David West
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Posts posted by David West
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Yes - I've heard of this. Can't remember where though.
Check out the Gray and Davison organ of 1881 in the Parish Church in the village of Rock in Northumberland. The player is strapped into a harness connected to the back rest of the bench. Swelling is achieved by leaning back and forth. There is also a ratchet lever to the right of the player's feet as an alternative. Interesting spec. too. See NPOR.
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On my last visit to a recital I could tell that the pipe organ was in need of restoration. Is this a toaster for good, or a stop - gap? Their website talks of "development" and replacement of pews with chairs but no mention of the organ.
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Thanks Colin. I am in complete agreement!
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Yes the duplexing of manual stops onto the pedals needs to be treated with care and of course in the ideal world we would all have totally independent ranks on every division. Let me explain the stuation at my church:-
When I raised the need to replace a worn - out and tonally inadequate organ with my parish priest I was simply told that there was no money and there were other pressing issues. With his blessing I went away to begin raising the money independently and we started a seperate musical education charity, whose first job was to tackle the organ problem. Eleven years on, the project is nearly complete and my parish priest is so proud of what we have achieved that he constantly shows visitors the instrument. However, because of the financial restraints we could not afford a new instrument and went for the best alternative, which was to rescue a good, redundant instrument and enlarge it to our requirements. The Swell Bourdon was not in the original rescued organ and had to be added on a seperate chest anyway, therefore duplexing it on the pedal only required the cost of a stop knob and having the micro - processor programmed to make it happen. The Swell Contra Fagotto, again a new stop on its own chest, was treated in the same way. I can use it on the Pedal without having to couple the rest of the Swell. Indeed it works well as a Pedal Stop against the Swell Cornopean and Clarion, or "Choir to Mixture" combination.
Whilst I accept that both the Cornopean and Clarion have to become bright principals at the top of the treble end of the keyboard I find the Clarion an essential part of the full Swell effect in a larger instrument, especially when one considers the large amount of accompanying that does not stray out of the vocal range. In our instrument, the new Contra Fagotto was installed on a seperate chest because I did not want to lose the Oboe. Having heard it, I quickly put aside any thoughts of a "Contra Oboe conversion". I too have heard poor examples of this practice. There were some interesting remarks on this subject in John Norman's excellent column in "Organists' Review" (June 2012 issue).
In our rebuild none of the original stops have been lost and the greatest of care has been taken in matching the added material.
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Thinking on from the above, some of the most useless stops must be those which aren't up to doing the job for which they are intended. I can think of at least two independent 4' Pedal reeds (the Krummhorn at Bristol University and the Schalmei at Belfast Cathedral) which are too quiet to be accompanied by anything suitable on the manuals. The 4' Horn at St. Magnus Cathedral is similarly disappointing, being an extension of the Swell 16' Waldhorn.
In general, Swell Fagottos (Fagotti?) borrowed to make the Pedal reeds are pretty useless, being too quiet to have any effect. An exception is the aforementioned Christ Church, Swindon. Percy Daniel often used a unit Swell reed, calling the 16' Fagotto and the 8' Cornopean or Horn (St. George's, Brandon Hill, Bristol was another example - I don't know why NPOR queries this organ as it certainly existed with the given stop-list until the church closed), and these could be decent Pedal reeds. So, a Fagotto which is in effect a Double Trumpet is worth borrowing to the Pedal, but one which is more of a Contra Oboe (or a Waldhorn)isn't.
I rarely find that borrowing the Swell Bourdon to give a quiet bass is worth the trouble. I suppose it gives another stop on the console at small cost and therefore looks impressive. About the only exception I can think of is here (St. John's Cathedral, Newfoundland), where the Swell 16' is not only useful in its own right but fills out the Pedal Bourdon to a small but perceptible degree (incidentally, it's spelled "Lieblick Gedeckt" on both draw-stops!).
There's not much use in the 4' extension of the pedal Bourdon, although the 8' is often handy in giving body to the 16'. I can think of several rebuilds where the expense and trouble of providing an extra octave of pipes and their soundboard has not been worth it. One still has to couple nearly all the time and the 4' is rarely loud enough to use as a solo.
