KENTICKELL

Further to Adrian Lucas' posting I would add that a contract has been signed with us for a new four manual organ, which we will begin working on in 2007 and intend to have ready for the Three Choirs Festival in 2008. Two new 16ft cases are to be positioned at triforium level, containing the unenclosed divisions of the instrument. The blind triforium inner arches are to be opened up behind the cases to allow the swell boxes to be positioned in the triforium roof spaces. This has been approved by the Cathedrals Fabric Commission. The new cases are tall, shallow, and I hope elegant. They will enable the Quire aisles to be opened up by the removal of the present organ, which should be an enhancement to the architecture in this part of the building. It is not really my place to make judgements on the present organ. The decision to replace it had been made before any of the contenders for the work were invited to quote. Of the Scott cases I would say that personally, I find their proportions very squat and not especially elegant. They contain mostly dummy pipes, some not even being pipes at all, but just zinc tubes sitting on a wooden support. However, the carvings are fine, and we hope to be able to incorporate many of these in our new cases. Adrian Lucas has commented on the tonal aspects of the present organ, and he knows the instrument far better than I do. It can sound impressive, at a certain distance; equally it can be quite oppressive at close quarters in the Quire, at full registrations. In a matter such as this, it will be impossible to please everyone. My philosophy has always been that good organs result from pursuing a single minded purpose - that is why the whole discipline of building tracker organs where every part of the instrument has a relationship with every other is so beneficial. Of course the Worcester organ cannot be a tracker instrument, but we will apply the same design criteria. That means the use of slider soundboards throughout the instrument, and scalings and wind pressures chosen to achieve the intended final result. So to my mind selecting this, that or the other rank of pipes from the present organ, on varying wind pressures and styles of voicing could not produce as good a result. The new work would be immediately compromised by the older material. I understand that the Cathedral are to formally announce the whole project very soon, having recently recieved a substantial donation. I had been asked not to advertise our contract until that time, and have so far respected that commitment. So for the time being I will restrict myself to these remarks. No doubt there will be plenty more discussion in the months to come. Kenneth Tickell