churchmouse

Hi everyone - after a long absence, I'm back, as usual looking for something. Who has seen funny signs of notices in the organ loft, on the console, or in the church or venue which has struck them as odd or amusing? Better still, if you have taken a picture and would be prepared to let me use it in my sequel to "Organ-isms: Anecdotes from the World of the King of Instruments" I'll love you forever, give or take a few years. As an example, I remember there was simply a picture of a duck over the exit from the loft at ST Paul's in London (When Mander were cleaning/restoring it some years back). I was so busy figuring it out I hit my head on the low lintel.... I have a few photos, including one in German (which will be translated) but would love a lot more as I know they are out there. Anyone? Thanks as always for any titbits you can toss my way, Jenny

Many thanks, Vox! Good to BE back. I've added another 3 hours to each day, and that helps.

Thanks Colin - although the comments you described are horrifically revealing, they tell more about the lay reader than the interaction between them and you. Sorry if I wasn't clear - it is hard to describe exactly what will fit until I start working through the yarns and try to piece them together. Essentially I am looking for stories which highlight the sometimes extraordinary difficulties under which organists are expected to do their duties. But it's not all about embarrassment, hardship, challenges, awkward people etc - I want to include the fulfilling reasons that people still undertake the position of organist and get great joy from it. Any emotion that makes the role of the organist stand apart from other musicians, if you like. But thank you so much for replying - comments like that from the lay reader leave me aghast. Jenny

Wow! Silence for 2 years, then 2 posts one after the other from me. (Note sheepish grin) I hope this won't be against the rules of the forum, but I just wanted to draw your attention to the fact that I am now able to provide a site for people wanting to buy English organ books published by Butz of Bonn. There are just 3 volumes to begin with: the absolutely compelling Haarlem Essays (yes, THAT Haarlem), a Festschrift for Ton Koopman called The Spirit of the Baroque, and a coffee table book "Looking Up at Pipe Organs and Ceilings" which you can order using a variety of currencies via PayPal, all at Pipeline Press . Butz have done a generous deal on shipping outside Europe, which is something for those of us stuck 12,000 miles away at the bottom of the world. Anyway, do pop in to look at these books - and the entire www.pipelinepress.com website has just had a major overhaul too. Which explains the bags under my eyes. Jenny

Hi all, Sorry for my absence during these past 5 roller coaster years or so; but despite a number of weeks spent in and out of theatres that have nothing to do with Shakespeare, I have been plodding doggedly along with the sequel to my previous anecdotes book which so many of you helped with by submitting stories. The sequel is quite different to the first volume. About half of it will be photographs and cartoons, and the rest compiled from delicious juicy stories that I have/will have garnered from the likes of you lot. The target audience for this book however is different to "Organ-isms". This follow-up is targeted at the non-organist; the family member, the event organiser, the clergy, the audience, the person who says they don't like organ music, those who have never heard it etc and so on. My dedication has already been written: it is to "Those who haven't got a clue". The reason is simple. Everywhere I go, whether on tour around the world or just giving my usual U3A or Probus presentation "Carbuncles, cameras and concerts; Behind the Scenes with a touring Concert organist" I am always gobsmacked at the ignorance or naivety about the organ and organists. People become fascinated once you can draw them into the world that already enchants us - it is simply a matter of gentle and often light-hearted 'education'. The turning point for me was when I rather warily addressed a group of non-musical rugby-playing types who initially looked totally confused to be presented with this topic. By the end I thought that all of them were desperate to sign up for organ lessons. Nothing to do with me - simply that the organ IS a fascinating, fabulous creation and we tend to forget how intriguing it is once explained to 'non-believers'. Pictures, coupled with anecdotes and some simple facts (nothing too heavy) are the very thing I want to use to take this wonderful beast to more people. Anyway, 'nuff blurb. I'm sure you know what I mean. Your part in all this: send me stories, yarns, whatever you want. There is a gap for material about organists interacting with others, such as vergers, clergy, soloists, organisers, cleaners, choirs etc. I want to avoid repeating similar stories from "Organ-isms" no. 1. There are many good stories out there but alas, they are often too much like a variation on a theme. If in doubt, send it to me anyway! I'll enjoy it. Put your thinking caps on. You don't need to write perfect English screeds - in fact, short little one-liners, observations, comments etc are like gold. As those of you who supplied previous stories will know, I will hack it about anyway :-) But trust me, I can keep these anonymous and in confidence. All I ask is that they are true. Pass my request on to others you know who might have splendid anecdotes. You can email me at jenny@pipelinepress.com and I really look forward to hearing from you. Cheers Jenny Setchell

