Frank Fowler

When everything (mainly finance) but also the fact that we were talking of need of it being required only some six times a year for hymn singing with full organ had been taken into consideration it seemed to be a reasonable, sensible solution - what would you have done? It did not upset me as from time to time I had this terrible habit of looking at the musical requirements of a church - not the purist. FF

Well done Colin! In this day and age what you have done seems to be obvious answer. FF

There was once a cathedral organ that was a magnificent accompaniment organ organ but sadly was slightly underpowered for leading major festival hymn singing (only some six time a year). Money was limited and there was no chance of building a special division so sooner than mess up the accompaniment specification we stuck a great octave coupler on. It did the trick but didn't half upset the local purists. FF

I too sometimes find the following of the words of a Psalm a problem having left threescore years and ten well behind. It is the re-focusing back again on small print again after having taken you eyes off the words for a moment is the killer. Nowadays. with my computer I find it easy to print the words out in large font and with the judicious use of a marker pen can make life very easy. You only have to do each Psalm once and it can be stored until the next time. FF

This is perfectly true, I was `standing by' for Roy Massey and was with him when it happened. The further facts were that the Judge was trying a very sensitive sexual assult case involving a young girl who was giving evidence. His Lordship found the sound of the organ distracting in the Courtroom and wanted silence - he got it. Afterwards the Judge came into the hall and courteously explained to us what had happened and seemed to have been delighted to have met the illustrious Roy Massey wishing him well for his recital. FF

For Brian - greetings! There are several thoughts on this, one bing the demise of the "big" firm. Anything to do with organs is a never ending learning curve most of this being experience and training in pratical organ building. As an apprentice I was indentured for five years to Hill Norman & Beard. I started tuning training with their outside rep in Bristol that gave me a good insight into so many different makes of organs and their problems. I then went to the London factory going through various departments that were concerned with the mechanics and pipes of the instrument, i.e. not through the saw mills, thicknessers and large planers, to see where my aptitude lay. I seemed to have a reasonable ability to be able to deal with all sorts of different actions and regarded tuning as a highly skilled science so gravitated towards tuning and maintenance, which I regard as an art of its own - the rest is history. At 21 I thought I knew the lot and realised as the years rolled by how little I really knew. One of the great plusses of a large Company workforce was that if I didn't know the answer to a problem there was always someone around to put me right. I saw Government legislation throw the 5 year apprenticeship scheme out of the window, replacing it with three years "recognised craft training" and having achieved this you were entitled to call your self a fully qualified organ builder and (which the Union felt was a major triumph) entitled to full pay. With so many `one man' firms setting up after the collapse of the large companies no matter how good and honest their intentions are there is the danger that a lack of experience and knowledge in a particular instance can casue problems. There are a few suspect people about but most small units today are honest and decent when working within their limitations. These days this is when a qualified consultant (one who has a sound organ building foundation - not a teachers training certificate) is available their knowledge can be invaluable. So often though a PCC will discover "a friend of the Treasurers who knows all about organs - as he has an organ (an American Reed "sucker" and playing the pedals means pumping it with his feet) in his house" and they will listen to him sooner than a reputable organ builder or pay for a consultant. There is of course the other problem with the constant use of the seemingly favourite church anthem "Where can we get it done more cheaply?". Unfortunately this form of shortsightedness has virtually no cure - not even after a total disaster. In my young days, an organbuilding firm was regarded as one who built their own consoles. Then came the organ supply houses so that the main organbuilding skill then seemed to be the ability to use a power screwdriver. Here endeth my lesson (for the moment anyway). FF

It is one thing to be able to play the Widor Toccata or a Bach Trio Sonata, quite another to play hymns and related music for a service. Maybe if a few more `service organists' were to be willing and available the situation would not be so acute. FF

I hate to appear to be niggly but as far as I know Robbie Cleaver was only an ARCO but whatever he had was immaterial he was a wonderful performer - in church or cinema. FF

Many years ago a chapel in South Wales had the wind supplied by a hydraulic engine working the feeders. It was pretty ropey and hardly supplied enough wind. I was trying to get them to have an electric blower but they insisted on building a toilet first. To get the water supply to the toilet they elongated the supply feeding the hydraulic engine. The following poem was written - to be recited with a strong South Wales accent: OUR CHAPEL ORGAN'S BLOWN BY WATER HYDRAULIC PUMPS THE WIND DO RAISE THE WATER PRESSURE, JUST SUFFICIENT, KEEPS IT PLAYING HYMNS OF PRAISE. IN DRY WEATHER - CONSTERNATION - WORRIED FROWNS AND PRAYERS FOR RAIN. WHEN PRESSURES LOW, THE MUSIC STOPS IF SOMEONE PULLS THE TOILET CHAIN. IEUAN PLAYS FOR MORNING SERVICE, WYNFORD DOES THE TASK AT NIGHT, EACH A MEMBER OF A FAMILY, FLEXING MUSCLES FOR A FIGHT. SABOTAGE IS NOT UNKNOWN, IEUAN'S FAMILY WATCH WITH GLEE, HALF AN HOUR BEFORE THE SERVICE, GRANDMA DRINKING CUPS OF TEA. WYNFORDS LOT ARE FAR MORE SUBTLE, THEIR METHODS USED ARE ALMOST FAIR, THEY SEE THE HYMNS FOR MORNING SERVICE ARE ONES THAT USE UP ALL THE AIR. THEN THE DEACONS, IN THEIR WISDOM, SENSING WARFARE IN THE AIR, TOOK DRASTIC STEPS TO STOP THE BATTLE, AND PACIFY THE PLAYING PAIR. NOW OUR ORGAN'S BLOWN BY 'LETRIC, THERE'S AMPLE WIND - AND SOME TO SPARE, AS USUAL TROUBLE'S BEEN DIVERTED, BY DEACONS BLOWING LOTS OF AIR. FF

