emsgdh
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Blackburn Cathedral
Lunchtime Organ Recital
Wednesday 2 November, 2011 at 1.00 pm
IAN BALL (Worcester)
IN MEMORIAM
Music for Reformation Day, All Saints & All Souls
J.S. Bach: Ricercare à 6 (from The Musical Offering) arr. Jean Guillou
Maurice Duruflé: Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’ALAIN
Ferencz Liszt: Funérailles (from Harmonies poétiques et religieuses) arr. Kynaston
David Briggs: Attende Domine (from Le Tombeau de Duruflé)
Naji Hakim: Gershwinesca
Admission free; retiring collection
So wish I could hear this this ambitious and fascinating programme.
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With the greatest respect to the board and esp. MM, I'd like to report on my listening to the "records" - that is to say, really listening closely for the first time in some forty years and through a pair of top-notch head phones. As I've reached No.7, a powerful, holy and magical number, this may be the moment to compare my childish memories with the reactions of one who is now 61.
1) Liverpool: It's still thrilling on every level.
2) York: Superb and effortless playing from one of our very greatest players in his prime. Confess I'm not in love with that big Tuba but, again, it's a matter of who cares ? That stop is right for that enormous space and that very wonderful and jolly Tuba Tune. However, one is reminded of one of HWIII's crushing rejoinders, this time to The Rev'd N. Bonavia-Hunt, who had "voiced" a Tuba for the organ at his church: B-H asked "How do you like my Tuba ?" Willis replied "Which note?"
3) Westminster Abbey: Still elegant, magisterial and lofty playing.
4) Gloucester: This still encapsulates all that is fine in the English Cathedral school of organ playing. This man could PLAY and with enormous energy, vigour AND refinement.
5) Coventry: With sincere apologies to any and all that this might offend, I find this organ and playing even more unmusical and unrefined than I did as a kid. The sonorities, as recorded, sound so exaggerated that one is tempted to compare it so a cinema job. Above C37, the upperwork is impossibly thin, screaming and unblending. The Swell reed chorus sounds like Orchestral Oboes on high wind pressure. I'm told by players that I respect that they are very fond of this instrument and that the Choir Flute Harmonique is lovely. Fine. Perhaps it is the fault of the recording and player. I just don't like a thing about it.
6) Exeter: I owe the late Dr. Dakers an apology. I short-changed this number in my initial assessment. Although there is a slightly "dated" quality about the organ and much of the playing (esp. Mendelssohn) it is all very fine and shows the organ to advantage. We could use cathedral playing like this today. It is so gracious and old fashioned. One senses that the time has come for the rebuild, but it's still a very fine organ.
7) St. Giles: I have a strong feeling that there will be few that will echo my admiration for this organ and player. One can only imagine how this instrument would have sounded in the Coventry acoustic. SOME of this playing, the registration of the "baroque" pieces IS dated, but in a different way. We all remember standing on our heads to make romantic instruments sound "authentic." But it's the PLAYING here that takes my heart. One senses a MAJOR technique and a MAJOR musician. Notice the perfect legato of the inner voices. Nothing is left to chance. There is discipline in the line as well as a very vocal freedom when required. Young people today often use the word HUGE to describe my reactions to his playing. He is certainly a HUGE player and a peerless musician. There ARE occasional imperfections of one kind and another. But listen to the recordings of Alfred Cortot and Josef Hoffmann. Different players, different imperfections, both colossal.
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How have the transfers to CD fared?
Fine sounding as the Amphion excerpts are, these are better in every way. Clear, clear, clear and much less given to distortion than the LPs.
The notes are fascinating esp. those by Graham Barber. He adds some nice, personal tid-bits about Norwich.
I believe that the standard of organ playing today is simply amazing and, by and large, better than ever. But these men had many wonderful qualities, not least of which are wonderful colour sense, fine legato and artistic use of the swell box. I was especially impressed by the last on the St. Giles recording and am wondering if the IS&G Willis swell pedals should be given the credit.
Other than Liverpool, are there any other instruments that use them ?
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Evidently posted by someone who isn't awake....
I sincerely apologise to Mr. Bellamy and to the Board for sleepwalking. No excuse.
I can hard wait to get this DVD. I so admire Thomas Trotter. What choir is KCC ? Is TT not Choirmaster at his London church ?
I confess that I'm fascinated by this old organ and profoundly admire the superb rebuild that it was given by our hosts. If I've not done so previously, I should make it plain that I consider myself a Willis man. Whenever I hear an organ that I especially like, it turns out to be a Willis. I only mention this because I find that I have an almost irrational liking for this instrument and especially the way TT uses it. One can understand G D Cunningham's desire to preserve its essential character. Although I can also understand HWIII criticisms of the Thomas Hill rebuild, one likes this organ for ALL its qualities, even the not so good ones ! Amongst the new voices, the Open No.3 made by Manders is a lovely stop. I really purrs.
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Thank you for the information Ian.
There is a reasonable recording of the Schiedam Standaart on You Tube, here:-
(Played by the excellent Jelani Eddington from the USA)It's not Wurlitzer or Compton, but quite a unique sound, and of course, extremely rare nowadays.
I was amazed to read that Standaart opened a place in Birmingham in the UK, as well as in other countries, as did Wurlitzer of course. The theatre organ was quite a profitable business, being especially suited to modular construction and semi-mass production methods.
Compton, of course, exported to the Netherlands, with the famous AVRO studio instrument.
MM
Adriaan Standaard was selling organs in the states in the early '50s. I'm not sure if there was a state side factory but I do remember reading about a financial failure. Their advertisements (full page) can be found in the US organ journals of the period.
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I love this DVD!
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Being absolutely frank, I have no idea what scales G D-H used, but if he followed Lewis to the letter, they would be generous, a little smaller than Schulze but fairly unrestrained. I would have to check my files, but I "think" Lewis followed the Schulze straight-line scaling, which may account for the big scales of the G D-H mixtures. (The famous....nay infamous....V rank Mixture at Armley is a couple of notes smaller than the unisons, but of course, it is mounted at the front of the windchest; hence the extraordinary impact.
