Pierre Lauwers Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Someone evoked today on another thread the absence of any UK-built organ in continental europe's Cathedrals. Maybe we could discuss the reasons for that, and the means to correct this anomaly. There are german and french-built organs in the UK, so the reverse should obtain. This is my point of view as a convinced european first, and as an amateur of the british organ too. I'd like to discuss this first: What kind of organ the british builders should present to continental potential customers? Best wishes, Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Yes - I did! An interesting thread. Leaving aside France (I think that it is highly unlikely that they would want one of ours), perhaps we could come up with a proposal for Germany, or Italy - most of their organs seem quite odd on paper; Milan Cathedral does not sound all that impressive, either. I will try to come back in a while with a proposal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 As an administrator to the biggest french organ forum, I would not believe that. But fact is, french Cathedral= french state......Difficult. But not impossible elsewhere. The german firm Sauer has done some jobs in the Lyon area and enjoys an excellent reputation there. As for the interest in british organs, there it is, no doubt; whenever a thread is launched about a british organ, the views scores are not bad at all. See this thread for instance: http://forum.aceboard.net/18898-3406-17612...21-restaure.htm Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest paul@trinitymusic.karoo.co.uk Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I have a proposal. A continental cathedral with restricted funds but with a very large space to fill and plenty of room at the west end should immediately make an offer to re-house the large Harrison and Harrison 4-manual concert organ from Newcastle on Tyne's City Hall. This Hall is under threat from a swimming pool complex enlargement scheme. The organ is too big to go in the replacement hall that the City Council have built. The organ is barely playable, but a truly wonderful prospect once re-homed. Pierre, you think Worcester is good - you should hear this!!!! I speak without authority of any kind but my guess is that this organ ought to be more-or-less free to a good home. This instrument is 1. extremely worthy in every respect - beautifully made and voiced 2. complete and original in every particular - just needs a thorough action overhaul 3. contains every essential voice and colour - both for solos and choruses I suggest that a building requiring a unique instrument of power and interest should look no further than H&H to overhaul and re-erect this splendid instrument. It would be a bare fraction of the cost of a new organ and blow the minds of anyone who heard it in its new (hopefully) generous acoustic. Go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 What a brilliant idea, Paul. Better still, put it in Worcester Cathedral, if the old organ has to be replaced -then we can keep one important and precious link to our organ heritage. Damn! Sorry - I mentioned Worcester Cathedral again. Now where is my cat-and-nine-tails? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Morley Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 How about giving the Alexanra Palace Willis a similar continental home? I'm just off to shoot myself to save anyone else the trouble! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 Of course both are excellent ideas. Paul knows I rate A. Harrison very high, such organs we may not allow to go to... nowhere. There are already rescued british organs abroad. Heva plays one in the Netherlands. Worcester's should have gone to Brussels, no doubt! there is at least one place (Koekelberg's Basilique) that would fit, and that is without a correct organ. Halas my name is nor Albert II nor Verhofstadt (Prime Minister). But the aim of this thread deals with new organs, that is, which kind of organs today's british builders should offer for continental Europe. It is a "marketing" (in the good sense of this word!) survey. Any ideas? Best wishes, Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee Blick Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I hear there is a Hope-Jones hybrid going... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee Blick Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I know the Americans put their organs in very strange nooks and crannies but I wonder whether one has been put into a large railway terminal or airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 But the aim of this thread deals with new organs, that is, which kind of organs today's british builders should offer for continental Europe. It is a "marketing" (in the good sense of this word!) survey. Any ideas? ======================== They seem to value big Tubas in Poland! More seriously, I doubt that English organ-builders are doing anything all that different from their colleagues in Europe. With many new organs, the only clue to the origin is the nomenclature on the stop-heads. I've heard some fine sounds from Robert Ponca (CZ), Flentrop (NL), Marcussen (DK), Mascioni (IT) and Eule (D)....but they all have a sort of Euro-sound, even when they are installed in Japan or Hong Kong. Long gone are the days of national sounds....Cavaille-Coll, Schulze, Walcker, Harrison & Harrison, Willis etc. Nevertheless, Gt.St.Mary's, Cambridge, is a lovely instrument which has a certain Euro-British sound....I like it anyway. Of one thing I am certain, and that is the fact that in less favourable acoustics (which may well include many modern concert halls), there is a lot of mileage to be found in good, solid English Diapasons and Reeds rather than the thinner tones of other Euro-builders. Good Lord!! Pierre and I have found common ground!! MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee Blick Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Euro-sound Oooo! An Organ Eurovision..