Murton

Most of us know of some awkward instruments where the circumstances sometimes have meant that there were few better options. but some are just plain daft. I remember one village organ in a lovely west gallery position...well it was in the arch really with the organist sitting on the north side, back against the stone wall. The ladder to console level (9' up) stopped at the pedalboard and you levered yourself onto the stool from there. The organist I remembered played there into her late 70's and didn't find the precarious way to get on and off the stool daunting. Trying to play as I grew up was difficult but returning to play one sunday aged 18 I found that I had grown and my elbows were wedged against the tower wall to play on the great organ. Being tall (6'6") makes for some interesting moments, like cramp in the middle of a Tu es Petrus at St Martin in the Bullring due to the curtain rail stopping any leaning back! Knee bruises on certain make of console because the wood under the choir manual is too low preventing any possibility of reaching the swell pedals and there's more. But hang on a minute this will probably not be awkward organs but more awkward organist?

I have re organised two choir libraries over the years, each time I have costed up ready made boxes from places such as the RSCM etc and found them prohibitively expensive. Both times we have gone to a local carboard packaging/box maker to have them made to order.(Many towns will have similar firms on an industrial estate somewhere.) The costs to make locally are less, but most important of all (We were ordering 600 boxes) the shipping costs were minimal as they were happy to deliver...have a hunt around, you could be surprised at what is out there.

Please forgive the blatant advertisement, but recent activity on similar sites recounting stories about the Liverpool organ building firm that is no more has prompted me to mention the recording that I made on the Nicholson rebuild of one of their instruments last year. At Wrekin College can be found a Nicholson transformation of a vintage Rushworth from 1937. The instrument I worked with from 1997 was a fine hymn machine, (volume was necessary to lead 450 lusty voices) and despite its limited spec, was able to still produce musical sounds, despite being completely worn out. The console was and still is one of the most comfortable to play. Rushworth's demise came just before we made the decision to fully restore and enhance the instrument and despite there being only two new ranks added, the organ has increased in volume and versatility - a credit to Nicholsons work. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=270700231507

Remember doing it as a teenager....introduced it at school a couple of years ago, whole school sang it in the carol service, complete with the echos...surprisingly we didn't have too many "choir..oir..oir"'s in the final performance!...Brave or mad?

Thursday 7th October at 7.30pm PETER DYKE will be playing the organ of Wrekin College Chapel Music to include Hindemith, Franck Chorale 3 and a couple of orchestral arrangements by Peter himself... there will be a video screen so that you can see him as well as hear him. Organ large 2 manual Rushworth, rebuilt by Nicholsons in 2004. Tickets £6 on the door...if you pm me then it'll be half that...

Lots of gentle accomp on Wed in the Canterbury archive recording...some fine psalm singing...what did others think?

Did anyone go to the opening concert on Saturday? I went with some friends (this was the first big opening recital I have attended since Simon Preston at Rochester...)and I thought it well worth the long drive. Thomas Trotter's playing was, as ever quite outstanding and though we were tucked in at the back of the south aisle, the sound of the new instrument came over very well and certainly filled the building - nothing seemed to be hidden away, and we felt that there certainly seemed to be enough weight on the pedals, even thought the spec was incomplete!

Futher to my comments earlier, I played the organ on Thursday and it almost felt as if I had only played the previous week, not over 12 months ago. The console was so comfortable to play - plenty of room for my legs and the whole organ easy to control. The great and swell stops being on the outer edges of the console may be some distance for smaller players - my arms were nearly at full stretch to reach them, though I didn't feel it a problem. The smoothness of the build up possible and the very characterful sounds that the various stops make, helped to make my return play very enjoyable indeed.

I had the pleasure of accompanying the choir Poscimur at Worcester last year. I found the console very comfortable indeed (being 6'6" this is a big consideration). The variety of sounds for psalm accompaniment were super and having three boxes meant that everything could be super smooth. Indeed I found them so much more effective than expected. (They have a similar action to our swell at school). The choir flutes are lovely and the reeds very effective...playing Murrill in E gave plenty of opportunity to try them all out! (At different moments of course an at the specific request of the conductor). The quiet 32 rumbles would be lovely, so I hope it won't be too long before being installed, though I gather it may be some time. I'm playing there this Thursday so it will be interesting to hear it again and to gather my impressions on a second visit. I can only agree with the previous replies about the cathedral: the atmosphere and frendliness is second to none, one is made to feel very welcome indeed.

I love it when I arrive to play and the pupils have changed the pistons to the most outlandish things...it is such a pain but adds some mild amusement for them to a mundane morning chapel...

Of course...the most obvious thing would have been to search this site first...still it is the silly season. Thanks for this site link too... I knew I would get some helpful thoughts from the forum.