What I do know, is that the best of D Donald-Harrison's work is just magnificent, and the very mention of the Mother Church, Boston caused a mist before my eyes, because I had the enormous privilege of playing this organ for some time when I was resident in Boston for awhile. It is absolutely glorious, almost in spite of the acoustic, but the strings are so very special. It is also about 30% larger than the organ of Liverpool Cathdral!
To demonstrate what we're discussing, the following two You Tube videos make the point, but no recording can do this organ true justice:-
Mother church Callahan "Aria"Mother Church - Samuel Barber "Adagio"I also had the great privilege of playing and/or hearing the organs of Trinity, Boston; the Church of the Advent, Boston; the Busch Hall Flentrop (beautiful to play) and the organ they're currently ripping out at the Harvard University Memorial Church, (Opus 46? Fisk) and replacing with a new Fisk organ. (How dare they?)
A few more sample videos here:-
http://www.trinitychurchboston.org/our-recordings.html Trinity Boston – listen to "with heart & voice" Parry "I was glad"
Harvard Busch Hall Flentrop - Bach - Fred Hohmann (What elegant playing!)I have to say, the organ which just blew me away was the Methuen organ by Walcker/G Donald Harrison. I don't think I could have looked more astounded if someone had shot me straight between the eyes!
methuenI'm being self-indulgent, am I not?
However, I received some extraordinary generosity in Boston, and met some truly wonderful and intelligent people.
About the 2/7th mouths, you've got me doubting myself. I was basing my belief on what, on reflection, is probably an assumption.
What I do know, is that Willis III (or was it Willis II?), had approached the Rev.Noel Bonavia-Hunt about the use of big-scales and 2/7th mouths as per Schulze, but whether this was the approach taken, I cannot be sure. Certainly, there are examples of double-languid pipes and increased chorus wind-pressures at Liverpool. (For the uninitiated, a double languid pipe has a hole or slot cut into the back wall of the pipe, and the vortex created by the first languid accelerates the air-flow onto the top-lip, in much the same way that a car carburettor atomises fuel, because at the vortex point, wind speed can approach the speed of sound!
Perhaps someone knows what actually transpired at Liverpool, but whatever it was, it certainly did the trick.
Finally, Karl asks about recordings of Armley.
Well I'm pleased to inform him that Graham Barber has made a CD at Armley, which is available from the Organ Historical Society in America (OHS Catalogue), and from which the video I posted of the Garth Edmondson "Von himmel hoch" was taken. (The photo on that video was not the church at Armley by the way, but the organ is).
There is also a certain organist with the initials P and D, who has made a new recording of the Schulze organ at Doncaster PC. That too is available through the OHS catalogue, so you've got absolutely no excuse for not getting them.....both brilliant organists playing brilliant instruments.
MM
Lovely reply but I think you'll agree that scaling is rather important. One must not be too dismissive on that score. As for following ANYONE to the letter, GDH RARELY did. It's a pity that he is not appreciated today as the giant of organ building that he was; a giant builder, dreamer and artist.
Your reaction to the Methuen organ is appropriate in every way. Of course, it's a one-off with slide chests.
The Garth Edmundson Toccata was recorded BEFORE the organ was restored. Glad PD has now recorded there and will surely get his new disc.
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Re: Brindley choruses up to Mixture etc
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Well, when I were but a lad..........I used to go and help tune the 'beast' at Dewsbury Centenary Methodist Church, built by Brindley & Foster, which was a copy of Armley in many ways. Tragically.....and it was a tragedy....this organ was scrapped when the church was re-ordered. The following article gives some indication of the respect everyone had for this remarkable instrument.
http://www.hudds.org.uk/clarion3/page5.html
The Great Chorus was just outstanding, and Brindley didn't hold back on the voicing:-
Double Open Diapason 16
Large Open Diapason 8
Small Open Diapason 8
Hohl Flote 8
Principal 4
Harmonic Flute 4
Grave Mixture II 12.15
Great Cornet V 8.12.15.19.22/15.19.22.26.29
Sharp Mixture III 15.19.22
Double Trumpet 16
Trumpet 8
Clarion 4
This was Schulze by another name.
Fortunately, there are just a handful of B & F organs which survive from that golden period around 1860-80, but it is necessary to travel a bit, to say the least.
Just half a mile from me is the organ in Keighley Shared Church, which is one of the very last B & F organs from the period; re-built with only two small tonal changes by H,N & B in 1955, and subsequently worked upon by John Jackson. It's years since I've been inside this large church, and I don't know what state the organ is in, but it certainly produced a fine sound when I knew it.
Unfortunately, it is a bit buried (and divided) under a chancel arch, but it just about filled a large building.
Should you find yourself in Latvia:-
http://www.westbournegrovechurch.org/html/...1882_organ.html
Or in Tasmania:-
http://www.ohta.org.au/doc/js_launc/js_launc.html
http://www.ohta.org.au/organs/organs/Alber...Launceston.html
Or in a good library:-
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bowkJFC...gan&f=false
As David Drinknell reminded us back in February, there is also a fine Brindley organ in Ireland.
I often go on about Issaac Abbott, who also claimed to be a follower of Schulze. With bold, (but not especially Schulzean), voicing in the choruses,and usually a Great IV rank quint mixture in his larger instruments, they are every bit as rare as B & F organs of the same period.
The important thing is, that these northern builders abandoned the traditional Cornet/Sesquialtera heritage of the "olde englysh" school, which both Hill and Willis had continued. Instead, they followed the Schulze style of unison and quints only, as did both
J J Binns and the Hull based company of Forster & Andrews, as well as small provincial builders such as Albert Keats.
However, the lineage really reaches full fruition with the mature work of Lewis, and by default, with the work of G Donald-Harrison in America.