There is, however, a lot of fun to be had with Pedal upperwork and I feel that a lot of modern organs are missing a trick. A straight scheme of 16.16.8.8.4.16 is all very well and laudable, but St. Botolph's, Colchester is much more versatile:
Open Bass 16A, Sub Bass 16B, Principal 8A, Bass Flute 8B, Fifteenth 4A, Chimney Flute 2B, Mixture (19.22) IIA with separate quints, Bass Trumpet 16C, Trumpet 8C, Clarion 4C. (Variants on the same are at Southwold, Walsingham and Sawbridgeworth).
G. Donald Harrison reckoned he could fit a proper, straight Pedal Organ in the space of an old, extended one, but he was talking in terms of scrapping a lot of mightily-scaled basses.
I'd love to try the Compenius organ at Frederiksborg Castle in Denmark, with its pedal fluework up to 1' pitch, including mutations.
A shame, also, that we so seldom these days get a 4' Pedal reed, even by extension. It's not always handy (or even possible) to couple. The new Harrison at St. Edmundsbury Cathedral has pedal reeds 32.16.16.16. No 8' and no 4' - it seems a little odd in such an otherwise faultless job.
In the rebuild at my church I specified an extention of the Swell Bourdon as "Echo Bourdon" on the Pedals and have found it most useful. It is also available on the Pedal at 4' pitch labelled "Echo Flute" . It allows me to avoid use of Manual to Pedal couplers in quiet combinations and the soft 16' is used regularly to give just a hint of 16' tone when accompanying plainchant. This was thought out beforehand and not simply added to increase the number of stop knobs on the console. The combination of Echo Bourdon 16, Bass Flute 8 (extended from the larger Pedal Bourdon) and Echo Flute 4 works well as an independent pedal line in trios. In the ideal world we would all prefer independent ranks on the Pedal but in our case there was not the room for this. I have also had the Swell Contra Fagotto made available seperately on the Pedals as a quieter alternative to the Trombone and it too works well.
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I have a 16' Dulciana in the Choir Organ. I occasionally couple it at sub octave pitch to a string registration (incidentally, such was the extravagance in 1927 that the 16' enclosed Dulciana in the Choir box is less than six feet behind the 16' unenclosed Dulciana in the case!).
Martin mentioned earlier that some Clarions are useless because they go out of tune so easily. As a long-time Organist of Remote Cathedrals, I know it to be a Law of Organ Tuning that certain pipes will slip as soon as the tuner sets foot on the plane. One gets adept at tapping recalcitrant notes back to the true path. Here is a warning, though:
DO NOT TUNE ORGAN PIPES WITH A CELL PHONE IN YOUR BREAST POCKET!
I forgot about this the other day and was lucky to escape with one slightly dented Vox, easily put right. It could just as easily have landed on the four-rank mixture...
I agree. Care in the Swell Box. In my case I knocked the Clarion back into tune only to find that my coat had brushed by and dislodged the top rank of the Mixture on the other side of the tuning walk.
Now, even on the coldest day I remove my coat.
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A stop is only useless according to how it is positioned, voiced, regulated, what else is on the organ and of course the acoustic!
I too used to think that the Dulciana was a waste of space but not any more!
We have rescued a superb two - manual Rushworth & Dreaper and rebuilt it in the rear gallery of our church (St Wulsatan's RC, Wolstanton). In the process we have added new material and a Choir Organ. The Choir Organ is positioned on the left hand side of the gallery with the Great on the other. The pedal is divided either side. However, the Swell is tucked away in the original organ chamber behind the choir divsion. The softer sounds of the Swell make an excellent echo effect. To bring the sound "forward" I often play via the Choir Keyboard with the Choir Dulciana coupled. It is also possible to use the Dulciana as a solo stop, accompanied by the gentle Bourdon on the Swell (played at 8 foot pitch with Octave and Unison - off couplers drawn. I should add that the Swell makes itself heard when the full reed chorus is drawn! We also have a lovely Gamba on the Great. I would always specify a Gamba before a second Open Diapason. On our organ it is possible to synthesize a resonable second open using the Clarabella, Gamba and Harmonic Flute. Since our Choir organ is a four - foot division supported by a Stopped Diapason, it is also useful to couple the Choir four - foot Principal through to the Great at eight - foot pitch using the Choir to Great 16' coupler. Another useful addition to the instrument. As we sing alot of plainchant, together with polyphonic choral music at Mass this variety of eight - foot sound is most valuable in accompanying.
