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Agree, but the demographics and numbers attending will probably, I feel, be at current levels. One glimmer of hope was provided the other week at Chester when the nave was nearly filled to capacity - how? Answer:- Jonathan Scott. Normal attendance there is a faithful band of aficionados of between 50 - 80. To reiterate, the English have essentially fallen out of favour with this type of music . The bottom line is that organs are an expensive noise in relation to what in essence is a minority interest,save amongst the likes of semi-geriatric geeks, and I include myself here!

Cash, and the diversion of it to other causes is certainly one reason but basically in this country the organ is not viewed in popular terms either by a significant coven of ecclesiastics, or the discerning concert attending public. The historical fact that pipe organs were originally installed in ecclesiastical surroundings and have , in essence, remained there ever since is one of the principal reasons for their decline in popularity. If they continue to stay located in these antediluvian establishments then, like the dinosaurs, they will surely cease to exist. As an example from personal experience We recently attended a Sunday service At Armley ( for the benefit of our readers who live south of Watford Gap, Armley is in Yorkshire, otherwise known as " The North " ) The attendance was 30 in total and upon my enquiring was told that this was the average attendance. Marvellous architecture and detail, marvellous instrument, good thoughtful liturgy - but an empty tomb basically.

A well balanced article regarding the state with which the organ, as we know it in its present. form is regarded . IMHO only, the main road to survival for this noble form of music making is to get it out of its traditional setting. An amalgam of organs, organists, choirs, and clergy leads inevitably, in many instances, though not all, to the creation of a toxic mix in which the latter have the clout to sideline the role of the organ to that of a mere hymn accompanying machine. I have already quoted one such example of this in a previous thread pertaining to this matter so I shall not repeat myself. Thanks to the likes of Youtube we are now able to experience, in the comfort of our armchairs and keyboards, some wonderful instruments in concert halls throughout the globe. More to the point they are actually performing full blown works not just dusty old hymns. I am glad that Mr. Scott refers to the organ supporting fraternity as essentially being composed of " old blokes in anoraks ( usually shiny and smelly! ) with rustly carrier bags". That seems, to myself, to sum up perfectly the type of audience I experience attending recitals. How many recitals does one attend in which there are either a) more than 50 attending? b) the average age is less than 60+ ? Answer? Not many. I have left out attendance at ecclesiastical buildings since they are pretty abysmal anyway, unless you include the likes of The Abbey and similar. There is no shortage of young blood coming through the ranks ( no pun intended) to replace those who have fallen off the database but these gifted young people do not want to spend their time and talents in dusty,damp old ecclesiastical buildings churning out the same old gufff week in week out just in order to give them access to an instrument regardless of its marque or age. This new life filled generation of young performers have been born into an essentially digitally driven world and whilst they have a regard for the pipe organ they are more tuned into what the ancien regime love to regard as being " toasters ". A lot of these individuals need to shake themselves out of their torpor and get up to speed! Finally, costs, Yes. astronomic,and the begging bowls are continually being rattled. I have now girded myself with my body armour and will say ( still IMHO of course, not speaking for the world generally ) that in order to survive the organ as we have known it will have to change its time honoured format. Medieval craftsmanship is wonderful but totally anachronistic in the 21st cy. We have to move with the times. I realise that I have constructed my own pyre with this doggerel so I might as well have the privilege of igniting it myself; hybridization is one means of reducing costs, and due to the rapid advances that have been made in this sphere let`s be honest ,if a few stops are digitalised - can anyone really notice? The attitudes held by many so called supporters of the pipe organ appear to be locked into an ivory tower which embraces an attitude which would leave the likes of the Academie Francaise standing. ( accents deliberately omitted on grounds of pure laziness ) One such example of this attitude can be directed towards the almost misogonistic stance taken towards female players; and Mr, Scott does have the courage to aim a dart in this direction. Taxi!!

Only through the personal experience of using my auditory nerve in the building over a half century or so; in which case I suppose I should get tested for a hearing aid ( or two ! ) I can agree with you with regards to the acoustic when performing he likes of Monteverdi/Byrd/Tallis etc. I have a most excellent Byrd/Tallis recording by LUMS and the performance is quite stunning. This however I put down to the expertise of the sound engineer; the same goes for the Duffy/Rawsthorne recording of the Soler Concertos. Once one is actually within the arena the experience , IMHO completely, sounds somewhat differentl. Good that we are in agreement as to Walker/ Harrisons excellent work. The Met` along with Ampleforth, are two very similar instruments save for the Antiphonal section at Ampleforth, Finally, whilst going on about matters antiphonal ,acoustic, and echoes I cannot refrain from mentioning the worlds Largest Echo Organ located at the other end of the street. 120+ stops in the Echo Division and, thanks to a legacy, they are adding more Echo stops to it! To add a footnote to this we will unfortunately now be unable to hear this grossly expensive restoration, which was funded in the main by individual public donations,not church funds, to the full advantage since the current cathedral policy seems to have scrapped the organ recital series and just reduced its function to being a mere machine to accompany hymns, in the main. I sincerely hope that the Metropolitan will have an Organ Recital series with visiting recitalists arranged for the near future.