Of course, with the excption of Lewis, almost all the "Schulze disciples" never saw fit to improve the quality of the reeds. Those of Schulze may be of thin tone, but they are at least quite good reeds; especially in the pedal organs. It is for this reason that the famous Doncaster Schulze, with its later Norman & Beard chorus reeds (Posaunes rather than Trombas), probably brought a great improvement to the overall sound of the instrument. Indeed, Lewis himself had criticised the poor quality of Schulze reeds previously, yet declared the organ at Doncaster to be the finest thing he had ever heard.
So this Schulze lineage is the third way in British organ-building of the 19th century, and IMHO, one which is far more in tune with both the classical lineage, (which reaches back to Silbermann) and the requirements of the mainstream repertoire.
It's when you pit an Arthur Harrison/Dixon creation, or the work of Willis III against the above,that you begin to realise how we missed our way by following the path of orchestral instruments, and then over reacting by going right back to Silbermann in what was a dubious undertaking in English churches.
MM
This is very thoughtful and very thought provoking. I admit that in my previous I rather skipped over T C Lewis. In America, we consider GDH to be his Temple High Priest. It's amusing to watch his (GDH's) evolution over here: at first keeping very closely to the HWIII style and then, in the early 30s breaking out and taking up the Lewis-type flue ensembles. However, his mixture scales were much larger, heroic even.
Have you heard the Mormon Tabernacle organ or the job he did with Larry Phelps at the Mother Church, Boston ? In these and in MANY others, G. Donald Harrison erected really massive flue ensembles of great beauty, strings and flutes never bettered, EMS orchestral reeds, so-called baroque, fractional-length reeds that stand in tune and finally, superbly controlled free-toned chorus reeds. At the time they were considered to be "French" reeds. In fact, they were something quite original.
Shouldn't we pay tribute to the Grove organ at some point ? Now there was a lost opportunity. It should have been copied and developed.
As for Liverpool being the work, in the main, of Henry II, Aubrey Thompson-Allen wrote something to that effect 20 or 30 years ago. There is no doubt however that as the pipes were brought out of storage and made ready for installation that there was quite a bit of re-voicing. Certainly, the Bombarde Grand Chorus Mixture is HWIII's. Are you sure that the larger fluework is 2/7 mouth ? There are, I believe, some double-languid diapasons based on Vincent Willis' work.
Touching on Armley, I grew up with a recording of the Stainer Crucifixion accompanied on that instrument, that hallmarked in many and various ways all of its major effects. It's an astoundingly beautiful organ. Why are there no recent recordings ? One would have expected many after its recent rebuild.
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Well, quite. Succinctly stated.
Indeed - I still feel that William Hill was (and possibly still is) under-rated. I have to say that I think Dixon was wrong - and fundamentally so. To my ears, the best work of William Hill is far more musical and versatile than that of Arthur Harrison. Please do not mis-understand me. I would not for a moment decry Harrison's voicing and finishing skills - I doubt that there are many examples of orchestral reeds by Hill which are on a par with those of Harrison or, for that matter, Willis II. But Hill's instruments as ensembles (and particularly his chorus reeds) are often so alive, so vital; quite different from booming Open Woods and opaque, harmonically dead Trombe. I even like the Tubas at Sydney Town Hall - although admittedly this is only judging from a good quality recording.
Would that be Jean-Jacques Grünenwald ? I have a CD of the organ at S. Sulpice, with him as soloist - partly repertoire and partly improvisations. In my opinion, the improvisations are superb. To be honest, I greatly prefer them to those of Dupré, which could occasionally sound somewhat academic. Technically brilliant, yes - but a little dull nevertheless.
My teacher was Marcel Dupre.
Have to agree with you about the comfort of those consoles. One ought to have one "scaned" electronicly or some such for the exact dimensions.
It gave me quite a pain to hear that the present directors of H&H have abandoned those measurements.
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Have you read the Elvin book ? There is a bit there. Of course, they did St. Alban's, Holborn, which may account for its problems. Doubt if JT would have let that slip by. I guess it's safe to say that the relationship about which you hint was NOT common knowledge in the states.
Over here, we seem to know only the really nasty bits of H-J's exploits. When he and Carlton Michell were at Austins, I gather that Michell was often purple with rage, having to defer on occasion to H-J's whims. Unfortunately, Michell wrote some rather regretable letters to the Austin Bros. pointing the finger in a way that would not be tolerated today.
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I can't recall ever seeing any reference to Arthur Harrison playing the organ, whereas Father Willis gave recitals (e.g. one of the first recitals at Reading Town Hall).
Paul
In his younger days, at least, it seem that Arthur Harrison was a quite passable player.
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I'm glad you said what you did about Arthur Harrison vs. E M Skinner. I have thought the same for a long time, but have not felt it appropriate to say so on this forum. With respect, there are other jobs for comparison better suited for this discussion that the big Yale organ, which contained a lot of GDH/HWIII influence as well as GDH's tonal finishing. Did you ever notice that the Great Organ mixture scheme was copied from AH's RAH rebuild ? A peculiar bit of irony there. EMS organs are gorgeously finished and are, on the whole, less extreme (less H-J) than the AH/Col.D approach. You all know about the typically dead American church acoustics. On the whole, those buildings really couldn't take much more.
I don't think it's fair to compare FHW chorus work with Armley. What COULD compare to it ? There is only one Niagara Falls. The simple fact is that the old man never cared to erect a chorus structure the likes of which we WISH he might of done. The oft-mentioned criticism of Gt./Sw. sameness is one of the things I like best about his organs. It's for that same reason that build up is so natural on a C-C. I admit that FHW seemed to work with a rather limited colour palette. His sons and grandsons expanded that, each in their way. It's the manner in which a Willis organ plays MUSIC, even when it is on its own terms, that fascinates me. The fact that he was such a fine player is the key here; a fine player and a genius.
In my opinion, speaking strictly about English Romantic organ building, there was William Hill and there was Henry Willis. Everything else was a variation on the work of these two great artists.