Long time no see, everyone. Sorry, have been giving surgeons hands-on practice so have been out of circulation for a bit. But the good news is that "Organ-isms: Anecdotes from the World of the King of Instruments" is now available in HARDBACK (no less) in German... Many of you are frequent contributors to this forum, who very generously gave your stories and time towards the original book. Hans Uwe Hielscher was the faithful scribe who spent long hours turning my kiwi-isms and your yarns into the equivalent German read. It made for hilarious de-mystifying sessions in themselves! After much ummming and ahhhing it's been called "Die Königin und Ihr Gefolge", a title that translates as "The Queen and Her Entourage". Copies can be ordered from publishers Dr J.Butz in Bonn. An order form can be found from here in the catalogue (books) area. You could always ask your local library to order it in - the ISBN is 978-3-928412-13-1. (And take time to browse through the music editions in the Butz store which I can highly recommend - some terrific finds here that you don't see elsewhere. Martin has just returned from a European trip with suitcases bulging after visiting the shop). So let your German-speaking friends know that it's now out and about, and prowling the streets. . .And, BTW, I am still collecting stories for the Second Volume. Get writing!

I'm sure (those of you who espouse the glitzy technology of kindles, iPads, smartphones and the like) will be delighted to know that your stories and others which I massaged into that infamous tome "Organ-isms: Anecdotes from the World of the King of Instruments", is now available on Amazon for Kindle. Better still, it will be FREE for download on Saturday, December 1st, from 12am until 11.59pm the same day, Pacific Standard time. That's only one day. The Amazon chiefs warn me it could be a few seconds or hours later starting and stopping, so if it doesn't give you a free download immediately at 12am on that date, try again a little later. For those who don't know, this volume garnered many tales from the people of this forum and John Mander himself, to whom I am deeply indebted for this vehicle in which to extract those delicious stories. So make sure you get your kindle copy for free if you can. It doesn't have the illustrations of the printed volume, but at least the dog can't eat it and the cat can't wee on it. (There's a story her but I'm not repeating it... :-) Oh nearly forgot to give the URL. Which is: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AEKCTVE. It is also on the German, English, French, Spanish and Italian equivalent websites. chirps Churchmouse (still looking for other stories for the sequel)

ooooh - can I nab it for my sequel to "Organ-isms: Anecdotes from the World of the King of Instruments"? I can just see that illustrated now - maybe with the choir also holding umbrellas aloft!! Did you play anything particularly pertinent for the occasion??

