Rowland Wateridge
-
Posts
705 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by Rowland Wateridge
-
-
I think this information about Johannesburg City Hall is now more than two years old (maybe someone else has something more up to date). I confess I haven’t read Colin’s lengthy link to see if it’s mentioned there.
As observed on an earlier thread, it’s not very complimentary about Henry Willis 4 and 5’s work … …
-
Details of the Memorial Service in Ireland for Stanley have been announced. This is to be held at St. Ann's Church, Dawson Street, Dublin 2 on Thursday, November 9th at 7:30 pm.
-
2 hours ago, S_L said:
I also wonder how many on here actually get to play for Evensong on a regular basis.
Sadly no longer, due to a combination of health issues and old age. But, together with Matins, this was my most rewarding playing experience for three-plus decades in small country churches. Of course Andrew Butler hits the nail on the head. My experience was inevitably different from the Cathedral not many miles away.
In answer to Martin’s original question, always something quiet and reflective before the service and appropriate to the season. I was lucky in having congregations who were respectfully silent before the service (is this so unusual?); people who possibly only met at church in far-flung rural communities understandably greeted and chatted after the service! My last church had an ancient and venerable reed organ, full compass of course, with inevitable limitations but, manuals-only arrangements of e.g., one of the JSB attributed Shorter Preludes, works by Brahms, Karg-Elert and others provided something the right length, and occasionally someone would come and thank the organist!
-
Pedantic, possibly, but I can’t believe that the Weymouth organ has plastic drawstop knobs. They surely must be ivory. As I said earlier, the family likeness of these early Harrison consoles is unmistakable.
In recent years there has been discussion that H&H have lost (mislaid?) the standard dimensions of their traditional consoles which Vox Humana and PCND 5584, among others, declared to be the most comfortable. Currently one can see on the H&H website the naked frame carcass of the Winchester console at Durham, so it should be an easy matter to take accurate measurements: possibly that has been done.
-
Here’s another, originally 1927 with 16 speaking stops, and equally of Rolls Royce and Bentley calibre in a superb acoustic: St Alban, Hindhead, Surrey.
Compare photographs with St John’s Weymouth: almost twins, and indeed the consoles of all the other organs above. It’s many years since I played St Alban’s, courtesy of the late Brian Hunter, then organist, former President of the Surrey Organists’ Association and Secretary and Honorary Solicitor to the Organists’ Benevolent League.
https://www.npor.org.uk/survey/N13756
One of the advantages of this Board is discovering an old thread like this one, albeit several years after the preceding final entry.
-
I think I have tracked down Stanley’s final recital at St Modwen’s (what I was looking for when I chanced on the anatomy books). Details to follow, possibly another day, when transcribed.
-
19 minutes ago, sbarber49 said:
I thought it was improvising until I saw there was a copy
There is some minuscule printed text at the foot of the final pages of the score. I can’t decipher it with my basic IT equipment, and it might be nothing more than a copyright notice, but others here with better facilities might have more success.
-
I’m not sure whether we have mentioned that Stanley was also an author, five books published, I believe, his magnum opus being “Cranial Nerves: Functional Anatomy”. Also “Master Medicine: Clinical Anatomy”. Interesting to note that these are currently advertised for sale in USA.
I chanced on this when searching for something quite different, and Waterstone’s supplied this further potted professional biography:
One time examiner at Royal Colleges of Surgeons of England, Ireland; Universities of Nottingham, Leeds, Newcastle upon Tyne, London, Belfast, Dublin (Trinity College), National University of Ireland, King AbdulAziz University (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia), Amman (Jordan), King Faisal University (Dammam, Saudi Arabia).
On top of what we already knew, what a remarkable man!
-
There is a village named Hele, north-east of Exeter.
Google links numerous websites on the subject of Hele as a surname, but all agree that it appears to be of Anglo-Saxon origin and dominant in Devon and adjacent counties. The same is largely true of the output of Hele’s as organbuilders, but they are also widely represented by their instruments elsewhere.
For the place name this one is possibly most authoritative:
http://epns.nottingham.ac.uk/browse/id/53284f0ab47fc4097e000aa0
-
1 hour ago, Martin Cooke said:
Well, this 'pronunciation of Hele' thread has certainly grown legs!
