David Drinkell

In the Stafford case, the Harrison was replaced in 1974 by a new Hill, Norman & Beard west-end organ (one of John Norman's clever instruments which save space by sharing basses) fronted by the old case (which had been bolted onto the Double Open Wood of the Harrison), but the Harrison was retained and used, although not restored. Although a magnificent instrument - and in a style which is probably more appreciated today than in the 70s - it suffers from entombment and is not heard at its best in the nave, where the liturgical action happens. I suppose that, after 43 years, the HNB organ must be due for an overhaul, too.....

It may not count, as I don't think it was also an hotel, but the Plough at Great Munden, Hertfordshire, had a splendid Compton theatre organ, installed by the licensee, Gerald Carrington, who had worked for Comptons (he did the finishing at St. Olave, Hart Street, according to John Mee who was organist there). Gerald made some improvements, including substituting a Wurlitzer wooden Tibia for the Compton metal one (sweeter sound) and adding a grand piano. Alas, the pub is now a private house and the organ was taken into store.

I'm not on Facebook - I would waste too much time on it if I were - but my wife is and there's a group called the Francis Jackson Appreciation Society and the pictures appeared there. There are some more today, including a picture of a four manual birthday cake and Francis (looking a good deal less than 100) surrounded by his family.

There were pictures of Francis on Facebook yesterday attending a special Evensong of his music at York, entering through a guard of honour of ex-choristers and looking a good deal less than 100. So many people, myself included, have been the recipients of his kindness and have been inspired by him. I wish him a very happy birthday.

Yup - and a 32' reed! It really was one heck of a lot of organ for a small church, but it fitted like a glove.

I played at St. Jude's, Thornton Heath in the late seventies. As mentioned above, by then it was in dire need of a restoration, but what a superb instrument it was! I can hear it in my mind's ear still.....

I'm doing a "Phantom" accompaniment, too - on October 30th at St. Paul's United Church, Fredericton, New Brunswick. This is a first for me, so it will be an interesting experience. I remember playing the old organ at St. Oswald's, Durham. Alarmingly, this must have been over 40 years ago!

I got straight in just now. As for US Immigration, it seems to us living in Canada that there are more Americans trying to get out than others trying to get in. The Trump hath sounded.....

Yes - that's a handy device. Holy Trinity, Winchmore Hill, London, had a very decent Speechley (destroyed by fire many years ago), which had no Swell 16' reed, but a Contra Fagotto on the (enclosed) Choir. One could do a lot of things with that set-up.

It looks like a typically ornate North American console from the first half of the twentieth century to me - no criticism intended by that, just an observation. I look forward to hearing opinions of the instruments when they are completed - with luck I might even hear or play them myself!

The Fredericton Cathedral organ, my present steed, is an example of North American practice at the time when it was built (early twentieth century, new console in the fifties but no tonal changes). The absence of a 16' Swell reed is a severe piece of gormlessness, but that's the way they thought in those days. The Echo Organ was apparently originally meant to go at the west end, although the building isn't of a size to require antiphonal effects or a nave organ (if anyone knows Snettisham Church in Norfolk, ours is a copy, but with the chancel east of the crossing - Snettisham lost theirs after the Reformation). So the Echo is on the west wall of the Lady Chapel, almost above the player's head, and does virtually nothing that can't be achieved in the main organ, which fills the north transept. We really need a Tuba! I have been dropping heavy hints ever since I arrived. As I have mentioned before in this forum, I have preferred a full set of couplers operated by rocking tablets above the top manual ever since I was in charge of the Willis at Kirkwall Cathedral. Fredericton is an example, the norm with Casavant at the time, where the inter-departmental couplers are tabs above the top manual but the Octaves and Subs are by drawstop with their respective departments. I don't care for this, although it means that they can be operated by the capture system for their respective departments. Also, there are no Unison Off couplers, which I also miss. There is no doubt, in my experience, that a complete set of octaves, subs and unison offs gives a vastly increased palette, doubles included - which brings us by a somewhat roundabout route back to the original topic.

