Murton

A Canterbury Tale (Although supposed to be at Canterbury actually filmed in St. Albans, as Canterbury's organ had been dismantled) - 1944 I remember seeing this...I think they used the sound of St Albans organ, but the pics are of Canterbury...including those of the organ console when it was in its loft over the choir stalls pre 1948. There was a tv drama tv (perhaps BBC1)in the 70's or 80's which featured an organist. I can't remember much other than it seemed to have some doomsday senario. The organist in question would not play the Bach T and F in D minor because it had some special qualities. When he did in a recital, the place started to collapse. I don't recall the entire plot, but remember a mobile console? possibly for the final scenes. I do hope someone else remembers it as I must have been about 10 at the time!

Its about developing a posture that fits you...While that sounds a bit strange, every organ is so different. My own instrument, while only a 2 man is one of the most comfortable consoles to play...its 1930s R&D..yet a large 3 man of the same firm and similar age down the road is a nightmare to play because the choir to ped distance means its impossible to get my knees under, and the swell pedal also becomes a nightmare. Most instruments have a poorer lower man to ped distance on 3 man instruments, but its about overcoming those difficulties. Good pedal technique - including a straight back and knees together help enormously by moving your centre of gravity further back. There's lots of ways to look at it, but most importantly, keep it simple. Alexander Technique is useful, but I have never knowingly put it into practice at the console. At nearly 6' 7", i sympathise with fellow tall organists...but just think of all the positives...we can reach each end of the pedal boards, large chords are no problem, thumbing on the great while playing on the swell is going to be a swizz and playing on the Solo is not out of the question!!!!

Sang "we'll go in the strength of the lord" this morning, so during v2 set up the great reeds transfer and reeds on to top manual...had some fun playing some extra fanfares during the last verse, then realised, too late though, that having pressed a great piston, the reeds had come off. So all my hard work was in vain. As the trumpets face down the nave, I can't hear them much anyway, so I noticed too late to do anything about it...all the school would have heard during the chorus was an attempt at a Reg Dixon accomp without anything else...a bit of a let down for me, but probably bloody relief for them!!!

I remember Stanley Sackett, who used to be the organist of the Town church in St Helier, Jersey playing me his rendition of Trumpet Voluntary/waltzing Matilda, which he played for a Jersey/Australian wedding...all very tongue in cheek, but he got away with it. Try it yourselves, W M starts very nicely after 2 bars of the Tr Vol, and then you'll get the idea!

Thanks for the interesting comments. I ought to be honest now, in that we had the rebuild in 2004...very happy with the work carried out, by Nicholsons, but always have the thought in the back of my mind, did we miss out on anything. Mechanically: New slider soundboards electric transmission New vertical swell shutter front with electric engine New stop tabs and keyboards As the soundboards were the most expensive, we had to be very careful with the pipe changes: Great bourdon 16 OD I 8 OD II 8 hohl Flute 8 Stopped flute 8 (from bourdon) principal 4 Flute 4 (from bourdon) Fifteenth 2 Mixture III (revoiced) Trumpet 8 (Old Swell) Octave Trumpet 4 (ext of 8) Bourdon available at 16,8 and 4 to offset the loss of the accomp division. Mixture put onto slider soundboard and rebalancing makes it sound new! Trumpet sits behind grill and makes a fine stab at Cocker's Tuba Tune! Swell GD 8 Gecackt 8 Salicional 8 Celeste 8 geigen 4 Stopped flute 4 Gemshorn 2 (NEW) mixture III Contra fagotto 16 (from cornopean, using the old bassoon bottom oct) Cornopean 8 (NEW) Oboe 8 Pedal Acoustic Bass 32 Sub Bass 16 Bourdon 16 Principal 8 (OD I) Bass Flute Fifteenth 4 (OD I) Oct flute 4 Schalmei 16 Faggotto 16 The OD I is on a separate chest to enable it to be available on both dept. I couldn't live with myself if I had removed it - for solid singing you sometimes need it as a full nave will need the lot. Great reeds on swell and swell on great transfer The organ is louder - almost uncomfortable for the choir, but short of adding an extra 30K to the job and having it suspended from somewhere, or compromising the mechanical spects, there was little else we could do.

Lots of choral accomp and it needs to be versatile... There are 2 grills which face into the nave - the 1980 gt mixt speaks that way - when it is on it really pulls the sound of the organ into the nave. On the other side, as the swell is enclosed, the void is filled by the Schalmei! Perhaps also, in terms of a rebuild - with about £90-100K to play with....that might help?

Interesting already...space in pipe lofts is limited - the subbass on the pedal is big boomy, just right for the church, but it is bent over in the limited space it has. So a metal 16 would be out of the question. The organ is quite bright - the mixtures date from sw -1974 and great 1980 - the sound is very much of its type and age though... The swell trumpet is enormous...and the swell shutters only open a quarter of the way, upwards and individually (in cinema organ style!)

