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Good house organ for sale on ebay - Reigate Surrey

Started by David Pinnegar, September 27, 2015, 07:22:52 PM

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David Pinnegar

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/House-Pipe-Organ-2-Manuals-Pedals-Electric-Action-/121771550258

QuoteBarrie Clark House Organ

I am offering for sale on behalf of an old friend who does not have an eBay account, a custom-built pipe organ in good working condition.

It was built by Barrie Clark between 1973 and 1978, and was based on pipework originally from Reigate United Reformed Church. The pipework has been much enhanced, with professional help over the years. Barrie designed the organ to fit in his house, with a custom frame for the purpose. Needless to say, a vast amount of work went into this project. Barrie is a notable figure in the organ world, and much respected by all who know him. Circumstances point to finding a new home for this treasured instrument, so Barrie will accept reasonable offers.

It is a direct electric action using the (then) new Corbett patent vertical draw magnets with air damping. There is detail documentation of the build including working drawings and photos, all of which will be provided with the instrument.

The specification comprises 14 stops from 6 ranks, over 2 manuals and pedals, which provides quite a versatile instrument in a small space - width 6', height 7'6", depth 2' (approximately, excluding keyboards); the pedalboard is removable. The bass octave of the 16' pedal is derived from American organ reeds so that there are no large bass flues.

Manual I                  Manual II
Cremona    8             Sesquialtera    II
Mixture      II            Quint              1 1/3
Gedakt       2            Principal         2
Principal     4            Stopped Flute 4
Stopped Flute    8     Gedakt            8

Pedal                        Couplers
Cremona    8            Tremulant
Principal     4            Manual I to Manual II
Stopped Flute    8     Manual II to Pedal
Gedakt      16           Manual I to Pedal
                               Cymbelstern
                               Vogelsang

We have recordings of the instrument, so samples could be provided electronically to interested parties.

The instrument is installed within walking distance of Reigate Station, and viewing/trying will be welcome by arrangement. It would need to be dismantled for removal: into several manageable components, plus the pipework, and the casework which is divided for ease of domestic movement.

revtonynewnham

Hi


This certainly looks interesting for those who have the space.

Every Blessing

Tony

Barrie Davis

I have never heard of the bottom octave of the pedal 16 being derived from American organ reeds are there any other examples of this?






David Drinkell

It's been done before.  A firm in the USA (I think it was Kimball) produced a range of very compact model organs in the 19th century with free reeds in the bottom octave.

A few small modern organs just about get away with short-length reeds for the Pedal, such as a Sordun, but more often they only sound right if one is playing Susato!

In the Old Kirk on the Island of Westray in Orkney, there is a very strange instrument, perpetrated by Solway Organs of Dalbeattie, Kirkudbrightshire.  It is termed a "Model B major" organ and looks like a large box made out of cheap wood with a console next to it.  Inside the box, there is a 16' octave of harmonium reeds, an octave or so of stopped pipes and a treble of open ones.  From this is derived a specification thus:

Viola 8, Principal 4, Block Flute 2 2/3, Octave 2, Contra Bass 16

The fraction on the Block Flute has been added by hand and the Contra Bass is marked "32"(!).  There is a lid on the box which is operated by a balanced swell pedal.

The above might have resulted in a decent little organ, suitable for the simple demands which would be made on it - but it didn't.  The whole thing is badly done and the tone barely exceeds dulciana power.  However, it was all (more or less) working when I visited it in 1987, despite having had no attention since it was put in (I know not when).

The Minister didn't know it was a pipe organ until I showed her.

Solway Organs did a number of other jobs with free reed basses.  It was a one-man outfit and the list of instruments on NPOR shows a distressing proportion which were broken up or replaced fairly shortly after he worked on them.  My colleagues from those parts told me that the proprietor sold the firm in order to enter the Episcopal Church ministry (Cowboy turned Gamekeeper?) and the new owner found he had inherited a huge debt on a rebuild (it might have been the Walcker at Hamilton) and promptly went bust.


revtonynewnham

Hi

As David says, the use of Harmonium reeds for pedal basses, whilst not common, is far from unknown.  There are also a handful of hybrid pipe/reed organs around the world, but they have the same tuning issues as pipe/electronic hybrids.

An alternative to the small organ pedal 16ft issue is the use of a fractional length reed, as in http://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=E00937

I've played this organ, and the pedal reed is surprisingly effective.  It's mounted behind the lower case panel, just above the pedals, and the case panel can be opened a small amount to give soft and slightly louder effects.  Very interesting idea.

Every Blessing

Tony

David Drinkell

That looks very clever and effective.  The fractional-length reed could work very well in such an instrument and I particularly like the idea of having a shutter to adjust its volume.  An example where I felt a fractional reed did not work was the Peter Collins organ at Addington Palace, and another was the otherwise rather fine Wells-Kennedy at St. Dorothea's, Gilnahirk, Belfast.  In both cases, there was nothing wrong with the reed, per se, but it was just too loud and bucolic for most purposes.  One can't play Renaissance dance music all the time in the Church of Ireland....

revtonynewnham

Hi

The reed to be fair is a little loud for the softest combinations - but you don't have to use it.  It was nicely voiced, although still obviously a fractional length job.  The instrument is designed for home prctice rather than a church or other public situation, which would make a difference.

Every Blessing

Tony