Worcester Cathedral

[AJJ 0]

Maybe a 'forum' type visit later in the year?...............please.

 

AJJ

[Lucasorg 0]

Maybe a 'forum' type visit later in the year?...............please.

I'm sure that could be arranged, but I'd rather do it just after Christmas as things are very busy here in the Autumn term. Any takers??

 

A

[Charles Wooler 0]

I'm sure that could be arranged, but I'd rather do it just after Christmas as things are very busy here in the Autumn term. Any takers??

 

A

 

Wow! This looks superb- please count me in for the visit! How wonderful that there is such a detailed record in the public domain of the organ's installation too. Does anyone know if this a first for a UK Cathedral organ to be photographed and chronicled in this way?

 

Charles

[AJJ 0]

I'm sure that could be arranged, but I'd rather do it just after Christmas as things are very busy here in the Autumn term. Any takers??

 

A

 

Thank you & yes please!

 

AJJ

[DaveHarries 0]

I'm sure that could be arranged, but I'd rather do it just after Christmas as things are very busy here in the Autumn term. Any takers??

Yes please. I anticipate to get myself a new car in December so this would be a great opportunity to give it a run.

 

Dave

[Paul Carr 0]

I'm sure that could be arranged, but I'd rather do it just after Christmas as things are very busy here in the Autumn term. Any takers??

 

A

Count me in - please!

[handsoff 0]

Me Sir, please Sir!

 

Thank you

[basdav 0]

I'm sure that could be arranged, but I'd rather do it just after Christmas as things are very busy here in the Autumn term. Any takers??

 

A

 

Yes please Adrian count me in as well

[notebasher 0]

I'm sure that could be arranged, but I'd rather do it just after Christmas as things are very busy here in the Autumn term. Any takers??

 

A

Yes please - it looks as if it will be well worth the trip from the frozen north. R.

[Guest Cynic]

Yes please - it looks as if it will be well worth the trip from the frozen north. R.

 

 

I totally agree (answering from another side of the frozen North). Thankyou Adrian for suggesting it!

 

I can't resist recounting what happened when I last visited Worcester Cathedral with a party who'd arranged to play the organs. We were urged to spend our time on the Bradford Computing organ and when some of us declined this and would not leave the 4-decker pipe organ alone, someone official kindly switched off the mains to it so that we were forced to go to the electronic. Thank goodness things have moved on since that time!

 

I believe I have heard somewhere that it is still planned to have something electronic to serve the greater nave. Is this correct?

[Lucasorg 0]

I believe I have heard somewhere that it is still planned to have something electronic to serve the greater nave. Is this correct?

That is correct, until we have raised enough to complete parts 2 and 3 of the greater project....funds gratefully received! We have already moved the "Father Rodgers" (which we have purchased 2nd hand) down from the Quire to the Nave in readiness.

 

A

[Pierre Lauwers 0]

"I can't resist recounting what happened when I last visited Worcester Cathedral with a party who'd arranged to play the organs. We were urged to spend our time on the Bradford Computing organ and when some of us declined this and would not leave the 4-decker pipe organ alone, someone official kindly switched off the mains..."

(Quote)

 

How strange, exactly the same thing happened in Brussels Cathedral when we wanted

to show the (former, post-romantic) organ to some foreign professionals; there, the electric

wirings were cut.

We were told then to try the neobarokkie thing downstairs, but declined.

 

Pierre

[french amateur 0]

How strange...

In a french cathedral, a large ACC had some interesting adds around 1920-1930...

Which were of course mostly pneumatic, etc.

They suffered from lack of maintaining, and when it came to restore the instrument, they were found not to work anymore !

And of course, it never worked and will never work, and let's order the rebuilding of the "pure" ACC, etc. etc.

(Some very nasty persons suggest that the expert would have helped them to keep quiet before the restoration, but they are nasty persons...)

 

I also suffered a big III/P electronium in the cathedral I used to play when I was young. They drawn lots of money to buy it 'to replace the great organ being restored'. And while they collected something like 15,000 £ for it, a poor small romantic organ in an other church was let with all it's problems, and I had to repair it myself as I could !

[DaveHarries 0]

Adrian,

 

As I recall from a visit to Worcester some years ago there was a freestanding organ not far from the choir which had painted (green?) pipes.

 

I don't know if you know the one I am thinking of (South Transept, i think), but what has happened to it? I would have thought it would be best left as a monument to history andl, more specifically, to Hope-Jones...

 

Dave

[AJJ 0]

Adrian,

 

As I recall from a visit to Worcester some years ago there was a freestanding organ not far from the choir which had painted (green?) pipes.

