DHM
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Posts posted by DHM
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OK, so that's two!
Your comment makes it clear, however, you are there because you appreciate the nature of the place rather than for the instrument. Fair enough, absolutely.
Wrong, I'm afraid!
I would be there to a large extent because of the organ (and I AM going to call it an ORGAN, not a toaster - it's a very fine musical instrument and very rewarding to play), and to use that as a means of revitalising the music and worship in that parish.
Regards,
Douglas.
PS. Sorry, I've just noticed that Paul was replying to Andrew. However, what I said still applies.
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As we travelled abroad and played some of the ancient Continental organs, `enlightenment'
came upon us with the need for straight pedalboards and peculiar mechanical actions requiring peculiar measurements etc. I seem to remember the RCO then became politically correct by stating that there were no longer any recognised RCO standard measurements and it was a general `free for all' (my words not theirs).FF
It would seem that change happens in both directions. As "Vox Humana" will recall from a choir tour a couple of years ago, we came across two Klais organs in Aachen, Germany (including the cathedral) that had radiating/cancave pedalboards. There are also, apparently, "BDO-Standard" dimensions for R/C pedalboards (BDO being the German equivalent of the ISOB).
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The second is Christchurch Priory. When the old Willis Compton was mothballed and a Makin 4 manual installed in the late 70's / early 80's, the large 3 manual console completely disappeared. I wonder what happened to that??
More to the point, what happened to the 4-manual Makin console??
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I am ready to be proved wrong so I issue this challenge: How many of our readers are still organist (at church) of an organ-substitute and have been more than five years in the same post? I don't think we'll get more than ten replies.
Apologies for the delayed reply to this post - I have only just joined this Forum.
In 1979 we installed a large 3-manual analogue Makin at the church in Maidstone where I then played. I stayed another 10 years (and would have stayed longer, had I not been head-hunted by another parish). It was rebuilt 3 years ago (with latest Bradford-system hardware) by Hugh Banton. Were I not so involved in the music at the cathedral, I would be back there like a shot. Does this answer your challenge?
Regards,
Douglas.
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A little birdie informs me that the dean of Rochester no longer seems to see the need for evensong. Can anyone confirm? Let's hope it's just meaningless tittle-tattle.
As a member of Rochester Cathedral Choir for 36 years, and Senior Lay Clerk for the last 15, perhaps I might be permitted to respond to this thread (albeit a little late in the day).
Over the last couple of decades the makeup of Rochester's Dean & Chapter has been an interesting and fluctuating mixture of Evangelical, Anglo-Catholic and "middle of the road". With two out of three new appointments last year (Dean, Canon Pastor and Canon Missioner) being firmly on the Evangelical wing, the balance has shifted considerably in that direction.
We were recently deanless for the best part of two years, the previous incumbent taking a 6-month sabbatical "to prepare for his retirement", followed by a long interregnum. One can't help wondering whether some of those who declined the post saw it as some kind of "poisoned chalice", for whatever reason.
However, I and most others here believe that Adrian Newman's arrival at Rochester is a Very Good Thing. We have launched a £10 million appeal campaign; Adrian has made quite clear that half of this is to be earmarked to "safeguard the music in perpetuity" [his own words]. I am not necessarily expecting that what we have now, or what we used to have, will be preserved in aspic (the Precentor is currently reviewing and re-writing the Dean & Chapter's music policy for the future), but I do believe the D&C is commited to providing music of the highest possible quality to enhance our worship and further our mission. Exciting times ahead...
To return to the original question, perhaps we could allow Adrian to speak for himself - this is a quote from the draft of the forward plan he is writing for Rochester Cathedral:
"Beyond the primary consideration of the Eucharistic community, cathedrals have embraced patterns and rhythms of daily prayer from the earliest of times. These were distinctively different from monastic traditions in that they:
a reflected the rhythm of a working person's day (Daybreak and Dusk)
b were of a public, rather than a private, nature.
The daily pattern of Matins and Evensong in cathedral life continues to reflect these twin emphasises, offering prayer that is specifically open, accessible and responsive to the concerns of public life. Sung Evensong no longer sits easily with an understanding of worship which is based largely on a participative, gathered model. For the most part, even among the ministers themselves, it is an act of passive participation.
However, the aspiration of the Daily Offices in cathedral life is to root prayer as much in a sacred place as among a holy people – a shift in emphasis which has an increasingly contemporary feel to it. Our task may not therefore be to try to invoke a more contemporary and participative expression of sung Evensong, but to reconnect it to public life."
Best wishes,
Douglas Henn-Macrae.
PS - The "toaster" referred to in Graham Powell's post is the latest top-of-the-range Viscount on temporary loan while Manders refurbish and update the combination action. The organ was supposed to be back in action today, but I understand work is running about 2 weeks late (Manders please correct me if I am in error here!).
came upon us with the need for straight pedalboards and peculiar mechanical actions requiring peculiar measurements etc. I seem to remember the RCO then became politically correct by stating that there were no longer any recognised RCO standard measurements and it was a general `free for all' (my words not theirs).
Digital Futures....?
in Nuts and bolts
Posted
The future of pipeless organs? I think it's called "Hauptwerk".
Check out these new demos:
http://www.organartmedia.de/Aix-Demos.html
http://www.organartmedia.com/downloads/Boe...Toccata-HW2.mp3
[1880 Ducroquet-Cavaille-coll, Aix Cathedral.]
http://www.milanaudio.com/audio/mp3/skinne...ce-heroique.mp3
[1928 EM Skinner, Chicago.]
The reverberations are those of the buildings, not artificially added.
You can, if you wish, play these and many other organs from a collapsible mobile console which would fit in the boot of your car (imagine the possibilities for concerts/services in buildings without organs!), or through any other MIDI-compatible keyboard(s) or digital organ console.
Best wishes,
Douglas.