Difficult to judge from the sound quality but I presume that the work carried out by H&H is to their usual high standard. A very well designed instrument from Walkers but let down badly by the horrendous " acoustics" of The Wigwam. The chamades however will forever sound more like ragmans bugles; and the same goes for their counterpart at the other end of the street.

Rather than " looking to the future " perhaps ,IMHO only, " perpetuating the status quo " would, perhaps, be the most likely outcome. Plans will already be on desks for the future event and no doubt will be of a sufficient dynamic nature as to fully represent all that is good about that condition known as " the nation state ". Having said that the body has not yet been committed so any plans " for the future " would appear to be premature . Somewhat analogous to people unable to wait for Xmas, for example.

Addendum, For my hordes of fans out there; yes, I do know how to spell " horror " and yes " H&s " should be " H & S ". There now, that`s better; isn`t it?

Sufficiently well worded horor description which would arguably justify the removal of these dangerous devices on H&s grounds. Quite possibly to be replaced by digital machines !

I would agree that Franck is not for everyone but he was very much a product of his time which was, shall we say,pretty lively. There is more than a whiff of sentimentality, even mawkishness, one may say of several of his works but overall his music is graceful and masterly. I think the sleeve notes on the" Abbey " recording of FJ playing " 19th cy Organ Music " pretty well sums up Francks general modus operandi so I won`t plagiarise! The A major sonata is outstanding as well as the introduction and Interlude from his " Symphonic Variations " ( IMHO only ) to name just two works. One final interesting point re` his final Chorale. Ian Tracey, who knows a thing or two about Franck , and French organ music in particular, has introduced us to a piece by Franck which was given to him by a relative of the aforesaid Great Man. It is handwritten and not complete but Ian has worked on it and it is certainly " a chorale ".

Brilliant! thanks for that. The concept of a chamber organ in such a location is superb. I understand the necessity for H&S to clear it ( points made on this in another reply ) These instruments are perfect for use in such an environment due to their relative ease of portability. I suppose the ultimate example of such a concept would be Wanamaker / Maceys? The thought of a larger instrument in, say St. Pancras / Kings Cross would be quite mindblowing, especially if they came with the gothic casework. These machines would look far more at home in such a setting than being stuck away from sight in dusty old ecclesiastical building which most of them occupy at the present. There is also the certainty that they, and the music provided would come to the attention of a newer, and more importantly, larger audience. Finallly, whilst I still support the aesthetics of the pipe organ I have to admit I have one foot in the 21st cy and would suggest that a large digital machine installed in one of the above would be equally successful ( IMHO that is of course! ) I`ll get my coat.

Thanks for the tec inf` on this. it has always been established that the interior of these machines is a dangerous environment. I am quite sure that the H&S bods have produced safety guidelines with regards to this matter. Dodgy stairs/ladders/ asbestos/ lack of safety rails dodgy electrics, to name just a few. Didn`t an organ tuner fall to his death from a lofty height in the organ in Westminster Cathedral many years ago? My rather ghoulish sense of humour re` " unfortunate occupational death " was encouraged at school when we were bored by Careers Talks and other matters to us 15 year olds. One poor guy who was sent to educate us about H&S was having a not too successful time until he told us an anecdote about a particularly grisly death, and we all laughed! He then realised he was on to something and reeled of a pile of cases to our great glee. However , the downside; our dear headmaster, sat in on these events was not so amused and afterwards we were subjected to some " discipline" !

Thanks for the inf` Clarabella. It is good to have some light shed onto an author and their world especially when it surfaces for our eyes in the 21st cy. Mrs. Marshall certainly sounds to have been a very interesting individual. We have lost a lot of fiction from this era, and that is a great pity. i can remember from my primary school days that in our library there were some very old volumes which had been obviously donated for " our enrichment ". No one apart from myself bothered with them but I was, and still am, fascinated by the cover designs, the marvellous " marbled" pattern on the inside boards, the layout of the text, then of course the story and the use of language.

Marvellous! Hope some footage gets onto YT. The acoustic should be" interesting " Have heard some people playing the piano at Euston both live and on YT and most of them have been pretty good if one makes allowances for all the background activity. This is one good way of getting the organ out of its traditional,dusty, fusty setting and bringing it to life for hopefully, a new, young, appreciative audience. Hopefully more instruments will appear in similar venues.