 

I don't know if you know the one I am thinking of (South Transept, i think), but what has happened to it? I would have thought it would be best left as a monument to history andl, more specifically, to Hope-Jones...

 

Dave

 

The new transept organ (to go in the existing case though moved to the opposite transept) spec. is on this thread back a bit and the old mobile organ is now here. The old Solo organ presumably has gone, the 32s are to be re used and I seem to remember Adrian L. writing that the Diaphone pipes still in existence would be kept for historical value.

 

AJJ

[Lucasorg 0]

As I recall from a visit to Worcester some years ago there was a freestanding organ not far from the choir which had painted (green?) pipes.

 

I don't know if you know the one I am thinking of (South Transept, i think), but what has happened to it? I would have thought it would be best left as a monument to history andl, more specifically, to Hope-Jones...

This case, of course, pre-dates Hope-Jones as it was the case for the 1874 Hill organ - the one for which the Elgar 1st Sonata was written. I understand that much of Hill's fine pipework was sold by H-J to cover his debts once he had been given the Worcester contract in the 1890s and this marked a substantial part of the slide into the problems which we now seek to solve.

 

As Alastair says, the case is to be restored and moved to the position at the front of the North transept where it was originally designed to stand, to contain 2 manuals and pedals for music making in the tower and East end of the Nave. The old Solo division, such as it was, 8,4,2,III,16,8 is still in the case, to the best of my knowledge as well as the two 32 flues, Open Wood 16, and Harrison pedal reeds 32, 16, 8. The lowest pipes of the H-J Diaphone 32 are still there too as they were too large to remove without demolishing most of the case.

 

I'm sure you all know the story of this case, given by the Earl of Dudley.... He was not a fan of the doner of the Adelaide window in the South Transept and had the case moved in front of it and designed to obscure a good portion at the same time. Church politics, eh!

 

You might also like to know of the interesting case of PC gone wild. Back in the 1980s, the transept case was taken out of commission because it was a fire hazard. Having read the document some years back, it said that there was a lot of dust and electrical cables and therefore must be a fire risk.... I suppose that would take virtually all organs out of use, at least if Brussels had its way (I mean the EU, not Pierre!).

 

A

[nfortin 0]

The old Solo division, such as it was, 8,4,2,III,16,8 is still in the case, to the best of my knowledge as well as the two 32 flues, Open Wood 16, and Harrison pedal reeds 32, 16, 8. The lowest pipes of the H-J Diaphone 32 are still there too as they were too large to remove without demolishing most of the case.

I always thought of the Solo as being more of a Nave Great. Is any of the pipework scheduled for re-use? I used to be quite fond (no pun intended) of the solo diapasons which I thought had great warmth and body to them and used to give a real boost to choristers singing in the old semi-circular nave choir stalls with the Harrison nave organ.

[Lucasorg 0]

I always thought of the Solo as being more of a Nave Great. Is any of the pipework scheduled for re-use? I used to be quite fond (no pun intended) of the solo diapasons which I thought had great warmth and body to them and used to give a real boost to choristers singing in the old semi-circular nave choir stalls with the Harrison nave organ.

The Solo division is not scheduled as part of the current work. The Diapason was an effective stop, though it was on some enormous wind pressure... we occasionally used it for special echo effects outside the Quire, but the winding was inclined to lack stability.

 

A

[Lucasorg 0]

Today's photos are now available showing the arrival of much more pipework, details of carving and a more complete view of the South case. We are hoping for the console to go live by the end of the week.

 

A

[Lucasorg 0]

Today's photos show much work on the new console as well as more pipework going in. Electrical testing is ongoing before it all goes live in the next few days.

 

A

[bazuin 0]

Could Mr Lucas inform us what material the manual keys are covered in (both white and black please)?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Bazuin

[Lucasorg 0]

Could Mr Lucas inform us what material the manual keys are covered in (both white and black please)?

For the manuals "natural coverings of fine quality Bone and sharps of Ebony". For the pedals "the keys of Maple with Ebony overlay on the sharp keys".

 

A

[Lucasorg 0]

Today's photos show more pipes on the way in and signs of the electrical heart of the beast coming to life.

 

A

[AJJ 0]

Today's photos show more pipes on the way in and signs of the electrical heart of the beast coming to life.

 

A

 

 

'Good to see today's episode - as ever thanks. Nice also to read the name on the reservoir weights! 'Historic link with the past (along with those Vd'Os) which should help please any (if such exist) who still think the HJ (in any of its incarnations) should be still there!

 

AJJ

[Lucasorg 0]

'Good to see today's episode - as ever thanks. Nice also to read the name on the reservoir weights! 'Historic link with the past (along with those Vd'Os) which should help please any (if such exist) who still think the HJ (in any of its incarnations) should be still there!

We do our best!