The English organ building/organ playing establishment seems to have a problem with the name Willis. My second teacher, Alexander McCurdy, spent some time assisting Dr. Alcock just after the HWIII rebuild. Although unimpressed by the orchestral reeds (he was used to EMS colour reeds) he never stopped talking about Salisbury and later, meeting up in Liverpool with HIS teacher, Lynnwood Farnam (soooooooooo often mis-spelled) at the new organ in the cathedral there. He always felt that this particular HWIII organ was, quite simply, incomparable. My first organ teacher (a student of McCurdy) was present at the First International Congress of Organists and could never stop raving about Westminster Cathedral.
To put EMS back in this picture, I was a student in Paris during 1970 and spent a lot of time at St. Sulpice with the organ and its titulaire. When I returned to the states, I never thought to hear ANYTHING even remotely comparable to that famous instrument. And yet . . .
On a "dark and stormy night" I was taken by classmates to hear and play the EMS at the Girard College. Although one could point to influences in its design that were definitely Willis by way of GDH, the stop list and tonal finishing were by EMS. The organist, Harry Banks, insisted on it. The instrument is now greatly changed and the original voicing forever lost, but I heard and played it in its untouched, original state. I was so swept off my feet by the beauty of that organ that I had absolutely no doubt that it compared very favorably (although COMPLETELY differently) to St. Sulpice as a total art work. On another level, it was reminiscent of AH in its silky, silky smoothness and impecable finish.
I'm sure the board will be delighted if I stop now as my foot is falling asleep.
Karl Watson,
Staten Island, NY
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It would be interesting to learn more of his military history - are you able to supply any further information please, David? (Other than the fact that Dixon served in what was formerly the Border Regiment.)
However, as MM states, this may have resulted in a loss of perception of upper frequencies - not simply an inability to hear at any pitch (or at least an attenuation in auditory facility over a wide frequency spread).
This is a tremendously interesting and informative discussion, esp. for an American with very limited experience of AH organs. Perhaps it would be useful to set aside Redcliffe, Kings and the Abbey, as well as the rebuilds of FHW cathedral organs. For my taste, the typical AH production really does come off sounding like H-J with needles (various lovely effects that never add up) but absolutely never as musical and useful (notwithstanding the tierce mixtures) as FHW productions. Even HWII's job at Port Sunlight, which has "evolved" slightly beyond the old man's concepts, and with an also-ran Choir Organ, is so much more muscianly and useful than ANY typcial AH organ that I can think of.
It's hard for this particular American to grasp the envariable prejudice against Willis productions when my personal experience of them, FHW & HWIII, has been so rewarding.
Nothing here meant to offend, just my opinion.
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Since April, this subject seems to have died a death, which is a pity.
I have an absolute mass of information concerning John Compton and those around him, which has continued to grow and grow, with some astonishing revelations and unexpected links.
I've even started to get my head around some of the electronic and electrical aspects of Compton's work; especially the latter.
Of course, any Compton story would be incomplete without reference to Robert Hope-Jones, and even there, I stumble across some fascinating material.
Some may despise his tonal ideas, but a paper written by Don Hyde of the Lancastrian Theatre Organ Trust sheds some interesting light on the quality of Hope-Jones actions. It seems that a certain Mr Royce wound the solenoid magnets for him in Manchester, and the same gentleman teamed up with a certain Mr Rolls in due course. That further hints at a link between Joules and Hope-Jones, and possibly with his organ fanatic brother in Manchester.
However, perhaps the most extraordinary discovery was finding that Compton had been associated with organs in cinemas LONG before the advent of the cinema organ proper........but this must remain on the back burner until I have verified it.
Another fascinating link was his association with Lloyd of Nottingham, who had really gone down the Hope-Jones/Orchestral path. What an abrupt change of style Compton must have met with when compared with the German-style of Brindley & Foster, in Sheffield.
Quite a lot of what Compton did, how he thought and how he excelled in a particular way, are beginning to fall into place, and it is infinitely fascinating. More importantly, it is becoming more factual than speculative.
MM
Wasn't there an ex-Willis reed voicer at H-J called Franklin Lloyd ? My memory is not reliable (hopeless?) these days.
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Well yes, but you need bells at Christmas.
I've had a further thought......go to the poundshops!
A selection of cat-collars would probably do the trick, and even kill any fleas you may have picked up from the congregation.
MM
You really are DREADFULLY naughty.
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Your writing is always something special and I'm grateful for the info contained therein.
I know very well the recording you mention (in its Decca incarnation) of the three organists at the Liverpool Met. Except for the Widor Toccata, it is special in every way.
Funnily enough, the Garth Benson at Redcliffe was one of my desert island discs. One of my students must have made off with it. His playing of that remarkable Parry chorale prelude so impressed me that I ran out immediately to buy the music and learn it. I still play it every year during Holy Week.
I know the technique of which you speak VERY well. It's not like that at all as Dr. Willan did it - not at endings, but rather at the BEGINNING of things !
Any advice given by FJ is precious. I once heard him play the two Dupre Sketches as encores as if they were child's play.
He was HUGE. Still is.
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Well it doesn't read like fatuous gas-bagging to me!
On the contrary, it comes straight from the heart, and I found myself nodding with approval at many of the observations.
I never did actually hear or own ALL the Great Cathedral series, but I have quite a few stacked away.
Certainly, there were some gigantic performers around in those days, and one must surely envy the time when being an organist had a certain prestige in the eye of a public who had grown up through the era of cathedral, church and theatre organ playing; backed up by regular celebrity broadcasts on the radio. Little did I know at the time that this was really the end of an era.
I think that the York recording was always my favourite, and it still is, a frightening 45 years later. The Willan interpretation still comes up in conversation to-day, and I have never heard anything other than the fact that everyone regards this as the perfect performance of a quite tricky work.
I love the description of the organ of Westminster Cathedral....."rock crushing."
That's just marvellously accurate in just two words.
Chester.....erm.....I don't think it had been re-built when the recording was made, but I may be wrong. I have a recording of the old organ as was, played by John Sanders (I think), and it was at the time when the old Hill electric action was still in use. It's an instrument which needs to be heard in the flesh, because the positioning of the instrument and some of the pedal stops, tends to make it a difficult one to record. Personally, I love the instrument the way it is, but recognise that it isn't the most subtle of accompaniment instruments.
