Michael Sullivan
-
Posts
47 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Michael Sullivan
-
-
What year was this ? It was in a poor condition 15/20 years ago but worked tolerably well. We must prosecute enquiries. Certainly the latest the NPOR have is dated 1903 !! surprise surprise !
M.S.
p.s. I find this quite mind boggling. Darlaston comes under Walsall and they can't even maintain their 'magnum opus' there so I don't know about restoring a 2nd organ.
M.S.
-
When my niece married she held the reception in Darlaston town hall, and I managed to have a go on the Organ. Three manual Binns, I think, recently restored the caretaker told me. It sounded quite well at the console, but I think it must be a bit difficult to hear clearly in the hall as it is buried behind the proscenium arch of the stage. Acoustics awful - completely dead.
Regards
John.
What year was this ? It was in a poor condition 15/20 years ago but worked tolerably well. We must prosecute enquiries. Certainly the latest the NPOR have is dated 1903 !! surprise surprise !
M.S.
-
A welcome feature of St Reparate and other Nice churches is that the local organist association usually has installed a plaque outlining the history of the organ and listing the spec. I wonder if you visited the other big church in Nice. Its on the road to the station-still dug up I imagine-and has a smaller organ voiced for German music.
Good morning Parsfan,
I was going to mention that; a good idea and in many other churches in Provence (les amis des orgues). Quite often just a small framed account of the spec. so you have to look carefully on all the near pillars by the door. There are rarely organ recitals in the big church on the Avenue Jean Medecin, or is it the Rue de France ? never mind I forget. Yes there is still massive disruption in the city centre, but now most of the tram lines are in position. ( France is SO much more go ahead than ourselves in this respect).
Some readers might be interested in Ste Reparte. She was a 15 yr old virgin martyred in Caesarea in the 4th century, arrived in Nice in a boat of flowers towed by a pair of angels (hence Baie des Anges). Actually this same Reparte was the 1st patron saint of Florence before that city adopted intermediaries with greater heavenly clout !.
The new organ whose name I couldn't recall in an earlier post is St Pierre d'arene. A 3 man instrument in a street behind the Promenade des Anglais.
I will also mention the little organ in the village church at PEILLE, a small village to the NE. They have been given the organ from the Royal chapel in Monaco Palace, just 2/17 - built by Merklin of Lyon around 1950, and installed in the little church in 1989. Now they are apealing to people for funds to install a trumpet rank. I only mention this as it is unusual to find much interest in the organ in a village church.
M.S.
-
Am off for long weekend in Nice area in a couple of weeks time (step-daughter's wedding)
Anyone tell me of any organs worth hearing / seeing / playing (if so how accessible) ?
Hello Andrew,
I have only recently joined and can only contribute slightly to this. Pierre has provided excellent information. I have an apartment at Eze Village and have been going regularly there for about 35 years, and I thought there were hardly any organs in the area. Now there is a new organ in one of the city centre churches and I attended part of an evening concert, June 2005, played by all the local organists, incl the Monaco cathedral organist, Rene Saorgin. This started at 2100 and finished at 2400, I stayed for about an hour and stewards brought round frequent glasses of juice etc. The year before I read all about this organ in the local paper the Nice Matin, but I have temp. forgotten the name. The English church in Nice has an old original Walker recently refurbished, and only small, perhaps 15 stops, but sounds very well because of the spacious accoustic. The French organist improvises marvellously upon it. The Cathedral organ Ste Reparte, was done up in the 1970's under the direction of Pierre Cochereau who lived in the area, but I have never heard it. Sometimes I have attended recitals in Monaco cathedral a 4 man Tamburini about 60 stops, but despite that, it sounds very well, Quite full in the middle registers, I recall, always a weak point with many continental builders.