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St Wulstan's, Wolstanton is the Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocease of Birmingham. St Margaret's is the Anglican church, part of a team ministry with St Andrew's Porthill and St Barnabas, Bradwell. They are in the Anglican Diocease of Lichfield. There is also St John's Methodist Church in Wolstanton.
We at St Wulstan's (RC) are the only one of these churches with a pipe organ. We are lucky to have a lovely Stopped Diapsaon on the Choir Organ which came from the old Wolstanton Methodist Church before it was pulled down. The Methodists now worship in a building which used to be their Sunday School room (containing a toaster). The Stopped Diapsaon I mentioned has been in our organ builder's workshop for some years, waiting for a good home. He (the organ builder) belongs to the Methodist Church. He and his father run a business which is descended from the now defunct "Reeves & Merner", who not only built the 4 - manual console and new Choir / positive division for Tunstall RC in the 1960s, but also installed the old instrument at St Wulstan's. I hope this clarifies things a little.
Before I became director of music at St Wulstan's (RC) 21 years ago I was organist and choir master at St Margaret's Anglican church. I am afraid I have no idea who passed the old and incorrect information to the NPOR.
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Further to my last post: I could not find the Tustall organ on the NPOR either.
Please be aware also that the entry for St Wulstan's is incorrect. I told them about this many weeks ago and recieved an acknowledgement by email but nothing has been done about it. NPOR list St Wulstan's as the Anglican Church and it is the Roman Catholic Church.
The Anglican Church in the Village is St Margaret's. The Abbreviated specification for the organ at St Wulstan's on NPOR is that of the old instrument (now removed) and also has the Great and Swell labelled back to front.
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As I rarely visit Tunstall so I'm not sure. Here is the official address:
Sacred Heart. Parish Church. Address 13 Queen's Avenue. Tunstall. Town Stoke-on-Trent. Postcode ST6 6EE. Telephone 01782 838357. Parish Sacred Heart.
I was told once that it was earmarked to be a Catholic Cathedral in Stoke - on - Trent but that the Archbishop of Birmingham at the time was against the idea. I am not sure if this is true. It is certainly a large building with what looks like copper domes on the roof from outside. I haven't been in for a while.
My Parish, St Wulstan's, is properly titled "The Parish of the Sacred Heart and St Wulstan" but the Sacred Heart part of the title is generally not used so as not to confuse it with Tunstall!
Thankfully, we DO have a working pipe organ. Its new console can be seen on the choir page of our website, together with a link to a PDF file with the sepecification. Our music list can be seen on the music for mass link. The st Wulstan's website is in the process of being remade. Our address is www.saintwulstans.org.uk/
I hope this is of interest.
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Nearly six years on here's some more information about the silent pipes of Sacred Heart Church Tunstall in Stoke - on - Trent.
