Simon Walker
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Posts posted by Simon Walker
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e one of only four choirs in Canada singing two choral services every Sunday.
It makes up for all the snow-shovelling we have to do around this time of year.....
Really...
So there's you, St. Thomas's Toronto, St. James Cathedral... where else?
It's at last getting a bit warmer here in Toronto - where staring to thaw. But I bet you guys are still cold.
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during the sermon one Sunday morning (Choral Eucharist, Book of Common Prayer) feeling just a little smug.
And so you should... long may it continue. Even in some of the English Cathedrals now you can be subjected to some absolute drivel these days. I'm not having a go at modern composers/liturgy, but rather the lack quality control by some of the clergy around.
Is there really a lack of aspiring young organists around? I'm sure this has been commented on many times before in other threads. What did your newspaper article have to say about this? Certainly there are enough in the UK to make sure the cathedrals and major churches continue high standards. In Canada? Well there are certainly some young players in Toronto, I haven't come across a great many people who actively teach the organ though.
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I think it was John Norman who mentioned, in 'The Organ Today', that players in North America (and Canada in particular) favoured a slightly lower stool and thus a firmer seat. I'm just under six feet tall, but I find the Casavant console generally very comfortable. However, I've just learned the Bonnet Variations de Concert, and I found that I was having to support myself on my hands (like a gymnast on parallel bars!) in order to negotiate some of the double pedalling in the cadenza. Sorry if that makes the mind boggle.
I had a pupil who was less than five feet tall but managed the episodes in the St. Anne prelude on the Solo Organ (sounds weird, but it works on this organ) without difficulty.
Btw... I'm not trying to criticise the Casavant consoles (as they are very well built indeed) or the AGO standard, but I do find them a little miniature. I think you are right about organists in North America prefering a lower bench. The size will certainly be appreciated the organ pupil you mentioned! Have you seen a picture of the Metropolitan United Church Console in Toronto? Must be the post petite 5 manual console I've ever seen http://www.flickr.com/photos/sr667/2518781...in/photostream/ . In comparison, the 4 man Walker console down the road at the cathedral seems like a giant.
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It was always accepted wisdom in Britain that drawstops were easier to handle when arranged vertically in twos, but since coming over here (Newfoundland) I've found that threes or even fours are just as easy to handle, as well as being in a shorter vertical plane and therefore easier to see en masse.
A console often reflects the instrument it controls. There's something comfortingly substantial about a Father Willis console, for example. Similarly, a Binns like St. Mary's, Shrewsbury (one of the great unknown organs of England, I reckon) presents in its console a certain magisterial splendour which complements the sound the organ makes. You don't sit behind the wheel of a vintage Bentley and expect it to respond like an Aston Martin.
P
It's interesting hearing from someone else who's made the move from the UK to North America. Having played quite a few Casavants now, and having seen a few other consoles which are similar by other builders there are some significant differences in dimensions I think... Does anyone know what is different between AGO standard (almost universally adopted in North America) and RCO standard?
Generally I find the Casavant consoles a little on the small size... for me the AGO standard bench always gets wound to the very top to make my long legs comfortable. This means I'm always towering way above the rest of the rather squat consoles (though it's great for seeing whats going on around you!) Sometimes I have found I can't see the couplers properly because of my height as the tabs disappear under the music desk... and also the lack of those little lever things on the music desk to hold your music open is annoying.
I do wonder if the AGO standard should be revised as people are generally a bit larger now than they used to be. Two consoles which fit my height perfectly were the new Reiger organ at St. Giles Cathedral Edinburgh. It really is a man sized console (sorry ladies) and I seem to remember the Kelvingrove Lewis from c. 1911 or something was big. Having said that, my first organ teacher was a lady, who must have been less than 5 feet tall, and the swell was always a big stretch for her. So I suppose one size must fit all.
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Instead of thinking only of Bible passages, why not think of music that was around at the time of the Hampton Court Conference (1604) which began the creation of the King James Bible, until its publication (1611).
Maybe something by Tallis? Hadn't he been a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal, of which there was and is one at Hampton Court Palace? It's not inconceivable that his music might have been played there in 1604.
And King James appointed Orlando Gibbons organist to the Chapel Royal (where he had also been a Gentleman) so even though it was a few years later the connection may not be too tenuous.
Best wishes
J
I like that Idea J...!
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This is interesting stuff...
