Rowland Wateridge

Thank you for that clarification. I understood Philip Moore to be referring to dissonance with the octave or sub octave coupler with the unison. Similarly, John Robinson's concern about excessive volume! I was thinking more on the lines of a solo line played in the tenor with solo sub-octave and unison-off. Would that not be useful?

Well, judging by the printed specification they should act on the Tuba Mirabilis. I suppose there might be times when it would be more convenient to play at 16' (or 4') pitch with the unison-off.

John, I think the crosses could be decoration on what appears to be a three-sided chest, and certainly not pipes. If you blow up the picture it shows that the chamades were decorated like the pipes in the main case, although it’s not possible to discern a pattern. In a book which I can’t access at present there is a print of a side-on engraving of the organ with the chamades pointing down the nave - the opposite of the effect at the west end of St Paul’s Cathedral. Surprisingly, a print of that same engraving was sold in an auction by Christie’s in my Hampshire village about 30 years ago, but Christie’s only catalogued it as “View of a transept in a Gothic cathedral” - instantly recognisable as York. Not wishing to divert away from York, there are some other interesting, and rare, photographs in the St Andrews collection, including Salisbury Cathedral’s Father Willis with the backing of the long-discarded Gilbert Scott wrought-iron choir screen, and even more rare photographs of Winchester as it was in the time of S S Wesley with the stone pulpitum still in place. What a pity Wesley did not get his way by placing the organ on the screen. Whatever problems York might have in getting the sound down the nave, I have no doubt that a central screen position is the best to overcome that particular problem.

This might be apocryphal, but I was told by an organist who came with a visiting choir at Winchester that he was asked by the choir to demonstrate the 32’ Contra Bombarde, fondly known locally as “Bertha”. He said that when he did so, the floor in the organ loft literally started to shake. I certainly remember a time when there was a noticeable acoustic rattle in one of the 32’ Open Woods. I haven’t heard it for a long time now, so somehow it was cured. It was a well-known phenomenon at the time and, although I haven’t checked the story with him, I was told that Colin Walsh on a visit improvised a theme on the pedal rattle. That would have been long ago, I suspect when he was at Salisbury.

And another in a small Hampshire village, Fair Oak, where the organ by George Sixsmith, a versatile instrument (of only four ranks, I think), has vertical glass swell shutters.

Thank you. I was wondering in the case of Frank Bridge whether there were any clues, such as the dedicatee of the Three Pieces for Organ, whom he might have consulted. Currently I can't access my copy of John Henderson's invaluable Directory of Composers for Organ, but from an American website discovered that the dedicatee was another Henderson, Archibald Martin Henderson, who had studied in Berlin and held an organist's appointment in Glasgow from 1908 - three years after publication of the Three Pieces, just to complicate things. AMH was also conductor of the Glasgow University Choral Society. So, although no more than a possibility, clearly their paths had crossed.

A further interesting diversion from the topic. How do non-organists adapt to composing and writing on three staves? Has someone written anything about this?

Your PS is what I had assumed. Thank you for filling in the further picture.

If one scrolls down nearly to the bottom, Fraser Gartshore didn’t recognise Norwich Cathedral, thinking it to be ‘a college’, but it’s clear that he and the website are largely orientated in Germany. I was intrigued that the opening YouTube video was from Salisbury Cathedral, and the rather critical comment (in German) about the playing, then discovering that this was on a ‘Hauptwerk’ realisation of Salisbury.

Actually, searching his name on Google brings up seven pages, but not all entries are about him. At first, I wondered whether this was an April 1st thing - there was a splendid one last year, from Contrabombarde, if I remember correctly. But the other websites rule that out. From random dipping in the seven pages, his ‘core repertoire’ does seem rather unorthodox . . .

Very interesting! Curved stop-jambs as in the former H&H console of Manchester Cathedral, and the RFH. Didn’t Ralph Downes specify some modification of the Manchester design for the RFH? I forget the details, and ‘Baroque Tricks’ is in store elsewhere and currently inaccessible. I wonder what was said in the brass plate above the music desk - perhaps information about the original organ and the circumstances of its restoration? More local knowledge needed! Also note the discreet swell-pedal position indicators just below the equally discreet builder’s plate under the music desk.

