Barry Oakley

I think they "Do God" more on the continent than they do here in the UK and is perhaps why they get many more listening to organ music prior to or after masses.

I think Christopher Stokes (Manchester Cathedral) is now the Grand Organist.

I think you could be right, John. Music is no longer taught in many of our state schools to the depth that it was 50 or 60 years ago. Unfortunately we now live in the age of twang and bang. And then there is the God factor associated with the organ. Last year when Hull was the so-called 2017 UK City of Culture, the regional BBC TV news programme, Look North, hardly ever aired news of classical music, even though the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is strongly linked with the city. Throughout the year the main focus was on pop. There was also a two-day organ event in the City Hall with the renowned organ at its heart. I reminded Look North of this event on a couple of occasions only for them to send its inept anchor man to interview the compere, news reader Huw Edwards. Guess what, he chose to talk to Mr Edwards about news reading.

Whenever I read topics such as this I think of the magnificent organ where I was a boy chorister nearly 70 years ago, now Hull Minster. It's presently unplayable although it's had a few running repairs in recent times. The Forster & Andrews/John Compton, 4-manual, 104-stop organ was rebuilt and enlarged in 1939 and his never undergone a major refurbishment since. It's now urgently needed and so is a sum of money in the region of £1 million. Hull is one of the country's major cities and last year was the so-called UK City of Culture. I cannot understand why the Minster's hierarchy has not launched a major appeal. The need to put the organ at the top of their priorities.

It has sometimes crossed my mind to wonder if there had ever been a meeting of John Compton and Hope-Jones and the sharing of technological thoughts. Whenever I've looked at the relay system on the Hull Minster organ (still working reasonably well after 80 years), early telephone technology is very evident.

The Forster & Andrews/John Compton 1938-1939 rebuild and enlargement at Hull Minster is a wonderful example of Billy Jones voicing even though the organ is in desperate need of thorough restoration. C S Lang thought the Tubas magnificent when he visited during the 1950's and played his well-known composition.

I think there is also a conservative element amongst the pipe organ builder fraternity who are not sales orientated. They rather adopt the attitude that if owners of a pipe organ have a publicised problem then they must seek out a suitable organ builder to rectify the problem. It does no harm to knock on a door and express a genuine interest.

Me too. I don't think he is a member of this forum but David Liddle did not appear to have any difficulties when he played the organ in Hull City Hall in the days when the Compton console had a full compliment of luminous stopheads, nearly 150 of them. I believe he also gave a recital on the organ of Derby Cathedral which still has its luminous Compton stopheads.

It was during the tenure of the late Peter Goodman as Organist and Master of Choristers, that the console was moved to its present position as you describe. Prior to that, Compton had sited it immediately adjacent to the north case and with a line of sight that encompassed the quire and nave. It remains to be seen when the organ is fully restored if the console will stay in its present position, returned to its original position or placed on a moveable platform for recitals or other musical events.

I thought St Mary's, Lowgate, was a Brindley & Foster?

The late Peter Goodman, former City Organist and Custodian of the organ in Hull City Hall, was a friend and someone I had known since 1951 when he arrived in the city to take up the post of Organist and Master of Choristers at Holy Trinity, now Hull Minster. Whilst he greatly admired the tonal qualities of John Compton’s work, he was not particularly a fan of the company’s illuminated stops, something I learned during a conversation with him. The demise of the John Compton Organ Company and its acquisition by Rushworth & Dreaper (R&D) led to R&D having care of the Hull City Hall organ. When later it became necessary for some major work to be undertaken on the organ and the console also renovated and placed in a fixed position, it gave Peter the opportunity to specify drawstops. Apart from one of the original Compton stop jambs complete with luminous stop heads, it’s something of a mystery as to what happened to the rest of them. I guess they were simply discarded like all of the original Compton company records.

I’m banging the drum again (if that’s an apt metaphor) for the wonderful untouched Forster & Andrews/John Compton 4-manual, 104-speaking stop organ in Hull Minster. There’s now a question mark about whether it’s still playable following major building work to lay a new stone floor. Virtually untouched since Compton rebuilt and enlarged it in 1939, the ravages of time and the recent building work have left it cyphering, leaking wind and with other detrimental ailments. A committee has recently been established to help raise funds for a complete restoration with at least an estimated seven-figure sum being the goal. With the city of Hull now seeing out the last few days of its UK City of Culture status, it will be nothing short of a tragedy if the necessary sum is not raised.

Must say that I'm more than a touch mystified as to why the new Ruffatti at Buckfast contains a stop listed as "Bagpipes." I can't see or imagine its use in a liturgical sense other than during the feasts of St Andrew or another Scottish saint.

Ruffatti announced earlier this week that the final stages of voicing their new organ at Buckfast is now in hand. Looks as though everything will be completed well before schedule and probably be ready for Christmas.

I can remember the Bridlington Priory organ in its 3-manual days from shortly after Compton had rebuilt it and it was being played by the late Norman Strafford, consultant for the Compton rebuild of the Hull City Hall organ that was happening around that time. It sounded really fine then.

This stoplist shows the Anneessens preserved pipework. http://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=E01122

Earlier this morning I received news that the nave division of Buckfast's new Ruffatti organ has been completed. It looks most impressive.

Thanks for this Dafydd, the £1.4 million is an eye-watering figure for a 50-stop organ. The restoration of aged pipe organs, a great many of them built thanks to generous benefactors, is of particular interest. Digressing, I have a particular interest and concern for the 80-year-old Forster & Andrews/John Compton rebuild organ in Hull Minster - four manuals and 104 speaking stops that has had no major restoration in all those years. It's now crying out for compassion and a generous purse.

Quite agree about your entombment comments. There were some murmurings just a few years back (or so it would seem) that the Stafford H&H was the serious subject of restoration but I've not heard anything more.

Not far from my home is another fine H&H that has stood redundant for several years. Another whopper, built in 1909 with 50-plus stops and four manuals it's in St Mary's, Stafford, and is a victim of the ever-increasing problem, MONEY!

Much agreed, John. I wonder how many will turn up at Hull City Hall this coming Friday and Saturday where there's "OrganFest" compered by BBC news reader Huw Edwards. It features some first-class recitalists - John Scott Whiteley, Darius Battiwalla, Gordon Stewart, Kevin Bowyer etc., etc. The occasion is part of Hull's UK City of Culture celebrations.

There are so many good organists to choose from. From a Catholic perspective, James Norrey, presently on the staff at Rochester Cathedral, is a very talented young organist. I have wondered about David Patrick, an excellent recitalist and he made an outstanding recording on the former organ at Buckfast. But why look outside when there’s Buckfast’s Richard Lea? Thanks to Spotify I recently listened to his exciting recording on Liverpool Met’s fine Walker organ in Priory’s Great European Organs series. Carol Williams has told me she has much liking for Ruffatti’s output and she could play a wide spectrum of organ music although this might get some looking down their noses.

Dave Harries wonders who might give the opening recital. Buckfast's own Richard Lea would be a good choice and Carol Williams tells me she much likes playing organs built by Ruffatti.

That's the second large job I know of in the diocese that PPO have lost. I always considered Walker's rebuild sounded excellent and I am sure H&H will do likewise. It will be interesting to learn of any revisions to the specification.