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DQB123

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  1. Yes... I was organist at the Tabernacl for about nine years back in the 1980s. The organ was originally built in 1924 as a residence organ for E Blackburn Esq of Bryn Eisteddfod, Glan Conwy and installed in the Tabernacl in around 1936 and was utterly GLORIOUS. Following its removal it remained in storage in two different locations, Scotland, and Llandudno Junction. The organ was destined for the Mayfield Salisbury Presbyterian Church in Edinburgh I believe, but alas that fell through, and although I gather that there has subsequently been interest in it, there has been no definite news of it and I wonder if if will ever be heard again - certainly it must be on the endangered list.
  2. I have my copy of The Harrison Story open and there is a mention of a "Nelson" on page 243 (second edition revised and enlarged). It says, "We know so little of the Rochdale era, but in the early 1870s the names of Nelson, Mitchell, Pinder, Robinson and Summerscales appear on the wages list; those of Pinder and Summerscales certainly worked at Rochdale and possibly Nelson too." And that seems to be it for Nelson (if in fact it is the same person).
  3. Posted Sunday at 16:04 Variations on this theme... Here is Robert Sharpe accompanying the first hymn at the Eucharist at York this morning. I love the recessional Psalm....
  4. I heard him "live" only once, when he played the Reubke Sonata on the 94th Psalm at the RAH Proms in the early 1980s - an event never to be forgotten. Also saw him at Evensong in Westminster Abbey back in the day. I guess like many aspiring organists in the 1960s and 70s for me he was a great source of inspiration and greatly revered, and somehow, like Dr Francis Jackson he was always there in the background of my mind.
  5. What would constitute "a major failure"?
  6. And now for a musical interlude...
  7. Just pondering on the instrument in storage which they hoped would play again, it occurred to me that a "1930s style" Compton organ from Wolverhampton Civic Hall went to landfill just a couple of years ago. Wouldn't it be good if the powers that be in that city were offered it as a replacement for the organ they scandelously threw away. I guess it would fit.
  8. Perhaps a clue would be to explore what wind pressure the Salisbury "Wurlitzer" strings are on.....
  9. The person now charged with arson and the destruction of the Grand organ and the stained glass was apparently released, and news is that he has now murdered the priest who welcomed him into the area. The man is described as being of Rwandan origin, and evidently a very troubled individual indeed. This is all very distressing news. Noting the mention of Nantes, I was wondering if work is now afoot to restore the cathedral and if there are plans to replace the organ.
  10. I wonder if any of the brethren noticed a rather interesting flower vase in front of the nave altar.......
  11. Presumably there are a vast number of organists who have no interest whatsoever in directing choirs. Why should it be assumed that organists are singers or have knowledge of vocal technique or choir training? The appointment of a singer as DoM at St Paul's seemed to me to be hugely sensible. Did a similar situation exist in Liverpool during the time of Messrs Woan & Rawsthorne?
  12. As a result of Covid restrictions and social distancing, Liverpool Cathedral's Annual Festival Evensong and 94th Anniversary Recital will take place on both Saturday 17th October and Sunday 18th October at 3.00pm., and will be played, as is customary, by Ian Tracey (Cathedral Organist). This will be his 40th Anniversary Recital and marks the completion of his 40th year as Cathedral Organist. Admission is via the EVENTBRITE website where specific tickets must be booked - all instructions appear there. Admission is £10 and is gratis to Patrons of the Organ, on production of a membership card, (as a result of all recitals being cancelled this season). Programme Minuee (Concierto VI Para dos Organos) - Antonio Soler/Tracey Chaconne in d (BWV 1004) - J.S.Bach/Goss-Custard Fantaisie en La (Trois Pièces) - Cesar Franck Phantasie on "Ein Feste Burg" (first performance) - Noel Rawsthorne Humoresque (Op.101 no.7) - Antonin Dvorak/Tracey Allegro Giocoso (Sept Pièces) - Camille Saint-Saens Ian's recitals are always a great thrill - I am amazed that it's forty years since I heard that Ian had been appointed Organist at Liverpool!