Coventry was a bit disappointing I felt, except for the Walond, which delighted me at the time.
All the other comments I find myself in agreement with, and then we come to Germani.
I've said before, and will happily repeat the impact that Germani had on me as a 15 year old.
How many organists could play Reger with such power and musical conviction, that it totally "blew away" a kid that age?
I've loved Reger's music ever since, (most of it anyway), but for whatever reason, I seldom hear his music played well in the UK. There seems to be something of a mental barrier for so many English organists/listeners, but that isn't the case in Germany, Holland and America, where great performances are quite normal.
I know that when I learned the "Hallelujah" Gott zu Loben" for myself, it was something of a seminal moment, for my desire to master this work was entirely due to the Selby recording, to which I listened and listened time and time again. Even now, I regard it as a peerless performance of a truly great organ-work, and for those of us who have worked at it, the effortless fluency of Germani's playing is quite something; not to mention his depth of understanding. I regard hearing Germani in concert as one of the great privileges of my life.
However, changing tac slightly, what of the Ryemuse series of recordings?
Never of great quality from a vinyl-pressing point of view, they were nevertheless VERY important recordings of some extraordinary performers. In some ways, (Francis Jackson excepted), the Great Cathedral series were possibly of less significance from a musical point of view, yet perfectly well played and presented.
On the Ryemuse label, Francis Jackson (for instance), played some of his own music, and that superb Pastorale by Peter Racine Fricker.
Noel Rawsthorne delighted us with what I would regard as the definitive performance of the Howells "Master Tallis Testament," which I like very much. (Remarkable, considering how much I dislike the music of Howells generally).
Perhaps the most stunning English recording of all, with one or two exceptions described above, was that produced by Vista from Blackburn Cathedral, when Jane Parker-Smith bowled us over with some glorious French interpretations; not all of it entirely familiar.
Has there ever been a better Durufle Toccata, (original version), or a better-oiled spinning-wheel by Dupre?
It's a recording to marvel at, even to-day.
Finally, which company recorded and produced the Keith John performance from the Tonhalle, Zurich?
When it comes to the Reubke Sonata, perhaps only Roger Fisher and Wolfgang Rubsam ever equalled this on disc, and foolishly, I never bought it at the time.
MM
This evokes many thoughts and leads to a kind-of "Remembrance of things past."
But first, what of the Ryemuse series ? I'm only dimly aware of it. Was there a Barry Rose/Guildford on it ? Have they ever been transcribed to CD and, if so, what are the important ones ?
I hope members won't regard the following as too tangential, BUT
Have any of you heard the recordings of a very old Healy Willan playing at St. Mary, Mag in Toronto ? Much of it was strange to me and I'm 61. The rolled chords, the pedal note held first, these and other bits I had never heard before. Can anyone explain ?
When I was taken to Canada in '67 to attend the second International Congress of Organists, I first experienced the practise of holding the first note of a hymn an extra beat or so. What is that called, why was it done, and why do we no longer do it ?
One thing I noticed as a common thread amongst the best playing of the Great Cathedral Series, is beautiful, singing legato. It seems now that even when young players play what they regard as legato, it is a very dry thing.
At the risk of spinning this discussion off on yet another tangent, I have to say that I heartily disliked the playing on the Coventry disc of the Mein Junges Leben variations. The playing utterly lacked any vocal quality. I suppose many will say that it is an appropriate period approach and is suited to 18th century instruments. OK, maybe. But I wonder. I don't think that we hear too many period performances of the 9th Symphony or the late Beethoven Sonatas. These works are clearly the music of the future and they are constantly bursting their bonds. I rather feel that way about about the Pachelbel. When I hear it played legato (and with other, varied touches as required) it is fully realized as an art work. I play and teach that piece from Rolande Falcinelli's edition.
Just my two cents. But DO let's keep on about the Great Cathedral Series !
Karl Watson,
Staten Island, NY
P.S. On that same Canadian trip, c.1967, I heard Dr. Willan offer a table grace, in Latin. Not sure if it was a Public School thing, an Oxbridge affectation or just old-time, Church Union style Anglo-Catholicism!
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It wasn't "Wolsey," but 'aye' MM.
That apart, I often wonder why this period (1965-75) was the "end of an era," but it was.
Of course, there are marvellous organists around to-day, but that isn't the problem. It's as if, at the receiving end, there is no longer the eager buzz of anticipation, or the excited clamour to grab the best seat with the prime console view.
There was even a sort of folklore when I was a teenager, and I especially recall one:-
"You haven't heard Germani? He can play better with his feet than most people can with their hands!"
These were two fifteen year old boys having an excited conversation, and I was but the 13 year old tadpole listening to it.
It's like great organists were demi-gods, and looking back, I'm sure it had everything to do with education in those days.
So too were great engineers and scientists, and at the age of 14, the names of Bernard Lovell (a very competent organist), Fred Hoyle (family friend), Barnes Wallace, Sir William Lyons (Jaguar Cars) and such, were the buzz-word names, not "Pop Idol," "The X-factor" and "Glee."
It was as if anything less than the best was an acknowledgement of failure, whereas to-day, any achievement, no matter how small, is regarded as a triumph.
It can possibly be condensed down to a simple truth. We get the education others need, rather than what we need, and with the collapse of manufacturing, a highly scientific and technological education is just too expensive, and rather detached from everyday existence.
It's extraordinary to look back at my own education, (from which I appeared to emerge rather badly initially), because at the tender age of just 15, I knew about things across a remarkable breadth of disciplines. I knew the difference between Whitworth threads, AF threads and Metric threads. I knew the difference between Fred Hoyle's "Steady State Theory" and the "Big Bang."
I was taught to sing Handel and Bach, rather than 'Gangsta Rap.' I understood plate techtonics, sediments, elements and incraments, and yes, it was unshamedly elitist, because without knowing it, we were the ones being trained to lead and take responsibility.