As far an the accompanying goes - nobody has mentioned so far that they are in possession of a 4 manual digital organ. As as much as I'd personally rather play a real organ for as much of the time as possible, I'm sure they can continue to use that a bit if necessary. It wouldn't be the first place to have a wonderful organ, but also an electronic to help out with the accompanying... I think I've heard that Trinity Cambridge have done this in the past. It is true... accompanying say... Elgar 'The spirit of the Lord' on the Cavaille Coll would be problematic, especially without a console assistant! However, I'm sure the hymns and voluntaries would be just super!
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I'm going to be in bother with this one, but what exactly is the point of installing a new Barker-Lever action to the organ at Warrington, or Sheffield if it were to move there?
Is it superior to all other forms of action?
Hello MM,
This is a very interesting discussion, when I spoke to David S about this he was convinced that this was the right thing to do, and I think he has a good point. Any modification to a good original design, be it organs, classic cars, steam engines will doubtless have disadvantages. Often issues along these lines include reliability problems, but also the functionality may not be as good. Especially if the original design was known to work well. These days organ builders are much much more accomplished at historical restoration than they used to be, and if there is a company who are experienced enough to do the work really well, then I`m sure the result will be excellent. Of course whether this is economically worth while is another matter, as I`m sure it will be expensive.
On another note, are there any advantages to playing a Barker lever assisted action? I would love to hear from anyone with experience regularly playing an instrument with it as it`s rare that I have. Roger Fisher had some interesting things to say about it (and he knows the Warrington CC organ well BTW). I asked him how Vierne could manage to play Naides and other fast, technically difficult pieces at Notre Dame, because the cumbersome and heavy Barkers would surely make it difficult... Not so he said and he explained that the feel at the keys is different, but when you`re used to it works well because despite being weighty, the key pushes back at the finger after being depressed making an easier release (or at least I think that was the jist of it...) Anyway - he said it all made perfect sense.
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Does anyone know what incense does to organ pipes? Corrosive or preservative?
It just makes a filthy mess over time I think... it can't be good, but there are plenty of high churches still with their original organ so I don't think it can be that bad.
When I was in Edinburgh and the smoking ban came into play we were worried this would damage the enthusiasm for smoke in the services, though the ban itself doesn't apply to incense. Anyway, it doesn't seem to have had an effect. I love it personally.
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'Just had a post through on another forum to say that apparently three organ builders from the South Island Organ Company are/were trapped in the ruins of a Methodist Church - three others got out.
A
One of my friends from Chester, who's a choral scholar at Christ Church Cathedral said he just metres away from the spire as it started to collapse. I assume he ran for it. What a terrible shame about that victorian tower and spire, though the loss of life around the city is much more tragic of course.
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Just listening to the lastest news and praying that Jenny, Martin and all the other folk in Christchurch are OK. It looks bad.
Good gracious... apparently another strong earthquake has struck.
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In describing this unlikely “stop”, whose name comes from the German “fuchs” (fox), “schwanz” (tail), and “schwanz” (joke), I could not possibly improve upon Wedgwood, whose entry reads as follows: "One of the strange accessories sometimes found in old German organs. A stop-knob bearing the inscription “Noli me tangere” (“Do not touch”) was attached to the console. As a reward for their curiosity, persons who, regardless of this injunction, touched the knob, thereby set free the catch of a spring, causing a huge foxtail to fly out into their faces. Sometimes the foxtail was simply attached to the stop knob. Having once drawn the tail out of the jamb, it was a matter of some difficulty to replace it. Meanwhile, the recalcitrant culprit was subject to the chaff of his comrades. There is a foxtail near the dwarf “Perkeo”, guarding the great Tun at Heidelberg Castle. St. Andrea, Erfurt; St. Gertrud, Hamburg."
Apart from the 'Fuchsschwanz', have a look at this... also copied from the Encyclopedia of organ stops.
'Vox Inaudita'
These names have been used for “dummy” stop controls which do not operate any stop. While Wedgwood characterizes them as “A facetious pleasantry indulged in by some mediaeval organ builders”, Mahrenholz points out that they were often provided for future expansion or for physical symmetry. The names translate as follows:
Blinder Zug “blind stop”
Ductus inutilis “useless stop”
Exaudire "to hear plainly"
Manum de tabula "Enough!"
Nihil “nothing”
Pro forma “for appearance”
Reliqua "leftover"
Summer Zug “silent stop”
Swyger “keep silent”
Vacant “missing”
Vacat “missing”
Vox Inaudita “unheard voice”
Vox Ineffabilis “unutterable voice”
It would certainly make a change from the row after row of blank stops which you commonly see on North American organs. How fascinating!
