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Nigel Church Organ

Started by diapason, November 17, 2012, 11:30:24 AM

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diapason

Just appeared on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/church-organ-1-manual-/281025251645?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Keyboard_RL&hash=item416e69093d&_uhb=1

To be replaced by a toaster - what are the DAC thinking about to give a faculty for this?

N







dragonser

Hi,
if the link above doesn't work then the ebay number is 281025251645
located in Breaston Derbys.
it seems a shame that they don't want to keep this Organ.
regardsPeter B

diapason

Link now sorted.  I agree, to replace a fine organ like this with a toaster is a travesty.

N

David Pinnegar

Hi!

Looking at ebay I was surprised to see such an instrument for sale . . . and then to see that it's going to be electrocuted is insanity. As shockingly misguided a church as has been the Synod in recent days . . .

There is another instrument for sale, a Conacher, from a Welsh chapel. It's on at a ridiculous price but perhaps that is for the purpose of ensuring it goes to a good home as the seller does encourage enquiries to discuss price.

Best wishes

David P

David Pinnegar

Hi!

I have written to the seller:

Quote
This has received attention on www.organmatters.co.uk

It appears to be great folly to throw away an investment in pipes that will last over 100 years for the flash of electric currents and loudspeakers. . .

For this reason future generations will not at all thank you for what you're doing now and I'd urge you to cancel the auction. There should be enough room for both.

If more versatility is required a midi interface could be added to the action and it could drive, for instance, an Ahlborn expander.

Real pipe organs will last beyond the availability of electric power. No doubt a hand bellows could be added with ease so that the instrument sings into the future.

This is the story of Aladdin's lamp.

Best wishes

I wonder if a good result might happen?

Best wishes

David P

diapason

Looking at the church website, whilst they have a choir, the traditional service has been pushed to 8.45am to allow for a happy-clappy gathering at prime time.  They probably want the space taken by the organ for a drum kit  :'(

diapason

Sold for £4050.  Hope it goes to a home where it will be properly appreciated.
N

Contra_Gamba

I went to see and play this Organ at the weekend with a view to buying it as a "Chancel Organ".  Everyone was very friendly and helpful and the organ standing on its plinth looks very smart with clean lines, clearly a child of its time!  On the whole I liked it more to look at than to listen to.  It reminded me of an organ I used to practice on (unforgiving!), but it was on balance rather too chiffy for my needs and there were some other problems which, as always I was tempted to overlook, but which were useful to remember when I was watching the bidding on eBay and avoided me getting carried away:

Action very light and responsive but a little worn so some clattering - easily remedied when dismantled
Casework – veneer coming off in a couple of places
Swell box was only effective in the very first 1/4" of movement
Tuning of the mixture seemed to be affected by movement of the swell shutters - perhaps rotating the mouths would help
Some pipes looking a little battered by cone-tuning
Principal 4' is on display  which means that it is rather "in your face" when seated at the console, need to remember to push it in when closing the swell box.
Upper-work on the bright side, tiring at the console, not so bad at a distance
Pedal Bourdon too small scale and quiet, OK when a couple of stops drawn with the box shut but not really a match for manual stops.

The Dulciana 8' been revoiced by Peter Collins at some point quite effectively to give a true 8' foundation but the bottom 5 or 6 notes were derived from the Stopped Diapason.

The Organ cost £4,400 when new in 1975, it sold for £4,050 so it held its value well.  I wonder if the proposed digital replacement will do as well...

The good thing about this instrument was that it would take maybe 2 days to dismantle and 2 or 3 days to reassemble and it would, once tuned, just work.  I'm sure that whoever bought it will be very happy with it but they have to wait until March/April to get it. 

David Pinnegar

Hi!

Thanks so much for your detail on this and I'm sorry your ambition to acquire it has been thwarted.

It does however throw up an interesting perspective on the blatant and obstinate fashion of the time for something to be so perversely baroque as to veer away from organ music that people traditionally liked and which has soothed the soul. Were Rheinberger to be played smoothly rather than something else chiffily, one wonders whether an instrument capable of doing so would continue to be valued by the church? The neo-Baroque made its mark but lost balance.

Best wishes

David P

jh5speed

Just registered with this forum - so hello all ...

I was interested in this thread - I lived in the next village to Breaston for many years and had heard that it had a Church instrument, though I never saw it. There was another one nearby at Trent College (school) in Long Eaton - 2 manuals installed mid-late 70's. 

jcrouch55

Welcome jh5speed.  The organ in Trent College is still there - I played it this summer.
Any idea what happened to in Breaston?

revtonynewnham

Hi

NPOR (http://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N05386) has it still in the church in 2001 - moved 2000 to a new location by Peter Collins.

Every Blessing

Tony