Aberystwyth Tabernacle Organ For Sale

[Guest acc]

See here.

[DHM 0]

See here.

 

More info on NPOR: http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N11719

[Vox Humana 0]

Not my type of instrument, I fear. Hohl Flute, Tromba, Dulciana Mixture... Can't help feeling it would sound exceedingly opaque. Quite likely to be a very fine example of its type, though, given its pedigree.

[Guest Nigel ALLCOAT]

I think they are hugely optimistic at this price of £20,000. I recently on another thread asked about the disposal of a gigantic 4 manual Willis (55 speaking stops) in my Diocese and wondered if £1,200 was a good price to get. Many thought publicly and privately to me that the church had a bargain as the cost of dismantling and disposing of such an instrument (not to mention the great sum of money to re-erect) was quite generous in the circumstances.

 

Best wishes,

Nigel

[heva 0]

Wondering where it will end up in Holland

[Frank Fowler 0]

Wondering where it will end up in Holland

 

This is a `famous' Welsh organ and a superb example of it's period. I suspect that the leatherwok must now be coming to the end of its useful life. Put into a church with good acoustics it would be impressive, even with the current specification - I hope that it can be sold and not knocked down with the building.

 

FF

[Guest Lee Blick]

Looking at the position of the console, no chance of popping out for a sneaky fag or a chow down on the Sunday supplements during the sermon....

[nfortin 0]

I think they are hugely optimistic at this price of £20,000.

I thought the £20K was for the whole of the church interior furnishings, not just the organ. It seems unlikely that anyone would have a suitable, and just the right size, room to house all of the pews, galleries etc. so it may be hard to find a buyer. Its not clear (or not to me anyway) whether they are open to offers just for the organ.

[Tony Newnham 0]

Looking at the position of the console, no chance of popping out for a sneaky fag or a chow down on the Sunday supplements during the sermon....

 

Hi

 

A fairly common console position in free churches of the era - in fact the whole building is pretty typical, except for the side-facing pews under the gallery. I fear that they may be over-optomistic on price - there's too much church salvage around at present - and certainly too many redundant organs.

 

Every Blessing

 

Tony

[MusingMuso 0]

Looking at the position of the console, no chance of popping out for a sneaky fag or a chow down on the Sunday supplements during the sermon....

 

 

-------------------------------------

 

 

Well, I thought I was the only one who did that!

 

I have fond memories of sloping off during the sermon when the memorable Rev.Brandon Jackson (of Bradford/Lincoln Cathedral fame) came to entertain the masses.

 

Knowing that he would go on and on, possibly for years, I popped into the pub and had a half, as it was an extremely warm Sunday Evening. (I seldom drink at all normally, and never abnormally).

 

I was delighted, upon my return, to discover that he was still rambling on about "addiction," and when he finally took me to task for my dramatic stage-exit, I took the greatest pleasure in breathing all over him!

 

I was quietly hoping that I would end up with a new reputation as "that alcoholic organist," but sadly, the other (more accurate) reputation persisted!

 

Am I bovvered?

 

 

MM

[Guest Patrick Coleman]

Does anyone know what happened to the Aberystwyth organ?

[open-diapason 0]

NPOR says it has gone south!

[James Goldrick 0]

I am confused as to why the Aberystwyth organ has been bought by St Jude's Southsea, when they appear to have a very fine 3M Hill & Son already.

Will they have two organs the the new development or are they planning to sell the existing organ?

[AJJ 0]

I am confused as to why the Aberystwyth organ has been bought by St Jude's Southsea, when they appear to have a very fine 3M Hill & Son already.

Will they have two organs the the new development or are they planning to sell the existing organ?

 

This will explain I think.

 

AJJ

[Guest Vox Humana 8']

This will explain I think.

 

AJJ

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

 

When will the CofE stop bleating on about 'relevance'? I am a 16-year-old Roman Catholic and I wish the church would return to its roots of priest facing east, Mass being celebrated in Latin and NO TRENDY WORSHIPPERY RHYMES!

[Philip J Wells 0]

Sorry, I have deleted this as I was off on a tangent.

[pcnd5584 0]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

 

When will the CofE stop bleating on about 'relevance'? I am a 16-year-old Roman Catholic and I wish the church would return to its roots of priest facing east, Mass being celebrated in Latin and NO TRENDY WORSHIPPERY RHYMES!

 

With regard to your last comment, you may have to admit that the Catholic Church in general has a reputation for even worse music than the Church of England.

 

Whilst there are exceptions (for example, Birmingham and Brompton oratories, Brentwood Cathedral, St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral* spring to mind), I am not convinced that the Church of Rome in England has anything in particular of which it may be proud.