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On the subject of the Parr Hall CC organ being installed at Sheffield, I remember that David Sanger told me that he was advising on this project, he came to Chester Cathedral to do a recital last March and we had a pint the night before. It's a while ago now so I can't remember everything he said but he talked about a European firm that was about to be given the contract for the restoration and installation work... but I just can't remember who it was, obviously it didn't register with my British ears very well, but the key thing he definitely said was that they had an unbroken history with Barker Lever action. And I think he suggested that this firm was the only one in the world with that status.
Does anybody here know to which company this might have been referring to? He kept re-emphasizing the importance of the Barker Lever being restored by a firm with excellent knowledge of this system and told me about a Willis organ somewhere which had had its Barker system disconnected after an otherwise respected builder in the UK hadn't known what to do with it.
The other thing he mentioned, if I remember rightly, was that a comparatively very large sum had gone out to this European builders to come and quote on the project. To me, this would seem as if Sheffield were very serious about getting the organ, and to me he seemed very certain that the project was a go-er.
I believe all is now quiet about this proposed restoration / re installation. Has anyone taken over where David left off as an advisor?
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Hi,
I've been asked to partake in a series of recitals this year (an inagural series for the church) where each recital has a different theme, "Royal Weddings" "Easter New life and Hope" etc (it's a rather evangelical church with a churchwarden keen to push use of the organ) and the recital that i've been given is on the theme of 'The King James bible and its content'
Any ideas on music that could be played? The Howells psalm-preludes immediately spring to mind, but what other music might you suggest?
I must say... That's quite a challenge and one that I'd probably not wish to take on personly (I prefer to play recital repertoire that I'm comfortable with rather than requests generally...) If you accept the challenge I'm sure you'll get a great deal of respect for it, and do let us know because I would be very interested.
I imagine, anything with a title, rather than a name ie, hymn preludes, choral preludes, and pieces which are relflections on biblical events ie La Nativite by Messian and Langlais would reflect Biblical content... but the 'King James' bit makes it harder and particularly steers it towards British music for this reason...
I'm amazed at the minds some people possess when it comes to this sort of thing so I shall watch with interest!
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16`Fagotte - the pedal read you didn`t remember to draw at the end of Harwood in Aflat.
or this one...
Oboe - the poor homeless organist.
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That's interesting - I'm sure the treatment to the swell reeds must have improved them, and it would be good if the fanfare trumpet were to be broadened. An organ like that really needs a tuba, don't you think?
Good point about the volume - it's loud enough but not too loud.
The refurbished & revoiced swell reeds I`m sure transform the instrument - on some old CDs I have they sound pretty nasal and rather in the background. Not sure about a tuba though... as much as I love English Tubas... I`m just not sure it would fit into the tonal scheme, with everything else being bright. The chamade trumpet definitely does need to be made to speak more broadly, smoothly and promptly - it is none of those things at present. I have to say I don`t really like Casavant Tubas... having played one just today only dating from 2008, they just don`t sound as refined as English ones. Except the battery of them at St. Paul`s Bloor Street which are magnificent, but those were voiced in England I believe...
Interestingly, it is really not very good at all to hear at the console and a lot of the visiting recitalists make mistakes with the balance because you just have no idea from where you`re playing, and the blend of the great and pedal divisions in the chancel is strange and misleading too. Tuning is a nightmare too because of the instrument being in three different places!
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I had a bash on the organ in Giles Bryant's time, five years before I came to live in Canada. A fine instrument, as you say, but rather a wild mix of this, that and the other. Maybe next time it needs major work, it could be pulled together a bit. I found the Walker console rather intimidating. I like a full set of couplers, North American style, but when they're all controlled by drawstop it's a heck of a job to remember what's on. Couplers by tab over the top manual are much easier to work with.
Yeah... I do agree with you about the couplers - every conceivable octave coupler on a draw stop makes for a confusing console. I suspect that North American standards were insisted upon - ie no swell toe pistons but general ones instead.
The instrument itself is like many rebuilds of it's time, it was revoiced throughout and a lot of it is previous pipework where new pipes should have been made. However, when you sit in the nave it sounds glorious when played by the right person, unlike so many north american organs it isn`t too loud and doesn`t snarl at you. The soft colours are very pleasant too. It`s been improved greatly recently in 2008 when the swell chorus reeds were taken away to the factory and revoiced to make a broader and more romantic sound than before. Hopefully the auxillary reeds and the horizontal trumpet might one day get the same treatment.