Yes, in best traditions of the Board. I thought I might add something about Hele themselves. They were a prolific builder in the West Country and beyond. I confess I was unaware that the name still exists as ‘Midland Organ, Hele & Company’. My trusty 1922 edition of ‘The Dictionary of Organs and Organists’ (I’m aware that there are earlier editions) contains a full-page advertisement for Hele & Company Ltd of Plymouth, Managing Director J C Hele, BMus Oxon, FRCO, and three other directors named Hele. They advertised new organs “of any size, for any purpose” as well as their other services of reconstruction, repairs, cleaning and tuning. On the last point, they proudly state “Tuners of the organs in the Cathedrals of Winchester, Chichester and Exeter”. They also describe themselves as “Consulting organ architects and Specialists in tone production”.
Mr J C Hele held seven organist’s appointments in Plymouth and Devonport from 1873 to 1918 - a hands-on organist and organ builder!
I remember the firm producing a small free-standing organ with full length pipes either side of the central console which was regularly advertised last century in Organists’ Review.
Their considerable output is listed on NPOR - 644 listings - not checked for detail.
Of the cathedrals, they added some couplers at Exeter, but no tonal work evidently. Their substantial 1905 additions at Winchester were subsequently considered controversial and almost totally discarded in the 1986-88 rebuild by H&H, with the exception of their 32’ Bombarde which, paradoxically, is possibly their best known individual stop. They had rebuilt Chichester Cathedral organ in 1904 and that has generally been hailed as a successful and sympathetic restoration. It may well have been the catalyst for their appointment at Winchester one year later.
-
Interesting! We once had a discussion about the pronunciation of Ley, as in Henry Ley, raised by Vox Humana (incidentally it seems a long time since we heard from him). I largely relied on Lionel Dakers’ recollection of HL visiting St George’s Chapel, Windsor, and you confirmed ‘Lee’ as correct. I have only ever heard Hele pronounced as ‘heel’. This time I rely on Roy Massey!
-
A complex subject, but like most others it seems, I was ‘hooked’ at an early age, probably around seven years, when my father took me to a service at Winchester Cathedral. As young as that, I was enchanted by the variety of sound and especially what I now know to be swell reeds - ‘full swell’, in fact, as recounted by Gordon Reynolds in his book of the same name. This was so long ago (late 1940s) as to be in the reign of Dr Harold Rhodes as Cathedral organist - I suppose in those austere post-war years he might have been playing; assistants were very short on the ground and organ scholars, I think, unknown then in places like Winchester. My grandmother’s house in Winchester was literally next door to an organbuilder’s workshop: Bishops of Winchester and Bournemouth, prominently signed on the entrance doors (they are still there, now converted into a private house). This was a local firm, no connection with the nationally-known London one. A Bishop family member was still active in organbuilding locally until recently. The sound of organs being tuned and worked on permeated my grandmother’s house and one day I encountered the workshop foreman who generously invited a small boy to come inside. I suppose this would be organbuilding at its most basic, but it was a veritable Aladdin’s cave. Next, back in Surrey where we then lived, I was shown the 1861 Walker in our parish church, then still in much 1850/1854 original state with just an electric motor to operate the bellows: the bellows handle continued to operate at the same time! Shortly after this came the first opportunity to play the organ, and this became almost daily for a group of boys from our C of E primary school during the lunch hour under the eye of a teacher who also used the time to rehearse music for his Sunday services in an RC church elsewhere!
A move to an Anglo-Catholic parish introduced me to a lovely 1922 Nicholson which in my teens I was allowed to play after Evensong when everyone had left the church. Then a very long hiatus with no playing at all other than the piano at home. Marriage had brought me back to Winchester and my wife casually mentioned to the local organists’ association secretary that I was an organ fanatic. I was rapidly pressed into membership and joining the ‘deputy rota’. My very first service included a Communion setting and some decidedly (to me) avant-garde music for which I was totally unprepared. But these years as the male equivalent of Organists’ Review’s ‘Corno Dolce’ proved to be very rewarding, and my experiences in country churches were quite the equal of Corno Dolce’s: sometimes intractable instruments (one of them is included in the thread “The worst organ in the World” although I don’t agree with that opinion), eccentric clerics, including a retired Irish bishop, and wardens, insects and birds flying overhead - a different scenario from our urban brethren’s experiences. I had a lesson from the association secretary who had press-ganged me, but sadly he was killed in a road accident shortly afterwards. This led to a series of unexpected developments: succeeding him as secretary and eventually president of the association.
