Jump to content
Mander Organ Builders Forum

P DeVile

Members
  • Posts

    149
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Recent Profile Visitors

3,322 profile views

P DeVile's Achievements

Member

Member (2/3)

0

Reputation

  1. Oh dear Paul, Andrew got there just before the event really and did a wonderful job with the choir but at the moment for that one occasion. Anna Lapwood has been seriously important in raising the organ/choral game to the general public. She has done more to get young people interested - particularly women. Peter
  2. I was at the recital and it was wonderful. The HNB sound has been retained with the 1970s pipework replaced with new but in the original 1942 type of voicing. Having looked after the organ for the best part of 30 years I was hugely impressed with how the sound now properly speaks both ways from the screen. Well done H&H!
  3. This was taken by me in 1978 in Kingsway Hall
  4. I can confirm this - he has retired as far as I know
  5. If the organ has not been changed tonally, the Clarinet should be kept and restored. A competent reed voicer will be able to make it stable and milky as clarinets should be. PM me if you would like recommendations.... Reeds keep their pitch(ish) but the flues go with the flow temperature and pitchwise which is why at the moment with the weather as it is, it would be best to avoid any reeds at all! Peter
  6. Great Primary is in the North triforium, one bay westwards of the case so I assume it will go roughly in the same area. The Quint was not used much but actually a really lovely flute but I think you are correct that the Solo Flute will be exported. The Great secondary was a 1969 ish change and I always thought that it didn't match the rest of the organ. I hope that the case pipes remain as they are - tin would not work with that design. The solo french horn was the old Tuba from the N&B 5 manual and was not a happy bunny, collapsing etc. As far as I know - the floor level will be unenclosed choir organ chancel side with the enclosed solo west side but speaking both ways with a double-front. Upstairs will be double-decker Swell and Great but sideways on so can speak both ways. The pedal section I guess will again be on both sides of the triforia - I always wondered why the 16-8-4 pedal reed unit was put on the south side with the 32ft bottom octave directly behind the console! It was a lovely instrument to work on - I did it for nigh-on 30 years and look forward to its reincarnation. Peter
  7. My predecessor Neville Newby started looking after the organ in 1949 and I remember him telling me that he couldn't remember much about the Echo department apart from having some gongs! so we should assume that it was removed at or before 1968. With regard to the forthcoming work, I gather that the pipes are being kept but everything else will be new. I personally hope that the console will be retained. The big problem there has always been that the sound is very west-facing with Primary and Secondary Great, Swell and Solo speaking that way. The chancel is served essentially by both Choir and Positive sections which can be split to be a two manual. Not much good for the big choral stuff! I think that the idea is to have the Great and Swell sections within the case but sideways on so the sound will go both ways.
  8. They are certainly not there - I speak as one who looked after the organ from 1990 until a couple of years ago! Peter
  9. The Echo department was removed at least 60 years ago.
  10. Having been a chorister at St John's centuries ago I absolutely go with adding girls - it is the right thing to do in this day and age and can only benefit the choir. Andrew Nethsingha is an absolute master at getting the sound he wants. The Advent carol service was truly amazing - especially as Andrew wasn't there having tested positive and the top line was down to 10 boys. The organ scholar, George Herbert conducted and Joseph Wicks came in at the last minute to play the organ. Wonderful stuff!
  11. Awful news that the factory has been destroyed by fire yesterday. Fortunately nobody was killed but one guy got badly burned.
  12. Maybe but I'm not going there and anyway, it is high up in the case and I can't reach it! The organ is in remarkably good fettle and sounds good - some of the stops are a little dated (Pedal 16ft reed is quite unpleasant) - but tunes up well. The one problem that I have is finding the great mixture and odd pedal upperwork pipes out of their holes because the college electricians have to climb into the instrument to change the striplights which surround the blacked out west window.....
  13. One set of bells but two stars. Neither turn any more because the fan-belts both broke and I can't get any replacements!
×
×
  • Create New...