Christine Jose Rigby
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Posts posted by Christine Jose Rigby
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Théodore Dubois: Prelude and Fugue in D minor/ D majorPlayed by Pieter Leebeek with the aid of the hauptwerk set by Sonus Paradisi of the 1870 Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Parr Hall, Warrington, Cheshire, England.
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Thank you for your reply Colin.
Sorry if the post was misleading, there is only the Bach.
I realised the post would be better in General Discussion, so it is duplicated.
I am sorry to say that the CD isn't available.
This link is of Gillian Adams playing the Mendelssohn Sonata No 2 in C minor Op. 65
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J S Bach: Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542Played by Gillian Adams on the 1870 Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Parr Hall, Warrington, England.In the words of her Husband, Bill Cheffers 'She tried to ‘pull everything out’ ! But we only came up the day before, so as usual, there wasn’t enough time to get used to the beast ! Especially with such an ambitious programme !'Gillian studied organ playing with Professor Harold Dexter at the Guildhall School of Music.She was one time Organist and Choirmaster at St Paul's, Wokingham and later, the Organist and Choirmaster at the Priory and Parish Church of St Germans in Cornwall.The non-commercial recording was made in 1983 by Roland Dowd, who later transferred it to a CD.Many thanks to Philip Davey for converting the recording to OneDrive.The full programme was -1. Buxtehude - Toccata & Fugue in D2. J S Bach - O mench, bewein' Dein sunde gross3. J S Bach - Fantasia & Fugue in G minor4. Mozart - Fantasia in F minor for Mechanical Organ5. S S Wesley - Choral Song & Fugue6. Mendelssohn - Sonata No 2 in C minor Op. 657. Franck - Prelude, Fugue & Variation8. Liszt - Fantasia & Fugue on BACH.
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J S Bach: Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542Played by Gillian Adams on the 1870 Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Parr Hall, Warrington, England.In the words of her Husband, Bill Cheffers 'She tried to ‘pull everything out’ ! But we only came up the day before, so as usual, there wasn’t enough time to get used to the beast ! Especially with such an ambitious programme !'Gillian studied organ playing with Professor Harold Dexter at the Guildhall School of Music.She was one time Organist and Choirmaster at St Paul's, Wokingham and later, the Organist and Choirmaster at the Priory and Parish Church of St Germans in Cornwall.The non-commercial recording was made in 1983 by Roland Dowd, who later transferred it to a CD.Many thanks to Philip Davey for converting the recording to OneDrive.The full programme was -1. Buxtehude - Toccata & Fugue in D2. J S Bach - O mench, bewein' Dein sunde gross3. J S Bach - Fantasia & Fugue in G minor4. Mozart - Fantasia in F minor for Mechanical Organ5. S S Wesley - Choral Song & Fugue6. Mendelssohn - Sonata No 2 in C minor Op. 657. Franck - Prelude, Fugue & Variation8. Liszt - Fantasia & Fugue on BACH.
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Of the nine organs that were built in this United Kingdom by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, those that remain have been altered more than others. Two of those that remain were NOT built for a Church, being the 1877 C-C in Manchester Town Hall and the 1870 C-C in Warrington's Parr Hall.It is possible that we are the envy of the French, some of whose native Cavaillé-Coll organs having been greatly modified. The same fate has befallen the once authentic C-C installations at Paisley Abbey, and what is now Blackburn Cathedral.What is remarkable, is that it was the Sheffield Albert Hall concert organ that WAS the envy of the French, at a time when they had no A C-C concert organ of their own, that is, until the Trocadéro organ. The Sheffield orgue was lost in a fire in 1937, and the Trocadéro orgue was as good as lost, when it was moved to the Palais de Chaillot, and then to the Maurice Ravel auditorium, Lyon.To the best of my knowledge, the organ of the Philharmonie, Haarlem, The Netherlands, and that of the Parr Hall, Warrington, are the only two remaining Concert organs built by A C-C, in near original condition, anywhere in the World.
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Manchester City Council - Heritage and art.