The original instrument came from Tipparary in Ireland and was installed at Tunstall shortly after the Church was opened. After some difficulties the work was finished by W.H.Laycock,organ builders of Tunstall. This is the specification of the original three manual as installed in the West gallery:
GREAT
Double open diapason 16
Diapason Phonon 8
Open Diapason 8
Clarabella 8
Principal 4
Harmonic Flute 4
Fifteenth 2
Mixture III
Trumpet 8
SWELL
Bourdon 16
Open Diapason 8
Stopped Diapason 8
Pierced Gamba 8
Voix Celeste T.C. 8
Principal 4
Suabe Flute 4
Mixture III
Contra Fagotto 16
Cornopean 8
Oboe 8
CHOIR (enclosed)
Double Dulciana 16
Dolce 8
Gamba 8
Rohr Gedact 8
Wald Flute 4
Piccolo 2
SOLO (played on great)
Cor de Nuit 8
Tibia Clausa 8
Vox Humana 8
Clarinet 8
Tuba 8 (I think this was playable from the Choir manual)
PEDAL
Major Bass 16
Bourdon 16
Open Diapason 16
Flute 16
Dulciana 16
Violoncello 8
Trombone 16
COUPLERS
Great organ off
Swell to Great
Solo to Great
Solo to Great Sub - octave
Swell Octave
Choir Sub - octave
Choir to Great
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Balanced Swell Pedals to Swell and Choir
In the 1960s this organ was re-built. A four manual console was installed in the Nave, a few metres from the Sanctuary and a modern choir (positive) division was installed in the Apse behind the high Alter. I don't have the excact stop - list but remember that it included a Nasard, Tierce and Trompette - ALL NEW PIPEWORK.
Now comes the sad part of our tale.
Around ten - fifteen years ago the church was sand - blasted and no one thought to cover up the organ!The £60K quoted at the time to clean out the organ was more the the church could afford. Then came the vandalism. The massive multi - cable connecting the four manual console to both West and East organs was cut through with a hacksaw, the console removed and a three manual toaster installed in its place. The four manual cosole for the pipe organ is still there, stored in the Apse with the Pedal Board propped up beside it. Unfortunately, the new 1960s Positive division has been removed. i think that the original West end organ is still intact and could be restored with the console if funds were to be found. I know that there is a new priest at the church who I know to be appreciative of good organs (his Father was Sub - chanter at one of our great Anglican Cathedrals) but there will obviously be a large demand on funds for other things. However, this is a sleeping giant waiting to speak again.........
Now some better news -
The rescued, restored and extended Rushworth at St Wulstan's in Wulstanton is now a reality and awaits final regulation and tuning to be completed. It has taken eleven years on the tightest of budgets but has been well worth it.
My apologies. I have just realised that this has little to do with the original thread but hope that it is off interest to all.
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It would seem so. I am hoping now to find something second - hand perhaps. Presumably if you pay enough you can have anything. I am sure that a director in a TV gallery has instant feedback on monitors from the cameras on the studio floor!
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I wonder if anyone can help? I need cctv for the organ in my church but since the above postings all the models now available seem to have a delay - no use for following a conductor! I have drawn a blank at Maplins who say they don't have anything without a little delay. Also, many of the models have security facilities which we do not need.
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Oddly enough, I just came across a mention of Sacred Heart, Tunstall, in a back number (1970) of Musical Opinion while I was looking for something else. Reeves and Merner had just rebuilt it. I don't think it's on NPOR.
It seems to me, especially from experience in Ireland and here in Newfoundland, that if a Roman Catholic church has a priest who likes organs, that church gets an organ. Its subsequent fate then depends on whether succeeding priests also appreciate organs. In retrospect, the post VAT2 fashion for small, tracker-action, non-British instruments has not worked out as rosily as its protagonists promised. Some of them are pretty nasty and haven't lasted well.
Good luck with your Rushworth and congratulations on your perseverance in seeking out and acquiring it. At their best I think they were as good as any and you will hopefully have a fine instrument which is an asset to the church and its worship.
Thanks for your good wishes David. I forgot to mention that I tried out the Rushworth before it was dismantled from its old premises and found every stop to be beautiful. I even made a mini disc recording at the time describing from an extra microphone at the console each stop as I went through the organ. Although typical of its age (c.1920; there was no upper work save a 2' piccolo), the organ boasted 4 reeds (Gt Trumpet and Swell Cornopean with harmonic trebles) and was well above the standard of the average chapel 2 - manual. We have added upperwork in the re-build but have not changed or discarded any of the original stops. It will still be possible to play the organ using just the original pipework. Having said that, the new stops (including a Great fifteenth and 3 - rank mixture) have been made by Terry Shires of Leeds following research into the original instrument and other Rushworth work of that period. We have taken great care to ensure that a good instrument is not spoilt with the addition of inappropriate upperwork.
