David Coram

Absolutely - quite the best 32' Contra Violone I have ever heard, and it was on a 15 stop Gray & Davison with a lone Bourdon on the pedal. Player was Geoffrey Morgan who demonstrated numerous other "tricks". Try Gt fonds possibly to 4' and Pedal bourdon coupled, play chord of G major with right hand & pedal, then on Sw 8' flute go for bottom D, B, tenor F, A if you can manage it. Might need to close the box a little. Shuffling into different keys gives you some better notes than others. I know it sounds naff but it really was incredibly effective when the balance was right. We all howled with laughter when we heard these sounds coming out of these little instruments. Cornet trick on a really tiny instrument was 4' flute alone, tenor G mid G then DGB, 8' Principal alone coupled to pedal in two parts. If you can shuffle your hands around accurately enough and keep the right foot doing something interesting you can make a very passable sound. Whatever happened to ingenuity! Any other tricks like these people know?

nothing I enjoy more... wish more of it was working though, and the reeds a little more stable! Will be wonderful when your plans come to fruition.

Same here - but we are the very fortunate minority - I have today been out to look at 4 instruments, all mid 1800's and pretty much intact as the day they were built by their (eminent) builders. One is played by a pianist, two are played by little old ladies once a month with piano or leccy keyboard the rest of the time, and the vicar of the last one would prefer it wasn't played at all, or even there. These are the places where the expertise, guidance, vision & passion are needed - and we don't got none, it seems, except for a few very LUCKY parishes. How would worship & church life in general be enriched if the musicians were required to operate to professional standards, and rewarded as professionals? Even £5k a year + benefits (perhaps even per benefice, where organists are shared as they increasingly are) is a drop in the ocean when you consider the benefits that could almost instantaneously arise for the church, the music and the instruments.

The most interesting part of it is that this is EXACTLY what the RSCM should be doing. I am frequently pulled into line for being disparaging about the RSCM, and many of my friends and colleagues are high up within it, but what's it actually for? Maintaining & building standards, I am told. Great, but how far? The premise seems to be that parishes should count themselves lucky to have anyone at all, and no matter that they can't play the pedals or even reliably stumble through a hymn tune; if they are still breathing and willing to turn up, they have the RSCM seal of approval and can, for a modest fee, purchase a badge that says so. The only heartwarming and visible pockets where change for the better is taking place are (as far as I know in my small corner of the UK, anyway) firmly outside the boundaries of any "establishment" organisation, and down to the dedication of a few individuals without whom they would collapse. Worship and ministry are strengthened immeasureably as a result of these efforts. We are teetering on the brink of replacing organs with CD players, and we are contenting ourselves with trying to slow the pace of decay rather than actually reverse it. Surely the RSCM should be representing us to the church, not the other way round?

I sadly missed one this afternoon, on an 1850 Gray & Davison. It was added by a gentleman called Robin Winn, and an organbuilder (John Budgen) has taken it out again.

What do you want to swap it for? There is a Flute Triangulaire at Bradford on Avon. Most of it was lying around the pews for ages while John Coulson decided whether or not to put it all back together again. Ultimately, he decided not to and Michael Farley finished it! My swopsies cupboard is currently limited to a Hele Stopped Diapason, beer, or money. You might be able to have a yukky zinc gedact if you want!!!

The other weird thing is the Pedal soundboard - top F sharp and G are on off note chests. A secondhand soundboard perhaps? The bellows weights have a chequered history and at least two of the reservoirs are to HN&B pattern of the era.

The rackboards are drilled for something with wooden feet, you can feel underneath. It's a really ugly stop, the Gedeckt. Needs to go back, I think. The swell pedals - hmm, they should probably stay, shouldn't they? - I am trying to think of a way of having a couple of opposing solenoids or pneumatic devices that can be turned off & a second circuit brought in to make it feel & work like a conventional pedal, but you can also power up the solenoids & they become self centering and work like Willis ones should. Don't suppose there's many left like that, would be nice to preserve. Fuel gauges a real period touch. Would be interested in a couple of other probable changes though - do you recall if there was ever a 4' Flute on the great? Only Gemshorn and Principal now. Odd. Also Ch Trompette and Sw Dulzian don't "fit". The Cimbel Mixture is definitely a replacement, it's the only cone tuned stop on the instrument and again fairly naff quality. Breaks all over the place - feels like someone found loads of little pipes in a cupboard. For some unknown reason the Gt Open Diap 1 is off the soundboard - not derived or extended anywhere - an afterthought? There has clearly been a great deal of horsetrading in there but NPOR curiously silent about most of it.