I like and know various movements of some cantatas, but never really used them. I am going to spend a lot of my Christmas hols listening etc as there is so much that is great to listen to; however, my thoughts about opening it up to the forum for ideas were that with the collective wisdom of everyone here, I may get some great ideas. The concert will be in March, and coupling it with the Bach double violin concerto means that I ought to do a Bach piece...unless someone has a great idea. The usual, Pergolesi Stabat Mater or Magnificat don't stir me (done them before etc)... Hope this can provide a suitable diversion to us all...Carols are coming out of my ears at the moment.

Any ideas for a programme filler anyone? Am doing Vivaldi Gloria with the school choir...but fancy some Bach (We did the Magnificat last year and they want some more now!)

A little known horizontal to add to the list is Luton St Mary. HNB rebuild with Guest acting as consultant...the result was removal of the tuba and a short compass Trompette Militaire. Not over loud but incredibly thin in tone and I found it to be not much use in the treble, unless you happened to be in the nave in direct line of fire! This was 1971, so it wasn't exactly ground breaking. http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=N12294 Another organ which had an influential rebuild in 1966 (JWW) was Holy Trinity Folkestone. I think it was regarded as the first "enlightened" rebuild in the county - though enlightened may not be what people would say today. It certainly speaks with a fine voice though. http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=N14606

Here's one for you... Wrekin College Chapel, Wellington, Shropshire Friday 10th October 7.30pm. 4th anniversary recital of the restored organ (R+D, rebuilt and augmented by Nicholsons)...

Then there was the time I spent a week with a visiting choir at Winchester Cathedral. Before one service - I think it was a nave service - I finished my voluntary with time to spare so I began improvising a sort of hybrid between the adagio of BWV 564 and the slow movement of Rheinberger 11 - and, just for once, not too incoherently either. Regular glances in the mirror confirmed no sign of the choir. All of a sudden I was brought up short by the sound of two resounding thuds as the verger struck the floor with his verge. I looked in the mirror to see everyone already in their stalls. Afterwards I asked the choir how long they had been waiting. "Oh, a couple of minutes," they said. Strange; I could have sworn I'd only been playing for about 30 seconds. Its easily done - I was playing the organ for our school's 125th anniversary service in Lichfield Cathedral and the same happened to me...the precentor was due to arrive at the nave altar to welcome everyone (whole school, parents other people), but decided to go to the pulpit instead. I just kept playing until the verger actually arrived by my side to tell me that the precentor was waiting!) (those of you who know how tall the loft is at Lichfield can probably see the funny side now) The one consoling feature was that the fanfare and procession was due AFTER the welcome (phew!)

As a kid many village churches had them....only one local organist seemed to use it well; a lady who kept the box shut and used it well for expression occasionally...she had a notch put into it in 1980 and loved the flexibility it gave her...though she rarely had it fully open unless it was for hymn playing. She had been organist since 1938, so had had lots of practice - she also wasn't so happy with the balanced pedals..can't remember why, I'll have to ask her as she is still around at nearly 100!

Kent is going to be a good bet...especially as it is close to London, where there must be some fine ones. Holy Trinity Folkestone has a harmonic trumpet...but it is tuba powered and can sound over full organ easily - its a 1966 walker rebuild now lookd after by Brownes. I well remember it as a real fanfare sound. Rochester is a fine sound, but what about Canterbury...it'll also be louder!

I do remember a televised Dame Edna show from the RAH, many years ago now, when the great Dame did make a passing reference to the lady organist nearly wearing a gold blouse.... it certainly increased my interest in the organ. There was also, I believe an occasion when Allan Wicks went topless at the RAH too... so this topless lark may be more common than we thought...

As a teenager in Kent, I regularly played at a local church, where, in the early 1960's, the organ and in particular the update of its console, had been paid for by a family of the same name, with a large plate announcing the fact. My branch of the family was no relation, but it was a sure boost to the ego at 16! (The donor family had a herd of beef named after them too!!!)

Ah, the days of playing for lots of weddings... I used to play for a church with a no video policy and sometimes it would be abused, though the curates who tended to take the services were very good at putting the situation across to the couple. It really came about because professional men would arrive at the crossing of the church just before the bride would enter and start fussing about (the choir and organ console were placed here too) and usually bother the organist with requests for things etc..so they banned it. On one occasion after the ban, I noticed a person at the back making a recording and so I walked down and asked him to stop, he denied it at first, but as I pointed out to him that he had a big red light on the front that came on when recording, it was pretty obvious why I was speaking to him. After a few more words, he quietly put it away! The curate and the choir thought I had gone down to threaten the chap as he put it away so quickly....adding that as I was 6' 6'' and robed up, I was a pretty daunting prospect. They all agreed that if I had done the same to them, they would have put it away and run out of the church. Incidentally, we had a policy of 8 boys and 6 men to a wedding and felt that the boys got paid well, a double fee seemed to be too much. We therefore compromised and took a blanket fee (it started at £50 and went up over the years) which went to the choir fund, and we all were happy.

I played for a visiting choir there just before Easter - the organ is definitely working and what an instrument! The reason is because there was major work being undertaken on the Nave floor.

In the film they used the cathedral choir - I used to know one of the altos who was in the film, he did not mention anything about being at a studio...