bombarde32

Regarding enclosed tubas, you could not do better for an example than St Mary's Southampton - here the 32' (full length) 16' and 8' Tuba is enclosed in the choir box, with the 32' virtually 'en chamade' pointing directly at the organist over the other side of the chancel!

I am also given to understand that the type and construction of the soundboard and its associated mechanisms has a profound effect upon the resulting 'copy'. A good example of this would be comparing a Compton action to a Wurlitzer...............

The Mander Tuba at Portsmouth RC Cathedral is (I believe) only on 10 inches, and fair blows the bloody doors off, as Michael Caine would put it!

I just wonder what defines an organ as a collection of organs played from one console or one large organ? Seperate locations of pipework? Seperate blowers? Pipes and chests from more than one builder? Bits of the instrument completed at different times? Any combination of the above? For instance is St Paul's Cathedral London one organ or not? - several bits of organ all over the place or how about Westminster Cathedral? Two distinct organs with two consoles, but is it ONE organ? I think you'll agree that definition is difficult! Just a thought!

I saw a reference to it in the 'Priory Room' (where the choristers retire for a break after rehearsal, before evensong) yesterday before evensong. I would therefore think that it would be available at the Cathedral Bookshop. I am in Oxford twice a week at the moment, I could check for you if you like?

Further to the Central Church Torquay; the new organ will be installed and voiced towards the end of this week.

I would be inclined to see if Makin, Wyvern or another British digital builder have an instrument suitable before you look at the Albhorn route. I did an opening recital on one (3 manual) about 5 years ago, and I can only say that it was (in my humble opinion) not very good. The keyboards were the cheapest, nastiest items I have ever come across.

I've always found that the arrangement of Sibeluis' 'Finlandia' works well for this sort of event, especially as you can get the audience to join in the choruses. I did an arrangement for organ and brass quintet (Trumpet 1, Trumpet 2, Horn in F, Trombone and Bass Tuba) which (quite literally) blew the bloody doors off , to quote Mr. Caine! Such fun!

The Wykeham Arms, just a chorister's throw from the precints of the Cathedral at Winchester is quite homely. They do a great line in Sausages! In Romsey there is the Abbey Hotel just outside the Abbey. I accompany a choir that rehearse in there. Not far to go for a beer at half time!

Does anyone have the lowdown on exactly what is happing at Wesminster Cathedral these days. [Remainder of post deleted by moderator.]

Stvens Irwins' Dictionary of Pipe Organ Stops gives the following: DULCET: A soft Dulciana at 4' on the manuals, intended to supply the octave form of the Dulciana or Dolcan. It may be called Dulcette or Echo Octave. The 2' rank would therefore rightly be called Dulcetina. It is also interesting to note that a 4' Salicional is called a SALICET, and the 2' derivative a SALICETINA. I think that this should settle the matter!

The organ in question is a older style Wyvern which as you say replaced a very ropey old Makin. It is about to be upgraded to a Wyvern Phoenix instrument. Installation is due at about the end of the month. I don't know if there is any improvement to be made to the facade though.

I agree, and seeing it in the flesh is even more stunning!

I used to play on this superb little Walker organ in a large reverberant church in Eastbourne. The sound belied the fact that it had only 7 stops! I'm so sorry that it would appear to have been replaced by an electronic now. Great 8 Open Diapason (big with very bold treble) 8 Wald Flute (very full-toned) 8 Dulciana (not too small) - Ch/Gt Swell (actually called Choir) 8 Leiblich Gedackt (very beautiful) 8 Viol d'Orchestre (Very reedy - lovely stop) 4 Harmonic Flute (just the right amount of brilliance) - Sub Octave - Octave Pedal 16 Leiblich Bourdon (not too soft) - Ch/Ped - Gt/Ped For only seven ranks/stops, this was the most useful non extension instrument I have ever played!

This is good news - I used to play this organ regularly (once a week) for dancing when I was a teenager, many years ago. As I was on the casual staff there, I often had the opportunity to play the classical console well into the night after everyone had gone home! The instrument sounded even better when the carpet in the hall was removed to expose the very fine fully sprung dance floor. In those days, organists were dissuaded to use the 32' Contra Bass during the working day as it could be felt in most of the offices adjacent to the hall. I remember a running battle with the port health officers whose offices used to be only one floor down from the organ chambers. It was very loud up there! Although it was a bit hissy (due mainly to the leaking conveyencing) it used to work well in those days. It was also in pretty constant use in those days.

Perhaps he was just checking to see if the wind really would run out - it always used to!

For those of us in our 40's and 50's, the RFH organ was a landmark. We were learning the organ at the most volatile change in the pipe organ's history, tonally and asthetically. I would be very sad if this instrument was no longer to be heard. It had a profound influence on me. I first heard it on a gramaphone, and wondering hugely about the 'new' sounds which I had never heard (learning on a 2 manual 4 rank extension Rushworth and Dreaper) I went to hear it in the flesh. I can't even remember the organist, but I do remember hearing notes in the left hand of the Bach F minor P&F which I had never heard before! Yes the acoustic was awful, yes the upperwork was 'challenging' but it was and still is (hopefully) a very fine instrument.

At least the Hele 'Grand Bombard' 32' and 'Bombard' 16' (as they were originally called) Pedal reeds are still there, and still just as thunderous! Hele's full contribution to the instrument (1905) was as follows: GT. Double Open Diapason 16, Open Diapason 8, Open Diapason 8' Doppel Flöte 8, Principal 4. Flauto Traverso 4. SW. Violin Diapason 8 and the Bombards on the pedal. Apparaently four of the 'new stops' were donated by Winchester Residents. Hele didn't take over the tuning contract until 1913, however.

I remember on at least two occasions when as a 12 year old, I had to play for the school assembly, only to find the piano had been filled up with hymn books. The Head went absolutely berserk! Sotto voce it certainly was!

I remember that the Mathias Processional was used as a Gd VII piece for some long time.

.....or even surrogatepersonder Organs Discussion Board!

No problem; I feel that I should also gently correct you on the statement you made about Wyvern's 'off the peg' organs. Yes, they are made in Holland by Content - only because they can't be made in this country for the same money, but they are not just 'badge engineered' and available elsewhere under another name. They are completely custom designed and voiced by Wyvern's staff from the ground up. The excellent Content factory in Holland also produce organs for a surprizing number of other "English" builders too, and they export organs under the Content name (and others) to over 50 countries. These are the economies of scale which enable us in Blighty to purchase an organ for our homes or small churches for less than £5,000.

Not the case these days. These are now all Phoenix (Wpx) system instruments.

I completly agree with this excellent post - in my opinion the days have happily gone when each 'cathedral-type' organ is a clone of the one 50 miles to the west/south/east/north, with or without the 32' reed and choice of Party-Horn (Tuba Magna/Miribilis/etc.etc) as funds/space permit. The REAL challenge comes from an organist (example Clive Driskell-Smith, a week ago in Evensong) accompaning (beautifully) the Bairstow Blessed City on the Rieger of Christ Church Cathedral Oxford. A difficult organ, for sure, for this repertoire, but an outstanding performance, none the less! You can keep your clones!

I had the pleasure of playing the organ part of the Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony, coupled with Toward the Unknown Region with Mendelssohn's Verleigh uns Frieden, Gnädiglich on Saturday last. This spendid concert was performed with Elizabeth Franklin-Kitchen (soprano) and Stephen Gadd (baritone) the Romsey Choral Society, with the West Forest Symphonia, the Abbey was full to bursting, and I wonder if any of you were there? As far as I know, these works are often performed without the organ part, which is a shame. A wonderful evening!