Just a little thought for you all...faced with an instrument as described below, and an opportunity to rebuild...what would you do? 2 manual - 1937 Rushworth and Dreaper. Divided over choir stalls with a low chancel arch. Roosvelt chests – wimperings around, repetition of notes is very poor. Last cleaned in 1974...church very clean but suffering from an industrial type heating system that has roasted the organ (its recently been removed for proper heating!)...leatherwork pretty brittle! Pedal: Acoustic Bass 32 Subbass 16 Bourdon 16 Bass Flute 8 ext Octave Flute 4 ext Schalmei 16 -2nd hand in 1980 Bassoon 16 (from Swell) Great Bourdon 16 (from ped) Open diap I 8 Open II 8 Hohl Flute 8 Principal 4 Fifteenth 2 Mixture III Swell: Geigen 8 Gedackt 8 Salicional 8 Celestes 8 Geigen Principal 4 Stopped flute 4 Mixture III Bassoon 16 Trumpet 8 (voiced loudly) Oboe 8 (ext from bassoon) Accompaniment: Playable from great – stops from swell Gedackt 8 Salicional 8 Stopped flute 4 What would you do if you were faced with improving repetition, the versatility of the organ and increasing impact into the nave.

Try Wrekin College on NPOR - its in Shropshire

I played Liverpool many years ago, the choir console gauges had a series of green and red lights instead of the needle - perhaps it made it easier to see on this vast console...I found the pedals easy to get used to - indeed easier than controlling a heavy mechanical pedal. (Incidentally, I am sure that the Gen Cres pedal had a number indicator...1-39 and when it reached 40 it just flashed... FO at you We recently had a new swell shutter front and engine installed. We removed the old horizontal shutters, using a one shutter at a time system (its an old R&D!) and put in vertical ones. These are hollow and are supposedly designed to minimise leakage - which they do. What has impressed me most is the new engine, it is an electric Peterson style machine (I think!) there are stages as in the more traditional wiffle tree system, but as it has been carefully set up (its computer controlled) the stages are totally un detectable. I believe Canterbury had a similar system put on to their swell a few years ago too.

Having played Bristol at half-term, the loft and stairs are palatial in comparison with Lichfield - the only annoying thing about Bristol seems that once in the loft you must have the door closed otherwise all you can hear is a pedal bourdon coming through the dooorway. There seems to be a few interesting things going on with the action there...has anyone else encountered anything - we had an interesting end to the Sunday Eucharist - the final hymn was Harewood (Christ is our corner stone) but on the last line with the final three chord progressions mid G stuck on the great... but came off with the final chord....something to do with the pneumatics? It didn't happen anywhere else over the weekend, and no matter how I tried the progression...it still did it. Lichfield I found incredibly tight, and at 6' 7" in height it wasn't a problem once sat at the console. St Augustine's Edgebaston in Birmingham has a tiny staircase to climb. St Mary's in Shrewsbury (closed but with a 4 man Binns) has a very dodgy metal spiral staircase which feels like its suspended in the middle of the transept! There is also a village in Herts - between Luton and Harpenden where the stairs to the loft are outside...

Transfers offer great possibilities. We had one installed at School in our recent Nicholson rebuild. It will transfer the great 8 and 4 reeds (one extended rank...without the top octave for the 4' however - but what the heck, its rare that you use those pipes!) to the swell and the entire swell to the great. It enables the reeds to be pitched against the rest of the organ, but still the full flexibility of the eintire instrument...as long as you remember the transfer is on - when we first had it, I did introduce a hymn with my hands on the wrong keyboards...a new effect!

I have size 13...it has never stopped me, though I do find that on some 3 or 4 manual consoles, the distance between ped and choir manual prevent normal use of the swell ped. I have even played in a pair of those very wide fitting clarks shoes...though only a couple of times. Going to the other extreme, I do remember Dame Gillian giving a master class at the old RCO and impeccably demonstrating some pedalling in stillettos! So...if he is keen enough to play, then he'll overcome any little size issues.

I heard once that it was intended that an electronic instrument be installed...hence there not being a place for the pipe organ. I don't know how true that is, but I suppose it may be a feasable reason? Wrekin College - great and swell speak on opposite sides of the chancel with the great trumpet speaking through a grill straight into the nave. Holy Trinity Margate - Browne 3 man divided either side of the chancel Can't think of any others at moment.

Yes I quite agree - the organ plays like a dream, having heard and played it many times. Everyone seemed glad to get rid of the cimbel and replace it with a more conventional mixture - it certainly worked better to my ears - the cimbel used to stick out and never seemed to fit in...but that is imho. time flies, but it only seemed like 15 years since they gave it an overhaul. What ever, it'll still be a cracking sound, I'm sure

Leeds PC organ full swell piston was simply 16 reed, mixture and octave coupler...I'm not sure whether it still is now that the organ is restored, but I suspect it will be..

The film was the Canterbury Tale - it showed the console in its original position, in its own loft over the S choir stalls, underneath the organ pipes. You see a fleeting shot of the real choir too - an old friend was a lay clerk then and was in the film!

Tried one once - Wheathampstead in Herts I think... Re low consoles - HNB put one in at Luton in the 70's - with slightly raked keyboards - probably one of the easiest consoles to control with the stops in 3 rows. Everything to hand - and you can see over the top!

Yep I agree with many of the comments - I regularly heard him as a teenager in Kent - Saturday evensongs were a treat, I can remember one saturday, it seemed as if the whole congregation had stopped to listen - they all seemed to congregate near the high Altar to watch the great man in the distance on the pulpitum screen...