nfortin
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Posts posted by nfortin
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There's been a lot of debate, if not to say disagreement, in recent years around the historical restoration issue. One thinks of the recent case at Doncaster as a prime case in point.
It seems to me that both Mander's and Harrisons have done excellent work in this country and that we should not be too critical. Think about the De Montford hall for example, there was no move to modernise the console here as far as I'm aware.
I would add a slight note of dissent however. Those of us working in parish churches are looking to produce musical results, were not curators of museum pieces. I would certainly caution against too many tonal changes. There are so many examples of organs where upperwork added in the 1960's & 70's is completely out of character and fails to blend. However, few of us want to struggle with heavy actions, kick swells and generally uncomfortable consoles. If an organ can keep its tonal integrity but be made comfortable to play is that such a crime ?
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I don't think many of us sad people who have fond memories of Worcester would argue in favour of retaining the organ on the basis of its Hope-Jones history. I'm sad to think of it being scrapped because it made an exciting Harrison english cathedral sound when I knew it. It is a real hotch-potch and certainly does not have the artistic integrity of other organs such as the Willis in Hereford or the Walker in Bristol.
I do agree that, if there is a real need to start afresh, we should at least be delighted that the contracts are going to two British builders.
I can understand the requirement for two organs. Worcester has no pulpitum (stone choir screen) and hence, as I described above, the present organ is largely contained in the divided north/south cases in the quire. This location is too remote to be effective in the nave, with the result that what is called the solo division, in the south transept, is in reality a second great division consisting of a large scale diapason chorus with high pressure reeds. This is not fully effective in the nave either as the huge transept case is too far back in the transept for the sound to be effective in the nave.
Seating in the nave is frequently reversed, not just during the Three Choirs Festival, but whenever staging is errected for choral concerts by the Worcester Festival Choral Society or whoever. There was for a time a 2-manual Harrison organ on mobile platforms which could be used on these occasions, but in recent years organ sound in the nave has been provided by a 3-manual Bradford electronic instrument.
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I think you're underestimating the standing of Howells in this country. His organ and choral music (particularly the evening services) are widely used and he's held in very high regard.
I don't think you can compare Mendelssohn, known for large scale choral works and symphonic music with S.S. Wesley. There are of course a great many british church composers who have left a substantial amount of wonderfully effective music without ever being likely to be known internationally. Composers such as Stanford, Sumsion, Darke & Bairstow come immediately to mind.
I think those who commission organs in this country have a fixed mindset that an organ has to be neo-classical and mechanical action to be of any value. Many people argue that the Flentrop, Ahrend, Klais etc. organs are the best in the country. There are however a few of us old fossils around who would suggest alternative lists. In no particular order, I would suggest:-
Westminster Cathedral
St Pauls Cathedral
Hereford Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral
Royal Albert Hall
Truro Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral
Whats wrong with grandeur ?
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With the exception of the Solo department and larger pedal stops the current Worcester organ is split between two floor-level cases on the north and south sides of the choir, right up next to the choir stalls. This results in particularly thrilling effects when one sits in the quire for cathedral evensong as the sounds and vibrations of the organ are so close to you.
Full swell at Worcester is very exciting, and settings like Howells St Pauls service, or Jackson in G, which include trumpet fanfares coming through the texture (played on the fiery Gt. Possaune) create an unforgetable experience.
It does seem hard to believe that this pipe work is to be scrapped. What I've heard, but may not be correct, is that completely new instruments are planned, and I've heard Tickell mentioned as the likely builder.
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Its a crying shame. I feel sure that if the RCO consulted its membership a majority would wish to see the contract go to a British builder.
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The "Grove" organ is the instrument built by Michel and Thynne for the 1885 Inventions Exhibition, now named after the Reverend C.W. Grove who bought it and presented it to the abbey.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying its a poor instrument - its magnificent, but in the context of worship in the abbey it serves no purpose. It does get played in occasional recitals. I've not played it myself but would guess it is not the easiest organ to play without plenty of time for familiarisation as the console has not been modernised at all and does not have much in the way of registration aids.