Bit of a different ,and interesting thread which jolted my fast fading memory back into life. Exhumed a dust covered volume from the vault entitled " In the Choir Of Westminster Abbey "; a work which describes itself as, " A Story of Henry Purcell`s Days" by Mrs. Marshall ( 1897 ) Typically Victorian in its mawkishness and circuitous convolutions but worth plodding through since the author uses significant historical events to bolster the narrative. There are several excellent architectural studies of the abbey executed by T. Hamilton Crawford, one is especially good in that it shows the West Front before it was got at. For those who may be interested the book has been re-issued and is available on Amazon . There are even some sample pages provided. I particularly like the message inscribed on the flyleaf in my copy dated 1897. Had a good laugh at a couple of the comments . The one which deals with the hydraulis was particularly good, especially with regard to " health and safety " issues; what would one possibly be doing " spread out on a bellows " ? The other mentioned DHL. Yes, the esteemed author did refer to " organs" in his writings.

Am quite sure that the Nicholson restoration work will equal that previously carried out by HNB. Be interesting to see what" tweaks" they include. Have to say though that I can hear distant cries from down a long dusty tunnel of " it`s not like it used to be". Re` the cathedral website; seems perfectly adequate to me ,perhaps they have revamped it Watched part of the YT recital. Very good. Must exhume the Priory cd for an airing , that contains some interesting pieces if my failing memory serves me correctly.

This information was put out by Nicholson some time ago. Very good historical account and details of the work involved. Still wonder with aghast at the astronomical amount of cash being thrown around on this old building in the present economic climate; but as the narrative will probably go, " it has been ringfenced ". Laughed when I read that the console had to be " anglicized " in order to enable the English to be able to play it!! Fortunate indeed for this piece of historical machinery to have survived at all. One still wonders at the forthcoming fate of the CC just down the road. Best one can hope for is that it will be digitalized for posterity before it meets its ultimate, unfortunate fate.

............... or better still............ press the " Off " button on the telly!

Been expecting this for some time now. He was pretty much one of the survivors of the Old Skool. I am just able to remember being taken to Kings when he was organ scholar, and recollecting his playing of Piece Heroique. Bought his album recorded from the same place soon after. Only recently purchased off t`net his recording of Hindermith, Well worth the wait! Will dig out his Kings EP of Franck`s PF&V ( the one with the magnificent cover photo of him looking like a model for a Sirdar knitting pattern! ) A most excellent performer/musician.

Interesting pics. I think the one of Willis is taken outside SGH facing Lime St Station hotel ( now student accommodation ) Re` the pic with Patey,ah,yes, we all remember him, forever the groovy rocking vicar. The picture of him with the Heebie Geebies is still an embarrassment fifty years down the line! Nice one of CJ. Attended several of his recitals at SGH in the good old days when the hall was regularly freezing cold and badly illuninated. With reference to the GCO recordings within the same article I think that we should also remember the important, and somewhat overlooked part played by the recording team. Brian Culverhouse was undoubtedly the " second organist " on most of these recordings. Finally, re` Willan and the IP&F. There is also an excellent rendition on YT by Wayne Marshall on the marvellous Ingolstadt instrument which gives Mr. Jacksons version a good run for its money.

HHHHmm! Interesting and somewhat disconcerting. Even more disturbing to read on the Anglican site the " mission statement " which goes along the lines of " the sole purpose of the organ is to aid worship and provide a serene and peaceful environment " ( sic ) Pretty much spells it out what the grand plan is going to be - " exciting plans"; sends a shudder down ones spine. Looks like 3.5m has been pretty much flushed round the bend. Heyho.

Not quite sure at what stage Liverpool Metropolitan is at with regards to " concluding " restoration work. Just looked at the site and the only ref to the organ is dated Feb last year when they stated " they hope to launch an appeal for 1m in the next few months ". Manna from heaven perhaps? Think the Anglican is still rumbling on with the Echo division, but not much news from that direction either. There is a gallery pleaser recital planned for Easter but that`s about it for the present.

Very good obit. Can honestly say that I have not come across his name or work but he sounds to have been quite a craftsman . Pity to have to leave at such an age but there we go............. Anyone know if there are any recordings of the instruments he built?

In reply to swalmsley, a very good summary of Steves dedication and contribution to the promotion of " live" organ music, and a whole lot more. The loss of this site will further prove the point that one only really appreciates something to its full extent - when it`s gone.

That is bad news but happy , long healthy retirement faithful and willing servant. OR has been a font of information on several levels for a long time. Another nail in the coffin of live music it would appear, unless the ubiquitous " Some One " else is prepared to inherit the mantle.

Quote my reply to aforesaid here :- Reply sent Monday 18:01 " Okay,fine by me, feel free to change".