I am delighted to see at last John Compton is being accepted as the brilliant organ builder he undoubtedly was. I can remember some fifteen years ago, when `John Compton' was a dirty word, being severly castigated for even attempting to offer a scheme to enlarge a fine example of a Compton three manal when everyone apart from the organist and the church in general, but including the Dioscesan Organ Advisor was for chucking it out and replacing it with a small classical mechanical organ. Even worse was the report from an eminent organ advisor totally condemning it, writing his death warrant without ever having seen or heard the instrument. With a Compton just sit down and make music on it - most musicians can, many organists can't. Most of the `missing notes' will be the ones the organist does not play - no one seems to complain about missing notes when Manual to Pedal couplers are used on straight instruments. FF

In my 48 years in dealing with organists I often wondered what many of them had to do with Christianity - and that went for come of the clerics as well. FF

It is sad and a fact of life that most things that went wrong were few and far between - but these are the intresting matters. I must express my thanks and rescpect to nearly all ouf our clients for whom all went well on both sides. No doubt I shall continue to mention `the few' when the occasion merits it. FF

Presumably lawyers were called in! This might be American law? Unless written into the contract that the organ is regarded as finished and accepted after the first public service or recital I can not see this decision being upheld by a court in this country. FF

When I eventually write my book, I can devote a whole chapter to this subject. Good organbuilding costs money. A reputable company can normally be trusted but!... I once put in a price of £250 for the releathering of some outside pneumatic motors of a soundboard. I received an unfortunate reply from the vicar that we were `robbers and profiteers' and that he had, and had accepted, an estimate to do the work for £75 from a local individual. O.K. - we had been put in our place until said clergyman, after a year, wrote to the Fedreation to say that the motors had been recovered in a clingfilm type of plastic, not leather, and were splitting and what were `They' going to do about it. The contract letter was produced and it seems simply stated that said motors would be recovered for the sum £75, no mention of `best quality sheepskin' or anything else. He had no case other than to show up greed and stupidity in not checking details to say nothing of jumping to conclusions! FF

Some of the more reputable organ builders used provide a discussion form of contract as a starting point. In it were the dates on which stage payments were due. I was always astounded by how often these payments dates were eleongated and on extreme occasions it was even necessary to close the job down until the money appeared. The excuses for non payment were varied and interesting from "We need two signatures on the cheque and one of the people is away on a two month cruise" - to - "our treasurer is one of those people who never pay his bills until he get a threatening letter written in red". Having said this there were also many churches that were honourable and a pleasure to deal with. There was always a problem that churches would not give the instrument a chance to settle down before the opening recital or dedication which could often be arranged to suit diaries without consulting the organ builder. I would like to think times have changed! FF

I think that by his nature `man' needs something to believe in. God does for me! FF

Not the Roger Fisher ex Chester Cathedral. FF

I rather think the Orchestral Trumpet was voiced by Walker's reed voice Arthur Jones - Denys Thurlow was the greatly skilled and inspired flue voice, not always appreciated by the the Company. FF

Don't be bitchty! - listen to the early recordings of Reginald `Mr Blackpool' Dixon - he could play and possibly gave far more enjoyment to many more people that his namesake did. FF

It is not the "Adeste Fidelis" MM so you have been getting it right after all, but "Noel Nouvelet" which, I gather, appears harmonised by Martin Shaw in Common Praise No. 153. FF

Years ago, when in Leicester, I was in charge of arranging the recitals at the Church of St James the Greater. We had one famous visiting organist from Harrlem. He came straight to us, having given a recital the night before on the Royal Festival Hall where they had fitted the `straight’ pedal board for him. He sat down at the St.James console, which had a “R.C.O.” pedalboard, for which I apologised. His feet then flew over the pedals faster and more accurately that I could manage fingers on the manuals. I said to him, “Albert, how do you manage”, he turned, smiled, and said “Ze pedals are zere, I just play zem”. I have never complained about playing peculiar pedal boards since! FF