His name is Fraser Gartshore, and he has a website telling more: frasergartshore.com. Among other things, this tells us that he hails from Scotland, but for 20 years has lived in Germany, and that cars are his other main interest. I must say that I thought some of his driving in the opening shots of the video was a bit hair-raising!

As John Pemberton wrote the organ description in the programme note for Amphion, that information is definitive. The case, of oak with gilt pipes, was an in-house design by Philip H Selfe, principal partner in Forster & Andrews, who designed the organ also.

About 20 years ago, I had an experience like this while playing for a service at a local church in Hampshire - a small, rather nice organ with detached console by George Sixsmith. Strange noises were coming from within the console and something was clearly moving. After the service, a screwdriver was produced and the console back panel removed. Out jumped the vicar’s cat, fortunately unscathed and, equally, no damage done to the console interior. I guess the action was on 12 volts, but there must have been the possibility of potential contact with 240 volts, so both the cat and the organ were fortunate to survive the experience.

I’m not sure whether he writes on here, but the organ’s curator John Pemberton is certain to know the answer - or perhaps one of our Hull expert members can provide this information. I have read that both the organ (in original form) and the case were designed by Philip H Selfe of Forster & Andrews, which would make the case an in-house design.

Angus Smart died during the morning of Maundy Thursday in hospital at Ross-on-Wye. He had recently suffered an accident requiring surgery in hospital at Hereford. At local levels, he had been Secretary and Treasurer of the North Hampshire Organists’ Association and, after retiring to live in Hereford where he was instrumental in inaugurating the Herefordshire Organists‘ Society, he had similar roles and was its Vice-President. He was also a member of the Worcestershire Organists’ Association and, formerly, of the Surrey Organists’ Association. He was admitted to Membership of the Order of St Ethelbert at Hereford Cathedral in 2017. Nationally, he had been prominent in the IAO, accepting the position of Honorary General Treasurer at a difficult time, and very successfully managed its finances. He was a member of the IAO Council and a member of the Board of Management of the IAO Benevolent Fund. He assisted in the early days of the IAO/ RCO ‘London Organ Day’ (as it then was), and was to be seen as a ‘doorkeeper’ at other IAO events and the former Annual Congress. In 2011 at Peterborough Cathedral he received the RSCM Certificate of Special Service. A kind and unassuming man, with meticulous standards, he will be greatly missed at Hereford and beyond. The funeral, which in present circumstances will be private, will take place at Hereford Crematorium on Wednesday 22nd April. The service will be conducted by the Dean of Hereford. The music chosen will be “Nun komm’ der Heiden Heiland” BWV 569, a personal favourite work of Angus', and Fauré’s “In Paradisium”. Later this year, when more normal conditions have returned, there will be an organ recital at Hereford Cathedral in his memory.

There is an illustrated article "The Cathedral Organ Today" on the Cathedral's website (corkcathedrals.web.com). I could be wrong but my impression is that the organ is still partly in 'the pit', but the other changes described by S_L have happened. There is mention of "the full renovation of the pit" but without explanation of the nature of renovation. The 2011-13 re-build was by Trevor Crowe, and the enlarged organ increased the original 3012 pipes to over 4,500. It is now said to be the largest pipe organ in Ireland. The latest (2020) volume of the Pevsner 'Buildings of Ireland' - Cork City and County, specifically mentions the pit and the reason for it. The architect William Burges thought a large organ could be accommodated in a west gallery, without any real idea of the space required. (A century later, Sir Basil Spence made the same mistake at Coventry.) Cork has its RC Cathedral, St Colman's, at Cobh (Cove), and there Pevsner's author describes: "The organ by Telford & Telford has seventy-seven pipes in an oak case". In fairness, he may well mean the visible pipes, but it isn't said explicitly!

