Jonathan Thorne

Hmm I agree with you in parts. I don't think there is a maximum charge for concerts, you only have to go on the Internet and look around at major pop and classical venues and you will find £15 is not as much. I do agree that there should be some concessions if it is to attract the student generation. In fact I think that should apply to other organisations in the organ world, not just organ concerts but also in organbuilding groups, but that’s a different matter. If I was still a student then I wouldn't attend it, because I wouldn't be able to afford if I hadn't saved. Oh but having said that this concert is in October isn't it - most student loans would have gone in by now anyway, so good thinking on the Cathedral is they had thought of that! Joking aside there is not very much difference in £10-£15. Are you saying you can't afford £5? I don't think David would be as interested in how much the cathedral charge provided he gets his fee, which would have influenced the final cost per ticket in any case. Please also don't forget that the Cathedral has a new Organ to pay for as well! I don't think they have been arrogant (I think you might have mentioned that in another post - can't remember), because they would not have invited us forum members to have a FREE go on the organ back in February of this year.

The Birmingham Town Hall organ has bells. They are most effective in the room and can be heard on a more recent recording. They are tuned so they can be used in pieces. A welcome come back for what is a wonderful musical instrument.

Oh here is the link to some pictures - http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012...p;id=1225382779 JT

Hello all - i've just seen some horrific pictures of this organ from a friend on Facebook and was wondering if anyone knows of this organ? It's on a gallery and hasn't tuned for 20 years I believe. Basically it's just been left to rot- seems a shame really. JT

I know that two of the members are trained in organbuilding (I used to work with one of them). I've come across two of their recent overhauls and they seem to be doing very well so far.

Why not try David Wood from huddersfield - he has all the Binns archive. Isn't Eriswell near Elveden estate? All best J

Yes - but didn't want to spoil the fun of the thread thus far.....

There is a great cd of this by Davis Sanger from the very fine J W Walker organ of Exeter College Oxford.

But we have all forgot about that women who is known for her untidiness otherwise known as Messay-Anne.

I’m trying to track down the publishers and where to obtain the scores for the following pieces by Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens: Prélude à 5 parties (Grave) in E flat major Cantabile (Allegretto) in B minor Would be grateful for any ideas. J

For me it must be Dupré's Psaumes XVIII, op. 47. The most haunting piece for organ.....

Members may like to come along to St. Chad's Cathedral Birmingham nest Wednesday and hear Roy in person. 19.30 hours start £5 on the door. J

Yes I agree. The organ at St. Chad's, Birmingham does have a top resistance about the thickness of the bone (or ivory). One thig I notices at Rieger Orgelbau was how thin the sharps were from side to side. Also what about sharps that sink back from the front? All a question of taste I guess.

Gosh isn't this a regimented way of going things! I wish I got paid £50 or £25 for every pipe I tuned! I wish the campaign all the best. J

Couldn't find NPOR N11998 or any reference to this Harrison on the website.....

Gosh what a lively and interesting performance!

Yes quite right - I look forward to Leeds progress.

(in anger) Why is Klais a curious choice for such a project? The fact is they were better at pitching their product then any UK builder - when will the Brits stop being dogmatic?

This is a very interesting point but might I add a few observations? Last year I had the privilege of working with Rieger Orgelbau, Austria and I was absolutely breath taken by their approach to their work. They build between five to eight NEW organs every year and probably have an order book for the next four years. When I was there I worked on the organ for Kaarst – a three manual organ. The training they gave was very good and their approach was totally very different to anything I had experienced in the UK. I thought - how do they get their contracts? Well for me it’s certainly something to do with PR, how else would they do it? They market themselves brilliantly and seem to get good results, by doing what the customer actually wants rather then what they think the customer should have. I did have a few issues with the materials they were using but essentially they were getting the work in - and new work at that. Now with regard to Leeds Cathedral. I have no doubt that they have thought long and hard about this and probably in the same way as the organ for the RCO was thought of. I remember one UK company just simply winging that they didn’t get a proper look in with the RCO project and all they did was do submit ‘Specification A’. Well if that’s all they did then no wonder the job was awarded to someone else with more imagination. And isn’t it surprising they are the first people to complain? I’m not sure if this has happened at Leeds. It certainly hasn’t happened at Worcester, Llandaff and St. Ed’s Cathedral. But for me there seems to be a defensive and lazy approach from some UK builders (and some are pricing themselves out of the market) and this is why I think some contracts go abroad. When I was organ scholar at the Symphony Hall, Birmingham from 2005-6 I met some of the Klais guy’s. I asked one of them about contracts going abroad and he said that they experience the same political sagas too – why go somewhere else if we can build it ourselves? I hope the Leeds job goes well and I guess it would be interesting for Klais to have a go at doing something like this. I don’t think it will be another Bath Abbey of Symphony Hall and looking at the pictures it seems they have learnt something from us, but I do feel we need to learn a lot from the continent builders as well.

Hmm Salisbury still has tierce mixtures and cone tuned as well as Truro, St Mary's Ipswich, Giggleswick School Chapel and no doubt the Ally Pally organ and many more I'm sure.

St. Nicholas Gt Munden. I helped a bit in 1999 with it's installation on the newly made gallery. http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi...ec_index=D01304 J

A fun piece. There is a good recording played by Robert Gower at Rochdale Town Hall, but it's quite hard piece (maybe!).

Nicholson and Lord Started in 1878 as far as I know and were based in Walsall. They were acquired in 1951 by the Walter James Bird firm of Selly Park, Birmingham. They made some remarkable instruments and I assist in tuning four of them in the Shropshire area. My favourite one is in St. Lukes Ironbridge, built in 1890. The specification is as follows: Pedal 1 Bourdon 16 2 Bass Flute 8 GT-PED SW-PED Great 3 Open Diapason 8 4 Clarabella Treb & St Diap 8 5 Dulciana 8 6 Gamba 8 7 Principal 4 8 Harmonic Flute 4 9 Fifteenth 2 SW-GT Swell 10 Lieblich Bourdon 16 11 Open Diapason 8 12 L Gedact 8 13 Viol d'Amour 8 14 Voix Celeste 8 TC 15 Gemshorn 4 16 Wald Flute 4 17 Fifteenth 2 18 Cornopean 8 19 Oboe 8 20 Clarion 4 21 Tremulant SW OCTAVE The reeds have so much character and you can do anything with them (i.e. open them in and out without them flying off etc). The Pedal Bourdon and Bass Flute are separate ranks. Nicholson and Lord organs were known for their soundboards being chromatic until tenor G (i.e. 10 on the sharp side). As well as their own impost profile design and casework of pitch pine, they were also known for their membrane chests for off notes of pedal pipes. My guess is that if the Liverpool N&L organ needs restoring then these chests will have to be carefully restored. It's a shame the firm isn't widely known. For those interested I have a Nicholson & Lord appreciation society on Facebook. Regards JT

In fact there are two Open Woods on the organ at the Birmingham Oratory. The 32ft extension is taken from the smaller of the two O W's.

I have an excellent recording played by Susan Landale from St. Étienne de Caen and from 359 to the end there is a little accelerando but totally justified. With regard to overall tempo I've always been a bit cautious with it but my Franck edition (Wiener Urtext Edition Schott/Universal ed.Gunther Kaunzinger) gives no indication of a metronome speed. The original edition of Franck organ works were by Durand and published in 1880. I've often hear English organists play the Prelude Fugue and Variation and Pastorale played so slow, I wonder if Franck played like that at all.