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Messages - David Wyld

#21
Give the poor dear time - he's only a 'newbie'!  When he discovers the  "underestimated raw power of its acoustic sound" that our preferred instrument develops........ :o

DW
#22
Organ Builders / Re: Willis open day
August 22, 2014, 02:00:14 PM
May I bring to the attention of those who might be interested - another Open Day at the Liverpool Works,  on Saturday 27th September.

The Leiden organ in underway and it is hoped that a part of it may be able to be played for the occasion (but I'm afraid we can't promise anything at this stage!).

Details can be found on the homepage at  www.willis-organs.com

DW
#23
Garston (Liverpool) U.R.C.- formerly congregational

Rushworth & Dreaper 1921,  overhauled and tonally revised Willis 1955  (stops added in 1955 were the Gt. 15th, Sw. Quartane, Ped. 32ft and 8ft Derivations & Swell Sub, Super & Unison Off Couplers).

According to the file its not a bad instrument, well-made (as R&D were in that period).

We (HW&S) had the care of it until 1994.   It's listed as "serviceable" and is probably worth finding a home for, provided it hasn't been vandalised in the meantime.

6ft 9ins deep x 11ft 4ins wide.

David Wyld
#24
The instrument has been presented to a Public School by an obviously generous AND informed donor.  Three of our staff have been moving it into the school this week, during 'Half-Term'.

The organ has been moved, without alteration and the School is contemplating/anticipating the building of a new Music School into which it will be moved in the future.

David Wyld
HENRY WILLIS & SONS LTD.
#25
Members may be interested to know that the work is finished, the organ has been in regular Sunday use for the past three or four weeks. 

The Rector (Dr. Thewlis) is keen to show any interested parties the result and is intending an opening, at some point in the not too distant future.

DW
#26
Further information -   I've just found the file and am pretty sure that this organ was removed from The Garrison Chapel at Venning Barracks, Donnington, Shropshire, within the past year.
#27
Quote from: diapason on March 15, 2014, 06:38:39 PM
Never knew that Daniels to built a cinema organ, but that console is definitely a Compton - possibly a miniatura.

This isn't a "CinemaOrgan" - I'm pretty sure that it's from a military barracks chapel, now closed, that I saw last year.  The Army/Services were hoping to relocate it to another establishment but hadn't reckoned on the cost.  It was built up of secondhand stuff, not bad for what it was but not worth even the opening bid of £750 in my view.   The thought that he's hoping to get £5k.........   

DW
Henry Willis & Sons.
#28
Restoring pipe organs / Re: "Father" Willis Organ
January 21, 2014, 02:00:08 PM
Quoted by NEorganist:  "H&H are the only organ builders to have recently had such extensive experience in these kinds of mechanisms. ".

Really?

How strange then that we're currently restoring (another) 1891 Willis-Lever instrument for Leiden.  It must just be a rumour. ::)


DW
(Henry Willis & Sons Ltd.)

P.S. You might like to take a look at the pages on our website regarding the new organ for Florence, which has Floating Lever - an infinitely more difficult and complicated mechanism than Barker Lever.   http://www.willis-organs.com/florence_general.html  (click on the link which says "show/hide construction photographs (updated)"   There are also pictures of the new round-section trackers made on what we understand to be the only machine surviving.
#29
There is no such thing as either a Willis Barker Lever, a floating Barker lever or a Willis Floating Barker Lever.

If this is a Willis mechanism, it will either be a Willis Lever or a Willis Floating Lever.  Easily discernible from the Patent number. 

If you haven't done one before and don't have the research, good luck!

DW
#30
Organs wanted / Re: Wanted: Hill Clarion 4'
October 15, 2013, 03:44:20 PM
Unless the Clarion is Harmonic, then you will be looking at approximately 17 notes of flues for the trebles, also a bit weak above treble c.   :-\

DW
#31
It is the (overdue) reinstatement of a scheme which should never have been withdrawn in the first place.

Many tens of thousands of complaints were made (and I believe were still being made up to very recently) drawing to the attention of those in their ivory towers that the money raised to do these works in raised by volunteers - not 'workers'- and that tax has already been collected on the funds, several times! 

We do know as a matter of absolute fact, that many churches have put off, or in some cases completely cancelled, work to bells and organs due to their being suddenly lumbered with a further 20% to raise, after they'd thought that they were already there. 

A welcome reinstatement.

DW
#32
Casson Positives can be a delight: when they are fully working, with all of the 'couplers' operative. The pipework is always nicely made and the voicing is gentle and quite refined.

As DD says, rebuilt with longer compass and a more suitable spec. A Casson could be very useful for home 'practice' (hate the word!).  HOWEVER, it appears that this particular example has been molested by Slater, so even if anything useable survives it would need another complete rebuilding: the very memory of the last Slater job I saw still gives me the creeps.

It is certainly not worth the starting bid of £500.  Possibly £50, on a good day given that one would have to dismantle, transport and re-erect.
#33
Organ Builders / Re: Schulze pipe scales
August 06, 2013, 03:30:41 PM
It isn't the scaling that will lend much authenticity - are these pipes wooden?  Do you know which Schultze it's supposed to be?

If they ARE wooden, the construction and details of things such a blocks, caps and the mouth details (beards, ears etc.) are the tell-tales, plus any inked marks on the pipes.

If I had a fiver for every time someone has told us that "......the Oboe in the Swell is a Cavaille-Coll rank!"...........

DW
#34
I've looked at our file - nothing there regarding an earlier provenance but the actions were all R&D pneumatic until 1991. 