Dear list, For the past two years, while Christchurch has been behaving as cross between a trampoline and a badly set jelly, I have kept my sanity by spending waking and wobbly hours designing organ-related gifts for sale on my online shop at organgifts.com and organ_calendars.com . The gift store now carries more than 1,400 organ-themed gifts of all kinds (from iPad cases,ties, mugs, invitations to concerts (you can fill in the details before printing), music binders, luggage labels, clocks, pillows, plates, bags, posters...and so on. Many of these are able to be altered to add names, or change the text if you can think of something better. The organ calendar store has 42 that include whole year ones (as posters and mousepads ) and more conventional wall styles. Photos come from around the world and there's of course a fair selection of English organs - in fact the beautiful Chester Cathedral one features on this year's Ceiling and Cases 2 one . Anyway, have a look - you might just find something to hint to Santa about this Christmas! (and then there's always "Organ-isms: Anecdotes from the World of the King of Instruments", which most of you know about anyway! And while I'm here, I can add that at the end of October the army of engineers who have been investigating the ground beneath our town hall in Christchurch will let us know the fate of the hall and therefore the organ inside. It has been a gruelling 2 years since the first earthquake and we are not finished yet - the aftershocks have totalled more than 12,400 - and although they are diminishing in frequency and violence, we still brace ourselves for the next 'big one'.! The Anglican cathedral (the fate of that building is being argued about) is being replaced temporarily by a cardboard cathedral, and the beautiful Catholic Basilica is gradually shaking itself to pieces.. no word on that. I believe that here in Christchurch there are now playable 1 out of 12 3-manual instruments,16 out of 43 two-manuals, and 4 out of 13 one manual and pedals, and 1 out of 6 manuals only. Making a total of 22 out of 74 organs in Christchurch playable. Much better than the 4 out of 77 originally! So things are starting to look up. (if you are interested in the full list of organs here, there are 3 files organised by alphabet, location and size you can read from http://www.nzorgan.com/earthquake/Organ-damage/canterbury-organs.htm Cheers from wobbly Churchmouse in New Zealand

Thanks MM. At least we don't face a shortage of used bricks :-))

Just another update on the status of Christchurch and its organs and churches. News that the Anglican cathedral in the square is to be brought down to between 2-3 metres (in essence a demolition) although it is not known whether the organ will be able to be retrieved. Perhaps something similar with the Catholic Cathedral, where demolition has halted after the top level has been removed, and the Halmshaw organ is still inside. I have been told that the South Island Organ Company is gearing up to get the organ out of Knox Church - it has been swaddled at the front of what remains of the skeletal church since February 2011. There are now 15 playable 2-manual organs in the city and one 3-manual. No word yet on the Town Hall or the fate of the Rieger. Various other bits and bats of info about Christchurch in general may be of interest to our friends in this forum (hopefully this isn't too far off topic) in my latest newsletter here www.nzorgan.com/news.htm .

Thanks MM - believe it or not, it really helps to know people still occasionally think of us! I drive past Knox Presbyterian church quite frequently and my heart still sinks when I look in through the skeletal remains of the building to the remains of the organ, swathed in black plastic. (see pics at following link) http://tinyurl.com/3l3hrvp Other photos in the same album may be of interest to you too - pictures of the cathedrals, Durham Street methodist, St Lukes, Rugby Street, etc. There are simply too many to show all of them. cheers and thanks Churchmouse

At last we now have a working list of organs in the Canterbury province. For those interested to see how they have survived (or not), check the list which is linked through from www.nzorgan.com I will update these as reports come in. Churchmouse

I hesitated to post this but I do know that many of you are keen to find out whether our Rieger organ has survived in the 11 months after the earthquakes that hit us (and continue to do so - although the shocks are abating, thank goodness!). Unfortunately, we are still waiting for a decision on whether the town hall will be repaired or demolished- but if you are interested in what news we do have, our latest newsletter is now available online here : www.nzorgan.com/news.htm Cheerful noises, churchmouse

We're getting good at this patience thing, aren't we !?! Just to let you know, I have now put up a slideshow of 21 pictures taken around and in as much of the organ as we can get to, at this address: www.nzorgan.com/earthquake/Organ-damage/index.html Needs flash but you can enlarge the individual images to see a little more clearly. Although it looks relatively light, it was pitch dark in the auditorium, but thanks to a helpful 6400 ISO camera! (and flashlight of course...) the images are clear enough to see. So even if the hall itself has been badly structurally damaged, the organ has really done very well. Churchmouse