This 32 is slung from the top of the choir box, rest in basement as you say. Stunning instrument, just fantastic - really needs saving! The problems with wind starvation mentioned earlier aren't wind starvation - they're down to really, really, really, really awful tuning (though of course it does play out quicker than it should - all the leatherwork split, Great worst). Never seen a Willis infinite speed/gradation swell before - quite liked that. Only 2 or 3 alterations from original design that we could find. Also, I've never seen a Mixture with a stopped rank before, but perhaps I've been going round with my eyes shut. Both Ped and Sw had this.

Oh, tonally, possibly revoice it a little and maybe remake some of the weirder reeds, but fundamentally of course leave it alone! All these things are important whatever we think of them and, as you say, of a period and school that deserves preservation. It just needs rebuilding with new actions & soundboards with the sort of disposition you find at the RFH or Clifton Cathedral, kept as far as possible at similar heights so the tuning doesn't go so wayward. Then, it will be useable - which is the main thing.

Possibly when the releathering has been done there will be enough wind? Anyway, I'd love to come and see it - are you around much before Christmas?

Indeed - it's wonderful. Definitely in need of a proper overhaul though - I was once told that the last work didn't really help it much. There is a very good organbuilder nearby who could help.

I didn't mean to sound like Bach never played a good organ - isn't it however true that quite a lot of the time he accompanied services at the harpsichord, conducting strings? The parallel was meant to be that of transcriptions. A vast amount of the organ music was clearly designed with other instruments in mind and the best performances reflect this (but then I suppose the best performances of any music do to some extent). Wasn't Bach particularly fussy about tremulants also? This is a much neglected point in some new instruments. The proving process would indeed be interesting to apply. Trouble is, who would do the proving? The consultant? (Every one a pass.) Another builder? (Every one a fail.) A little retirement job for Gillian Weir? Have opinions of what is good and what is not good ever been so diverse as they are for us, with our many more schools of music and functions to try and entertain? If I were to say - New College Oxford, Clifton Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral, Grosvenor Chapel, Exeter College Oxford and Turner Sims Concert Hall we might none of us agree on any of them, and consequently not only would prices go up (to cover the eventuality of losing money) but the results would almost certainly get even blander and more stereotypical still as we struggle to draw lines in the sand.

Ventilation seems to be the most important thing. Often it's a good idea to open casework & access doors when the building is locked to let the air circulate freely. Damp chasers are invaluable, not for their heating effect which is minimal, but because they promote good circulation. Just because there is damp on the outside (sticky sliders etc) doesn't mean there is damp on the inside, so a humidifier is a good thing to keep running alongside to ensure the effects of heating and ingress of dry, warm air from the blower don't go unchecked. They do need frequent servicing if they are going to be of any use however - there is a good outfit called Fothergills in Dorset that operate nationwide.

Here goes then... I will actually do quite a lot to defend Oundle, whatever I think of its competitive nature (despite what it says in the programme - how can you be non-competitive AND give prizes?). Enlarging egos and heads is a small by-product of a highly inspirational and motivational experience for a hundred or so young people every year who, no matter what their ability or potential or aspirations, will all benefit in some way from going, musically, personally and socially. Without such events, who knows how many would give up. We all know it's hard enough to find a practice instrument, find a reasonable teacher or find any reason to take up the instrument in the first place, or keep going once you have. Aged 13 it's even harder still. Better for egos and heads to be temporarily enlarged than constantly downtrodden, deflated, demotivated and dispirited - easier by far to allow the natural processes of growing up to correct the balance lateron and have an enthusiastic youth yearning to succeed, than to try and motivate older children with Oortmesen trios after they have already established interests in other areas. This is another thread on its own, I think. People "inflict" organ recitals on the public because there is a public that is willing to be inflicted with them, in parish churches up and down the land, every week. It's a valuable source of fundraising for cash-strapped churches (who knows how many organs have been saved with funds raised in this way?), it's another opportunity for fellowship during the week for many who may not get out much, and it's invaluable experience for those trying to come into the profession. I am presently among this number. There is much experience to be gained before, as you say, reaching a professional platform defined by - well, what, exactly? Without experience of conquering concert nerves, getting used to unfamiliar instruments and giving thought & consideration to programmes, how is this to be done, especially when the other "hothouse" routes into the profession (music colleges and conservatoires) are not always open, either through lack of academic ability or lack of funding? Does my unconventional entry route to the profession make me any less hard working, musically capable, committed or entertaining than the next person? There are also questions of learning how to get engagements, marketing, management, organisation, all seldom taught but often hard to learn. Far better for young players, I think, to get exposure and experience through giving free lunchtime concerts to people that want to hear - the good ones will go on to get better and become successful by virtue of what they have done, the frauds and over-inflated egos will soon be shown for what they are and disappear, but both will have to apply themselves to achieving a standard of technical proficiency and musical thought if they are to have any hope of being invited back, and this alone will increase their musical experience, which should always be for pleasure and the pleasure of others regardless of how you try to earn a living. What constitutes "good" music is often rather subjective, like only reading "good" poetry or looking at "good" paintings. Surely whether or not something is effective, efficient and sincere in what it sets out to achieve is the only standard by which we can call ourselves qualified to judge?

