Phoneuma

I'd be pretty wary of Lebrecht, he isn't really regarded as very accurate in his reporting. However, there are other organs there, not least the St Paul's Wood organ. I believe there has been a dwindling number of student organists over the years. I'm sure his comments regarding the HCMF are not realiable although it has been scaled back somewhat since Covid.

Before I pen any biographical titbits may I firstly thank Martin for giving us all a shove on the forum. It seems to have worked well and it would be a shame to lose this valuable resource. I can't exactly pinpoint where it all started but it began when our next-door-neighbour asked my father if he'd like their Kastner Pianola. Dad played a little, having learnt from tonic sol-fa years before and he could get around the piano reasonably well (mostly popular songs from the 30s and 40s). He had a good ear and asked us if anyone would like to learn the piano, I volunteered. Derby was an interesting and quite musical city then (recently, Melvyn Bragg described it as a cultural dessert which is not far off really). I was eleven at the time. About two or three years later I expressed an interest in learning the organ and we attended the local Baptist Church, Broadway Baptist, which had a very decent three manual Atkins rebuilt from the old church into a brand new building in 1939. It had fine acoustics and the instrument could make a very grand sound in there. I'll name my very first teacher, partly because he will be unknown and mostly because I still regard him as the greatest start I could ever wish for. Norman Hendley was a fine organist, he himself would say he was no recitalist but he could trot out the Boellmann Suite with panache and accuracy. He was also the kindest and most patient man and we went through Stainer's Organ Primer methodically but at some speed. After a while Norman recommended that I might change teacher as he thought I needed to go to the next level. Now that, to me, was a very humble admission but he said that he couldn't really go much further, such humility. I moved on, to the then Head of Music at the Grammar School I attended in Derby. Another good move, David Johnson knew his stuff and was very fine musician. I also had the good fortune to meet and maintain contact with the madly eccentric Wallace Ross from Derby Cathedral. A fine musician with an impeccable pedigree, I'd see him regularly after I'd been to college as we conveniently shared the same local, the Victoria Hotel in Derby. Having realised I might even be able to go on to higher things I applied to some universities via UCAS. I'd also received some sound advice that I might also try for some other places. Birmingham School of Music – didn't get in there......But Huddersfield seemed attractive so I went and failed my interview there as well. However, I managed to persuade them to give me another try after scraping some rather better A Levels than I perhaps deserved. Donald Webster interviewed me and I got in. This was 1976. Huddersfield in the 70s was really rather good with an excellent if rather eccentric roster of lecturers and instrumental teachers including Harold Truscott and Arthur Butterworth. On arrival I was asked if I'd like to do percussion second study instead of piano so I gave that a go, which was another very good move as I had the good fortune to be taught by the enormous bear-like Eric Wooliscroft from the Halle. I'm afraid that my enthusiasm for the organ then began to wane rapidly. I won't name my first organ teacher there but he was terribly pedantic, pompous and de-motivating (and bore a real grudge when I asked to be transferred to Keith Jarvis instead). KJ was far more interesting and we shifted a fair amount of repertoire. However, I was enjoying ensemble music so much I eventually ditched the organ, moved to percussion first study and then piano second study, another good move! Huddersfield then was remarkably flexible and they really did want students to be happy in their studies and select / elect their strongest suits. Some years later (I'd left in 1979 and the recession hit hard although I managed to always be in some sort of work), I did my PGCE and spent the next 24 years teaching in selective boys grammar schools firstly in Gloucester and then in Skipton. The organ then featured quite prominently for Founders' Day services and the like. I eventually quit playing regularly around seven years ago, it's always been very love / hate! Innate of this forum will recognise some of this as he also hails from Derby. We've crossed paths a couple of times since (once in Oxford and once in Gloucester when he was a member of Piano Circus).

Having played now and again at Derby Cathedral I’ll fully concur about those Compton luminous stop controls. I do hope they keep them, an ergonomic delight.

I didn’t know the Boyce, wish I did, what a super piece

Yes, the Panufnik was good, and I rather liked that Richard Strauss Fanfare, solid brass playing.

I think you’re too kind - it lacked almost anything memorable. The rest of the music was excellent, rather taken with the Panufnik Sanctus. Roderick Williams outclassed Terfel by a mile (the latter was all over the place and sounded way past his best - I wouldn’t think singing with your arms folded is much help either).

I’m in total agreement with both of your points here!

I think a Tam Tam might take the decibel welt, who cares!

Makes a refreshing change from some organ recitals I’ve endured which were rather like this……

Knockout stuff! Great to see an audience of 5000 taken totally by surprise by that immense wall of sound. She’s enjoying every second of that.

I don’t post as much as I used to but I still come here only because it still has that balance of knowledge, decent debate and good manners. Forums come and go but I’m pleased this one has survived, albeit somewhat shrunk. For those wondering about ‘that FB site’ the very latest ‘post’ (comparing DACs to donkeys) epitomises the lowest common denominator Colin mentions.

I see very little worthwhile ‘debate’ at all. A useful place but inhabited by closed mindsets, instances of shutting down inconvenient ‘chats’ and , in the end, its public presence does organists no favours at all. That’s FB for you, a mixture of some good information shovelled into a cesspit.

I can see why this instrument means so much to many. However, ‘the die is cast’ and the chosen course seems irreversible. I’m not interested in the views on the risible FB site, a veritable cess pit of so-called opinion. It’s interesting that the builders do contribute there, in some detail and with polite language. But they shouldn’t be the ones having to defend the decision to replace the organ. The phrase ‘wanton destruction’ is not helpful here, it serves to perpetuate what has turned into a very polarised debate. The idea of a Code of Conduct is very laudable but it would need real teeth to have any influence and I can’t see that would be the case. The HOC scheme is an important register but remains only that, it’s perhaps a pity that it doesn’t really contain any clout. The steady decline in attendees at CoE services, the elimination of many choirs and difficulty in recruiting are all major contributory factors. Mind you, the recent changes in recruiting girl choristers (St John’s College, Chichester and now Hereford) can only be a positive move.

Was the organ specifically built as part of the memorial?

How wonderful to hear Dave again - thanks so much Peter, I’ll keep an eye on that Soundcloud site. I can remember the Fulda session from a Doncaster visit - Dave’s ‘mucking about’ was often way ahead of some more professional attempts I’ve had to endure. Always full of clever and oblique references and played with a huge twinkle in his eye when you got it. Thanks again Peter.