Dear friends Thank you all for you kind words of support and concern. Our organ is better off than so many others in Christchurch that we have to be thankful; but it may remain unused for a long, long time yet. Yes, it IS better news than we feared, as far as the organ goes. Despite shattered glass doors and toppled and bent pipes, the main wooden structure of the Rieger seems fine from the limited visual inspection we made yesterday. I couldn't climb up to the Swell and Oberwerk because the access ladder had come away from the wall and was too dangerous - so until that is fixed we won't know about further up. It was the larger perimeter pipes in the great that came adrift - bringing with them some of their wooden supports. None of the façade pipes have been affected and the tracker mechanism looks fine too. Thanks for the wonderful ability of wood to corkscrew and return to its former shape (like the stairs in our house!!). So: this is how the organ is so far. A little bit more detail is as follows (as pasted on www.nzorgan.com yesterday) "Late on Wednesday 18 May, nearly 3 months after the Christchurch earthquake on February 22nd, Martin and Jenny Setchell were escorted through the Red Zone cordon into the Town Hall auditorium and were allowed to inspect the Rieger pipe organ. Power has not yet been restored to the building so this was a visual inspection by torchlight only. Our impressions are as follows: 1. Exterior casework and façade pipes appear undamaged. 2. Console: All three manuals and pedal board appeared even to the touch and not out of alignment. One of the plate glass console doors (which had been removed during the upgrade) had fallen to the ground and smashed to pieces. 3. Ground level: Inside the case, behind the console, electronic stop action and tracker mechanisms seemed undamaged. Wind trunking - no visible splits or damage. Windchests - sound; Mainframe - intact. 4. Level One: Pedal divisions undisturbed both sides. Bombarde division on back wall undisturbed. In the Hauptwerk division some longer perimeter pipes on either side have broken adrift from their stays, and are leaning against each other. Some pipes in new windchest are askew and leaning. Some damage to pipes by bending at the boot end. Interior wooden framework seems secure and no visible sign of warping or bending. 5. Level Two: Swell division and new enclosed Oberwerk divisions: Unable to access as upper ladder had broken from wall and was unsafe to use. We hope the ladder will be secured soon to allow full access to the top level. There is no visible sign of water damage. So far, the organ has survived as well as can be expected, given the severe upward and sideways thrust to the building. More photos to come. " The future of the town hall itself will not be known until the end of August. It feels a sad, sad place. churchmouse

Ahhhhh - aftershocks and high winds closed the cordon again yesterday and we were not allowed access. Today, hopefully, aided by the wearing of no less than steel-capped boots, we attempt to get in again. Sigh. If you want moreorless immediate news, follow me on twitter @NZChurchmouse or via Facebook. There will be no wifi within range and this is the best I can do! Meanwhile, the management company who run the Town Hall have announced that the decision whether to repair or demolish the convention centre and Town Hall will be made late August; neither of these venues will be open until the start of 2013 at least. Thanks for your support, all. churchmouse

Hi all, This is a note to let you know that tomorrow, Tuesday May 18th, Martin Setchell and I will be allowed into the Christchurch Town Hall for the first time since the February earthquake to make a visual inspection of the organ after the 6.4 earthquake. We have no idea what state we will find it in, although reports of the auditorium itself suggest that liquefaction and ground movements have resulted in serious structural damage to the building. There is no electricity yet so it will be headlamp vision at best. I will be taking photos ( lots and lots and lots of photos!) in the short time we are permitted to stay and will somehow post these online (not quite sure where yet) and also a report and update summary on nzorgan.com as soon as possible after our visit in the afternoon. So do check on (your) Tuesday morning for the hopefully not-so-bad news. As for other organs in the city and around the Canterbury province, a Radio New Zealand report this morning said: "Along with the devastation to well-known Anglican and Catholic cathedrals, there is damage to churches right across the city. Following the September and February earthquakes, 23 Anglican, 12 Presbyterian and 10 Catholic churches have been left with serious damage. At least three Methodist churches are unusable, and the Durham Street Church, where three people died, has been destroyed. Church officials will need to consider land and building suitability, and the impact of the falling number of parishioners when considering whether to rebuild." Added to that a Baptist Church was destroyed and a now a vacant lot exists where a Presbyterian church once stood in Madras street. To get some idea of recent views of the city, a professional photographer somehow got access to the cordon and took some stunning pictures that show something of the reality. See these here The New Zealand Organ Preservation Trust lists the damage and news of organs in its May newsletter - but it's a work in progress as we all struggle to gain access to buildings, many of which are damaged and extremely dangerous to enter. A Memorial Trust Fund for young organ builders has been set up in memory of Neil Stocker, one of the men from SIOC killed in the quake while working on Durham Street Methodist Church - read more about this fund on the NZOPT site here). Yesterday Martin played a concert to a packed church filled with culture-hungry Cantabrians, who donated $2200+ for the Stocker Memorial Fund. A very positive occasion that confirmed once again that music has great healing powers. YAY! Gosh, it was SO good to enjoy music and laugh again! I'll post more after tomorrow, (if you use twitter, I'll be wotsitting to there and my user name is @NZchurchmouse) Churchmouse - just a little bit nervous.