The interesting thing is, that same attitude prevailed across all sectors of education; even in the Secondary Modern schools, where the academic pursuits were of far less important. Even if it was just sports or bricklaying, being the best was important.
If the organ enjoyed popularity rather than the cult status of to-day, it probably had a lot to do with a nation who went to church and prayed for King and Country in 1914-18, for the poor and destitute following the Wall Street Crash, and for peace, the bereaved, the wounded and the dead during WWII. It was nothing if not an interesting half century.
Add to this the popular pastime of cinema-going, where the best cinemas had the best organists, (Sidney Torch, Bryan Rodwell, Quentin Maclean, Norman Cocker), and it isn't difficult to see how the organ was foremost in the minds of the public; especially when radio also reinforced that almost every day.
So the end of an era it may have been, but that end is not unique to the organ-world by any means. I still talk to elderly, retired engineers, who with a mist before their eyes, talk warmly about "the old days" of industry and full employment, when skill and knowledge counted for everything.
To expand a recent comment I made in another post, the difference to-day is that sharpened elbows and sharp-practice have replaced razor sharp minds, and razor sharp minds always appreciate the same in others, no matter how remote or how specialised.
MM
PS: When I heard Germani, I knew that my musical peers were telling the truth.
So sorry I mistook your reply. Your splendid last gives one so much to ponder that I must do so before considering a reply.
I wrestle continually with the dread that Western thought and culture are on the decline. I know they are but I can't bring myself to accept it.
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Well it doesn't read like fatuous gas-bagging to me!
On the contrary, it comes straight from the heart, and I found myself nodding with approval at many of the observations.
I never did actually hear or own ALL the Great Cathedral series, but I have quite a few stacked away.
Certainly, there were some gigantic performers around in those days, and one must surely envy the time when being an organist had a certain prestige in the eye of a public who had grown up through the era of cathedral, church and theatre organ playing; backed up by regular celebrity broadcasts on the radio. Little did I know at the time that this was really the end of an era.
I think that the York recording was always my favourite, and it still is, a frightening 45 years later. The Willan interpretation still comes up in conversation to-day, and I have never heard anything other than the fact that everyone regards this as the perfect performance of a quite tricky work.
I love the description of the organ of Westminster Cathedral....."rock crushing."
That's just marvellously accurate in just two words.
Chester.....erm.....I don't think it had been re-built when the recording was made, but I may be wrong. I have a recording of the old organ as was, played by John Sanders (I think), and it was at the time when the old Hill electric action was still in use. It's an instrument which needs to be heard in the flesh, because the positioning of the instrument and some of the pedal stops, tends to make it a difficult one to record. Personally, I love the instrument the way it is, but recognise that it isn't the most subtle of accompaniment instruments.
Coventry was a bit disappointing I felt, except for the Walond, which delighted me at the time.
All the other comments I find myself in agreement with, and then we come to Germani.
I've said before, and will happily repeat the impact that Germani had on me as a 15 year old.
How many organists could play Reger with such power and musical conviction, that it totally "blew away" a kid that age?
I've loved Reger's music ever since, (most of it anyway), but for whatever reason, I seldom hear his music played well in the UK. There seems to be something of a mental barrier for so many English organists/listeners, but that isn't the case in Germany, Holland and America, where great performances are quite normal.
I know that when I learned the "Hallelujah" Gott zu Loben" for myself, it was something of a seminal moment, for my desire to master this work was entirely due to the Selby recording, to which I listened and listened time and time again. Even now, I regard it as a peerless performance of a truly great organ-work, and for those of us who have worked at it, the effortless fluency of Germani's playing is quite something; not to mention his depth of understanding. I regard hearing Germani in concert as one of the great privileges of my life.
However, changing tac slightly, what of the Ryemuse series of recordings?
Never of great quality from a vinyl-pressing point of view, they were nevertheless VERY important recordings of some extraordinary performers. In some ways, (Francis Jackson excepted), the Great Cathedral series were possibly of less significance from a musical point of view, yet perfectly well played and presented.
On the Ryemuse label, Francis Jackson (for instance), played some of his own music, and that superb Pastorale by Peter Racine Fricker.
Noel Rawsthorne delighted us with what I would regard as the definitive performance of the Howells "Master Tallis Testament," which I like very much. (Remarkable, considering how much I dislike the music of Howells generally).
Perhaps the most stunning English recording of all, with one or two exceptions described above, was that produced by Vista from Blackburn Cathedral, when Jane Parker-Smith bowled us over with some glorious French interpretations; not all of it entirely familiar.
Has there ever been a better Durufle Toccata, (original version), or a better-oiled spinning-wheel by Dupre?
It's a recording to marvel at, even to-day.
Finally, which company recorded and produced the Keith John performance from the Tonhalle, Zurich?
When it comes to the Reubke Sonata, perhaps only Roger Fisher and Wolfgang Rubsam ever equalled this on disc, and foolishly, I never bought it at the time.
MM
Wolsey is very kind.
Sorry if I got that wrong about the Chester rebuild. I remember hearing the John Saunders recording and thinking that the organ was much darker but also much, much more of a unity.
On the subject of performances (recordings) of the big Willan, there have been others of note, but there is one, made at the organ of St. Paul's, Bloor Street, by John Tuttle, that in my humble opinion sweeps all before it. I'm proud to say that John was a mentor to me in my student days but it's not loyalty that inspires me to hail his playing of this very difficult and somewhat illusive piece. In addition, there is a little-known LP of him playing the Reukbe, the Roger-Ducasse and the big Mozart K.608, each played with mastery and consumate brilliance. To give this observation greater weight, you will scarcely believe it when I tell you that I just happened to be in Toronto one Summer (it must have been in the late '70s), on a very low Sunday in August, and, without advance warning, attended service at St. Paul's and heard John play the Roger-Ducasse and the Mozart as voluntaries. They were played fabulously. The final irony is that like Dr. Willan before him, not long after my visit, John left the extremely protestant precincts of St. Paul's and has since been at a truly lovely Anglo-Catholic parish in Toronto, enjoying a long and happy tenure there.