< The OrganAt the heart of Manchester’s Town Hall, centre-stage in the Great Hall, is the organ. Built in 1877 by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll of Paris (arguably the best organ builder in the world at the time) at a cost of £2,700 (approx £2.5m today), Cavaillé-Coll later returned to make a few additions to the original scheme, which resulted in his final design of 1893.In the years since, however, it has been subject to a number of modifications, and a condition survey, carried out in October 2015, showed that the instrument is in dire need of major restoration and reconstruction. As an important part of the Our Town Hall project, this work will see the organ largely restored as Cavaillé-Coll originally intended, after the wholesale removal of the entire organ, pipe by pipe.Thankfully, that condition report also showed that the instrument still has a distinctive voice: although changes have taken place, Cavaillé-Coll's tonal palette is unmistakable, and it is possible to recover this. Virtually all of the original pipework survives, with comparatively little alteration, and by applying modern conservation techniques and a knowledge of Cavaillé-Coll’s practices, the original sound can be restored.The work will be undertaken jointly, by Nicholson & Co of Malvern, and Flentrop Orgelbouw, of the Netherlands.“As two leading organ building firms, we have decided to make a joint offer as a collaboration on this exciting and significant project. We feel that pooling our respective skills, experience, resources and locations makes our joint offering markedly stronger than what either of us could offer independently.The organ will be returned in almost every way to its 1893 condition, including the return of the original pitch, the manufacture of new actions (with three new Barker Lever machines), new console, chests, and much of the wind system, all in a strict replica of the Cavaillé-Coll style. The casework will be returned to its original 1877 appearance."
The organ will be wholly dismantled in the late spring of 2020, and returned to the building for completion by the end of 2023, to coincide in 2024 with the re-opening of this much-loved building. > -
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9 hours ago, Adnosad said:'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.'
Following the announcement by Sheffield Cathedral in September, 2011 that they were no longer interested in acquiring the 1870 Cavaillé-Coll organ in the Parr Hall, Warrington, Dr Gerald Sumner said this ............
'Although the organ is obviously important as the only recognisable survivor of the nine C-C organs built in this country I believe strongly that the organ has a special significance in the entire corpus of the Cavaillé-Coll organs, something that might well be especially important if the disposal of the organ by the Warrington authorities becomes a real threat to its survival. There is no doubt in my mind that this could and should become a major heritage issue in the widest sense.'
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The Liverpool Daily Post - Thursday 19th March, 1914.
PARR HALL ORGAN
Warrington is in need of a first class organ to replace the existing one in the Parr Hall.When this hall was presented to the town by Mr J Charlton Parr, the local musical society transferred the organ in their possession to the Parr Hall.It was then much the worse for wear, and latterly, it has been in such a condition that it has been almost impossible to use it.The Corporation accepted a tender for a first-class instrument, to cost £1,600, but the Local Government Board refused to allow them to borrow the money, and left them with the alternative of taking the cost out of the current year's rates.This idea was brought before the General Purposes Committee and defeated, and the Mayor (Councillor Peacock) approached some of the wealthiest citizens with the view of raising the money by private subscription.The response was rather disappointing, but this week a start has been made with a subscription of £100 from Mrs Parker, of Penketh, and hopes are entertained that this will give a fillip to the movement which the Mayor has initiated.The Widnes Examiner newspaper - Saturday 8th May, 1920.
PARR HALL ORGAN
It is certainly a reflection of the worst kind upon Warrington that the Parr Hall contains an organ that cannot be played.
The instrument is so far gone that it is unequal to the task of providing the blatant kind of noise that would pass for music at a political demonstration.
Many attempts have been made to arouse interest in the question of the provision of an organ that would be at the service of the Musical Society and other bodies who wish to cultivate their special gifts and to provide entertainment for what we are pleased to believe is a musical public.
We have a splendid public hall that is miserably equipped - an illustration on a lamentable scale of the folly of spoiling the ship for the want of a pennyworth of tar.
There have been a good many local war memorials. What of a musical war memorial in the shape of a new organ for the Parr Hall.
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The following article appeared in The Choir publication, 1926.'In the Parr Hall, the largest concert hall in the town, there stands today a derelict organ. It has three manuals covered in dust and shorn of ivory.It is entirely unplayable and looks a miserable object on near view, although the case and the pipes impress the stranger in the body of the hall.It has a history that probably cannot be paralleled in any other town and it is (fortunately) a silent verification of suspended Warrington enterprise.This 'Ichabod' organ was purchased for £155 upon the inauguration of the Musical Society in 1834. It was built by Samuel Renn, of Manchester, and had six stops on the Great and four on the Swell.In 1840, it was removed to the Town Hall. In 1862 it was resolved 'That Messrs. Gray and Davison be requested to value the organ with a view to it being sold as soon as possible.' But nothing was done in the matter, and two years later, when a Public Hall was erected, the organ was enlarged at cost of £500 through the generosity of Mr Joseph Litton, and it was opened by Mr. W T Best in 1865.In 1891, a scheme was brought forward to turn the hall into a theatre, and this necessitated the removal of the organ.No purchaser could be found, and the organ was therefore taken down and stored for three years.In 1895, a new Public Hall was presented to the town of Warrington by Mr Joseph Charlton Parr, who also lent money for the enlargement of the organ in the Hall, where it languishes today, its soul of music shed.After lengthy negotiations, the organ was transferred to the Warrington Council, which (though a valuable asset) had been something of a white elephant.'The Parr Hall was presented to the Borough of Warrington by J. Chorlton Parr on the 26th September 1895. Members of the Warrington Musical Society performed Handel's Grand Oratorio 'Judas Maccabeus' at the afternoon opening.
