John Robinson
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Posts posted by John Robinson
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22 hours ago, James Bradley said:
This, presumably.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-53951730
"Monks at Downside Abbey have decided to leave their home.
The abbey, in Somerset, was affiliated with Downside School, which was highlighted in an Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA).
The review found "appalling abuse" was inflicted on pupils and the institution tried to cover it up.
A spokesman said the 12 Benedictine monks had spent six years "reflecting with sorrow on failures in the care for children"."
Oh dear. I hadn't been aware of that, though of course it isn't the first such accusation levelled at the RC church.
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6 hours ago, John Morris said:
This extract: "The last six years have given the Downside Community time to reflect with sorrow on failures in the care for children entrusted to them" raises concerns in my mind. I wonder what, exactly, they are referring to.
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6 hours ago, contraviolone said:
The name of the merged company from 1st October 2020 will be Mander Organs.
Exactly what I was hoping for.
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23 hours ago, contraviolone said:
I think the point John is that Mander Organs has been 'resurrected'. It will just be under different management.
No, I meant the Mander organ building company.
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21 hours ago, John Pike Mander said:
I sincerely hope the website and forum can be preserved!
John
I'm sure we all echo that. Wow! What a turn up for the books!
I hope I'm not expecting too much but perhaps to follow this good news wouldn't it be great if, after this covid thing is long gone, there is a possibility that Mander Organs might be resurrected? -
I joined the new forum, and I am grateful that someone has stepped in to continue the good work of this, the Mander forum, should it cease to exist.
I shall also be pleased to continue to visit this forum for as long as it continues and thank those generous people responsible for its upkeep over all these years. -
36 minutes ago, Contrabombarde said:
Once again I would like to thank John Mander for the foresight in setting this wonderful discussion medium up in the first place.
I'd like to second that.
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I'd be as happy as anyone if this forum could somehow be allowed to continue as is, or perhaps be replaced by a similar one as has been suggested by several people.
However, I see there has been no further comment about an existing forum - 'Organ Matters - Organs Matter!' - which someone suggested a couple of pages ago (sorry, but I can't remember who first mentioned it). That site lives right next to this one in my list of tabs at the top of my Chrome browser. I look at it every day, only to find (sadly) that hardly anyone ever posts on it!
I'd like to suggest, once again, that if all else fails we could rely on that site to provide what we have lost.
One should never look a gift horse in the mouth! -
13 hours ago, Tony Newnham said:
There's always "organ Matters" (https://www.organmatters.com/) run by David Pinnegar. I'm one of the moderators.
Every Blessing
Tony
Yes. I have it as one of my 'tabs' and have a look every day.
Unfortunately, every time I look no-one has posted! Of course, with our help that could change!
On the other hand, this forum is still going, thankfully, and may yet continue.
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I'd like to thank Darius for an excellent recital yesterday. I listened to it yesterday evening, on 'catch-up' (I think it's called), but haven't before today been able to write my congratulations on a fantastic display not only of interesting pieces skilfully played, but also the magnificent town hall organ. It has been several years since I have had the opportunity to attend the lunchtime recitals, but hopefully these may begin again when these 'lock downs' are over.
If anyone here is interested, I believe it is still available on the web site Darius provided above. -
12 hours ago, Jonathan Lane said:
This is not the evidence I am reading. Shouting caries the droplets much further, but singing (properly, and I'm not saying all choirs do so) does not send them as far as loud speaking, such as reading a lesson. However, it is developing science!
I agree. 'Marge' and some of her choir members have experimented with a candle.
Er... please bear with me. 😉
A lit candle is held in front of the mouth. With normal speech, the flame is extinguished. Singing, however, does not extinguish the flame. I think that must prove something. -
7 hours ago, Christopher Brown said:
Part of the problem at Southwell compared with some others mentioned is the acoustic asymmetry of the building. Apart from the crossing you have a long dry nave on one side and a more intimate and reverberant chancel on the other. If you did manage to voice an organ on the screen to have impact in the nave it would then be intolerably harsh in the choir. Lincoln, York etc still have the issue of the organ being off centre, but because the buildings themselves are relatively symmetrical the organist and organ builder between them can overcome the difficulties well enough for a single organ to be viable
Yes, the same problem was mentioned quite a while ago with regard to York: the organ being loud enough to fill the nave would be overwhelming in the choir. I think it was probably Francis Jackson.
I don't doubt the great man's words, but organs need not always 'roar', surely? I have often thought, and of course I stress that I am no organist or expert, that it must be possible to select appropriate stops to handle a nave full of people, yet to choose fewer stops to accompany a smaller number of people in the choir.
Of course, if both choir and nave are used concurrently, the problem may be more difficult, but how often is this actually the case? I understood that (at York anyway) services and recitals are usually held in the choir OR the nave.Am I mistaken?
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Terrible news. Let's hope that somebody, somewhere can come up with the goods.
Covid cannot last for ever, and when the problem is past we shall, once again need organs building and maintaining.
