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OmegaConsort

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Everything posted by OmegaConsort

  1. Yes I know - I was just thinking about large Victorian Churches in general, not so much whether they were still in use or not!
  2. I think I am right in saying St Jude's Thornton Heath sold their (large) organ to Carlo Curley and it was shipped to the USA awaiting rebuild there? I might be completely wrong and if so, no doubt, someone will put me right! Richard
  3. Other large Victorian piles........All Saint's Leamington Spa, St Matthew's Northampton, St Stephen's Bournemouth, Doncaster Minster, All Saint's Hove, etc. There must be loads! Most named so far also have stone vaults which is a relatively rare in a parish church? The main topic of this thread (Teddington), reminds me of a huge church in Southend on Sea which suffered a similar fate, though this church was demolished (however, the organ was rescued and rehomed).
  4. I think so Colin - RAC (a member of this forum), I am sure will confirm this at some point soon as he is organist! Speaking of the 32' trombone, I am sure I read somewhere that Ralph Downes had a less-than favourable opinion of the rank when he was playing there during the war years and said words to the effect that he had never heard such an unmusical noise! I cannot remember where I read this, and would also add that my words are an approximation of what I can remember! We have a 16' posaune on our pedal organ which, to me is a most unmusical sound!
  5. You might be interested to know Colin that some of the pipework from the Walker organ in St Mary's Nottingham found its way into our organ at St Francis Welwyn Garden City!
  6. St Peter's - yes I remember now. Also, I think the Church I was thinking of is St Wilfred's, and it is actually a Temple Moore Church - not Pearson, but still very impressive. I have just looked on NPOR and see that the organ in there is a 3 manual Harrison. It is situated in the North Transept and clothed in a rather ugly pipe rack!
  7. I wasn't suggesting York was in the North-East though it might look like that from my reply. Shropshire Lad was asking for organs of interest "up north" and he mentioned Ripon as a possible candidate, so surely it would not be unreasonable to then list some good organs not a million miles from Ripon (which is what I did)? I should have then just said that I didn't mention York Minster as it was so well known already, and further up the Country, Durham! There are two organs of note in Harrogate I think, though I cannot remember enough detail - a four-manual in a church in the town centre and a fine 3 manual just out of town in what my memory tells me might be a Pearson church with a fine stone vault and good acoustic?
  8. Regarding The Crucifixon (Stainer), for me, like any piece of music, it much depends on the performance. I completely understand why a lot of people wince at the mention, but when you listen to a performance such as Guildford Cathedral Choir with Barry Rose (late 1960's I think), it seems to elevate itself from the mundane to something rather special.
  9. If you are going to Yorkshire and surrounding areas, then Bridlington Priory is quite a thrilling instrument, so too is the large Walker in Ampleforth Abbey (not far from Ripon). Doncaster Minster, Selby Abbey (very recently rebuilt), Beverley Minster and perhaps the RC Cathedral in Leeds. I have deliberately not mentioned the obvious ones in the North East (eg Durham, York etc)! Richard
  10. Fascinating! I must admit then whenever I conduct this piece with my choir (on a fairly regular basis as the trebles like it so much!), I am often moaned at by the men because I insist on singing it using the English translation rather than the Latin! The only reasons I give is that I like the English, it fits the music well (especially the middle section), and nowhere in the score does it gives the composers preference to the language to use in performance! We sang it recently in a West Country Cathedral where the Precentor announced it, and continued to give a full translation of the Latin for the benefit of the congregation. It was mildly amusing to see his face when he heard the English in the opening bars of the choral entry!
  11. Forgive the odd topic title, and also if this has been covered before! We have just returned from a week singing the services at Winchester Cathedral. As many of you know the organ there is fine indeed, and with the addition of the "Nave" section (which is in the Quire, but speaks West rather boldly), seems to hold it's own in both parts of the building - especially Sunday Eucharist in the Nave. There are many other Cathedrals which have, in recent times, either added a West End section, or a Nave division to help with the singing throughout the building. Off the top of my head I can think of St Paul's Cathedral, Lichfield, Canterbury, Chichester and Exeter. There are also those who have independent organs such as Chelmsford and Southwell Then there are Bradford and Llandaff who used to have them but now don't And finally, those who have them planned - Worcester and Portsmouth spring to mind (the latter are gaining some fanfare trumpets at the West end apparently). So that leads me to those cathedrals whose organs are self-contained in the Choir - amongst which are Salisbury, Truro, Lincoln, Hereford, Ely..... I wonder whether it is simply a matter of time before these Cathedrals find the money to provide a nave division, or perhaps the instrument in the Choir copes more than happily without one (Ripon I would say is a good example of that - not a huge building, with the organ speaking East and West on the screen)?
  12. According to the David Wells website they are doing the work, though there is a distinct lack of detailed information as to what precisely they are doing......"Dismantling and preparing the 1961 Rushworth and Dreaper Organ for forthcoming fabric building works. Thereafter cleaning & overhauling; releathering reservoirs, concussions and previously unrestored key action leatherwork; re-assembly; Updating console including new piston system"
  13. ...and all along, I thought it was the Tewkesbury console (upon which I have played many years ago!). Doh!
  14. Ditto Colin! I remember playing that console in it's original home (a great deal of it didn't work or was prepared for only). I found it very comfortable.
  15. Where in Stockport and Edinburgh did the 32 and tuba end up?
  16. ....especially if it is to take up the space previously occupied by the Hill Console
  17. If you google the church, it's website comes up and all the info is on there.
  18. I was assistant at St Mary's Melton Mowbray sometime ago, and I never touched the 32' flue on the Great (well that's not quite true - I did try it the first time I played the organ out of curiosity)! I was there for just over three years. If my memory serves me correctly, neither did the DoM nor the Sub organist......
  19. I agree in certain instances when there are a lot of digital additions on the manuals, but there have been a number of very successful digital ranks installed on pedal organs where I certainly would not have known that they weren't pipes (two examples spring to mind - the nave and choir organs at Southwell Minster and Blackburn Cathedral pedal organ). I've not heard the Saffron Walden organ, so I cannot comment on their digital ranks. Richard Harrison
  20. Thanks Wolsey - Of course it is in the North Transept..............I was looking West from the crossing whilst admiring which probably skewed my NSEW compass! I know Saffon Walden Church and yes - what a beautiful building! I wonder whether it was ever in the running to be the Cathedral of Essex (Chelmsford, as we all know got the seat)? I've not played the organ but have admired the chamades from the ground and they certainly look like they can pack a punch! Nearby is Bishop's Stortford - I believe they are having work done on their 3 manual organ at the moment? Delighted and somewhat pleased to announce that I do not have anything to do with Morris Dancing! Best wishes Richard
  21. I had a moment to stop and take a look around Thaxted Church today - what a wonderful building! It was good to see the Lincoln organ in the South Transept fully restored and looking beautiful. The GP England organ "on stilts" at the West End looked a little sorry for itself. From behind, there are just exposed pipes and the case (except for the front) is very poor. The console was pushed to the back wall, covered with a big heavy dust sheet and looked like it hadn't been moved or played for sometime. Next to this was another console which also had a big dark cover over it. All I could see was a number of swell pedals and some toe pistons and a large data cable which disappeared into the ground floor of the tower and then up into the England case. It was then that I noticed a load of speaker boxes up inside the case. I was wondering why they had a toaster there and when, if ever it was needed or used?
  22. Probably to accompany all that hushed plainsong!
  23. I often wondered where the HN&B organ from the Tower ended up! Thank you DHM!
  24. Of course! Salford....Makin 4 manual? Don't know about Wrexham......sorry.
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