The main organ, as far as I know, is at St Maximin some way west, and north of Toulon., sited in its magnificent Basilica. I understand it to be the most important organ on the Cote d'Azur. You get a magnificent view of this from the motorway. The place itself is dreadful, Prosper Merimee got it right back in 1834 when he said 'St Maximim is a miserable hole between Aix and Draguignan'. It hasn't changed.
A large organ by Isnard (1773) 3,000 pipes, and now fully restored.
The organ was saved from destruction during the Revolution, because Lucien Bonaparte, the town Governor, played the Marseillaise on the organ, all stops out, when the revolutionaries arrived at the town gates.
Michael Sullivan.
-
Scotland has some good civic organs. The three best are undoubtedly Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum in Glasgow, the Usher Hall in Edinburgh and the Caird Hall in Dundee.
Kelvingrove in Glasgow is home to a 1901 III/48 TC Lewis instrument in unaltered condition and a glorious acoustic. It was restored by Manders in 1989 and has just been cleaned by the same firm while the hall has been closed for building restoration work (it re-opened a fortnight ago). Kelvingrove NPOR
The Usher Hall in Edinburgh is home to a 1914 IV/63 Norman & Beard organ in unaltered condition and an excellent acoustic. It was restored by Harrisons in 2003 and is used frequently - there are almost weekly lunchtime concerts attracting several hundred, and there are a few major evening recitals a year. John Kitchen is the city organist. Usher Hall NPOR
The Caird Hall in Dundee is home to a 1923 III/50 Harrison & Harrison concert organ, again in unaltered condition and an excellent acoustic. It was designed by Alfred Hollins, and was restored by Harrisons in 1992 and is used a good bit. Stuart Muir is the city organist there. Caird Hall NPOR
There is an early Father Willis, much altered by Willis III in Aberdeen's Music Hall.
Andrew Caskie
This is interesting; these 3 organs are well known. Are there any other public hall organs in Scotland, apart from Ayr which we have just been told about ? I didn't know about Aberdeen Music Hall, did anyone else outside Scotland I wonder ?
Nobody has mentioned the organs in the Southampton and POrtsmouth Guildhalls, both of which are in poor condition, although the Soton one is used occasionally.
On the IAO Congress in 2004 we attended both places. At Soton Ian Bell gave us a most informative talk on the Compton tradition, and it is hoped that funds might be found to restore this organ to its former glory. Harold Britton then played very appropriate music on both consoles. On the concert console he played Wolstenholme's - Finale, (a fine piece, why does no one play this ?) and Smart's Postlude in D, and on the Theatre console selections from Quentin Maclean etc.
MS
-
An ordained friend likes to refer to friends as God's apology for relatives.
Michael
These little comments are all very interesting, but we are becoming far removed from the original subject - Lesser Town Hall organs. Have we exhausted this topic ? Maybe so.
No one has mentioned Town Hall organs in Scotland, of which there are several.
The organ in the Library and art gallery in Glasgow could come under this heading.
This building has only recently been re-opened and its organ can now be heard again.
M.S.
-
Good afternoon
Scrolling through the various 'posts' I thought it might be of interest to say that our Three Choirs organ at Hereford - the west end organ on stilts - possesses a Great organ in sub octaves coupler. Draw all 9 manual stops and this coupler and blaze away and you would think it is the Father Willis at the other end playing.
A wonderfully bold organ.
Great: 16,8,8,8,4,2. Swell: 8,4,2. Pedal: 16,16.
Regards Michael Sullivan.
p.s. This organ was restored by Nicolsons in 1983, but now it needs attention again.
-
====================
I once actually did get arrested for playing the organ at 2am, when I was working furiously on perfecting a concert scheduled for the next day.
The sad thing is, I'd telephoned the local plod to inform them that I would be there late, in an unlit church and that they should not worry.
There I was thundering through something or other, when the whole church lit up with blue flashing-lights, like a sort of moonlight son-et-lumiere, and large men in uniform started hammering on the west door; one with a snarling Alsatian on a lead and the local chief-of-police standing behind in all his scrambled-egg glory.
