philipmgwright
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Posts posted by philipmgwright
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Ralph Downes Baroque Tricks refers warmly to Reginald W Davidson “ my ever faithful friend” in connection with Oratory p58-64 assisting RD “to attain his tonal ideals”. Kingsgate Davidson took over the maintenance of the Oratory organ from 1944
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“bravado of the bumptious upstart” ..what a delightful phrase which paints such a vivid picture!
I am led to believe the author is the last pupil apprentice of HW III
May I persuade him to share first hand some personal experiences of HW III
before the sands of time obliterate the fine detail and we rely on anecdote alone?
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52 minutes ago, AJJ said:
Unrelated Googling dug up this:
Right near the end, Compton ref. I had not realised that they exported...or maybe I had missed something earlier on here.
A
Looking at the year 1961/62 and it saying Compton , Liverpool,is it not more likely to be an item from Rushworth & Dreaper that arrived in this Chapel in America rather than a Compton export?
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34 minutes ago, Tony Newnham said:
Hi
There are Hammond Organs adverts in "The Organ" magazine from many years ago mentioning the Canterbury Cathedral installation. If I have time & feel up to going upstairs I'll try and look them out and see what date they were published.
Every Blessing
Tony
The Organ October 1947
Boosey & Hawkes ad The Hammond Organ - a typical setting for the War Memorial that LIVES
” the control of volume is as effective as its softest as in the majesty of its heavier tonal possibilities
when used to fill a larger building such as Canterbury Cathedral - as indeed it does”
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23 hours ago, Barry Oakley said:
I'm most grateful, Philip. I wonder what you got for £75?
At a glance through the British Newspaper Archive a small model Positive Organ would include - 44 note compass
1 Open Diapason tenorF grooved to 3 spotted metal 8
2 Salicional tenor F grooved to 3 spotted metal 8
3 Gedeckt Bass and Gedeckt Treble. wood. 8
4 Dulcet Bass and Dulcet Treble. spotted metal 4
5 Double Bass. Patent wood. 16
6 Melodic Diapason
Transposer
Combination lever throwing on and off loud stops
Spotted metal front in pyramid form
casework -prepared for
These instruments launched in 1896 were advertised extensively in local press by selling dealers with over 400 being sold within a few years
Catalogues , designs and new models are regular features in these ads.
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P Larg & Co 199 Union St Aberdeen advertised in 1899
The New “Positive “ Real Pipe Organ
for Churches and Chapels
Prices from £75 to £250
designs and full particulars of specifications post free from Sole Agents
P LARG & CO
Largs were a successful music retailer across Scotland Glasgow ,Dundee and Aberdeen
who supplied many organs of this genre
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Compton provided a 8 rank for Aberdeen Astoria Cinema
opened December 8 ,1934 - first illuminated console in Scotland-positioned on stage railway
cost £2300
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Hardly a grill surely..but an Architectural indication of a free standing instrument with mechanical action console below ( electrical one hopefully in orchestral area)
With Organs Philharmonie in Paris and Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg now realities by Rieger and Klais and Gothenburg in pipeline,
Barbican architects have clear pointers to new concert hall instruments.
The Hall visual is stunning- lets hope the organ becomes the jewel in this new musical crown!
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4 hours ago, MusoMusing said:
Thank you for this bit of information. I was intrigued by the reference to Johnnie Dehens. The firm of Degens & Rippen was established in 1959, and the two other Compton men were Ted Rippen and Eric Aitken. I'm not absolutely sure, but right from the start, , I believe they were supported financially by Maurice Forsythe-Grant. The rest, as they say, is history.
It's interesting, and a bit off-topic, but if you search Maurice Forsythe-Grant, almost nothing appears, other than the fact that he was a businessman and organ-builder, yet he was the technical brains behind Racal Electronics which eventually became Vodafone.
Still, he wasn't the first to think of mobile-phones. I think that particular accolade went to racehorse trainer, Ted Wragg, who's main hobby was electronics when he wasn't bothering with nags. I recall with delight the day he told me the story, of how he went to the directors of PYE in Cambridge, and told them that he had an idea for a microwave, portable telephone.
"What a silly idea!" They replied.
Even in the world of business, there are runners and fallers; winners and losers.
21 years of Organ Building by Maurice Forsyth-Grant Positif Press 1987
Covers Degens& Rippen Ltd,Grant Degens&Rippen Ltd and Grant Degens & Bradbeer Ltd
Foreward by Peter Hurford and a lively read which reflects MFG colourful organbuilding attitude
enjoy!
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12 hours ago, AJJ said:
It was many years ago that I was there and I seem to remember that someone (possibly Walkers) changed the Swell Schalmei unit for an Oboe at some point since. It sounded quite pleasant with that ‘up front’ voicing one often finds with smaller Comptons. The organist who organised its installation (maddeningly I still can not recall his name) wanted something on which he could play more ‘classical’ schools of organ music with their associated colours and choruses as things seemed to be heading that way in other places. Boltons was likely a wealthy and fashionable church then and having Comptons do it was possibly a brave experiment. I remember Ralph Downes commenting that some of Roger Yates’ work had a ‘whiff of Willis III about it’ and I suppose that similarly with the Boltons organ some of the (perceived) classical elements were there but with quite a lot of Compton too.
A
Organist at St Mary le Boltons was David Lang
Article describing the new organ - The Organ no 157 July 1960 makes interesting reading about Lang’s thinking moulded by Flor Peeters and the details he suggested to the builders .
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Sei Gregrusset variations BWV 768 with Peter Hurford at the Beckerath in St Andreas Kirche Hildesheim
The penultimate and scorching final variation expresses to my mind an unique fusion of Bach’s towering harmony,coupled with clarity of Beckerath delivered by that Master interpreter Hurford
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I met Peter Hurford when he opened the Nigel Church organ at Winlaton,Newcastle upon Tyne.
