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Peterhouse


Aeron Glyn Preston

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Does anyone know what the specification is for the proposed rebuild of the organ at Peterhouse?  Apparently both Flentrop and Klais are involved.  The mock-up seems to show two consoles in the case, one at the front and the other at the side.  How would that work from an engineering perspective?

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I'm not one for knocking, you can see the rationale behind this even though it's unusual. It's just as well that the description emphasises the importance of access for maintenance !

It wouldn't be the first time that an organ has two consoles for different purposes. Southampton's Guildhall Compton springs to mind. The original proposal for the Willis organ at the Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden had two consoles, the original mechanical en fenêtre, and then a larger electric console to play all of the original organ, plus a planned solo division and some other parts. By the way, that organ sounds superb in that building.

Recently a couple of organs here in the Netherlands have had an additional single manual console provided, one on electric action, one actually a mechanical console connected to the rest of its organ's mechanical action, both enabling the organist to accompany the choir from a selection of stops on the organ as a continuo instrument.

But if you can't afford, or have no space for, two separate organs, then of course the place to go to for inspiration is Japan. This is astonishing:

https://www.geigeki.jp/english/house/organ.html

And I recommend watching the video at the bottom of the page.

 

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Having mentioned it, it took time to find. Here's a link to a description of Bernhardt Edskes' reconstruction of the Schnitger organ in the Lutheran Church in Groningen, in the north of the Netherlands. It describes in particular the continuo keyboard, set forward of the organ, by the gallery ballustrade, so the organist can accompany and direct the choir. It mentions that Bach himself had a similar arrangement in the Thomaskirche from 1730,  though that keyboard was on a gallery below the organ. Not much new, is there?

http://www.orgelnieuws.nl/gereconstrueerd-schnitger-orgel-lutherse-kerk-groningen-gebruik/

 

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  • 5 months later...
  • 4 months later...

I have just discovered that Klais restored the organ of Maria Himmelfahrt in Niederschönenfeld. This has two keyboards on opposite sides of the case playing at different pitches...

The organ is on a west gallery and which was originally divided and had a parish side and a nuns side. The keyboard on the parish side was used for congregational singing and was at a lower pitch. Whilst the keyboard round the back of the case was used for accompanying the nuns who sang form the gallery at higher pitch. To accommodate the challenges of playing different keys in non-equal temperament there were separate pipes for B flat and E flat to each manual, but the other pipes were shared.

https://klais.de/m.php?sid=491

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  • 3 years later...

Inauguration of the restored College organ - 13 January 2024

Statement from Peterhouse, Cambridge:

“Earlier this month we were delighted to celebrate the end of our organ restoration project with a guest recital by Thomas Trotter. This was preceded by a discussion of the restoration process. It is wonderful to have the organ back in action and we hope you will agree that it is sounding marvellous.

“The organ, originally a Snetzler from 1765, has been restored in a collaborative endeavour between Flentrop Orgelbouw and Orgelbau Klais. The College is enormously grateful for the inspiration of the late Catherine Ennis, as well as the dedicated support of our organ advisors, Simon Jackson and David Graham, and the input of our Historical Advisor, Nicholas Thistlethwaite, and for the support of our generous benefactors.

“Following the inaugural concert we are hosting a recital series of guest organists throughout Lent Term. Still to come:

Saturday 03 February – Katelyn Emerson (Gonville and Caius)
Saturday 10 February – Anthony Gritten (Royal Academy of Music)
Saturday 17 February – William Whitehead (Lincoln’s Inn)
Saturday 24 February – Sietze de Vries (Groningen)
Saturday 02 March – Anne Page (Cambridge)
Saturday 09 March – Anna Steppler (Peterhouse)

“All of the above recitals will take place in the Peterhouse Chapel and will begin at 6 p.m, lasting around an hour. The events are free to attend and are open to the public. Tickets can be booked either [through Ticket Tailor …], or by emailing Harriet Clark on harriet.clark@pet.cam.ac.uk. We ask that attendees enter the College via the Porter’s Lodge and be seated by 5.50 p.m. please.“

One must add how sad that Catherine Ennis did not live to see the project come to fruition.

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