So I sat in the back of the "van" for a while 'til they made enquiries, woke up all the clergy, caused general mayhem and disrupted my practice.
Desperately trying to save face when I told them that they HAD been informed, I got a stern and totally inappropriate lecture from the scrambled-egg about wasting police time, so I nodded in agreement and apologised profusely on behalf of their own incompetence.
As they departed, what else could I possibly do, but play the theme-tune from "Dixon of Dock Green?" The looks I got!
It was shortly after that when I played for the chief's funeral.
MM
Hello musing muso
This is VERY exciting, and you write so wonderfully. I assume it is true, although it does sound slightly incredible. I would love to know who you are, would it be possible to email me with your name ? I fail to understand this obsession with writing under pseudonymns, providing one doesn't comment too outrageously I see nothing wrong with writing under ones proper name. I have had a reply back from Roy Massey who said it wasn't him but he wishes he had been one of the perpetrators, ' but I don't think it was me, more's the pity'. He continued: ' I was threatened with contempt of court once whilst practising in the Victoria Hall - Hanley when the court was in session. The steward to the Court told me to shut up and I told him to get stuffed and carried on. Some minutes later he came back with a message from the judge about contempt of Court. I stopped !!! '
Every good wish Michael Sullivan
-
I was the last organist of this noble spired church which was built with the softest stone imaginable. The organ was tremendous and sounded more so because of the voluminous acoustic of the neo-gothic pile. It was the silentest organ I have ever come across. No hiss or a suggestion of air anywhere. I remember taking Mr Fowler around it and he asked me to go down and switch it on when it had been all the time. Stunning - as everyone used to say. The Lewis pipework was so brilliant. The mixture IV on the great was like a Grand Chorus and knocked your head off.
I was told by Fr Duff, the last Parish priest, that the church had been closed when I was singing with the RSCM summer choir at the Abbey. A number of us (Roy Massey, Paul Hale, included), went in a fleet of taxis from Westminster in the night as I had my key with me. We got in and played in darkenss but unfortunately neighbours heard and called the police. We fled into the hall and as the police came brandishing torches we fled into the vestries and hid in toilets where we were found, but not arrested. That was probably the final time such an illustrious gathering was there. James Lancelot, Paul Spicer, Chris Tinker, Michael Hedley all were playing there right up to the closure and Tom Corfield was appointed my assistant but never played because of the church closing before the start of the Autumn term.
Whilst in Rome with Germani, he was anxious to purchase the organ to install in the music room of his villa north of Rome. He already had the 4 manual console in the place but really needed more than the Baroque organ there to play his dream - a recording of all Reger's works! He got in touch with Fr Duff to make an offer but alas, the organ the previous week had been sold to Ipswich he said.
This does bring back memories! What fun it all was but sad to see the departure of one of the capital's great instruments.
Best wishes,
Nigel
Good morning Nigel,
This IS exciting. What fun you had in those days. I've just sent an email to Sir Royston himself to ask what ELSE did he get up to in those days ? I'm agog to know more. Organists certainly enjoyed themselves then, whereas today they seem to be like sausages churned out of a machine, all play the same music, all say the same things, and all, mostly, are so dreadfully boring. Your account is a breath of fresh air.
Regards Michael Sullivan.
-
Thanks to MS for your comments about the Kotzchmar. It is indeed an amazing instrument and Thomas Heywood is giving a reciltal here on the 29th August. He has chosen the perfect programme; all music from the orchestral and opera reportoire. Music that organs like the K'mar were built to perform. The Thieving Magpie, Swan Lake, Bartered Bride, Magic Flute are all included plus Rondo Capriccio by Edwin Lamare. Austin added a new 5 manual console around 2000 when the organ had been restored. This is a state of the art console with all modern conveniences and the fifth manual is for the Echo organ up in the roof which previously was a "floating" division. The organ does need some caution when registering. One recent recitalist used the 16/8 and 4 ft Tubas for the Trumpet Voluntary. As this reed is on about 30" wind it nearly blasted our earbrums to oblivion!....and he was a well respected organist from France.