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Many thanks for sharing this information about the many organs of Paris.
Vincent Hildebrandt not only has this website, but he also has a Facebook page 'Organs of Paris' https://www.facebook.com/OrgansOfParis/
It is a timely reminder for me to share both of these links with the Warrington Cavaillé-Coll Organ Facebook group, where Vincent keeps us up to date with the recitals at the Parisian Churches. https://www.facebook.com/groups/660405240701596/
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Some images and sound-samples* from this unique studio-organ, designed by and built for, internationally-acclaimed teacher, organ consultant, and recitalist, Roger Fisher. Following his retirement from professional engagements, the instrument is now offered for sale. (Guide-price: £8,000.00, with the purchaser responsible for removal.) Interested parties should contact Philip on prushforth539@gmail.com (* Pieces used in the video, in order: Elegy - Harold Darke (1888 - 1976) Méditation - Maurice Duruflé (1902 - 1986) Monologue in C - Josef Rheinberger (1839 - 1901))
The music is played by Roger.
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Some images and sound-samples* from this unique studio-organ, designed by and built for, internationally-acclaimed teacher, organ consultant, and recitalist, Roger Fisher. Following his retirement from professional engagements, the instrument is now offered for sale. (Guide-price: £8,000.00, with the purchaser responsible for removal.) Interested parties should contact Philip on prushforth539@gmail.com (* Pieces used in the video, in order: Elegy - Harold Darke (1888 - 1976) Méditation - Maurice Duruflé (1902 - 1986) Monologue in C - Josef Rheinberger (1839 - 1901))
The music is played by Roger.
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'Two Borough Organists have served Wolverhampton at the Civic Hall, Arnold Richardson (1938--1973) and Steve Tovey (1991--2016), the latter becoming City Organist in 2001. Prior to Steve being appointed organist, the organ was destined for the scrapheap after making no profit to the hall for many years. Steve turned this around when he proved that it could be profitable by holding theatre organ concerts on the organ, which subsidise the classical organ concerts'.
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9 hours ago, Ronald Bayfield said:
Vierne was quite a little man and probably have small hands.
By no means a reply, Ron - but maybe this will be of interest - http://parismuseescollections.paris.fr/fr/musee-carnavalet/oeuvres/mains-de-l-organiste-louis-vierne-jouant-sur-un-orgue-a-cinq-claviers
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1 hour ago, Zimbelstern said:
Looking for any recent news about this organ I found the following in a review of an event held last November:
“WHEN Amy Macdonald told a packed Parr Hall audience on Thursday night that they had been the 'loudest' of her tour, it was easy to believe it. Macdonald performed largely with her guitar and it was her high-tempo renditions of Mr Rock and Roll, This is the Life and encore Poisoned Prince that had the crowd at their loudest, on their feet, clapping along. The three members of her band, on guitar, bass (including a double bass) and piano/percussion, were cleverly used to produce a beautiful sound.
And the decision to use the historic Cavaille-Coll Organ, one of the few remaining pipe organs of its type, as the backdrop to the staging was inspired. It created a beautiful setting to match the simplicity of the arrangements of the songs.
When it is full and bouncing like this, the Parr Hall really shines and it is easy to remember and reflect on its past history.”
Does anyone have any more recent, and more encouraging, news regarding this organ?
I will leave it for you to decide if this is encouraging, or not, Zimbelstern.
Last October, we were able to book the Parr Hall for 4 hours, at a cost of £50.
Those there were Kurt Lueders (Vice-President of the Association Aristide Cavaillé-Coll), Gerald Sumner, David Wells, Ted Tilling, Scirard Lancelyn-Green and myself.
This meeting resulted in the collaboration of Gerald and Kurt, which resulted in a fine monograph about the Warrington organ.
As far as I know, Warrington Borough Council is asking £1.25 million for the Cavaillé-Coll organ, which achieved a Grade One listing by BIOS in June, 2015.
Following my last meeting with Culture Warrington in 2014, I created the Facebook group, 'Warrington Cavaillé-Coll Organ'.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/660405240701596/
Ian Bell did a full report on the condition of the organ for WBC in October, 2011. In it, he recommended that there was a contract of maintenance, as tuning it before a Male Voice Choir concert was far from enough.
I have distributed the copies we ordered to several significant people, in the hope that one day someone will realize how important this instrument is.
The last recital was by Jonathan Kingston on 26th October, 2015.