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7 hours ago, DariusB said:
Leeds Town Hall organ returns after lockdown (online only, but we cautiously expect that we can have a socially-distanced audience for the start of the main season in September).
It's next Saturday at 1pm - details here, and this is also where you will be able to listen to the concert:
Best wishes to all
Darius
Thank you. Bookmarked! An interesting programme.
Any further news about the proposed rebuild of the LTH organ? Any definite specification?
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I remember many years ago a certain dean from a certain cathedral in Bradford making a mistake that I presume he must have seriously regretted afterwards.
You'd think a person in that position would have the sense to think before acting. -
8 hours ago, Contrabombarde said:
Some photographs of the damage from the Diocesan website here.
Choir organ seems intact minus what appears to have been its detached console:
Remains of main organ:
Authorities said to be investigating arson as fires broke out in three separate locations including both organs and a church volunteer who was responsible for locking up is reportedly being investigated.
So another 'organ hater' then?
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11 hours ago, DaveHarries said:
Both confirmed by Reuters. One local prosecutor has said that "three fires had been started at the site". Perhaps it is possible that someone somehow stayed in the cathedral overnight somehow but you would think that the building would be checked over at locking up time. Organ was by Cliquot (1784) and others. IV/74/104.
Exactly the same thing that happened at York Minster in 1829, with the exception that the organ which was destroyed in that case was by Blythe (1803) and ?bits of Bernard Smith (1691), and the case by Dallam.
The original choir stalls went as well.
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On 15/07/2020 at 12:10, Dafydd y Garreg Wen said:
Whilst public worship is now permitted in Wales the use of the organ is not.
“You are advised only to play musical instruments that are not blown into. Playing organs which require air to be pushed through the mechanism should be avoided.“
Yes. Nonsense.
I mentioned elsewhere on this forum that I have been watching weekly organ recitals from Cologne Cathedral on YouTube. I think it has now been five, and each is by a different organist. There has been quite a wide range of composers and few, if any, of the more hackneyed pieces.
I am fortunate to be able to watch this on our large TV set with a good sound system, using a Firestick.Incidentally, the cathedral appears to be well populated for these recitals, though sensible 'distancing' is applied.
If Cologne can do it, why can't Wales? Silly over-reaction, I suppose.
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4 hours ago, Cornet IV said:
I met Jane several times through a mutual friend living in Pont Street. Apart from being an excellent organist, she was unusually attractive and good fun
I'm sorry she's gone.
So am I.
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I have never heard anything so ridiculous.
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10 hours ago, Rowland Wateridge said:
perhaps the more telling experience was at the opening of the new Tickell organ at Manchester Cathedral, attended by all the great and the good of the north-west, Lord-Lieutenant and every mayor from Lancashire it seemed.
Just an aside, but I was at that event when a nice lady asked me where the speakers are!
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Not wishing to be intentionally disagreeing, but I love the Reubke sonata. One of my favourite pieces. As I understand it, he died before his time and had he lived for longer I'm sure he would have produced many more brilliant pieces.
As for Widor, he wrote an excellent mass. Again, one of my favourites.Still, as they say, there's no accounting for taste!
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10 hours ago, Cantoris said:
re BBC Organs. What a sad nation we are. Radio France gets a new Auditorium Concert Arena in Paris in 2014. Gonzales installs a 4 manual, 5320 pipe instrument with 2 consoles about 2016!! But not just that Paris gets a new Philharmonic Concert Hall (several chambers), complete with large 6055 pipe organ by Reiger. Both locations and organs built about the same time. See Youtube.
I find it sad that organs don't seem to deserve much public following in this country. Certainly not to compare with Germany and the Netherlands, or even France.
Who can we blame? Well, the public, I suppose?
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23 hours ago, DaveHarries said:
Cologne Cathedral's organ can be seen here but, unfortunately, not from the loft. I wonder how Google would go about adding images although clearly it is possible for users to do so as shown by this one - https://goo.gl/maps/AWjPSFYDNtpxk5Gn6 - which has been added by a user. If I find myself in Cologne again it would be tempting to ask if I can do a panorama from the organ loft. The view of the cathedral interior would be as splendid to see as the organ itself is to hear!
Dave
I agree about the Cologne Cathedral organ, with which I have had a long-term interest, and it does produce an excellent sound.
On that matter, there is a broadcast on Facebook tomorrow and weekly thereafter at 1845. Excellent close-ups of the player in action, of course!
https://www.domradio.de/web-tv/orgelfeierstunde-drittes-konzert
I watch these on Facebook using Amazon Firestick on our TV with good quality sound, though it should be possible to do it on a computer. Incidentally, it states 2000, but that is 1900 our time of course!
EDIT:
My apologies. I have just 'tuned in' to watch this evening's recital and find that it actually starts bang on 1900 (our time).
Downside Abbey
in General discussion
Posted
Well, I can't see it becoming a carpet warehouse, as has actually happened with some disused churches!
I'm not sure how 'populated' such a large building could become, though, bearing in mind the lack of any areas of large population in the neighbourhood.