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 Oooo! An Organ Eurovision..... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> He he he.... So everyone everywhere do the same thing? The same "reformed" thing? I did not see the "globalization" that way. Let's go a bit further: What can the UK's builders do as organs that the continental's cannot? This difference would be the british "added value", the reason a belgian , french, german (etc) church or concert-hall would buy british. Best wishes, Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Childs Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 I know the Americans put their organs in very strange nooks and crannies but I wonder whether one has been put into a large railway terminal or airport. The answer is YES albeit that the railway terminal is no longer used as such. A 1929 E.M Skinner from a disused Philadelphia Church has been relocated to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal Cincinnati, Ohio. It has been recorded by both Peter Richard Conte and Tom Murray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Oooo! An Organ Eurovision..... ================ Well that's it then...an end to British organ-building as Latvian, Lithuanian and other Baltic organ-consultants mop up the votes for the big Euro-contracts!! MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Oooo! An Organ Eurovision..... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well, if you must - but we are just not going to let Terry Wogan have anything to do with it. Oh - and nothing from Norway, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee Blick Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Well we could nominate 'Bogger and Crappit & Co' as the UK entry. Btw. If anyone knows of a nice two/three manual fairly complete Fr. Willis/II/III heading potentially for the skip or Outer Mongolia, please let me know. I'm desperate to replace our incomplete Morgan & Smith. The church has the room for it. And of course, I will be recommending Mander Organs to do the reburbishment! Please, no protests about restoring our current organ. It may be 'romantic' but its c..p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 So nothing save old organs and Terry Wogan? Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lee Blick Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Well, Terry will be there for ever, you may wish to dress him up in a tuning cone and a double languid pair of cords but he will always be timeless... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveHarries Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Someone evoked today on another thread the absence ofany UK-built organ in continental europe's Cathedrals. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> There isn't a total lack: Chancel Organ, Stavanger Cathedral, Norway NP Mander, London, 1995 Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Lauwers Posted January 3, 2006 Author Share Posted January 3, 2006 Yes, Dave. But a builder like Mander deserves to be represented by something, hm, a bit larger, isn't it? Again: any ideas? Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Bennett Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 Nevertheless, Gt.St.Mary's, Cambridge, is a lovely instrument which has a certain Euro-British sound....I like it anyway. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The parish organ or the university organ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusingMuso Posted January 3, 2006 Share Posted January 3, 2006 The parish organ or the university organ? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> ======================== It's no use asking me, I'm not a politician!! The Kenneth Jones one.....right front looking from the rear. MM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 There isn't a total lack: Chancel Organ, Stavanger Cathedral, Norway NP Mander, London, 1995 Dave <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes - I mentioned this one - but I do not personally think that it counts! The main organ at Stavanger Cathedral is a fine example of a modern re-working of a seventeenth century Dutch organ, built in the west gallery. I was fortunate enought to have a couple of hours on it in the summer of 1992. I particularly liked the cascades of bunches of grapes, carved out of the key-cheeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Well, Terry will be there for ever, you may wish to dress him up in a tuning cone and a double languid pair of cords but he will always be timeless...I think he should be mounted. En chamade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcnd5584 Posted January 4, 2006 Share Posted January 4, 2006 Well, possibly en chamade. Mounted would be very scary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now