You can find out more about the organ at the website www.foco.org
I do regularly read this site and find it very informative. I find the predominantly UK organists/lover/enthusiasts not quite so hooked on intimate detail as their counterparts here is the US. On one site here there can be days and days of discussion on the relative merits of a Tierce on the Swell Organ!
I was pleased to see that St Peter's St Albans have had a magnificent new instrument and well deserved. It is with some sadness that I remember working on the rebuilding of their old organ in 1973. Much of the work was done during the 3 day week without electricity on certain days. The new building frame was too tall for our Ipswich workshop so we built it outside under a covered scaffold. ON the no power days we cut hand mortices and tenons and set in captive bolts by hand all to the light of paraffin lamps....oh it was so Dickensian! Despite some comments to the contrary I consider that St Peter's got a really good deal for the money and it certainly lasted for 30 years. But of course I am somewhat biased!
Hello again Mr Step,
Will you repeat again the web site for Portland city hall organ. Inserting the one you gave - www.foco.org only gives me the Home of the Fraternal Order of Court Officers !!
Regards M.S.
-
Good morning Mr Step,
How very interesting and fascinating I find your information; it's good to know that people from as far away as USA and Australia are reading this. I am particularly interested to read that you have worked on the Kotzchmar organ in your City Hall. I have a c.d. of this by the virtuosic Thomas Murray - An Evening with Edwin Lemare - but produced in 1991, and the organ sounded very fine then before its more recent restoration. You may be interested to know that the greatest concert organist, hopefully not arguably, of the 20th century - Lemare - has been re-incarnated this century in the form of Thomas Heywood (Melbourne Town Hall) who has been recitaling over here (UK) to ecstatic audiences. He is like a breath of fresh air to the organ world.
Yes - SOME of our local councils do keep their civic organs in good condition, others who possess organs hardly know what they are and care even less, and one or two would like to restore their instruments but haven't the wherewithall at the moment.
Regards M.S.
p.s. One town council, WALSALL, to name and shame, having spent something like £250,000 on its instrument in 1988, has now allowed it to fall into poor condition through indifference, and, to be fair, perhaps they now have more pressing priorities. Councils are notoriously very fickle, what is in favour one year is totally out of favour the next year. Iam sure it is the same everywhere. Another council that I know treats the organ like a piece of machinery, which I suppose it is, but at least they maintain it; they say we'll do the swimming pool this month, and the organ next month. etc !
Regards M.S.
-
I am so sorry to hear from Peter de Ville that the Colchester Town Hall or Moot Hall as it is locally known is now nearly defunct. I have many fond memories of attending the Saturday afternoon recitals in the 1960's given by the then Borough Organist, Leonard Simpson. Such a wonderful mix of music and performed with some panache as a Town Hall organist should . The N&B organ was, as I remember, pretty typical of the era with a strong emphasis on large opens and strong flutes but also some very pleasant string sounds and smooth reeds.
Having in the past worked for Bishop and Son for 15 years I must also add to the list the organ in Ipswich Town Hall; well Corn Exchange to be precise but it is part of the same building and owned by the Council. This is the organ taken out of Holy Trinity, Paddington, London after its closure in 1971. It was an 1876 Lewis rebuilt by N&B about 1912 I believe and then they did some additional work as HN&B in 1957. Bishops tok it out of the Paddington and completely rebuilt it for the Corn Exchange in 1975. I well remember working against the clock to get it out of the church as the lead from the roof had been stolen and water was getting in. As we worked one after another of the lights blew up as the water penetrated!
This one is still playable but has suffered. perversely from a leaking roof about 3 times! Bishops have managed to do a number of repairs and all was working well last Christmas as far as I know.