Hi all, There is still no access the central city where the town Hall in Christchurch is - but here is, at last, a press release by the management company about the state of the buildings after the quake: "Detailed assessments of Christchurch Town Hall and Christchurch Convention Centre are continuing and will not be finalised until early May 2011. Access to both buildings is limited and assessment of the Christchurch Town Hall has been further impeded by flooding to the basement where all of the buildings electrical and mechanical plant is located. Christchurch Town Hall suffered extensive damage from differential settlement. The most obvious impacts of this are the Limes Room/Boaters wing, which has separated from the main structure and extensive damage to floors including in the James Hay Theatre and main Auditorium. There is wide spread superficial damage throughout the venue. Christchurch Art Gallery has been engaged to protect or remove the precious artworks from the Christchurch Town Hall and Christchurch Convention Centre. It is not possible to allow access for assessment of the highly acclaimed Town Hall Rieger Organ until power is restored to the building which may take several weeks. Stage one of the Town Hall Conservation and Refurbishment project was underway at the time of the earthquake and further work has now been suspended." Martin and I have arranged to visit the organ towards the end of April with the insurance assessor. Come what may, I am determined to take photos of the interior for the insurance and also for our own information (should I say relief?!?) That all planned concerts for 2011 have been postponed is certain - and work will be completed - but when is another matter. You can see slideshows of the expansion work (right up to the Saturday before the quake) here People ask what they can do to help. Plan a trip to New Zealand and visit us!!! Once we know a date for the re-opening concert, it will be one almighty huge party and worth travelling 12,000 miles for :-) cheers Churchmouse

Heva, you're a star!!! Many thanks indeed! Think I might make "Which organ is this?! a regular competition! Thanks guys - and Musing Muso, take a bow for sheer effort!! :-) Churchmouse

Thanks MM - I thought it would be a European, possibly French? ... The only organ I know for sure is 'safe' in poor Japan is the one in the Mushashino Centre, Tokyo. But then I think most in Tokyo will be, with their strict hall building standards and earthquake proofing. So, so, so unutterably awful for them. Organs seem irrelevant by comparison. Churchmouse

Pretty please, can any of the discussion board help me identify an organ and obviously, its location? Go to this photo Thanks to a sustained bout of earthquake brain I can't even recall if this is one of my photos or not; if it isn't, and it's yours, please forgive me, and let me know. Many thanks, in ever hopeful anticipation, Churchmouse

Hi Dave - I have one of my own of Rugby street from earlier times inside. (See link below - it's the first in the album) I'll try to get a shot of the damage from outside today (am off now to deliver chemical toilets for the day Still no word about the TH Rieger as access closed. Yes , aftershocks pounding us, with the tally at 4887 since Sept 4th, and a couple of ones in the night which is the reason I am writing this now. :-)) cheers Wobblified Churchmouse Rugby Street organ

