Barry Oakley
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Posts posted by Barry Oakley
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There's nothing like live music, but for those who have not enjoyed the experience of hearing the magnificent organ of Hull City Hall, here are some audio and combined audio-visual clips featuring Paul Derrett, better known in times past on these pages as "Cynic." They amply give a reasonable impression of the organ's vast resources.
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The organ of Hull City Hall is a truly magnificent instrument. As a young boy I was privileged to see Compton’s rebuild and enlarge it in 1950 and got to know Jimmy Taylor, John Compton’s right-hand man. I attended the first recital given by Fernando Germani and Norman Strafford, the City Organist and consultant overseeing the rebuild.
Perhaps understandably, nobody has mentioned in this thread the organ in Hull Minster (formerly Holy Trinity Parish Church) which contains yet another masterpiece by way of a rebuild and enlargement by Compton. Having not been rebuilt since 1938 it is presently not in the best of health. The reeds were sublimely voiced by the legendary Billy Jones. When funds are eventually raised for a complete restoration it will be another gem in the Yorkshire organ scene.
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I strrongly suspect that BBC news coverage of such events is determined more by the availability of camera crews.
Also, it's essential to let media know about events - don't expect them to pick things up, send a press release well in advance - then at least you might have a small chance of some coverage.
Every Blessing
Tony
Yes I realise this. My profession was a PR consultant.
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I'd hazard a guess that this sad situation is as a consequence of the reducing interest in the organ in this country.
I should imagine that drum and guitar manufacturers might be doing fairly well, though.
So true. I often tune into the news programme, BBC Look North that covers East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, especially because Hull is the so-called City of Culture 2017. You can bet that if there's a twang and bang concert in the city it will be covered by the programme. Yet recently the Hull Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated an anniversary which included a world premiere of Karl Jenkins' "6000 Pipes," a tribute to Hull's magnificent Forster & Andrews/John Compton concert organ in the City Hall and with Jonathan Scott at the console. Did the BBC cover it in their local TV news programme by perhaps interviewing the organist or giving a flavour of the organ piece? Of course not, it's serious culture and it's the BBC!
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David Poulter............... I can't believe that the Liverpool Cathedral website is apparently so out of date, but interestingly the list of organists ceases at the name of Ian Tracey, against which it states: 1988 to Present. There is no mention of David Poulter.
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Nice one Choir_Man!
They seem not to have used multiplexed transmission for the voicing console, judging by the several multi-pin plugs each with its own fat cable. But this will make interfacing the console to a range of different organs more flexible, regardless of the type of transmission used by the instrument itself. And anyway, there's nothing wrong with conservative technology in general when it comes to organs. It has several advantages and it can be a sensible approach.
This sort of publicity can help promote the pipe organ by raising the profile of what goes on inside, something which I have found can stimulate the interest of today's younger tech-aware generation even if they are not particularly musical. I have an ordinary cheap and cheerful MIDI music keyboard sitting on a stand in my studio, just like those which pop bands use on stage. It's used for creating 'classical' digital organ sounds but in functional terms it's no different to H&H's voicing console in these clips. It's amazing how interested younger visitors are in this one item when they glimpse it while passing by the door - presumably because it provides an instant link to things they can relate to.
It's also amazing how little people in general, not just the younger ones, know about the organ, yet how interested they can become when their curiosity is aroused. A senior colleague some years ago, a physicist by background, once interrupted me when holding forth about organs. I had said something about moveable consoles and he couldn't understand how that could be done - he had never imagined there was any such thing as an electric action. Thereafter I had to spend ages describing almost every last detail of them! He was entranced, not to put too fine a point on it.
So H&H are to be congratulated for posting these fascinating videos. They can't but help enhance the profile of the instrument.
CEP
Quite a coincidence that you should post such a topic, Colin. Last Saturday I was at a dinner in Hull and one of my table neighbours and I were discussing the state of disrepair of the 104-stop F&A/Compton in the city’s Holy Trinity Church. Apart from tunings it’s not been overhauled in all its 78 years.
But as a layman, although university qualified in electronics, my neighbour had not the slightest idea of what might lay behind frontice pipes and how keys and stops transmitted to the organ although he realised electricity was the means.
As our conversation developed I found myself explaining the differences between flues and reeds, scaling and methods of tuning. Like you, I sent him some of the H&H videos and stills of what’s taking place at King’s. He’s amazed and keenly wishes us to continue the conversation the next time we’re likely to be dining together.
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At present there are no satisfactory substitutes for 32’ and 64’organ pipes, but they require a lot of space and a lot of money.
Folo Paril recently suggested a new approach. It is well known that inhaling helium (now considered risky) raises the pitch of the voice. It follows that heavier gases will produce lower pitches from physical systems of identical size. He proposes organ pipes sounding in atmospheres of Xenon or Sulfur Hexafluoride. The speed of sound in air is 343m/s, in Xenon it is 169m/s and in SF6 it is 134m/s. He is currently researching other gases with even lower speeds of sound. Therefore substantially smaller pipes will be sufficient for the lower frequencies. He suggests that the 32’ and 64’ terminology should be retained, even though the pipes will no longer be those physical lengths.