His enthusiastic vivacious playing there has long been a happy memory which encouraged me to seek out his many recordings.
In 2019 we are losing too many of organ “giants” - Guillou,Rawsthorne now Hurford
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Minor point It was George Blackmore FRCO!
I am enjoying the enlivened activitity in reponse to the request to try harder.
philipmgwright
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I first met Noel in 1969 when page turning for him in St Andrew’s Cathedral Aberdeen.
My personal memories over the following 50 years abound with his fabulous musicmaking,sparkling humour and practical administrative efficiency.
Memorable recitals from the Festival Hall to the tiniest village in remotest Scotland received the same detailed preparation - his cathedral service musical dimension matching the edifice perfectly.
Post recital entertaining to the faithful with “famous organist anecdotes” or “playing the matches” which he always won!
Skill displayed whether in his host’s kitchen or in his own garden or improving the running of his beloved cathedral.
A warm endearing person to meet.
A world class artist!
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Many thanks for putting up this link so quickly. It made me feel a part of this celebration.The Dobson sounded exceptional in the Wagner and Daniel Hyde deserved the audience accolade. Also nice touch to include a reference to Gerre Hancock in form of one of his improvisations ...further Daniel’s modest comments that improvisations were not yet in his music galaxy.
Busy now downloading the Celebratory Brochure!
philipmgwright
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I am surprised to learn of the nameplate on the Willis at Stony Stratford since...
The St George’s Charlotte Square Edinburgh organ was a 1882 Willis 2/21 r 1897 Willis 3/28 o 1914 Willis r 1932 r/38 removed when building became West Register House.r 1967-1969 Starmer Shaw
no recorded activity during the willis/lewis period
There are several acknowledged Willis and Lewis organs in Scotland (as noted in Alan Buchan and David Stewart excellent newly published Organs in Scotland - a revised list) but not this Willis
Perhaps someone may enlighten me?
philipmgwright
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8 hours ago, David Drinkell said:
Gone, but not forgotten.....
St. Jude's, Thornton Heath, Surrey - Henry Willis III 1930. An enormous organ for quite a small church (there were plans to extend it by two bays, but it would still not have been large), all enclosed in swell boxes (Great, Swell, Choir, Chancel. Pedal divided between them and all controlled by a switchboard, which enabled any box to be controlled from any of the four patent "Infinite Speed and Gradation" pedals). Certainly one of Willis III's finest instruments, possibly his largest new organ (as opposed to a rebuild) after Liverpool, Westminster Cathedral and Sheffield City Hall, and close enough to his works for him to use it to show off to clients. Alas, it was too much for the parish to maintain, especially in latter years when the local population was predominantly non-Christian. It was replaced by an electronic in the 1980s and purchased by Carlo Curley to save it from being scrapped. Subsequently, it is said to have gone to Japan to be installed in a concert hall, but I don't know if that ever happened. Being all-enclosed, there were no cases with pipes, although the west organ had quite a handsome screen (a plainer one in the chancel), but the console was quite a piece of kit - all bells and whistles in the latest Willis style, influenced by his visits to Ernest Skinner in America (shown here in its last years when it was a bit the worse for wear). In the picture of the west screen, note the little red light, top centre. This was a reminder that the wind was on!
http://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N13491
It really was one heck of a fine beast...….
Thanks David for including St Judes Thorton Heath’s final console and west end case...all I had seen previously were the photos in Rotunda Vol 3 no 3 showing organ under construction at west end and console at opening without infinite speed and gradation dials which must have been added later.
Reading Willis III ‘s article and specification shows what an amount of planning went into this fully enclosed organ and its control from the console .
philipmgwright
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On 24/06/2018 at 15:27, philipmgwright said:
I agree - Colin is quite right in a need for a re-assessment of Willis’ 4 work.
Further as I have mentioned on this forum before,perhaps it is time to include Willis III in this revisit while the living can counter some of the colourful anecdotal activity by introducing a more balanced understanding of both Willis’ work.
philipmgwright
I believe Willis 4 shared some reminiscences with John-Paul Buzard in The Diapason over two months in 1997
Has anyone on this forum read these?
philipmgwright
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I agree - Colin is quite right in a need for a re-assessment of Willis’ 4 work.
Further as I have mentioned on this forum before,perhaps it is time to include Willis III in this revisit while the living can counter some of the colourful anecdotal activity by introducing a more balanced understanding of both Willis’ work.
philipmgwright
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Aberdeen East St Nicholas 1936 Compton with luminous stopheads -
console removed to Organbuilders workshop for safe keeping I believe during archaeological investigations which removed
church floor
Organ remains in West Gallery and as totally enclosed presumably safe for immediate future
philipmgwright
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Thanks for your further confirmation.
I have now succeeded in contacting Robert and confirmed my order.
Hopefull many others will do likewise.
philipmgwright
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Sorry undeliverable again just now!
lookingforward to new contact details
thanks
philipmgwright
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As one of the original supporters of Brindley,I emailed address and phoned the last number just now..
but to no avail...may I suggest new contact details be issued which can respond ..this will encourage many to subscribe.
a worthwhile venture plagued by a horrendous birth!
philipmgwright
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Was it not shipped to Japan but is still awaiting renaissance?
philipmgwright
Kingsgate Davidson
in The Organ
Posted
A well travelled Kingsgate Davidson
https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=P00538
built for London Residence 1960s
moved to St Leonard’s In the Field Perth
moved to Simon Langton School Canterbury
moved to Petts Wood