I've always found that a 16' reed in the Swell is the best and most useful stop as a first double. There's a lot of repertoire which calls for it, it makes the best full swell effects and can be useful coupled to the Pedal. If it can be done (as it usually can in North America with a full set of couplers), the Swell principal chorus with 16' reed coupled to the Great at 4' pitch and to the Pedal at unison pitch is a very useful device. On the Great, a 16' Geigen is versatile. I've never cared for manual bourdons, quintatons, etc, although I know they are supposed to be right for certain things - the effect just doesn't appeal to me....

Yes, James has done a splendid job at Durham. They have already honoured him by making him a Canon, but Emeritus would be thoroughly deserved.

My memories of the Colston Hall organ from when I was a student in the late seventies is that it was an immaculately voiced Harrison organ in traditional style. However, the Positive section was far too quiet to counter major choruses elsewhere. This matter of balance between departments is probably the principal "winner" at the RFH, regardless of what sort of tone it produces.

I think part of the problem at Manchester was that older material, such as soundboards, had come to the end of its working life. Also, after the War, the organ was crammed into the quire aisles, etc, and the screen (which would seem the best place for most of a large organ) was left empty.

A link on the church's website shows an article including the old Rothwell console with stop-tabs between the manuals. This was replaced in 1954 with the present console which has two rows of tabs over the top manual. The Rothwell connection would explain why Rushworths' were involved later as they took over the firm in the fifties. John Norman wrote an interesting article for BIOS a while ago positing that the case at St. mary Woolnoth in the city was the original Chair case to the main case at Piccadilly.

I can't remember this organ ever being played in the 40+ plus years I've been into such things, although I have a feeling Rushworths' did something to it many moons ago.

Elspeth and I sang in a concert last night with the University of New Brunswick Chorale - they needed a few extra voices to pad them out a bit. One of the items was a setting of the Lord's Prayer by a composer who had come to live here in Fredericton after the last war, having been a refugee. At the top of the copies, it said "Text: Unknown". Slightly odd, if you think about it....

Yes - I can think of a lot of worse ones! Both the Dublin cathedrals, Liverpool, Bury, St. Paul's (not so much the height as the nearness of the stool to the parapet).....

I remember being at Durham when they were commemorating the Venerable Bede. There was a procession (including congregation) to the Galilee Chapel at the west end, singing "For all the saints" - and there didn't seem to be a problem in co-ordination, although there ought to have been!

I suppose they function much in the same way as a pair of geigens or suchlike would on a romantic Choir Organ.

Yes, I guess so. I wasn't 100% convinced about the opening figure, in the light of what he does with it later on, but I think you're right.

When one changes organs, as it were, the business of revising registrations can result in things hitherto unnoticed coming to light. Getting Howells's Saraband in modo elegiaco (from the Six Pieces) ready for performance in Fredericton Cathedral, I realised that I have always played the second beat in the right hand at bar 21 as C naturals, but there is no accidental to modify the C sharps earlier in the bar. Having played the piece for years, obviously the C naturals sound right to me now. Am I getting it wrong? Incidentally, we had three baptisms at the Cathedral yesterday, two at 10.00 and one at 11.45. At the 11.45 service, one of the godparents was in Calgary (about the same distance west from Fredericton as London, England is east) and was represented on Skype (he apparently had a better view than most of the rest of the congregation). This was a first for us - has anyone else experienced it?

Yes, played from the Frobenius, which has (if memory serves) a number of pistons to bring in certain combinations on the Walker (the Steinmeyer at Trondhjem had similar facilities at the quire console). I was quite surprised at how appropriate the Frobenius sounded in such music and, indeed, how good it was as an accompanimental instrument. The Walker is certainly a mish-mash in some ways (there can't be many organs around with a 32' diaphone at one end, and a Sharp Mixture at the other) but I think it works exceedingly well.