So I found myself playing services (sometimes in three different churches on Sunday in the early years), still struggling with Communion settings, whilst Matins and Evensong became second nature and, for me, the most rewarding experiences personally. I played for services in some 32 different churches over the years. These included St George’s Cathedral Jerusalem and a parish church in Pennsylvania. Many other organs played on visits elsewhere (at least 15, I think) including Exeter and Winchester Cathedrals, the latter two very badly I have to confess. The pattern changed and service playing became more regular and some long term. Finally, before ‘retirement’ in 2020 it was just one service of Matins and one Evensong in two tiny and incredibly beautiful ancient churches.
-
For the virtuoso players there is Mendelssohn’s “Overture to St Paul” which opens with his majestic harmonisation of “Wachet auf”. I have heard magisterial performances by Thomas Trotter, most memorably at Birmingham Town Hall (how on earth did Sean Rafferty have such a distorted idea of that organ?) and at the opening of the new Tickell organ of Manchester Cathedral.
The audience reaction at the latter was particularly interesting. I guess that very few present were organ aficionados - the great and good of the region were very prominent! - and I felt the unfamiliarity with some of the repertoire was obvious, people slightly restless in their seats looking straight ahead and that kind of thing. There was a visible reaction to the opening bars of “St Paul”: people sat up and it was undoubtedly the highlight of that special occasion.
Of course, there’s also Reger … …
-
Well, here’s a surprise. It is, or was when still a church, Grade II listed. It seems surprising that Pevsner apparently missed it. It turns up on Wikipedia’s entry for ‘Listed buildings in Greetland and Stainland’, which, incidentally, possesses the astonishing number of 144 listed buildings. Obviously local knowledge of the history and geography of this area is essential. You will need to scroll a very long way down to find it, but these are the details:
1880-1882 The church, later used for other purposes, has Gothic and Romanesque features, it is built in stone with sandstone dressings, and has a slate roof. The church consists of a nave and a chancel under a single roof with a clerestory, north and south aisles, and a west tower incorporating a porch. The tower has three stages, clasping buttressesthat rise to octagonal pinnacles, and a short octagonal spire. The windows along the sides of the church have round heads, and the east window consists of three lancets.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listed_buildings_in_Greetland_and_Stainland
-
1 hour ago, peter ellis said:
Great building too.
I’m certain that such a significant church would have had an entry in Pevsner’s ‘Buildings of England’ - very few slipped through the net, although Pevsner rarely mentioned organs. Unfortunately the original editions of my Yorkshire volumes are currently in store, so I cannot help on that. Can any other readers check this?
-
I think we are almost certainly referring here to Martin Lee-Browne (note spelling) until recently Chairman of the Delius Society and author of “Delius and his Music” with co-author Paul Guinery, a familiar BBC name, and contributions by Sir Mark Elder: published by Boydell & Brewer Ltd. I don’t know any current contact details, but with Martin Cooke enthusiastically urging all of us to be enterprising, I’m sure someone will be able to follow up further leads!
-
Austin was certainly a prolific composer and versatile musician.
Sharing S_L’s reservations about Wikipedia (although I frequently participate there as an editor), in fact the Organ Sonata is listed under compositions with the date “1935 (?)”, confirming the dedication to Percy Whitlock, and finally “MS” suggesting that it is unpublished. It’s possible that the Whitlock connection could be a fruitful source of further information. Malcolm Riley is the acknowledged Whitlock expert.
-
On 28/09/2023 at 15:01, S_L said:
I think the likes of Ann Lapwood are making huge strides towards bringing the organ into a more mainstream arena. But did you notice that her 'Proms' programme drew no comments from members here? And the vitriol towards her on another site, largely from organists is shameful.
Fortunately today the BBC has made amends with this tribute to Anna Lapwood:
-
14 minutes ago, sotto said:
What is the sample set?
This has been mentioned on an earlier thread (which I can’t immediately locate), but the answer as I remember was Hereford and a comment that there couldn’t be a better choice.
-
21 hours ago, S_L said:
Perhaps this belongs in 'Are we dying on our feet?'
