as new and therefor I must conclude that it is from the Lewis pipes.
Still unanswered owing to conflicting data: South choir gemshorn 4: is it playable as one source says or is it stored in the choir chamber?
Also: Besides different pressures how do the 2 cornodibassetto stops differ solo versus choir?
Dear Mr Bournias
What I request you to do is wait until you receive the book, because then you can wade through it and find all the answers, where they are to be found.
I have found no written evidence of the added Great stops being on a higher pressure - nor is it particularly relevant because it depends what the voicer does with the pipes on that pressure that matters. The two stops were the Opens 1 and 4 i.e the strongest and the weakest, so that only the former would have been likely to make any difference to the effect of the chorus. (Quite what Open No 4 was for is debateable, as the No 3 of the four - the current No 2 - is rather soft in itself).
Fr Willis added a Pedal 16' Open Diapason, of metal pipes, in the Dome organ in 1899. That is the stop that I think you have assumed is made of Lewis pipes.
When I left St Paul's in 1998 the redundant Gemshorn pipes (made redundant by the return to the Choir organ of Fr Willis's original Choir 4' Principal to its rightful home) were being stored inside the organ. I do not know if they are still there, but expect that they are (also the remains of the unused original 1872 pipes of the Pedal Violoncello and Mixture were stored for safety by the Dome organ blowers).
There is a problem for anyone coming to conclusions on any subject based upon suppositions. At times I see things being asserted as fact when I know they are coming to this conclusion by assuming things. This then gets spread about as 'fact'.
St Paul's organ is one of the worst victims of this kind and perhaps that's one of the dangers of things like message boards. It's not helped by there being a lot of organ folklore about certain aspects of this organ e.g. the provenance of the Trompette Militaire and, dare I say, some misinformation by Willis III (one example of that is that the very highest wind pressures in both St Pauls and Liverpool Cathedral organs are not quite as high as the published pressures - at St Paul's 30" is in reality a bit lower - about 26" or 27" I believe. Another is that Willis said that he threw away the American shallots and tongues of the Trompette when they arrived in the Willis factory, however I have been assured that they were still attached to the pipes in the 1970s!)
Anyway, I hope I have now cleared up your questions as much as possible.
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The controversy that has arisen in suggesting that the order is Canterbury, York and London is surely referring to the seniority of CofE bishops. I've always understood that St Paul's is the nation's Cathedral church because practically all of our state religious ceremonies are held there. Westminster Abbey is a collegiate church and not a cathedral.Wasn't St Paul's called the parish church of the Empire about 100 years ago? It's certainly the national church for state occasions.
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I at no time suggested that a tibia was still intact in 1977.Er... yes you did.
I quote you:
"This is a sensitive discussion but one that has not been satisfactorily addressed as yet since the 1970s.
The committee to decide the spec on the St Paul organ rebuild made certain decisions that to me do not entirely seem logical..."
and ...
"Why was it decided to eliminate certain Willis pipes that were already in situ?
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a Tibia 8 of wood which was a diapason open on top by Willis III I gather on the Great"
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Mr Lucas Sir:Thank You for the brief overview of the matters petaining to the unanswered questions in my mind as to the reasons for certain choices made in the 1970s rebuild at the cathedral. You conclude with the following words:
"Your information seems a bit out of date.
All this information is in an excellent book (ISBN 0 906894 28 X) I've mentioned elsewhere in replies to you. Buy the book."
I do not understand what you intend by out of date. Everything I say is essentially correct or was at its appointed time. Also you suggest that you have previously replied to these same questions however in reviewing your posted replies all 34 of them I am unable to locate a record of such.
Nonetheless it is interesting the details you have furnished that fill the gaps as to the whys of this and that. What comes to light is that if certain items were deemed better off removed in the 1970s then why were they crammed in to begin with and by a celebrated master like Father Willis? Maybe at life's end his enthusiasm for his magnum work overtook his better judgement.
Dear Mr Bournias
I have recommended this book at least twice in posts on this message board, though possibly not directly in response to your questions, which could so easily be answered by reading it.
Your reference to the Tibia going in 1977 is out by at least 30 years! Many printed specifications of the organ from the 1950s on refer to this by implication and therefore that's what I meant by your information being out of date.
Whether you mean it or not, there is an implied slight in the questions you ask and a hint that mistakes were made in the last re-building of the organ. No solution is ever perfect, but I can assure you that the organ is magnificent in every way.
Andrew
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This is a sensitive discussion but one that has not been satisfactorily addressed as yet since the 1970s.The committee to decide the spec on the St Paul organ rebuild made certain decisions that to me do not entirely seem logical. This is not to in any way lessen the quality of the outcome of that work or of the firm that hosts this forum as I realize the spec was the work of organist, consultant and builder and who knows who else.
Why was it decided to eliminate certain Willis pipes that were already in situ?
1900 pipes by Father Willis on the Chancel Great including two high pressure 8ft diapasons
a Tibia 8 of wood which was a diapason open on top by Willis III I gather on the Great
a 1930 16ft Lieblich Bordun by Willis III on the Great
an Altar division behind the choir stalls
a Solo division chorus mixture starting at 4ft pitch consisting of many ranks to give a complete diapason chorus in 1960
a Koppelflote 4 in the Choir in 1960
There are others that I may not recollect at this time and I no longer have before me a copy of the specs pre-1970s rebuild which specified all the pipes and builders and years
Any ideas guys?