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2 hours ago, S_L said:
I know it is heresy to say it here but, and I always thought I would be the last person to say this, but I still think a high quality electronic with a first class speaker system that can be used in the Cathedral and outside in the square is the answer!
Or a high quality pipe organ with a first class speaker system, S_L !!
Previous comments about the accompaniment of the liturgy and lack of recitals at Saint Peter's remind me of the little used Cavaillé-Coll/Mutin organ which was once that of le baron Albert d'ilbarritz.
As a Shrine of Perpetual Adoration, the Basilique du Sacré Cœur, Paris does not have recitals, and I understand that those in charge there are said to be indifferent to the instrument. -
Sacrosanctum Concilium: I quote 'In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendour to the Church's ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man's mind to God and to higher things.'
Cavaillé-Coll 's Monumental Organ Project for Saint Peter's, Rome: Bigger Than Them All, by Ronald Ebrecht, tells the engrossing story of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll 's quest to build the largest-ever mechanical-action organ in the biggest church at the time. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cavaille-Colls-Monumental-Organ-Project-Peters/dp/0739184393
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It has recently been pointed out that this organ was built by Isaac Abbott, not Abbott & Smith as first thought.
This is a photo of the name-plate taken at the time of the restoration.
The 1886 organ featured should be described as an Isaac Abbott instrument rather than an Abbott & Smith - like the 1884 Isaac Abbott organ in Arncliffe Parish Church, Upper Wharfedale.
Here is the maker's plate which I photographed in M.Bancelle's workshop.
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I'm afraid that the British, or at least most of them, seem completely uninterested in the organ and its music.
I agree, John.
We have found this to be the case, here in Warrington.
Although the 1870 organ in the Parr Hall is obviously important as the only recognizable survivor of the nine Cavaillé-Coll organs built in this country,
it is strongly believed that the organ has a special significance in the entire corpus of the Cavaillé-Coll organs, something that might well be especially important if the disposal of the organ by the Warrington authorities becomes a real threat to its survival.
There is no doubt in my mind that this could and should become a major heritage issue in the widest sense.
It is ironic that one of the people involved in the removal of the Cragg Vale organ to France is also my co-Admin of the Facebook group
'Warrington Cavaillé-Coll Organ'. Just like Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, he is also from Toulouse.
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Although the 1870 organ in the Parr Hall is obviously important as the only recognizable survivor of the nine Cavaillé-Coll organs built in this country, it is strongly believed that the organ has a special significance in the entire corpus of the Cavaillé-Coll organs, something that might well be especially important if the disposal of the organ by the Warrington authorities becomes a real threat to its survival.
There is no doubt in my mind that this could and should become a major heritage issue in the widest sense.It is ironic that one of the people involved in the removal of the Cragg Vale organ to France is also my co-Admin of the Facebook group
'Warrington Cavaillé-Coll Organ'.
Just like Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, he is also from Toulouse'. -
You may know that Robert Dallam is buried at the west door of New College chapel, Oxford. His gravestone records that he died in Lancaster on the last day of May 1665 at the age of 63. Given that he was not, as far as I know, a resident of Oxford, nor an alumnus of the university, does anyone know how he came to be afforded this honour? Obviously, the Dallam/Harris family undertook a good deal of work in Oxford, including Robert's organ for New College chapel in 1663 and (probably) the chamber organ later bought from the College by Sir John Sutton which is now in the possession of our host, but I wouldn't have thought that a relationship based on trade alone would be a sufficient reason for him to be granted burial there? Any thoughts would be most interesting.
On another note, if anyone might be kindly willing to put me in touch with a copy of Dominic Gwynn's report on the Knole House organ pipework I would be hugely grateful: the link to it on the G&G website is broken. If you haven't yet discovered the Harley Reports available there I recommend a look: lots of invaluable info and made freely available by the good folk at G&G.
Many thanks
Clarabella
This article from The Organ magazine gives us some more information.
The Dallam family originated in Dallam, Near Warrington (then in Lancashire, and now in Cheshire).
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Very pleased to read of this progress. I remember acquainting myself with this instrument twenty-eight years ago at Cragg Vale and enjoying it immensely. It occurred to me that it was actually an Isaac Abbott instrument, with an attractive script-engraved metal nameplate. May it flourish for many decades to come - in a home where it will be appreciated.
http://video-m6info-yahoopartner.tumblr.com/post/142583312967/lot-le-point-dorgue-du-cur%C3%A9
The Inaugural Service of Dedication of this Abbott & Smith organ.
Julie and Geraint Harris were there from Cragg Vale. After the opening concert, both the Bishop - Mgr Laurent Camiade, and organ builder M Bancelles gave an extra couple of pieces.
The photo is of the Bishop.
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Warrington Parr Hall Cavaillé-Coll
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