I grew up in this part of England and during my childhood this instrument was silent. I well remember the excitement when Bishops were commisioned to restore the organ to working order and attended the opening recital by Francis Jackson. It would be a great tragedy if this organ were to return to silence, but it must represent an enormous burden to the abbey authorities to maintain an instrument which has no liturgical purpose, in addition to the now magnificent 4-manual Milton which is itself an organ of great historical significance.
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Re. Worcester, yes definitely. They claim that the existing pipe organ is beyond ecconomic repair, and the aim is to install two completely new and separate pipe organs, one in the quire and one in the nave. See http://www.worcestermusicandlight.com/
Re. Tewkesbury, the Milton (incorporating the old apse echo organ) sounds quite different compared to pre. Kenneth Jones rebuild. Previously this organ was rather underpowered in a building of this size, but it really does sound quite magnificent now.
The scheme to link the Milton and Grove organs was, as is generally known, never realised and was always problematic as the two organs are not at the same pitch. Both organs are now in playable condition, although the Grove whilst being an important historical curiousity is of absolutely no use in the context of worship in this fine building.
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Douglas Corr's original query referred to the odd placement of the pedal board on a 4-manual Klais. Was it by any chance Bath Abbey ?
I don't share Douglas's height, being just 5'6, but found the Bath Abbey organ very uncomfortable. The pedal board is positioned with the sharps/flats much closer to the player than normal, hence I found that if I positioned the bench at a comfortable position for pedalling the manuals were too far away. I've not come across this problem on any other instrument.
I would also agree with Douglas regarding Harrison consoles from the 1960s onwards, which seem to be universally comfortable to use - although I do prefer the larger toe studs deployed by most of their competitors.
By own real "hate" item of console design is the double-touch piston, widely used by Nicolsons, amongst others in the 70's & 80's. Does anyone actually find these desirable ?
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I'd have to agree with stewartt. There are a great many english organs with an 8' dulciana on the great which to my mind serves no purpose whatsoever. These stops are usually no louder than a swell salicional and I fail to see how they could possibly be viewed as small diapasons as the tone is so thin. Perhaps a gemshorn at 8' would be more useful but this, in my experience, is very rare.
The Klais in Bath Abbey would certainly benefit from a small diapason or gemshorn on the great - having had the priviledge of accompanying choral evensong on this instrument I would not agree that the gamba ideally fits this purpose.
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I would agree, sadly, that the Gloucester organ is not well suited to the music of Howells.
As a former pupil of Paul Trepte at Worcester I know the cathedral organ well and would agree that it could play the romantic repertoire superbly. As discussed above full swell is very thrilling - although it was better before being reined in in the Woods Wordsworth rebuild c1976. Mander's old discussion board contains a thread bemoaning the "Worcester Appeal for Music and Light" which basically plans to scrap this fine instrument.
For the combination of superb organ sound and resonant accoustic the Milton organ, in its latest guise rebuild by Kenneth Jones, in Tewkesbury Abbey is now hard to better, and I've heard Carlteton Etherington play Howells to great effect on this instrument. Hereford remains, to my ears, one of the finest organs in the country and would also suit this music superbly well.
Also in this part of the country the Walker organ in Bristol Cathedral, last rebuilt by Mander some years ago now and in need of further attention, is something of a treasure and can certainly do justice to this music.
The State Of United Kingdom Organ Preservation
in General discussion
Posted
Oh most definitely. I've had the opportunity to play a number of cathedral, abbey & collegiate church organs recently and have noticed a growing trend, where the instrument has been rebuild recently, for an "instruction book" to be available for visiting organists.
I'm not at all sure that it can be viewed as progress when you need to read instructions before you can play the darned thing.