I will try to obtain more details of the Sacred Heart Organ and post a further relpy as soon as I have checked my information. I am in touch with the successors of Reeves & Merner.
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Our association visited some organs in Burnley yesterday, among which at St.Mary's RC there was an extension organ apparently by Willis, though not labelled as such. All the evidence was there- the tabs, voltmeter, etc, and the instrument was interesting in several ways. Of two manuals, but without a swell box, there were no more than six or seven ranks, with all pipework in metal, stopped 8's for the 16', sub/super octave transfers, and very pleasant 'classical' voicing. Sadly, the organ appears to be little used, and as the tuning was quite awful in places one would presume it hasn't been attended to for some time! It may date from the 1950's, and takes the form of an un-cased pair of semi-circular chests, with the central 16's at floor level, and the Positive to the rear. The detached console stands directly in front.
This organ seems to have been provided as replacement for the still-extant (though nearly-defunct) 1855 G&D on the west gallery, itself an interesting job with all swell ranks to TC only, and a single large-scale Pedal Diapason. The preservation order on this is the only reason it is still there, and even the Willis is unused, replaced by a quite new cheap 'baroque' toaster, devoid of pistons, but capable of playing itself!
Does anyone have any knowledge of similar Willis jobs to this one?
CP
I am afraid the situation you describe at St.Mary's RC in Burnley (I have never been there myself) seems all too common in the RC Church in this country. From my limited experience (I am a Catholic and Director of Music in my Parish) I know of other churches with decent pipe organs in situ, who will not fund the work needed to make them function again. Instead the dreaded toaster goes in and then after a few years starts to show its age..........
Sometimes it is the lack of immediate funds - but education and lack of culture plays a major role. I am very lucky, thanks to the support of two very enlightened priests that I am able to embark on a glorious three manual project (real pipes) stemming from the rescue of a fine Rushworth & Dreaper.
In my research, I have spotted a trend - that when Catholic Churches have spent money on organs they are usually too small and too under - powered for the building they are in. They are often unit organs.
In my own ParishChurch (built in 1959) the original organ was inadequate - put in on a tight budget - but only there because the choirmaster at the time, on his own initiative, raised the money with the choir. The Priest had said that there would be no money for a real organ and added that he could not be seen to have anything to do with the project! Now we have a large choir and a growing music tradition we have aquired the Rushworth to take us forward. We have also built a new extention to the choir gallery for the instrument. The old organ was burried in a chamber at the side of the gallery with the sound projecting through a hole in the wall only 44 inches square.
It would have made a fine "Echo" division, but of little use in leading a large congregation.
There is also the sad story to tell of the organ in the Sacred Heart Church in Tunstall in Stoke-on-Trent, but I will save it for another time.
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Neither would I as a rule, or any of the other preludes and fugues, etc. But circumstances can dictate practice. For example, if I felt that the 9:15 service needed the Passacaglia to finish it off, but I had to be downstairs to rehearse the choir for the 11:00 service, I might leave off the fugue. Again, I quite often play the Passacaglia after funerals. The church would normally have emptied before I got to the fugue. I might carry on for my own satisfaction, or AMDG, but I wouldn't feel guilty about stopping at the end of the Passacaglia. Similarly, I sometimes play the St. Anne Fugue after funerals, although in other circumstances I wouldn't trot it out without the Prelude.
I feel much easier about playing the St Anne Fugue without the Prelude. I too am used to playing to an empty church by the time my voluntary finishes. However, I am very happy to report that recently two or three parishioners have taken to sitting quietly to the end and then giving me a round of applause! Whatever one's views are in the subject of applause it is wonderful to know that the effort that goes into practising these pieces is appreciated, even if by a few.
Last time I decided to play the Prelude and Fugue in d sharp minor by Otto Olsson the prelude recieved such a good round of applause that I decided to postpone the fugue until the following week.