  13. Good news! The Welsh Government has lifted its ban on the use of pipe organs in churches..... The BBC website news is just reporting the ban this afternoon - 2 days after it has been lifted! Hey ho..... THE REPRESENTATIVE BODY OF THE CHURCH IN WALES CORONAVIRUS – COVID19 GUIDANCE ON MUSIC AND THE PLAYING OF CHURCH ORGANS From the 7th August 2020, Welsh Government has confirmed that church organs can now be played in churches as part of private prayer, marriages, funerals or worship activities. This note seeks to provide guidance on how this might be undertaken in a Covid-19 Safe manner. Overall Position Welsh Government guidance states that activities such as singing or chanting should not take place given the increased risk of infection from these activities. Recorded music may be appropriate as an alternative to hymn singing. Music should not be at a volume that makes normal conversations difficult. It is permissible for an individual to sing at a service where it is an essential part of that service. Such a singer should sing behind a plexi-glass screen to protect guests. Physical distancing should be observed at all times. It is possible for more than one individual to sing over the course of the service, but this should not be more than one at a particular time and there should be separate arrangements to protect from transmission e.g separate plexi screens or cleaning of screens between each use Welsh Government guidance also states that you should not play musical instruments that are physically blown into e.g wind or brass instruments. However, a pipe organ can now be played as part of a worship, funeral or wedding service. The decision to use an organ (which requires a limited quantity of air to pass through the mechanism) should be based on a risk assessment and adherence with social distancing, hand hygiene and cleaning guidance. The use of alternative instruments such as an electronic keyboard or recorded music should still be considered. A pipe organ may also be played for practice or maintenance purposes when the building is closed to the public. NB Whilst the organ can be played, the congregation cannot sing with it. The organ can accompany an individual singer as described above. Risk Assessment Approach MAC/PCCs, who wish now to have organs played during services, should draw up a written risk assessment for the activity. The risk assessment should cover the following issues: Physical Distancing A clear 2-metre distancing should be maintained between the organist and any other person. This might be demarked by floor tape and signage where the organ is accessible to service attendees. Signage on organ loft entrances should be considered. The organist should play alone i.e no page-turner or registrant should be present (unless a member of the organist’s household) It is advised that 2 metre distancing should be maintained between people and the organ itself. Whilst air movement from organs is minimal, this is safe precaution especially for certain instruments like pedal-powered harmoniums. Consider access routes to and from the organ or organ loft. Hygiene As for all other attendees at the church, sanitiser should be available at entry and exit points. It is advised to provide sanitiser specifically for the organist near to the organ or loft. It is sensible to ensure a break of 72 hours between different organists using the instrument. Music scores, books and sheets no scores to be left in situ following occupancy or shared unless a 72-hour break between use can be guaranteed. Hand sanitize before and after use. Cleaning The touched surfaces of the organ should be cleaned before and after use. Cleaning wipes can be used for this and bagged and disposed of carefully after use. Keyboards and stops are obvious points of contact but also consider handles, doors, handrails, organ seat and other areas around the organ which will be touched. Cleaning of the organ surfaces should sit alongside the Covid-19 cleaning regime of the wider church. 7th August 2020
  14. At the moment the situation in Wales is somewhat different in that the Welsh Government has banned the use of the pipe organ in church services in Wales! This is based on the amazing assumption that as a wind instrument the organ will spread the virus on the air. Of course that leaves us with the small problem of drafts from windows, central heating, and even opening the door to get into the church on a windy day! :-) I'm not aware of any clergy colleagues who have spoken out about this, but I've sent a message to all my friends in Wales to get on to their Welsh Senedd members to get the ban overturned and hopefully the sounds of the merry organ will return to our places of worship in Wales. Here is the content of my letter to our Senedd member - I am pleased to say that he responded in a most positive manner.... (see below) If there are any other folks on this forum (or if you know of anyone living in Wales) who would write to their Senedd member, I'm sure that would be a great help to us in getting this ridiculous ban overturned. Canon Q Along with many clergy and church musicians, I am a little bemused at the fact that the Welsh Senedd has apparently banned the use of pipe organs in churches. The explanation given for this is that as an organ is a wind instrument it may blow the Corona virus throughout the building. Frankly this is ridiculous and it has organists and church members up in arms – especially when (I’m fairly sure) no such restriction exists anywhere else in the world. Already the singing of hymns is forbidden in Christian worship right now (which is quite unbelievable), and it seems almost deliberate spite against Christians to say, “Oh and by the way you can’t use your church organs either”. Please could you find out for me if this bizarre ban on the organ will be lifted any time soon? Many thanks Quentin = = = = = = = = = = = Hello Quentin, Thank you for your email and for bringing this matter to my attention. The Welsh Government has instead issued guidance which prevents the use of church organs during worship. I can assure you that there has been no vote on this issue in the Senedd. I agree with you that the ban is extraordinary. Having checked both the UK Government and Scottish Government websites I can see that they have only restricted the use of wind instruments that require breath to be operated and that church organs are specifically permitted. I will raise this issue with the Welsh Government and report back to you.
  15. I remember Jennifer Bate coming to Colwyn Bay in the mid-1980s to give a recital on the Conacher/Cowin organ at St Paul's Church (and I guess having to give a recital on that organ would have been an ordeal for anyone). But... she certainly delighted and thrilled us all with her music that evening. Later on I purchased her Messiaen recordings from Beauvais Cathedral and one or two others. But now I think of it, I don't seem to have heard much about her in ages and ages. Was she still active in the organ world? There doesn't seem to be too much comment about one of our great organist recitalists. Just wondering....
  16. Just looking at the Sheffield organ, I see that it is a Phoenix rebuild of a Copemann Hart, but I'm not sure what has become of the Mander pipe organ, whether it is still there or gone. I noticed on the stop-list of the present instrument that the nomenclature of the stops seems to be a curious mix of French, German and English. For example I see that there are names in different languages for the several flutes in the organ. These include on the Great a Hohl Flute 8’ and in French (presumably) a Flûte Harmonique 8’. In the Swell there is a Rohr Flute at 8' and also a Flûte Traversière at 8’, whilst in the choir we have a Chimney Flute at 8’ and also a Bourdon at 8’. In the Solo there is a Harmonic Flute and a Concert Flute. And in the Pedal there’s a right old mixture of Franglais including a Montre and also a Soubasse both at 16’ whilst the 32’ rumble is a Sub Bass; this together with Flute 16, Bass Flute 8'. Flute 4' and Open Flute 2' - the mind boggleth!!! There are also German stop names as well. So this appears to be some kind of multi-lingual beast. Why all the different languages??? It looks as if the builders, or the consultant, or both, couldn't make their mind up what it was supposed to be. Without getting into a pipe versus electronic debate (which is verboten on this site), can it be said that this instrument (and I guess many others) is suffering from a severe identity crisis?
  17. As a very distinguished former organist of York Minster once told me, "One is in a constant battle with the mentality of 'if it works, change it'". :)
  18. Least of all Sir Christopher Wren..... 😎
  19. Now all we need is an alien organ scholar.... 😎
  20. Well I see the console is sold for the princely sum of £940. Hopefully if for a domestic setting the winning bidder will have observed this thread.... 😎
  21. Just out of idle curiosity, would the floor have to be strengthened? It looks a heavy brute.....
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