When Wolsey refers to the end of an era, I confess it gives me quite a pain. Although no doubt true, I find myself asking WHY ?
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My set arrived this morning. Pace the four-volume Amphion selection, what an experience it is to hear again - in its entirety - the series which played a formative part of my musical childhood!
Wolsey's words about these records playing a role in our formation is so well taken. I was seventeen the summer of '67 when my teacher took me to the second International Congress of Organists in several Canadian cities. I purchased the numbers that were then available in Toronto and when I returned home to rural Michigan played them over and over and over. Without it sounding like fatuous gas-bagging, I'd like to share my impressions of the series and the ways that certain performances on certain organs influenced me.
1) Liverpool: unbelievably thrilling sounds and exciting playing.
2) York: having first heard that Tuba, one is not likely to forget it. The easy fluency of FJ really defined for so many of us how the Willan IP&F should go.
3) Westminster Abbey: Never could understand why this number was so often discounted. The playing is masterly and elegant. For a stupid kid from the sticks, hearing the full swell opening at the end of the Mendelssohn was unforgettable. The Rheinberger is marvelous, use of the Tuba, etc. Americans can be a bit snotty about orchestral reeds as we tend to think that there are simply none finer than Skinner, Kimball and Aeolian. But it's nice the hear what one assumes is the Cor Anglais at the Abbey.
4) Gloucester: This number seems to me to encapsulate all the virtues of the so-called English Cathedral style of playing. Of course, the Elgar has never been equaled let alone beaten.
5) Coventry - 6) Exeter: neither of these "spoke" to me.
7) St. Giles: an organ not particularly liked by many (why must one maintain the discipline of decrying any work of HWIII?) but played by a simply splendid organist. There are problems of one kind or another on some pieces, but the Howells is out of this world. Throughout, there is something special about the organist that makes itself felt even when things don't quite come off.
8) Llandaff: nothing distinguished to my ears
9) Durham: I still don't like the Schoenberg, but who cares ? Conrad Eden's playing is so incredibly fine in every moment of each piece (Karg-Elert, WOW) that this number is a lesson in great playing from start to finish.
10) Hereford: hard to find ANYTHING to dislike here. On the contrary, every moment seems to exude exuberance and a BIG technique. I still like this Jongen Eroica BEST.
11) Salisbury: beyond a doubt, one of the very best of the series. Such beautiful, beautiful playing from first note to last, incredible use of colour, interesting use of the Tuba at the end of the Franck (it works!) and then there is THAT organ. I've never heard a Vox Humana to rival this one. How many organs are there that seem to be musical in simply any context ?
12) Norwich: only know this one from the Amphion tracks but the organ sounds very good and the playing is lovely, old-time and marvelously expressive. Wonderful use of the swells.
13) Ely: Even as a boy I found this one coarse and I still do.
14) Winchester: one is conscious that the organist is very good and makes the instrument sound better than it is. The playing is, for want of a better word, jolly.
15) Westminster Cathedral: another high point, a pinnacle really of the series. Transcendant playing and brilliant use of an amazing instrument. Even when the player substitues his OWN registration (beginning of the Vierne), the result is fascinating and totally convincing. I know we don't voice mutations like this anymore, but these are enchanting in their delicious, bell-like sound. As for the full organ, one must admit that this organ is a rock crusher, but a BEAUTIFUL one.
16) Canterbury: Brilliant playing on what sounds like a very good organ.
17) St. Paul's: Everything this organist touches turns to gold. It was clearly time for the rebuild but, my God, what reeds.
18) Lincoln: Again, I know this only from the Amphion excerpts but it is a beautiful organ beautifully played.
19) Chester: I'm not a fan of the R&D rebuild, but the playing is superb and the organ fine in many ways.
20) The bonus tracks are worth the price of the set. Anything played by Brian Runnett is important. How about his accompaniment of the Stainer from St. John's College ? Could anything be finer ? But I have to admit that I would pay for the entire box just to have the Reger played by Germani at Selby. I had that LP as a kid and went through two copies. The easy, easy fluency and incredible clarity, even from a Pedal Open Wood is something not to miss. Of course, the performance is simply thrilling on any terms, ignoring any details. It simply sweeps one away like a tidal wave.
Well, hope this doesn't rub anyone the wrong way. One thing is certain. There were giants out there in those days.
Karl Watson,
Staten Island, NY
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Point very well taken.
However, one cannot help but reflect that HERE, at last, is the ideal instrument to support the Novus Ordo liturgy. The two seem as one.
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Having sounded-off on Laurence Elvin's fantasies regarding post-war H & H, I want to pay tribute to his writing in other contexts about Compton. It's impressive and fact filled.
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I recently re read bits of one of Laurence Elvin's books quickly followed by a quiet afternoon thumbing through back issues of The Organ and it set me questioning. Much of the wrtiting is in a sort of all knowing 'gentlemans' club' type style with a smattering of descriptions of the sounds of stops etc. and somewhat hazily simplistic historical backgrounds. How do people rate these writings these days - compared to Bicknell, Thistlethwaite, Jonathan Ambrosino (in the USA) and Peter Williams for example. Were they 'just' interested amateurs - not that there is anything wrong with that - or real experts in their field? In parallel way - what also of their work with the instruments themselves? As an example - Wells Cathedral. I sang their again recently and was quite disappointed by the way that the organ was not able to conduct itself even in expert hands. Soundwise the early work and later Clutton inspired additions did not sit easily together with everything somewhat lacking in real projection and identity - another similar scheme at Ely has not long ago been somewhat 'de Cluttonised' and for its good from what I have heard. Ralph Downes had enough personality and identity in his work (backed up by his writings ) for most of it these days to be just 'augmented in style' (St Albans, Paisley, RFH and Gloucester for instance) but how do these others stand now?