I now live in the US, cloes to Portland, Maine where the on of the very few city organs of the US is in the local City Hall. Many of you will know of the "Kotzschmar" a 1912, 5 manual Austin organ with 229 stops including a 32ft Diaphone which actually works. I have been working for David Wallace Organ Builder who carried out a major rebuild of this instrument in 2000. Edward Lamare
was a past organist here.
Hope all this is interesting to some of you and good luck with trying to shame some local councils into keeping and restoring their organs.
Good morning Mr Step,
How very interesting and fascinating I find your information; it's good to know that people from as far away as USA and Australia are reading this. I am particularly interested to read that you have worked on the Kotzchmar organ in your City Hall. I have a c.d. of this by the virtuosic Thomas Murray - An Evening with Edwin Lemare - but produced in 1991, and the organ sounded very fine then before its more recent restoration. You may be interested to know that the greatest concert organist, hopefully not arguably, of the 20th century - Lemare - has been re-incarnated this century in the form of Thomas Heywood (Melbourne Town Hall) who has been recitaling over here (UK) to ecstatic audiences. He is like a breath of fresh air to the organ world.
Yes - SOME of our local councils do keep their civic organs in good condition, others who possess organs hardly know what they are and care even less, and one or two would like to restore their instruments but haven't the wherewithall at the moment.
Regards M.S.
-
Hi
I doubt if Peter can add any more, as it was he who tuned the organ in 2005 and supplied the NPOR update.
I find your comments about NPOR somewhat less than helpful - like any information source, it is only as good as the sources of the information. We do not have the resources to visit every organ that we get information on to check on the reliability! (And we certainly can't visit those that are no longer in existence). Published information is also not always reliable - it's not easy trying to sort out what the truth really is. The key to using NPOR properly is to take note of the survey date and the latest update, and the recorded "state" of the organ (which, of course is only valid for the time it was seen and recorded, which may be anything up to 100 years ago). If you have any corrections, then let us know at the NPOR office and we will may corrections - please include the source of your information.
Every Blessing
Tony (NPOR Editor)
Good afternoon Mr Newnham
I stand by what I said perhaps I shall omit the word "notoriously" when I described NPOR as unreliable, perhaps I should add on occasions. Possibly you can now insert against Colchester Town Hall organ - unplayable 2006; also I note that when looking up Darlaston Town Hall the survey date was 1903 with NO updates. Does that mean that in the intervening 103 years no one with NPOR connections has visited it ? I went about 15 years ago and it was playable then.
Regards M.S.
-
Another instrument is the 3 manual N & B in Colchester Town Hall. Sadly I had to give up on it earlier this year as it has so many leaks, the bellows wouldnt go up. A shame because the Council obviously dont really care whether it works or not. And what an accoustic!
COLCHESTER TOWN HALL.
Tell us more mr DeVile. I never knew there was an organ there. I looked this up on the NPOR, but they are notoriously unreliable in their information at times and it said that it was tuned in 2005. Now you say it is in a state of total collapse. There are plans to rebuild it with electric action and add pedal reeds I understand. Can you add anything more up to date ? Maybe you could correct the NPOR entry.
-
MIDDLESBOROUGH TOWN HALL ORGAN>
Now that we know more about Dover Town Hall organ, what about the fine Hill in Middlesborough Town Hall. ? Come along you northern organists tell us something about that ? My own experience, as I mentioned earlier, dates from the mid 1970's when I was friendly with the Borough organist - Eddie Dalby. At that time the organ was in reasonable condition and recitals were given. I do recall one unfortunate occasion when the Tuba cyphered at the beginning of a Dupre piece I think causing the unfortunate organist to have a fit of the vapours. Who was this ? a very nice lady I recall - Jane Parker Smith ? Jane Watts ? (young and dark haired I recall). I forget.
As this organ is never mentioned I assume it has fallen into disuse, although I don't doubt that it is still physically in situ.
-
I emailed them this morning - no reply as yet.
