St George Hanover Square

[AJJ]

This looks quite interesting.

 

A

[MusingMuso]

This looks quite interesting.

 

A

 

 

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It does look interesting, and we may only hope that it sounds interesting.

 

Just as interesting was a programme about a certain Mr G F Handel on Radio 4 a couple of days ago. It seems that he was quite an astute businessman and investor, and when others were going bankrupt after the South Sea Bubble scandal, (a bit like to-day and the property/real estate collapse), Handel was moving investments and bonds around and making a lot of profit.

 

So astute was he, that he switched from Opera to Oratorio, because it was more profitable; being devoid of stage hands, stage sets etc etc. He charged slightly less, but made a lot more money as a result.

 

In to-days money, he died worth about £2m, which is a bit better than anything achieved by Bach or Mozart.

 

Just thought i'd mention it, as we are talking Hanover Square.

 

MM

 

PS: Is this a record for changing topic?

[pcnd5584]

Possibly - but I am going to get it back on subject straight away by writing that the proposed organ could hardly sound worse than the present instrument. This is probably the least satisfying organ by Harrisons which I have ever played. I found it to be very thin in tone - most insubstantial.

[Vox Humana]

Is the H&H being replaced? I note that the latter has an Historic Organ Certificate, presumably by virtue of having a console and some pipework by Hope-Jones.

 

And to think I used to sleep through lectures by the chap who played the Hope-Jones organ before it was rebuilt, yet never asked to have a go on it! What a wasted opportunity! Possibly.

[DHM]

And to think I used to sleep through lectures by the chap who played the Hope-Jones organ before it was rebuilt, yet never asked to have a go on it! What a wasted opportunity! Possibly.

Would that be the former director of the Tilford Bach Festival Choir?

[Vox Humana]

Yes.

[pcnd5584]

Is the H&H being replaced? I note that the latter has an Historic Organ Certificate, presumably by virtue of having a console and some pipework by Hope-Jones. ...

 

I recall that the console was preserved - but I have no idea where it is stored, if this is the case. When I played it, the console was fairly standard mid-1970's pattern. Fairly standard, because I think that I remember that H&H used curved (concave) stop jambs, as at Coventry Cathedral, Manchester Cathedral, the RFH, Saint Alban's Abbey and a few other places.

[Malcolm Kemp]

There is a very ancient Hope Jones console on display to the right of the sanctuary (as you face east) near the door to the vestry.

 

It was still there a couple of years ago and I remember being taken to see it in the mid-1960s by my then organ teacher (George Austin) who had been an articled pupil of Atkins at Worcester and had learnt on the Hope Jones there.

 

Malcolm

[pcnd5584]

There is a very ancient Hope Jones console on display to the right of the sanctuary (as you face east) near the door to the vestry.

 

It was still there a couple of years ago and I remember being taken to see it in the mid-1960s by my then organ teacher (George Austin) who had been an articled pupil of Atkins at Worcester and had learnt on the Hope Jones there.

 

Malcolm

 

That would be the one, then. Perhaps I will go and have a look the next time I am in London.

[AJJ]

There is a very ancient Hope Jones console on display to the right of the sanctuary (as you face east) near the door to the vestry.

 

It was still there a couple of years ago and I remember being taken to see it in the mid-1960s by my then organ teacher (George Austin) who had been an articled pupil of Atkins at Worcester and had learnt on the Hope Jones there.

 

Malcolm

 

The HJ console used to be connected to the H&H rebuilt instrument.

 

A

[pcnd5584]

The HJ console used to be connected to the H&H rebuilt instrument.

 

A

 

Seriously?? Surely this would have been the height of confusion - the scheme, as rebuilt by H&H bore virtually no resemblance whatsoever to the old H-J stoplist.

 

See here and here.

 

[AJJ]

Seriously?? Surely this would have been the height of confusion - the scheme, as rebuilt by H&H bore virtually no resemblance whatsoever to the old H-J stoplist.

 

See here and here.

 

 

This was '70s - I may be wrong but I reacall a visit there where the organ was demonstrated from both consoles - an 'ammount' of the H&H was available on the 'front right' HJ console - see 1972 comments on the NPOR - certainly not the old HJ spec. though!

 

A

[Philip J Wells]

...the proposed organ could hardly sound worse than the present instrument. This is probably the least satisfying organ by Harrisons which I have ever played. I found it to be very thin in tone - most insubstantial.

 

The Nov 2009 Organists' Review had an article by John Norman entitled 'Unsound Decisions' which used two un-named examples from foreign builders to support an arguament that Continental builders have difficulty when their style of instrument often built for tall and reverberent buildings struggle with the relatively intimate surroundings of British churches etc. He goes on to note that this difficulty extends to style as well.

"One church has announced that it is to purchase a new organ from overseas because its builders work in a late 18th early 19th century German-Dutch style. The church in question has deep galleries on three sides, quite unlike the tall churches of Amsterdam. One suspects that either the organbuilder will have to depart from the criterion by which he was selected or the voicing of this organ will be quite a challenge."

I read this as applying to St George in which case, if I am correct, there are some interesting challenges ahead which may account for why the H&H is not loved.

 

PJW

[AJJ]

The Nov 2009 Organists' Review had an article by John Norman entitled 'Unsound Decisions' which used two un-named examples from foreign builders to support an arguament that Continental builders have difficulty when their style of instrument often built for tall and reverberent buildings struggle with the relatively intimate surroundings of British churches etc. He goes on to note that this difficulty extends to style as well.

"One church has announced that it is to purchase a new organ from overseas because its builders work in a late 18th early 19th century German-Dutch style. The church in question has deep galleries on three sides, quite unlike the tall churches of Amsterdam. One suspects that either the organbuilder will have to depart from the criterion by which he was selected or the voicing of this organ will be quite a challenge."

I read this as applying to St George in which case, if I am correct, there are some interesting challenges ahead which may account for why the H&H is not loved.

 

PJW

 

Though some American churches are pretty challenging too by all accounts and the builder in question has had a great deal of experience there.

 

A