It is unreasonable to expect the audience to breath unusual gases, so the bass organ chambers will be enclosed in solid surrounds with fronts of gas-tight but acoustically transparent membranes. As the chambers will be be sealed, the gas can be recirculated through the blower. The heat gained by compression in the blower will be lost as the gas expands through the pipes, so low-energy thermal controllers will be sufficient to match the temperature in the enclosure to the surrounding air, avoiding mismatches of pitch.
Mr Paril is prepared to licence his technology to builders, subject to the usual agreements on commercial confidentiality and the payment of large sums of money.
Posted a day too early, perhaps???
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There has been quite a clear-out (or should it be exodus?) from Newcastle Cathedral in recent years. Scott Farrell and James Norrey to Rochester and now the departure of Michael Stoddart. Perhaps there's unfavourable news regarding the restoration of the pipe organ?
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"And will the focus of activity continue to converge only on cathedrals and a few large churches and concert halls? Is this picture shared by others, or do the numbers of aspiring players entering other music colleges from a broader educational background tell a more encouraging story? I don't know as I don't have access to this side of the picture. I should like to know."
Your guess is perhaps as good as mine, Colin. But I fear it will be the concert halls, cathedrals, and very large churches who will be the main focus in the future,
Lack of money in a city such as Hull is perhaps putting a question mark over the future of the four-manual, 104-stop instrument in Holy Trinity even though it's the country's largest parish church. Compton rebuilt and enlarged it in 1938 when the city supported large, family businesses, the owners of those businesses being typical public benefactors. I often wonder where the finance is going to come from for the organ's much needed renovation.
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The Compton Tuba at Holy Trinity, Hull, is, to my ears, a mighty stop. And before the rebuild (not heard it since) another Compton Tuba at Bridlington Priory.
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Sorry to learn of this. Ronnie nearly always played the organ at Sheffield City Hall when the city's Philharmonic Chorus were appearing with the Halle Orchestra. He was always a nice person to chat with after the Saturday afternoon rehearsal. He and the late organ builder, George Sixsmith were very good friends. It was George's company that rebuilt the organ at St Anne's several years ago.
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I live near Oulton Abbey, Staffordshire, and will try and get a specification list to submit to the NPOR. The abbey, a fine building, is the work of Pugin the younger and is only open daily at Mass times. In its heyday the abbey had a complement of around 40 Benedictine nuns in its enclosure. Now there are only two with a resident chaplain.
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John's funeral service in New York commences at 11.00am and perhaps we should pause for quiet reflection here in the UK at 4.00pm BST in memory of John and the gifts and resulting pleasure he brought to so many of us.
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I am surprised that there are apparently few obituaries to John Scott, given his status as one of the world's leading organists. There is a piece on Choir & Organ's website but it looks to have been cobbled together. Is it too much to expect that the BBC will perhaps do a tribute to John? I listened earlier today to one of his Hyperion recordings I have in my collection of works by Dupre. Made in 1998 at St Paul's, It was magic listening to it again.
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What a way to start the day when I switched on Radio 3 this morning to learn of the untimely death of the great organist, John Scott. I am deeply shocked and saddened by this news. To my mind he ranked amongst the top five organists I have ever had the privilege of hearing live. In fact I would put him right at the top. His directorship of the music at St Paul’s was equally outstanding. RIP. John. Memory eternal.
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To my ears these all sound different and improved since rebuilding. No doubt Downes was on hand when his creations were being originally voiced. I would be surprised if he were not.
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I have a feeling that history will not be enamoured too much with Downes meddling. His Buckfast creation is now gone and his influence on the organs in the RFH, Gloucester and St Albans cathedrals has all but dissolved.
Michela Ruffatti tells me that they are very busy making the soundboards and pipework for the new Buckfast job. Incidentally, Ruffatti are holding an open day in Padova during October and when work on their Buckfast organ can be seen. I daresay that if any forum members are in the Padova region at the time they would be most welcome to attend, but it would be prudent to contact the company well beforehand.
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'Wabbey', AKA Westminster Abbey.
Sorry, but as a former technical journalist I was always taught never to use jargon unless it was first qualified.
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Whence my remarks in #13.
If we aren't careful, this topic could impact negatively on the forum.
CEP
Agree with you, Colin.
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Just on idle facebook chatter with some friends got me wondering- how many 5-manual organs are there in the UK? Now that Birmingham TH now has been reduced to 4, so does that mean there are only 8: Doncaster, Christ's Hospital, Wabbey, St Paul's, Wakefield, Liverpool, Odeon Leicester Sq, Manchester TH?
Are you not forgetting Westminster Abbey?
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Paul Derrett has the old 5-manual Tewkesbury Abbey Walker console for his house organ project, not sure how many manuals are in use
The last time I visited Paul several years ago he had much to do on his barn organ. The old Tewkesbury console was still under wraps and as a temporary measure he was using the former 3-manual console from Cheltenham Ladies College.
York Minster
in General discussion
Posted
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.