I think that those pieces that I prefer not to play incomplete I save for those special occasions. I often play the Bach Toccata in F without the fugue. Equally, I think that the Fugue in F makes a good alternative to your choice of the St Anne Fugue for funerals. Incidentally, I am often, not surprisingly asked to play the St Anne on Trinity Sunday!
I love the Mendelssohn Sonatas. These are ideal for taking an odd movement as a final voluntary. I often use the slow movements when I need something quieter during the Mass itself. In the end, good taste and liturgical practice must prevail.
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A.M Henderson edited 'The Student's Bach' - or something like that. It was a really excellent introduction, although very dated as to registration, even when I first encountered it.
Regarding the Great G minor - I might just possibly end on a major chord if not playing the Fugue, but more likely not. I would probably end the Passacaglia on a major chord if not playing the fugue.
Personally, I would not play the Passacaglia without the fugue.
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I have to confess that my motives in all of this are purely selfish. We have just finished restoring out house (an old pub) and are about to set our eyes towards the ex-skittle alley - a very large room with plenty of height. As we have blown much of our new organ budget on restoring the wonderful ex-pub, we are looking for a stop-gap organ - something like a Walker extension organ which will keep us going for the medium term. I am kicking myself as we had one particular Walker available in Rochester which I dismissed, which was really rather fine, with only three ranks, but exceedingly well-voiced (including unusually, a tapered Principal). They all seem to have been well-built and often go on for ever. If anyone knows of any small extension organs that need a decent home, can you please PM me and let me know any details. The IBO site doesn't have much in the way of these kind of instruments - apart from one large extension job.
Hector
If you are looking for an extention organ Cartwright oragn builders in Staffordshire have at least one in their workshop looking for a good home. One belongs to me but unfortunately I do not have the space to have it installed.
You can contact Philip Cartwright on 07971 326112.
It is a 3 -rank 2 - manual pedelbury unit organ.
They also have a 1965 Walker Positive - it is earmarked for a church in the area but if they don't sign up it could go to another home perhaps.
In both cases funds from the sale of these instruments are gong towards the installation of a Rushworth & Dreaper into a local Catholic Church. It is a very worthwhile cause. The Rushworth is being used for training and encouraging youngsters to take up the instrument as part of St Wulstan's Musical Education Trust. The Walker was rescued from a school building which was earmarked for demoltion. The Pendelbury was replaced in it's local church with a toaster. We hope to see all these instruments well used!
I hope this helps.
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I am more and more of the opinion that the C of E dioceses ought to have a Director of Music (or some other position). There are many people who would sincerely play but have little discrete help to support them in their endeavours. I also find that some clergy need discrete help in knowing how to use time and musical talents. I feel that to enable the best offerings to come forward many places just need that helping hand and a sympathetic understanding from the diocese. Some perhaps have help. I know that the Roman Catholic church have a number of such people and choirs and organ playing seems to greatly thrive under such careful direction. I also am beginning to realize (as a DOA) that some pipe organs would not replaced by digital substitutes if the helpful but not over-competent organist had some guidance in how to negotiate the idiosyncrasies of a 19th Century tracker in their church.
I realize that this would cost the diocese but I would vehemently argue that the rewards would be priceless for such an outlay. There are positions for clergy in directing the many areas of the Church's Ministry in dioceses, but I am saddened to think that so few cannot see the value of the Ministry of Music in their thinking. It is often the one part of Sunday Liturgy that can be so easily seen and heard by everyone and can destroy or uplift at the drop of a chord. Such people could devise workshops or private help. They could give pointers about how to recruit singers and what repertoire that would suit them in the context of their church's services. The young organists can be encouraged through any number of ways and given small opportunities to play their offering.