Thanks to Cynic for his comments once again. We will keep a close eye on this matter and with luck something may be done before long.
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I'm curious about the description of the pins as being 'flawed'. Are they not a long cylindrical one for the pivot point and a 'bat' pin (i.e. shaped like a cricket bat) at the front? The clever thing about a bat pin is that if the play is too much they can be turned with long-nosed pliers so as to take up the slack. You appear to have the opposite problem, so unless the pins are already turned, and can be turned back a little, filing or lubricating are your only answers.
P/C
Thanks Cynic - indeed these 'bat' pins you describe are what the organ builder was talking about. He described the way in which they could bend under the hands of a heavy player, though I don't think that instrument has had any heavy players for quite some time. He said when they bend this leads to a key getting stuck down, and over the years he has regularly had to take it apart to correct this. He said he could obtain new pins but he thought the problem would re-occur. The key beds also feel very worn away, and therefore the keys give a hard click when pressed.
Being a 1979 console it also has the very first generation of solid state capture system - all instantly changeable but there are no separate memory levels. That's another matter... Controlling the auxillary (ie. nave-organ) with only 12 generals and 3 services and a recital every Sunday is something the cathedral organist is proud of, but it would be made much easier by a more up to date system. I'm surprised that wasn't done years ago, I reckon retro - fitting a new system to this console is something else the builders have dragged their heels over.
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. It's a simple job to replace them unless you want to go for a change in the type of touch generation, but I don't get the impression that's what your builder is talking about. I hope they're not trying to bamboozle you.
AJS
I think one of the problems is that Casavant would like to have their own console on the organ - as people often make the assumption that it's an English organ mistakenly. Some people in the Cathedral also don't like the size of the console - it's massive and the Canadians are much more used to smaller consoles. Anyway, the chances of of it being replaced in the near future are very small because of other financial projects including a brand new building at the cathedral.
Casavant's reason for saying the keys are flawed is to do with the fact they are not pivoted in the middle but rather hinged at the back - which is not a Casavant practice. They say the Walker console is cheap and of a lower quality in comparison to the Casavant ones, and there is no doubting the high quality of their consoles which are extremely solid and reliable. However I don't agree that the Walker console is bad having played a number of others myself and I wish they'd have a bit more enthusiasm about maintaining it.
And yes - they keys are ivory - we must not let them go! The sharps are lacquered. I think alot of the problems come down to the more extreem climate, the console has many cracks in the wood of the stop jambs and key slips now, the keys appear to have warped slightly but I've seen worse. I just wish it felt right to play - it really doesn't, the feel is rather unrefined and clicky.
Thanks for everyone comments!
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Hi folks... I'm wondering if anyone here can shed some light on this. Perhaps Cynic will remember a bit about this from his time working with Walker's.
At St. James cathedral in Toronto, Canada we have a J W Walker console from 1979. The instrument it's attached to is a Warren / Casavant last rebuilt in 1967. It's a great instrument and was voiced by the late Laurence Phelps - well known for the instrument at Hexham Abbey.
The problem with the console is the keyboards (and pedal board to a certain extent). The keys have a tendency to stick down... The problem according to Casavant who maintains it is to do with the springs and the pins which they say are flawed by the design (they tend to bend and warp) and have been giving problems for many years. The console itself is a bit worn but it doesn't look like the finances will be available to replace it in the near future, and in fact it is actually the newest part of the organ.
I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this problem or knew anything about J W Walker keyboards from this era. Does anyone know if there is a replacement / repair solution? The keys themselves are in good condition, but the mechanism behind them (electro-pneumatic action) gives problems.
How do the consoles of other Walker organs compare? I've played a few and never come across these problems before. Here's the spec and photos of the organ and console. It's a joy to play when it's all working!
http://www.stjamescathedral.on.ca/Portals/..._OrganSpecs.pdf
Many thanks....
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He He!
Even the late Stephen Bicknell made this mistake!
There were actually four substantial Edmund Schulze instruments rather than three.
The fourth was that in Christ Church, Doncaster, which seldom gets a mention.
MM
I can count a fifth.... the Schultz built for a church in Tyne docks which now lives at Ellesmere Colege School - a substantial 3 manual. A fine instrument - presumably also overlooked by the larger ones at Doncaster and Armley.
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There seems to be an unexplainable level of 'snobbery' over certain organs, in that few if any outside the world of celebrity are allowed near the 'holy place' that is the console! What harm could possibly be done by anyone at all, no matter what standard thay are at, having a go. It might even inspire some to greater things, and yet so often they are ignored.