I'd be interested to know what a 'Boehm Flute' looks like, and sounds like!  Presumably this refers to Boehm the keyed-woodwind instrument maker of the 19th c?  But he made flutes with conical bores, cylindrical bores, of metal AND wood, so that rather leaves the field open doesn't it!

Looking at the few photographs which we have in the file, the organ is certainly nothing special, but as its there and presumably all works, why not keep it?

DW
#35
Organs wanted / Re: WANTED COMPTON ELECTRONE ORGAN
July 14, 2013, 08:49:08 AM
We have two, or three I think.   We also have all of the 'machinery ' which constituted the enormous thing built for Charles Myers (4-manual thing in his house) which is available.
David Wyld
#36
Organs wanted / Re: Zimbelstern
April 01, 2013, 10:50:52 PM
Be very careful - they can be LOUD!

DW :-\
#37
Quote from: David Drinkell on March 30, 2013, 10:16:51 PM
There can't be many organs built in 1902 with a Great thus: 16.8.8.4.4.2.IV.8.4 Sub Octave Reeds.

Well, 1904, but not SO different, and certainly streets ahead of the others at the time, as with Colchester....

http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N04405

All pneumatic, restored recently, 1960s (Walker) minor alterations reversed, 1980s work reversed. Now back in more-or-less original condition and sounding great!



DW
#38
Organ Builders / Re: Willis History
March 28, 2013, 11:51:04 PM
David's comments are extremely flattering.   

Perhaps now is the appropriate time to announce that HW&S have been contracted to make and voice the following stops for the 'new' Trondheim organ:

Solo: 
Stentor Diapason
Stentor Gamba
Contra Tuba
Tuba
Tuba Clarion
Orchestral Trumpet

Swell:
French Horn

We have a long association with the Steinmeyer family and Paul Steinmeyer and I had discussed the matter of the Trondheim organ some time ago. Kuhn have visited us here at the factory in Liverpool and we have an extremely close working relationship in this project.

Luckily we have original records from 1929 to allow us to recreate these stops AND, even more luckily, some French Horn shallots!!  All of the blocks are cast for the new reeds, the shallots prepared and immediately after the Easter break we begin the 'fitting up'.

We are very privileged to be involved in this project - which I had kept under wraps until now, but as the cat does appear to be out of the bag, I'll be happy to keep the list posted, if that would be interesting?

Exciting times!

DW
#39
Organ Builders / Re: Willis History
March 22, 2013, 03:34:05 PM
Here we go again!

This is ALL nonsense I'm afraid.  I get VERY angry when this sort of rubbish raises its head, regularly, on various lists - does no-one ever read ANYTHING written anywhere else??   I posted this on the Mander forum some time ago:

*************************

HW1 did leave things in a mess in 1901, but that didn't bankrupt either the firm or the family: The family did want to wind everything up and share out the 'dibs' but HW2 resolved to pay all his father's debts (when at that time they could actually have walked away from the situation) and in so doing he put both himself and the firm in a difficult position - which ultimately resulted in his failing health and mental breakdown. He died in 1927.

After Lewis got his own firm into financial difficulties (not for the first time) he was bailed out by John Courage, whom he knew through the Architect, Bentley and it was Courage who set up Lewis & Co. in 1901 - under the Co. Reg. No. 70718. Bentley designed and built the new Lewis factory premises at Ferndale Road in Brixton, again funded by Courage.

After the end of WW1 Lewis had lost the greater part of its Staff, John Courage had had enough of losing money via organbuilding ventures and Willis were looking for larger premises:  it was 'arranged' that the Partners in Henry Willis & Sons would purchase the shareholding in Lewis & Co. This had to be the case since at that time it was legally impossible for a Partnership - i.e. a non-limited Company - to take over a Limited Company. The sale of the shares was assisted by Courage himself who took a debenture over the Company with its new "Willis" Directors, loaning the money of the purchase of the shares by the Willis partners.  Due to the legal requirements, on the purchase of the Lewis shares, in 1919, the Company was then renamed Henry Willis & Sons and Lewis & Company Limited.

Of course the same thing had occurred in 1915 between Hill & Son & Norman & Beard Ltd..

John Courage remained on the Board of the Company for several years (his name/signature appears regularly in the Directors meetings book) and in 1926, or thenabouts, the Lewis part of the name was dropped - presumably there was a seven-year rule to be passed before the new 'owners' could revert to their own name.

I was appointed as Managing Director in October 1997 and arranged the purchase of the entire shareholding from the remaining family share holders in November of that year and it was as a part of THAT process that I discovered that, even though it had all been repaid, the Courage Debenture still remained on the Companies House records and an application for its removal was submitted and accepted. We (Henry Willis & Sons Ltd.) are still the same Company, registered under the same, originally Lewis & Co., registration number, 70718.

*****************

So, can we have this right please - there has never been any Willis Bankruptcy and I would question entirely the assertion made that there are papers pasted in any soundboard saying anything of the sort.

By the way, these are not "recollections" of the history, they are the facts as documented in the firm's archives.  Your friends tip-off is nothing other than rumour and scandalization!

David Wyld
#40
Restoring pipe organs / Re: Pedal Acoustic Bass 32
March 14, 2013, 10:33:36 AM
Hello David,

yes we still do it like that though there have been problems in the past with some solid-state systems which don't make it easy so we have to do a hard-wired 'fudge'.   We've now designed and manufacture our own system so it isn't a problem any longer and we're back to normal.

What is your level number there?  We always leave a setting on level 69 for when we visit - its our experience that players usually start at level 1  or at 255 and work back, so they rarely get to level 69!

Regards,

DW