I have always felt that young people will be encouraged by the tiniest offers of kindness and realistic challenges. But it takes a little time to set such things up. The RSCM offered a national need as seen by Sir Sydney Nicholson. My mother was part of those early days in Oundle when he visited. I think that we need smaller and more concentrated activity that is more 'home-grown' so that the changing churches can be catered for. The early days of the RSCM were founded upon the B of C Prayer and so a national spirit to encourage choirs was totally understood when they joined for massed singing days. Now almost every church is different. Could you arrange such a Saturday and get everyone to sing Evensong? I very much doubt it as it would be for most a museum activity. These differences need understanding and knitting back together and the young people are pivotal to any larger plan for the future. Bishop Ken's words "Improve thy talent with due care" cannot be more true. Having organists' associations, The Organ Club, the IAO etc. are needed extras to complement the other work. I just feel that Diocesan enthusers are needed as soon as possible - certainly in the C of E.
But again - I might be just an old fuddy-duddy living in a dream world.
N
I work in a Catholic parish in Staffordshire and in the 15 years I have been there I have not noticed any initiatives that promote either choirs or organ playing. In fact you would be hard pressed to find a Catholic Church with a decent pipe organ in the part of Staffordshire where I live. They are usually under - powered, cheap, poor unit organs or more often digital. Sometimes all you find is a 30 - year old electronic with 12 sticks at your feet for pedals and samaba rhythms that come on suddenly during the offertory procession. In my parish we are trying to turn things around, with the blessing of the Archdiocease, but I often feel that we are a lone voice. We have earned a good reputation so far for using Palestrina, Byrd, Lobo and others each week at Mass; together with a quality organ music at the end of the liturgy. Yes, we have school children in the choir; yes, they love to sing the plainchant and polyphonic Latin Mass settings and we also have three enthusiastic young organ students.
As I was discouraged from playing by the organist at my local (Methodist ) church as a youngster, I am determined to see my young organists accompany as much os the Mass as possible. My organ students in the parish are consulted and involved at every stage with me in the re-building and enlarging of a fine Rushworth & Dreaper organ which we rescued from a chapel which closed in 2003. We even took our 14 year - old assistant with us to Terry Shires pipemakers in Leeds when we ordered the new stops for our organ. He is waiting to take his Associated board exam as soom as we have an instrument good enough. I would support any initiative designed to help and encourage youngsters from all walks of life to climb the steps to the loft and play. Equally, they should be given the chance to sing some of our wonderful Mass and service settings instead of being patronised with most of the rubbish that is served up in the liturgy today. This happens too often in the school Masses at many our Catholic High Schools. Some have thriving music departments, where the studuents could be involved in preparing music for the Mass. One local school was simply not interested when I knew of a pipe organ that they could have had installed in their hall for a small sum. They had just spent millions on new buildings.
Having said all that I am thrilled at the enthusiasm shown by the youngsters I work with and I know there is much more we can do. I would be interested to hear from anyone else working in a similar way, situated many miles from the nearest Cathedral (of either denomination) and with children drawn almost exclusively from state schools.
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My original question, as to whether or not the 21st rank was "dangerous" was based upn the fact that so many examples have been muted or changed. Is this because there seem to be so few cases where they are correctly maintained and tuned? On the other hand, maybe the dissappearance of the Harrison Harmonics on organs like Leicester Cathedral is due to changing trends. Perhaps some organists feel the need to have quint mixture at all costs. My own (personnal) view would be: leave the Harmonics alone unless there is space and funds to add a quint mixture to the existing spec.
Oops! I meant to say disappearance. I should have checked my spelling!
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Compton used the flat 21st in mixtures to great effect, to achieve a convincing 32' reed but also on organs like Southampton Guildhall where there is a three rank "Harmonics" consisting of Twelfth, Tierce and Flat 21st pipes of (for most of the compass anyway) quietly voiced Harmonic Stopped pipes. To maintain the "Clarinet(y)" colour, the composition was vitually straight without breaks. It was a bit of a pig to tune well, I remember, but VERY effective when it was!
My original question, as to whether or not the 21st rank was "dangerous" was based upn the fact that so many examples have been muted or changed. Is this because there seem to be so few cases where they are correctly maintained and tuned? On the other hand, maybe the dissappearance of the Harrison Harmonics on organs like Leicester Cathedral is due to changing trends. Perhaps some organists feel the need to have quint mixture at all costs. My own (personnal) view would be: leave the Harmonics alone unless there is space and funds to add a quint mixture to the existing spec.