They were indeed a remarkable dynasty and, for quick reference, both have worthy biographies on Wikipedia. Freeman Dyson was born at Crowthorne Berkshire while his father George Dyson (later Sir George) was music master at Wellington College. Both moved to Winchester College as music master and scholar respectively and both contributed expertise in the two world wars albeit about the contrasting topics of hand grenades and bomber aircraft formation! It can be said that both were prodigies. George Dyson was the son of a blacksmith and a weaver from Halifax (on an American music publisher's website, I found this referred to as Halifax, Nova Scotia, but they graciously corrected this when it was pointed out that this was Halifax, Yorkshire, England!). George Dyson was FRCO at 16 and had a most distinguished musical career, culminating in Director of the RCM. His works include large-scale orchestral and choral ones as well as the possibly better-known songs and Evening canticles. I can't offer any direct knowledge of Freeman Dyson, but the Wikipedia article gives hints of extraordinary gifts from a very early age, and, in answer to Colin's point, I guess that at Winchester and later Cambridge he was exposed to exceptional artistic and intellectual environments. Later, moving to America, he reached the pinnacle of a scientific career there. In their different fields, both were men of outstanding distinction.

Her programme was of recorded music in many different genres, and lasted two hours. As stated above, it was a very varied range of music and performances. Very self-effacingly, Rachel Mahon only included one track of her own playing on the superlative H&H organ at Coventry Cathedral. Others may wish to expand on the repertoire which she chose, She also came across as a superb presenter with informed introductions and explanations of musical terms, and wide and well-rounded musical tastes. Congratulations to Coventry on appointing her.

I only had the pleasure of hearing her once in a live performance when she gave the re-opening recital on the Royal Festival Hall organ in 2014. Very elegant, stylish and polished playing is the best that I can describe it. Her programme inevitably included Bach, her personal speciality Messiaen, a Mendelssohn Sonata and, most memorably, a wonderfully spiritual reading of Franck’s A minor Choral - also his musical last will and testament. RIP.

Fantastic - it was, indeed. Virtuoso performances both by Catherine Ennis and the organ which seems to have transplanted so successfully to Orford from the Turner Sims Hall where I can never recall it sounding as wonderful as this. In its new home a worthy memorial to both Professor Evans who inspired it and Peter Collins who built it.

Thank you both. Colin has summarised in this sentence what caused my question : as a non-physicist having only a vague recollection of nodes and anti-nodes from physics lessons more than 60 years ago, and distant memories also of diagrams of standing waves patterns.

I asked the question as I harboured doubts that a pipe constructed in several sections with tongue and groove joints would possess the same characteristics as a 32’ pipe of full-length timber with joints only along its length. I wonder whether Colin Pykett has a view on this. One accepts that H&H must know what they are doing. It just struck me as an unusual innovation, particularly in such an important organ as Canterbury. It does have a very obvious advantage in being much easier to assemble and install on site, overcoming the kind of transport issues which faced William Hill at Birmingham and Father Willis at Liverpool.

They are of full length timber. I wonder whether there are any tonal implications in the resulting sound of 32’ wooden pipes joined in sections as at Canterbury (and, we are told, Leiden) by comparison with full length timber ones. I do now have a faint recollection of there being cast iron 32’ pipes at St George’s Hall. Awkward to make and awkward to install, I would have thought. Anyway, their present successors are very handsomely decorated and an impressive feature of the organ.

Only this week, sitting in the audience at St George’s Hall, Liverpool, I was admiring the Father Willis metal Pedal 32’ Double Open Diapason which features so prominently in the case. I could not detect any visible joins in the largest pipes (nor any signs of sagging or buckling, and they are 165 years old). It would still be intriguing to know how they were transported to Liverpool in 1855. I have always assumed that they were made in London, or is it possible that Willis made them on site or in a nearby workshop? Does anyone know? That question equally applies to the full-length 32’ open wood which he also supplied. One gets just a glimpse of the tops of those pipes which are inside the organ.