I wonder how far-fetched it is to describe a lot of Bach's organ music as transcriptions of string and obbligato pieces? He is supposed to have spent much of his life conducting from the harpsichord & teaching violin, and had pitifully poor organs to play on. As the illustrious and present Mr Allcoat says, even with just the 6 Bach trio sonatas and nothing else, we would still have one of the finest repertoires of any instrument.

ouch this may be about to go zooming off topic... please, please, keep it on...

Not so much the air conditioning as the raked floor, and not so much the organ itself as its apparently thoughtless and flawed design. In any building so steeply raked the circulation is going to be pretty dire, as air circulating in a triangle leaves huge untouched voids in each corner. The air conditioning actually helps, and significantly, with the circulation. It was just silly for any builder to see that site and expect an organ working at so many different heights to be satisfactory in terms of tuning stability. Had they taken the RFH or Clifton Cathedral approach of going more horizontally than vertically, most likely there wouldn't be a tuning problem, and then there would just be the dreadful mechanical unreliability to overcome. They could even try simply ducting the blower air intake to ceiling level, to see if the whole instrument receiving air at the higher temperature doesn't at least make it all go the same direction at the same time, rather than a mixture of cold & warm pipework receiving cooler air. I wonder, do you ever get to any of the several annual organ recitals at Romsey Abbey, just 10 minutes or so up the road? Now there is a real musical instrument in a fine setting! Also soon to be a fine new Harrison at Twyford, just a few minutes further on. The Turner Sims can do so much more that other venues can't, like host poets and authors and comedians and chamber groups; we already have so many very badly supported organ music events in the area by some really excellent instruments & players. Surely it is better to seek out and support these, than worry unduly about a not particularly exceptional instrument in a not particularly exceptional setting (for organ music, at any rate)!

Neither for the first couple of years did Brasenose, nor Oakham, nor Fitzwilliam, etc etc etc etc etc... I understand Brasenose actually ended up with a lawsuit, so poor was its longevity.

I know for a fact that the music department is doing its best; the lecturer in performance is both an exceptional player and an exceptionally nice person. Trouble is, the instrument is in woeful condition, with the usual Collins-of-the-period mechanical problems, and has some terrible design flaws that mean the tuning becomes unbearable when the auditorium has been filled for 20 minutes (sloping floor, steep temperature change gradient, Werkprinzip layout doesn't like it); the hall management is also doing its best, but its use is so compromised - you can't seriously engage a concert artist & tell them to play all the slow stuff in the first ten minutes, and everything thereafter must be fast and staccato, with nothing on the Oberwerk in the second half. The JSW recital you mentioned had such constraints upon it - I am told several ranks were unuseable by the end. There was a real stink when DGW did a recital on it and found it fine all day, but again virtually unplayable shortly after an audience had arrived. She was naturally unimpressed. A committee has recently been formed to see what to do about the organ so things ARE happening for the longer term. I would think the term "significant concert instrument" may be a little too grand for it! Some may be hard pushed to describe it as even a "musical instrument" and would wish it to go the way of many other 1970's Collins instruments. Certainly, it can't realistically be used in the condition it's currently in. It's not a case of neglect - the thing's less than 30 years old, in a dream location in terms of sunlight, temperature and humidity, and had a major rebuild by Collins himself less than 10 years ago. Over the last few years it has received constant ministrations from two large organbuilding firms. That is certainly not a neglected instrument, just perhaps a not very good one.