Yes.
the two Diapasons - you say high pressure, but were they? They were respectively the first and fourth diapasons. They were added in 1899 on the old Solo soundboard at the top of the case. I understand that the bass pipes crowded the lower part of that case and the balance of the chorus was compromised (no stops above 8' were added). In the end it was decided to remove them and additionally this would help improve the layout and let the original chorus project better.
The Tibia was replaced with a new Claribel in 1946. No-one liked it so it was replaced with a Stopped Diap in 1972 and later a Claribel based on the one at Salisbury was added in the 1990s.
The Great Bourdon was removed - it was useless in the position it was in (below the console where it didn't manage to speak out or more crucially with any of the other Great stops) because there was never enough room for it on the Great soundboard, either in 1930 or 1972.
The Altar division was also apparently ineffective. It was originally a Fr Willis string organ (+Vox Humana), designed to accompany the priest singing at Bodley's High Altar and was positioned east of the main organ (this was destroyed in the 2nd world war). Meanwhile in the 1930s it was remade into a 'flute' organ by cutting the pipes down (one of the Vox Angelica ranks was made into the bass of the Choir Nazard in 1930 and they are still in the South Choir organ). After the war it was revoiced 50% louder to make an Echo organ (Willis II's description). Christopher Dearnley told me that it was still inaudible! So it was ditched.
Solo Chorus Mixtures - these were of no use - too loud in the Quire and the new Dome chorus superceded them.
Choir Koppelflute - I have been told that it was the old Harmonic Flute cut down and revoiced with new tops. No-one liked it and if the story is true its a bit of tatty organ building that has been tidied up. The Harmonic Flute was reinstated in the 1990s (as was the Choir Bourdon, Principal and Corno di Bassetto).
Your information seems a bit out of date.
All this information is in an excellent book (ISBN 0 906894 28 X) I've mentioned elsewhere in replies to you. Buy the book.
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==========================Well, this is always going to be one of those unanswered questions I suspect, because there is a certain dichotomy of views from them who should know or might have known, and which I think amused the late Julian Rhodes.
There was the story as told by Aubrey Thompson-Allen (AGGO-RCCO magazine 1973) that Willis met Senator Emerson Richards, and that he ordered a "Brass Trumpet" on seeing the photographs etc. Aubrey Thompson-Allen was unaware, so he claimed, that the rank was made by Wurlitzer, but when he found out he never informed Willis.
Then there is another version, which claims that Willis threw out the shallots and tongues and replaced them.....but then, Willis 3 WOULD have claimed that, wouldn't he?
Henry Anton Gottfried claimed that he recalled the rank being voiced by his father.
Ian Bell suggests that "Whatever HWIII may have claimed for the shallots later, they are definitely not Willis."
Others, including Stephen Bicknell, suggest that the rank is but a standard Wurlitzer Post Horn, but then, that is not the same as a Wurlitzer Brass Trumpet.
Apparently, if it is a Wurlitzer register, then the pipes should have a brass sleeve for the tuning-wire, and apparently they do not; suggesting Gottfried rather than Wurlitzer.
HOWEVER......
......it may well be that Gottfried got his spun-brass tubes from Wurlitzer, who were also noted builders (makers?) of Band Organs, which in the UK we call Fair Organs. These ALWAYS have highly polished and laquered spun-brass tubes, so there may be more than a grain of truth in this, unless they came as second-hand Gavioli items!!Ah! The joys of endless (pointless?) research.
The simple fact is, the Trompette Militaire at St.Paul's is a very American-style trumpet which came from America, and all things considered, there probably wasn't a lot to choose between one and t'other supplier. It remains a superb reed!
Now who was that German gentleman who voiced Cavaille-Coll's reeds for him?
MM
The one thing you miss out is that Gottfried's trademark stamp on the boot of bottom C is there, but the name was scored out (probably by Willis).
I think that, on the whole, I'd trust Ian Bells' assessment that the stop was supplied by Gottfried. Who originally made the tubes is possibly a different matter.
......it may well be that Gottfried got his spun-brass tubes from Wurlitzer, who were also noted builders (makers?) of Band Organs, which in the UK we call Fair Organs. These ALWAYS have highly polished and laquered spun-brass tubes, so there may be more than a grain of truth in this, unless they came as second-hand Gavioli items!!
Vierne Finale Symphony No.1
in The Organ
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I regret that we didn't have a Fly-On-The-Wall documentary team at a service planning meeting, just before the installation of our present Dean. A very senior member of the staff decided that he needed to describe the 'incident' of Peter Tatchell storming into the pulpit and causing a scene at the retirement service of the previous diocesan Bishop. He referred to the intervention of one of the then Canons as being so brave that he almost fisted Mr Tatchell, his intention being to convey that the said Canon was close to punching Tatchell's lights out. Unfortunately under the circumstances this was a poor choice of phrase. Many took it the wrong way and lost plot for several minutes. This includes most of the clergy present so I didn't feel too bad about my own lack of self control!