Hi everyone - forgive me the lateness of my posting but life has been difficult. No power, water, sewage and a very wobbly and deadly world as you will all no doubt have discovered. But about organs in Christchurch. I know some of you have started talking about the news that has filtered through, so I will attempt to summarise something of the little I know so far. The first major tragedy is the death of 2 of the SIOC men, Neil Stocker and Scott Lucy and one Christchurch helper, Paul Dunlop, when Durham Street Methodist Church collapsed as they were continuing their work to remove the organ after the damage from the Sept 4th quake. The 3 others escaped but I believe at least one is in hospital. He will no doubt post when he can, bless him. I am only grateful that at least he will be ok. As for the rest of Christchurch - you have seen the cathedral - they are recovering bodies now but since there is a cordon around the central district access to all major buildings is forbidden. This includes the Christchurch Town Hall and the Rieger, and access is forbidden there until at least March 15th, we are told, due to "structural damage". Gerhard Pohl and Marianne Kort who were working on the final stages of the new additions to the Rieger, have finally been reported as safe, although at this stage of course we have absolutely no further knowledge about the state of the organ itself. The gala concert to celebrate the additions and re-opening was scheduled for March 20th. The fate of organs in the rest of our flattened city? Go to either The Press or the New Zealand Herald to see for yourself and perhaps that will answer all questions. Oxford Terrace Baptist church is nothing but rubble; St John's Latimer Square is reported collapsed; Knox Presbyterian is a hollow shell with blue sky visible beyond the pipes you can see from the street. Rugby Street Methodist Church (now belonging to the Chinese Church) with its fine Croft organ now has lost the back wall, exposing the pipes to the elements and the church appears to be further severely damaged. While the present operations are of course focused on rescuing humans and helping the injured, and restoring services to our stricken city, you will understand that organs have to take a back seat. But I think I have it correct when I say the Dean of Christchurch was quoted as saying that at least 25 of the churches in his diocese have been very badly damaged. After all that we have gone through since September 4th, it is unbelievable to think that for those of us who remain, the rebuilding begins again. And just when we thought it was all over. The shots you see in the papers and on the television or YouTube are not remote areas of the world; they are common daily paths for us all and for the tourists who come here in their droves. Many of you will be able to recognise the remains of buildings the rubble-covered streets. Engineers are now hinting that perhaps a 3rd of the central city buildings will have to go. I don't know. I do know that there are still 220 people missing, with 123 confirmed dead. And I do know that the earth is still shaking. I will try to post any news as it comes to hand but that may not always be possible. Martin and I (and the cats!) are safe and unharmed. And unlike so many others in this city, we have a house still standing. Please keep the many people without their homes, food, water, electricity and jobs, in your hearts. And pray the rescue teams still find people alive in the rubble. Jenny

UPDATE: Thanks to all for your best wishes - I know you all empathise with the worries about these instruments. At the moment the focus here is more on the continuing aftershocks and the huge loss of livelihoods and properties and the promise of many months of angst to follow. But we're all alive which matters most. Martin and I were able to visit the Town Hall organ for first time yesterday and I'm happy to say that there is nothing to report! All pipes were sounding and it was remarkably in tune. THere may be issues with dust and minor debris which will surface later. Ken Aplin will make a close inspection and tune the organ next week in time for Carlo Curley's concert on the 19th - we are assuming that all will be well enough for the concert to continue. The Convention Centre itself has had only some smallish damage such as ceilings, chandeliers, various glass and a carpet that is torn where the walk way bridge pulled away from the two buildings it connects. But apart from that it's all tickety-boo. (we were glad to leave however - the threat of aftershocks is very real, as we has sustained 270 since Saturday over 3 on the Richter scale and at least three of 5.1 at a depth of less than 10km, which means they are very wobbly indeed.) After substantial shocks again yesterday that created more damage throughout the city the building may need to be reassessed, and at the moment it is cleared on the outside and still has to be assessed for further interior damage. A very complicated affair all round! Yesterday the Cathedral remained closed as cracks that had appeared in the building were being assessed. Not sure what the outcome is yet as it is still in the cordoned off zone in the CBD. The state of emergency is expected to be lifted next Wednesday. Those who know Christchurch and are curious to learn the fate of various churches in the affected region can find a wealth of information on Bosco Peter's blog here Cheerful noises and thanks again for all your support through emails and prayers Twitchy Churchmouse