Of course the "Gamba" on the GO at Bath was actually a Gemshorn in the previous spec. Can't understand the reason for a name change. Supply and demand is how the world works. There are very few builders "out on a limb" - Mander to a very slight extent, Drake, Aubertin, Glatter-Gotz. There are others who are adventurous and skilled but many find hard to take seriously, like Matthew Copley. There are too many that are just plain awful, and yet everywhere you go people will hail them as the best thing in organbuilding. We are too "comfortable" with Harrison, Nicholson, Walker et al; Dominic says let's ask for artistry in one scheme and financial ceilings in another. I suspect with our "comfortable" builders, we'd get almost exactly the same thing, and possibly in the same order, from each. Not only can you prepare the spec to a formula, often you will be able to feel the touch beneath your fingers and hear the pipe speech too. This must have a lot to do with the fact we have certain consultants of often fixed opinion, whom the builders must try and please in order to secure the next contract, whatever the musical results. Hence, we sadly have some new organs that are musically and mechanically badly designed and often badly finished (if the consultant decides to mess about with voicing decisions, too). Mainstream builders it seems can no longer have room for artistry as a first concern because financial constraints require them to perform high volumes of work to survive and the reaction to the neo-classical movement is constantly banging the drum of choral accompaniment in our ears. Only those like Drake and Aubertin can get away with saying "no - this is what we do, and this alone - if you want it, you will have to wait ten years before we can start". Do other nations place more faith in the builder as a craftsman rather than as mere executor of project? Do other nations HAVE consultants with any more meaningful role than to ensure payments and contract terms are fair and being maintained, and legal/safety issues covered? I think we've allowed consultants to stifle creativity too much. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have another 1851 Exhibition, and see just what our builders can come up with without constraint?

Exactly. Who chose the T&FinD as the "theme piece" for the nationwide event? Are we all supposed to feel warm inside or something? There are already too many bad performances of 565 in the world without encouraging old ladies on 1 manual pneumatic octopods in equal temperament to join in. Playing non-stop Bach for however long it is is such a Classic FM thing to do except on a much more devastating scale. Never mind their self-proclaimed remit as being the leading proponent of living composers (who will now go without royalties for two weeks before Christmas). This is just boring and punishing on every single level. The BBC always seem to misfire - are they still putting out those dreadful JSW plays Bach programmes on BBC4, with wasps crawling all over the screen and really, really, really silly and offputting camerawork, like a half-witted GCSE Media Studies exercise remaking "Fantasia" on a budget of two pounds? Whatever chance the poor music stood was thrown to the winds.

It's pretty well accepted that case design is equal a factor in how an instrument sounds as winding, choice of tuning, early voicing decisions etc. The main problem with that instrument is it's just daftly laid out - shifting the second (tracker) console to the very back, out of the way, as it's never used & you can't see anything from it anyway, would enable the Great to come forward 10 or so feet with - how much effect, do you think, bearing in mind even the Chaire case is invisible from the nave, and then you have 15 feet or action parts before the next soundboard? The design of the Sw box is silly, with two enormous caverns at each end for the basses instead of a uniform height (or at least a curvature) and access doors slap bang in the middle of the shutter front - even though there are access doors on the back of the box also. Do the tuners run relay races through it? There are lots and lots of bad cases around, and some with no case at all that desperately need help to project and focus the sound. There are several tiny instruments (6/7 stops) I have seen that go wildly out of tune when you shut the access doors - tuning is a complete and utter nightmare, all the pipes are shouting at each other and being muffled by the case. There is another I have seen, more daft still, with the Sw in a separate case behind, but with access doors on the ends of the passageboard (rather than the middle) - guess how much sound got out of that one! But a really, really, really GOOD case, such as those of Bill Drake or Bernard Aubertin, for example, will be having an inimitable and vital effect on the sound.

If it's the instrument I THINK you mean, I would make some very clever Schwimmers that will save room in the case & keep the whole thing solid as a rock. I would enable the GO and Recit to be bypassed or slackened by a console switch for some truly French sounds. Perhaps a tremblant fort as well?

Oh! Truly!