A request to visit one famous place by our Association was answered with "you would be welcome to come up and look at the console, but not to play!". Needless to say, we didn't bother going there!
CP
Whilst 99% of console visitors behave impecably - sometimes showing people round and letting others on can have it's problems, and I think this can lead to the hostilities of some custodians
Here are a few examples from my time at Edinburgh...
At St. Mary's Cathedral an organ association full of lovely people came to have a go, but one old dithering chap managed to break off one of the thumb pistons! This was highly annoying in the weeks that followed until it got replaced - which required the keyboards to be dismantled! Another visiting organist at St. Mary's decided to create his own light shield and selotape it to the light fixture above the console which was both unecessary and annoying.
But the worst atrocity I've ever come across a visiting organist doing was in the Reid Consort Hall at Edinburgh. The fabulous Ahrend organ designed in the 70's by Peter Williams is by its very nature a rather uncompromising instrument. Trying to tell visitors wanting to use the hall that you can't really accompany romantic choral repertoire on it is difficult (it is north german in design to the very last letter- no swell box) Anyway.... someone (obviously a sandwich short of a picnic) decided to attach a mirror to the case to see past the ruckpositive behind the player- WITH NAILS!!!!! When the university organist saw this after the event a full investigation was made and the culprit said he hadn't removed it because it may have been of use to others in the future. He was told it was vandalism of the worst kind and banned from the department indefinately!
So there we go - I know most people are much more responsible than that, but there's a horror story for you. I'll never forget how the university organist described it on the phone to me... ' He's...... naaaaaiiiiillllled with naaaaaiiiiiilllllss!!!!!!!!
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If you were to take a trip to Sheffield you would see that when Copeman Hart installed their original digital instrument in the cathedral it constructed sympathetic visible speaker cabinets for the organ near the choir stalls. However I don't know that I could use the word "sympathetic" for the large structure at the bottom of the nave that essentially houses speakers for the pedal voices. The exception to this is a small speaker within what was the positif case located on the north wall.
I agree - in the last couple of years the new Copeman Hart organ at Barnard Castle Parish Church has been featured quite a lot in their advertising in certain organ and choir related publications. It is situated at the west end of the church (far away from the choir at the front) and I can't think its speaker towers could be described as anything other than ugly. What's more ironic still is that since installing the electronic in place of a knackered and not very remarkable instrument (badly rebuild years ago) the original organ chamber has been opened up again - and the space is there for a decent sized two manual! Perhaps someone might come along with some inspiration 20 years in the future, by which time the Copeman Hart will seem very dated and probably well on the way to being worn out.
Unsung Organs
in The Organ
Posted
http://www.duresme.org.uk/NEorgans/auckcas.htm
Have a look at this...
I don't know whether this one has been mentioned here before, but it definitely should be better known even though it is far from original!
Father Smith 1688, and I think all the original stops bar one, a 4' flute which was replaced by a Cornet/Sesquialtera at some point probably in the 18th Century.
Harrisons did a typical 'restoration' of the time in 1903. (Didn't the Vicorians always like to think they could improve everything!!) They retained only the Father Smith stops, added a swell and pedal16' and made it standard compass (loosing the father smith bass pipes along the way. :-(
This little instrument is rather lovely actually. It's a curious match of styles, but it seems to work rather well. I got to play it a few years ago for a service and it seemed in good order then. A gentle sound, but the acoustic is lively and it's just so interesting. You climb a huge great metal spiral staircase to get to it, sitting high on the west wall. At the console the 'Great' has black keys and white sharps and the father smith ebony, square stop knobs remain on the right jamb. On the left there are Harrison stop knobs, and the swell has the standard white keys and black sharps. No attempt to match things up - but quite the contrary (sorry I don't have a picture. The case still survives an looks beautiful.
Perhaps Cynic might some day be persuaded to do a County Durham Benchmarks CD. (If he hasn't already done so... I can't keep up) It would be a lovely one to go on it. Despite there being few organs of note in County Durham, there are some interesting survivals due to almost no money being available for big rebuilds in the area for a long time.
There's also a lovely and quite large 3 man 1861 Brindly at the village of Gainford with a very big Schultz like sound... very rare and there's only been the occasional recital. http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=N13278
A 3 man TH Harrison 1868 in Darlington at Holy Trinity...http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N04191 though I've never played this one. Also I'd love to see the Lewis / Harrison organ at Sunderland Minster http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=N04223