I cant believe that the organ could have been scrapped without someone picking up on it
DOVER TOWN HALL ORGAN
Sorry I was wrong. I telephoned the Town Hall this morning and spoke to a Ron Densham who is the Assistant Manager there. It seems that when I looked in about 6 years ago I looked in the Stone Hall whereas the organ is in the Connaught Hall on the left. (after a gap of 30 years it is impossible to remember in which room an organ was situated). He has given me the following information:
The organ ceased to be used about 25 years ago, and the console is now stored downstairs. The pipes are still there. About 1 year to 18 months ago a local lady died and left a substantial sum of money for ' music for SE Kent'. It was felt that possibly the Town Hall organ could be restored. Therefore the trustees brought over a GERMAN ! organ firm who declared the organ to be in not a bad condition, and quoted about £200,000 for its restoration. They would have to take it back to their workshops in Germany and the whole project would take perhaps 1 year. Anyway that idea unfortunately came to nothing. Now what ? It doesn't look promising.
-
Reg Adams was a brilliant musician. He has only fairly recently completely retired, following a bad fall, from playing - in fact I succeded him as "Thursday Organist" at Margate Crematorium, about 18 months ago. As far as I know he is in reasonable health for his advanced age, but very frail, and with poore eyesight. His playing ability was undiminished right up to his deciding to stand down.
Hello Andrew Butler. Sorry to hear about Reg Adams, yes, although it was 30 years since I heard him he was indeed a brilliant musician. Tell me can you find out what happened to the organ in Dover Town Hall. I thought it was scrapped many years ago. I rang the Town Hall this afternoon and they are endeavouring to find out. Certainly Reg would know, and I would have thought organists in the area would also know.
I am in Hereford with our fine Father Willis.
Thank you
Michael Sullivan.
-
I thought it was more a case of silenced pending a huge pile of cash.
I looked in Dover Town Hall about 5 years ago and the organ has totally disappeared. I was informed it had been thrown away.
Michael Sullivan.
-
I forgot to mention DOVER TOWN HALL
whilst I was working on the Railway ships at Dover in the mid 1970's I frequently attended recitals at the Town Hall given by the Borough organist - Reg Adams.(I think). A 4 man Norman and Beard occupying 3 sides of the Hall. Quite often some of the great piano concertos were played with himself playing the orcehstral part on the organ.
The organ has long since been thrown away for scrap.
-
I'm not an organist myself but have some experience of Town Hall organs.
MIDDLESBOROUGH; In the 1970's I became very friendly with the Borough organist here - Eddie Dalby and his wife. A fine 4 man Hill organ, but I assume that these days the organ may well be in a state of collapse as I hear nothing about it.
DARLASTON: Comes under the umbrella of Walsall; and 15 years ago it was extremely neglected. A 3 man Binns still with its original Binns patent piston system. Hidden away behind the curtains at the rear of the stage.
WALSALL: Paul Derrett has just written very comprehensively about this organ. I used to attend Harold Britton's monthly concerts regularly; he was responsible for having it rebuilt in 1988 by Manders. He was Borough Organist here for 42 years and as he himself says " the first 40 years were wonderful years" That says it all about the Council etc. 'nuff said. Another organ that has fallen into a 'slough of despond'.
WEST BROMWICH: regular lunchtime recitals are held here. 3 man Forster and Andrews I think; restored Nicholsons.
-
Does anyone have experience of some of the lesser-known Town Hall organs which still remain? I'm thinking of the likes of Cheltenham, Darlaston, Dover, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, West Bromwich. I suspect some of these places may continue to employ a "Borough Organist".......
Proms 2006
in General discussion
Posted
Hello Paul,
I quite agree ' the programme'. A wonderful organist, but look what he's playing ! oh dear ! Anyway many of the musical cognoscenti will be at the Opening sevice of The Three Choirs Festival at that time. 4pm ! What a silly time. Why only one organ recital ? or have I overlooked another. The RAH organ cost mega money and it seems to be rarely used. Wake up RAH authorities.
M.S.