 

 

 

*This list does not claim to be exhaustive. If any reader is a member of a Catholic church at which the performance standards are high (and with good quality music regularly sung) then clearly this church is indeed fortunate. For the purpose of this post, perhaps we can agree on general, reasonable definitions of high standards and good quality.

[Guest Voix Mystique]

With regard to your last comment, you may have to admit that the Catholic Church in general has a reputation for even worse music than the Church of England.

 

Whilst there are exceptions (for example, Birmingham and Brompton oratories, Brentwood Cathedral, St. Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral* spring to mind), I am not convinced that the Church of Rome in England has anything in particular of which it may be proud.

*This list does not claim to be exhaustive. If any reader is a member of a Catholic church at which the performance standards are high (and with good quality music regularly sung) then clearly this church is indeed fortunate. For the purpose of this post, perhape we can agree on general, reasonable definitions of high standards and good quality.

 

Farnborough Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in suburban Hampshire, has a 1905 Mutin (IIP/17) and a proud tradition of Plainsong: indeed, they use little other music in the liturgy. I know it is an exception to the rule, but it is a role model worth following. Also, for those interested in the organ, despite its very limited-looking specification (see http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...c_index=N08452), it is of immense power, helped along the way with a very resonant acoustic.

[pcnd5584 0]

Farnborough Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in suburban Hampshire, has a 1905 Mutin (IIP/17) and a proud tradition of Plainsong: indeed, they use little other music in the liturgy. I know it is an exception to the rule, but it is a role model worth following. Also, for those interested in the organ, despite its very limited-looking specification (see http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...c_index=N08452), it is of immense power, helped along the way with a very resonant acoustic.

 

This instrument is well-known to a number of us here. One of my colleagues teaches (as far as I know) at the Salesian College, at Farnborough.

 

Again, sadly these places are often the exception to the rule.

[Jeff D 0]

NPOR says it has gone south!

After hearing Ian Tracy's recital at St Jude's last Wednesday it is clear why the Hill would be unsuitable for the new development. The vast scale & volume of the voicing is really too great for the current accoustic let alone for the development which will reduce the volume of the bulding by over a half. I understand what makes the Aberystwyth Harrison ideal is it's compact size & suitable voicing scale.

 

JeffD

[pcnd5584 0]

After hearing Ian Tracy's recital at St Jude's last Wednesday it is clear why the Hill would be unsuitable for the new development. The vast scale & volume of the voicing is really too great for the current accoustic let alone for the development which will reduce the volume of the bulding by over a half. I understand what makes the Aberystwyth Harrison ideal is it's compact size & suitable voicing scale.

 

JeffD

 

In which case, it is to be hoped that the Hill organ (which looks superb on paper) finds a suitable home, where it will be cherished and not altered tonally.

[open-diapason 0]

OK I'll come clean here, I'm the director of music at St. Jude's so I know where the organs going but I can't say just yet!

However, I can say it is going on a west gallery at a church in London and going tonally unaltered.

 

The organ is a gem and will be sadly missed by us all at St. Jude's. The redevelopment of the building has been very long in the melting pot and we have been looking at all possible ways of using the organ either where it is in the building or re-using it in the new worship space. Unfortunately it is just too large both physically and tonally and we would rather it went somewhere else "unaltered" than to be selfishly carved up and "ruined" just to fit our new space. The new main entrance is going to be where the organ chamber currently is so it can't stay put!

 

As to the Aber organ we have that in store in Portsmouth waiting for further developments. At the moment the church are to start "phase one" in the Spring which means the Hill organ is probably going to be removed in May/June. The new organ can't be fitted until the end of "phase two" which maybe a few years away at present.

 

I was as horrified as some of seem to have been about it apearing on eBay especially as we had been trying to aquire the instrument since August 2006! The instrument will be ideally suited to St. Jude's, and is planned to go on a west gallery in the new worship space. I could tell you about the trials and tribulations of finally getting hold of it, but maybe in another post!

[Henry Willis 0]

OK I'll come clean here, I'm the director of music at St. Jude's so I know where the organs going but I can't say just yet!

However, I can say it is going on a west gallery at a church in London and going tonally unaltered.

 

St. Peter's, Walworth- by any chance?

[Guest Barry Williams]

St. Peter's, Walworth- by any chance?

 

My information is that it is not a church in Walworth, but I may be mistaken.

 

Barry Williams

[D Quentin Bellamy 0]

Lucky escape for the organ - shame about the chapel ....

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7501781.stm