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Hmm. Did anyone else feel that the chant really didn't do anything for the psalm? Bearing in mind my previous comments, it's perfectly possible that I'm just missing the point, but normally one can at least feel some connection between the chant and the words and I didn't feel any here. I didn't mind the chant per se; I just thought it deserved a more extrovert psalm.
I agree that the accompaniment was very nicely done, though personally I would have gone for luminosity rather than darkness for "Yea, the darkness is no darkness with thee". (A very minor quibble though.)
I agree with this, but only up to a point. It's the word "wellie" that makes me feel uncomfortable. There is a breed of organist who treats the psalms as an organ recital with choir obbligato and it's a very unedifying experience. Mind you, with such people it's not just the psalms they tend to treat in this way! At the end of the day it's the choir's job to "deliver" the message of the psalms. Certainly the organist should complement and enhance that message, but the choir must always remain the focus of attention and the organist must not usurp that. I remember attending a cathedral evensong last year which was accompanied by an organ scholar. He played really excellently, but used far too much of the (rather beefy) organ in the psalms (e.g. a Gt Open when the choir was singing antiphonally). You could still hear the choir above the organ, but he was frequently drowning their consonants. The consonants are always the first thing to go and since they are essential for comprehension the psalm was ruined.
Lastly, I cannot resist quoting a passage on psalm accompaniment from J. Frederick Bridge's Organ Accompaniment of the Choral Service (London & New York, c.1885):
"While dealing with the expression of the words in the Psalms, a timely warning must be given against exaggeration in the direction of 'word painting'. No doubt many of those who read this little book may have heard organists attempt to portray 'birds singing among the branches' (generally depicted by means of the shrillest flute in the organ), and the author has a vivid recollection of attempts to represent 'the Heavens dropping' and the 'word running very swiftly,' the former by a startling staccato chord on the lowest octave of the great organ, while the right hand sustained the harmony on the swell, and the latter by a run up the keyboard of surprising rapidity. Ideas such as these would not, it is believed, occur to an organist of refined taste."I too thought that the chant did nothing for the psalm. I turned off the radio. However, when I later got into my car, on came radio 3 and the end of the broadcast with Mendelssohn 3. That was well worth it. I have learned five of the six sonatas and love playing them; so full of interest.
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b14, surely?
I wonder how "dangerous" members feel the flat 21st rank is? The 1927 Åkermann & Lund in the St Maria Magdelena Church in Stockholm has a stop labelled "Kornett" on Manual 1. Its composition is: 8 - 12 - 15 - 17 - flat21.
This organ is wonderful to play and possibly the largest late romantic organ in Sweden to remain. There is not a quint mixture in sight on any of the three manuals but it makes some wonderful sounds! If you like the music of Otto Olsson ( I heard profssor Ralph Gustaffson play the Credo Symphoniacum on it ) - it is wonderful.
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Absolutely; such organs need their "Harmonics" as it was designed.
To make a "would-be baroque" stop of them is a mistake, exactly
like replacing a Tierce with a Voix céleste in a baroque organ.
Pierre
Leicester Cathedral comes to mind. The Harmonics was converted to a quint mixture some years ago, I believe. More recently, the Great Trombas have been replaced with Trumpets in the interests of "blend". However, when I went to a recital I saw these great trumpets added on the big screen as the recitalist headed towards full organ and they made no noticable impact on my ears. This leaves the organ with no big reeds to bridge the gap between the Swell reeds and the enormous Solo Tuba.
Perhaps it would have been better to reinstate the Harmonics, leave the high pressure Trombas alone and add a quint mixture to the whole? I cannot help but think that once one tampers with the original scheme everything starts to come "out of joint".
Loudest Tubas
in Nuts and bolts
Posted
I agree. Leicester Cathedral's Tuba makes a huge impact. Shame about the acoustic.