ross cobb Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Just on idle facebook chatter with some friends got me wondering- how many 5-manual organs are there in the UK? Now that Birmingham TH now has been reduced to 4, so does that mean there are only 8: Doncaster, Christ's Hospital, Wabbey, St Paul's, Wakefield, Liverpool, Odeon Leicester Sq, Manchester TH? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraviolone Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotto Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 Paul Derrett has the old 5-manual Tewkesbury Abbey Walker console for his house organ project, not sure how many manuals are in use Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Oakley Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Paul Derrett has the old 5-manual Tewkesbury Abbey Walker console for his house organ project, not sure how many manuals are in use The last time I visited Paul several years ago he had much to do on his barn organ. The old Tewkesbury console was still under wraps and as a temporary measure he was using the former 3-manual console from Cheltenham Ladies College. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Oakley Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 Just on idle facebook chatter with some friends got me wondering- how many 5-manual organs are there in the UK? Now that Birmingham TH now has been reduced to 4, so does that mean there are only 8: Doncaster, Christ's Hospital, Wabbey, St Paul's, Wakefield, Liverpool, Odeon Leicester Sq, Manchester TH? Are you not forgetting Westminster Abbey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pwhodges Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 "Wabbey" in that list, presumably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross cobb Posted June 22, 2015 Author Share Posted June 22, 2015 'Wabbey', AKA Westminster Abbey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Oakley Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 'Wabbey', AKA Westminster Abbey. Sorry, but as a former technical journalist I was always taught never to use jargon unless it was first qualified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraviolone Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHM Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I was going to say "What about the 5-manual Conacher at Calne?" - But I see that it was reduced to 4 manuals some years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
contraviolone Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Drinkell Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I was going to say "What about the 5-manual Conacher at Calne?" - But I see that it was reduced to 4 manuals some years ago. I think you could make that "many years ago". It was a four manual when I played it in 1976 (NPOR says 1963 for when Conacher removed the top manual and slightly redistributed the contents. It was presented by Henry Harris (the Bacon King) of Castle House, Calne, which also had a five manual Conacher. The latter is misrepresented in NPOR, which only gives it four manuals (there is a picture of the console in "The Organ") and states that the Solo Organ was prepared only (the same article refers specifically to blowing pipes of the Stentor by mouth). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHM Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I think you could make that "many years ago". It was a four manual when I played it in 1976 (NPOR says 1963 for when Conacher removed the top manual and slightly redistributed the contents. It was presented by Henry Harris (the Bacon King) of Castle House, Calne, which also had a five manual Conacher. The latter is misrepresented in NPOR, which only gives it four manuals (there is a picture of the console in "The Organ") and states that the Solo Organ was prepared only (the same article refers specifically to blowing pipes of the Stentor by mouth). That will teach me to read more frequently the Sumner that I had as a teenager! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrossGeigen Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 There are a few former Conacher staff still about who worked at Calne in 1963. I remember being told that the Castle House organ was removed by them in the 1950's, some of the pipework being re-used in subsequent rebuildings of other instruments. The small Echo divison of this latter instrument had its own swell box, housed within the Solo swell box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Drinkell Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 There are a few former Conacher staff still about who worked at Calne in 1963. I remember being told that the Castle House organ was removed by them in the 1950's, some of the pipework being re-used in subsequent rebuildings of other instruments. The small Echo divison of this latter instrument had its own swell box, housed within the Solo swell box. That ties in with recent discussion on another thread about swell boxes within swell boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Pykett Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 With tongue firmly in cheek, may I very naughtily point out that our host's website says the RAH organ has five manuals! (see http://www.mander-organs.com/portfolio/ . Scroll down to "The Grand Organ, Royal Albert Hall, London") This might be an old version, but at the time of writing the link was live and the page was indeed on the web! If I were our host, I'd say something like "there always has to be one, doesn't there ... ", and quite probably not as politely as that. Pace. CEP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Drinkell Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 John Norman's "The Organs of Britain" also gave the RAH organ 5 manuals before the Harrison rebuild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Dixon Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 The removal of the Castle House, Calne Conacher in the 1950s makes sense. Henry George Harris died in 1932 but his widow Amy stayed on in the house until her death at the age of 88 in September 1949. Castle House then passed out of the Harris family and presumably the new owners saw no need of the organ. I recall hearing the St Mary's Conacher in its 5 manual form: the Bentley Grammar School choir and orchestra gave a performance of Faure's Requiem there in 1961 - to raise funds for the restoration of the organ! This was to be the 1963 work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Butler Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I don't know if it still exists, but did there not used to be a mock-up of the St Paul's console in the organist's house? Does that count?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsoff Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I don't know if it still exists, but did there not used to be a mock-up of the St Paul's console in the organist's house? Does that count?! Wouldn't that be fun with a wireless connection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iy45 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 Please can I have one, too? Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ross cobb Posted June 24, 2015 Author Share Posted June 24, 2015 Sorry, but as a former technical journalist I was always taught never to use jargon unless it was first qualified. Please tell us- what is 'a toaster'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Cooke Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I don't know if it still exists, but did there not used to be a mock-up of the St Paul's console in the organist's house? Does that count?! Are you sure? It wasn't there in John Dykes-Bower's or Christopher Dearnley's time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidh Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 There is of course the 5 manual toaster at Hammerwood Park, with its 64' and 128' effects and all............................... I asked David Pinnegar's son why the organ only had five manuals. He replied, "Dad hasn't had time to fix the sixth manual yet". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Butler Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Are you sure? It wasn't there in John Dykes-Bower's or Christopher Dearnley's time. if I am correct, I think it dates from the first Mander rebuild. can't remember how i heard about it but i don't think I'm dreaming....... Anyone......? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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