Absolutely not! “Grosser Gott” is included in Gotteslob (or at least one edition). Moreover there is a website ‘Das Gotteslob online’ - German of course - which was a fresh discovery today. So these ‘diversions’ can be instructive! I’m sure there will be much more for people who wish to search.
https://gotteslob.katholisch.de/?name=Grosser+Gott&sbid=&thema=&sortdir=ASC
-
A digression in the best traditions of this Board. “Holy God we praise Thy name” is sung in most RC churches; it regularly features in televised masses from Ireland and USA. In USA it is also widely sung by other denominations.
The tune “Grosser Gott” was borrowed by Hymns Ancient and Modern for John Keble’s hymn “Sun of my Soul, Thou Saviour Dear” and given the name ‘Hursley’, the parish where Keble was vicar (and where I happen to live). Hursley is still found as the name of the tune in some US hymnals.
In the 1937 US ‘musical film’ “Heidi” a very young Shirley Temple with her screen Grandfather sang “Holy God we praise Thy name”. This was officially credited by the film makers as ‘Hursley by John Keble’ - they had obviously worked from a ‘Protestant’ hymn book!
Back in England (or possibly Scotland) Sir Herbert Oakeley disapproved of ‘Hursley’ as the tune for “Sun of my Soul”, considering it banal (if not that exact word) and composed as the substitute ‘Abends’ which, indeed, is the tune now most used where Keble’s beautiful hymns are still sung.
-
5 hours ago, Paul Isom said:
… … where can I get hold of a copy of this hymn book?
‘Gotteslob’ can be purchased from Germany via Amazon UK, but I’m not able to establish whether in a full harmony music edition.
Not sure whether it would meet your exacting criteria, but as an alternative to ‘Gotteslob’ eBay UK has several copies of ‘The Lutheran Hymnal’ for sale. I have only looked at one, leather bound and very reasonably priced. It is a US publication with translations of the German chorales in English (mostly quoting the original German first line) and appears to be a full harmony edition. Hope this helps. Certainly worth a look.
-
I’m not sure that there is a hard and fast rule in the C of E in the context of Communion. A quick look at ‘Common Worship’ did not provide any answer. It is certainly not specified as obligatory. But The Episcopal Church (i.e., the Anglican Church in America) agrees with you: “Gloria Patri is seldom used after the gradual psalm at the eucharist”. Accordingly its use there is certainly not invariable. TEC is quite clear that, as with the BCP, it always follows recitation of the psalm(s) at Morning and Evening Prayer.
Inclusion of a psalm in the Communion service by the C of E was a relatively ‘recent’ innovation and largely follows modern Roman Catholic liturgy. I have never heard Gloria Patri sung after a responsorial psalm in any RC service.
-
25 minutes ago, SomeChap said:
I hope and trust that our late friend would have approved of, or at least tolerated, us wondering off at a tangent on his thread ...
I’m sure he would. Here’s a photograph of St Modwen’s case, from the same source as St Paul’s. I strongly suspect that Stanley was responsible for both descriptions. Incidentally, as you say, it must be quite exceptional for an organist/ vicar to have two organs with cases of this quality.
https://www.theburtonthree.com/st-modwens-church/
It’s clear that Stanley had a special affection for St Paul’s; he used to refer to St Modwen’s as “the Civic Church”, and I remember some trenchant comments about the civic dignitaries. There was/ is an organ recital series at St Modwen’s and I recall that Stanley was scheduled to play in it, but that fell victim to Covid ‘lockdown’.
This thread, with an astonishing 2,200+ ‘views’, surely contradicts all the pessimism on the other latest thread and thoughts of closing down. I have asked myself why this exceptional interest, and have concluded that it can only be recognition of an exceptional person.
20 Stop Harrisons
in The Organ
Posted
The history of this organ isn’t particularly easy to follow. For the 1927 (1928?) specification see:
https://www.npor.org.uk/survey/N09909
The organ has a magnificent case variously stated to be by Abraham Jordan 1726 (A00469), or unnamed 1780 (N09909), and virtually ignored in the latest survey (E01126) - just “en fenêtre”!
There’s a photograph on E01126. Can it possibly be right, as stated there, that as late as 2005 H&H lowered the case by 250 mm?
Edit
I should have checked H&H’s website! This explains everything:
https://www.harrisonorgans.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Abingdon-2021.pdf