A
I think your assessment of "gentlemans' club style" is well taken. Elvin seems in every way to be a dear and gracious man, in particular his devotion to WC Jones. While his appreciation of Jones' work may be well-taken, even if one can't endorse the extreme smoothness and dark as night quality (one is told that he was apparently able to voice in other styles), much of his writing about the post-war work of one of England's notable firms is really so much tosh. I've lived with some of their exports to America from this period and find the flue voicing shockingly rough and coarse. Reeds, however, are excellent and the consoles as elegant and comfortable as their reputation holds. Let the reader beware of Elvin's stories !
As for Clutton, there is something to be said about his appreciation of Hill work as well as turn of the century Walkers. But sadly, one can't help but notice the moment at which he erased HWIII's name from the Book of Life, after which no good could come from the House of Willis - tragic and as wrong as wrong can be.
Karl Watson,
Staten Island, NY
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As always, have to agree with MM's wise words.
That Reger from Selby Abbey is as stupendous today as it was when I first heard it some forty years ago. It has EVERYTHING one could possibly want or imagine and all with incredible clarity.
HMV (EMI) Great Cathedral Organ Series
in General discussion
Posted
This is a continuation of my very personal reactions to hearing these “records” some forty years after the period when I played them incessantly and to the distraction of my poor family. None of these comments are intended to wound or offend and I apologise in advance for any statements that the board might find controversial.
My last included a very brief overview of nos. 1-7. I failed to mention two bonus tracks of Simon Preston playing at the Abbey. This player, more than any other, was the inspiration of my youth. Some twelve years older than I, his playing totally captured my imagination. Just to begin, has anyone ever “owned” the Abbey organ as does he ? There is total and utter naturalness in everything, every stop change, every movement of the swells. There is clarity at all times, perfect unanimity in touch, incredible evenness and absolutely NOTHING is left to chance. There is also a distinctive brilliance and élan. All is animated and “sprung.” He is a modern player in every sense, just as Lionel Dakers playing is old time, courtly and obviously of a different era. I doubt that this playing of the Howells Set 2 No.1 Ps. Prelude will ever be equaled. One is reminded of Virgil Thomson’s comment about Landowska playing the harpsichord better than anyone else plays anything.
8) Llandaff: I wish that I could find something, anything to like or admire here.
9) Durham: I found myself less fond of this number at 61 than at 18. However, Conrad Eden is a master, make no mistake. The programme is interesting, and, with the Schoenberg, unique. The Milnar and Harris pieces are beautiful and are played elegantly . My enthusiasm for the Karg-Elert has dimmed over the years, but it is a fine romp. The organ is a bit of a war-horse and its full power inclined to suggest the brutal. Boxing gloves come to mind or a giant treading on small forest creatures. One appreciates the intimacy of the Choir Organ. Pity its Open has gone away.
10) Hereford: Hard to beat the combination of this splendid organ, wonderful programme and playing which is masterly in all contexts. This is an organist who could surely go to the piano and play major works with ease. One senses a player for whom nothing is impossible and everything, no matter how difficult, is managed with ease and with plenty of room to spare. This is not to imply detachment, for Dr. Cook is a very intense player and is fully “present” as an interpreter at every moment. The music is so successfully set forth and “put over” that one never thinks about the instrument not being suited to the repertoire. Enjoyment is the byword here. And real virtuosity.
11) Salisbury: One of the great organs of the world at the hands of a golden player of imagination and sweep. We may not use Tubas in Franck today, but this organist can do nothing that is not first and last musical. Never liked the Vox Humana ? Wait ’till you hear this one. The Saint-Saens is delicious, the flutes “kissing” the vaulting. The big Nielsen work is not to be missed; powerful and formal in its message. The final C Major resolution is a thing of glory. Who was it that once said that Fr. Willis imagined a sound worthy of an English Cathedral and then built it ?
12) Norwich: One should confess that few of us who read and/or contribute here will have a career as distinguished as Heathcote Statham. Perhaps one could say that this is the other end of the spectrum from the young Simon Preston. We are listening to a very senior player, but a fine one who can still get around a bit. The Karg-Elert Pastel is lovely with superb expression and an excellent Cor Anglais. The big organ sounds nice. It’s hard for us today to understand his approach to 17th century music. I don’t believe that the Dorian Fugue should have been approved for release. The Stanley pastiche comes off best with rather jaunty use of the fine Tuba.
13) Ely: For me, this has always been the most regrettable number of the set. The liner notes did not take into consideration that the Great and Pedal reeds had been revoiced. The enormous reputation that this organ enjoyed as the first cathedral organ of the A. Harrison/Col. Dixon team is not born out by the sounds on this disc. To give the organist credit, he rarely if ever deviates from the registration called for by this largely French programme. However, one must observe that there is not one moment of beauty, never the slightest gesture toward expressive, sensitive playing. There are many false notes, split notes and melodic lines during which the feeble legato is simply abandoned. Tempi are erratic to put it kindly and there is not a single evenly played bit of passage work to be heard. It is unrelieved honking and lurching from pillar to post. The Vierne Naiades goes in and out; good for a few measures and then . . . The organist’s own Introduction and Allegro is effective and played with conviction. Toward the end, the flue chorus alternates with the crushing of rocks and the sawing of stones.
14) Worcester: Who was the wag that characterised the Harrison/Dixon concept as Hope-Jones with needles ? Well, not to put too fine a point on it, here it is in the flesh. But Christopher Robinson knows how to make it work, Diaphones and all. He is a magician and a musician. Amongst the organists of the series who attempt music not compatible to their particular instrument, he is the closest to succeeding and with distinction. I dislike on principle any mucking about with the registration of the composer. Christopher Robinson gives us what amounts to a transcription of the Franck Piece Heroique. In my opinion, it is brilliant. I wouldn’t teach a student to do this, but it is a superb conception. When this man plays, the sun shines. All is well-planned and inevitable. About the organ: to read the stoplist is to groan with dread. One can hardly believe that he obtains such convincing results. The Peeters chorale preludes are not only beautifully played but the organ sounds superb. We shall have to ask ourselves if this is lovely old Hill soft work or, horrors, something from the H-J shop. You will not be able to keep from smiling as you listen to this very enjoyable disc.