Organ matters - Organs matter!

Hi

Posted on behalf of a fellow member of BIOS who has recently restored this interesting instrument, and wishes to sell it.

Contact me off list for a pdf of his advert with a picture, but please contact Prof Shuker direct for further info.


Details from the ad are:-

Restored to fully playable condition
New foot pedal reconstructed from the original patent specification (GB 8827, 3 May 1895). Two new sets of reeds (old reed sets will be supplied).
Three stops (front set, front and rear set and tremulant) and forte.
Price: £850 (plus delivery)
For further details (and delivery costs depending on destination) from:
David Shuker
At the Sign of the Pipe
The Grain Store Workshop
Coney Lodge
Park Farm Rd
Birling
West Malling
ME19 5JZ
E-mail: info@signofthepipe.com

Every Blessing

Tony

Hi

I notice that we have gained a few new members to this forum recently.  Can I encourage you to post some details of yourselves and your interests here. 

Every Blessing

Tony - on behalf of the moderation team.
(Moderator)

Hi

Admin suggested that I might like to post my sermon from our main carol service here, so for what it's worth, here it is.

Every Blessing

Tony

The Shepherds (Carol Service 2011)
Reading: Luke 2:1-20
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (2 This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
    3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
    4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
    5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
    6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
    7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
   
The Shepherds and the Angels
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
    9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
    10 But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
    11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
    12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
    13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,   
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.
   15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.
    16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
    17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
    18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
    19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.
    20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke is one of the 2 gospel writers that give us any detail of Jesus' birth – and even he tells the actual nativity story in a mere– 7 verses in chapter 2 – a single paragraph out of the 1,000 or so that make up his gospel.  This story of Christ's birth – along with the surrounding events of the shepherds and the wise men, are, for many people, their sum total of knowledge of Christianity  -and then often in a garbled version that's more like a fairly story than Luke's  (and Matthew's) down to earth account of the facts.  This evening, we're going to take a brief look at the shepherds – among the more minor characters in the story – but characters that God chose to be the first outside of the Holy Family to hear the good news of salvation.

The shepherds may be relatively small, unnamed characters, but Luke takes almost as long talking about them in his account as he does telling of the actual birth of Jesus.  Their first indication that something unusual was happening was a bright light, and the appearance of an angel.  We don't even know what the angel looked like – the word "angel" derives from the Greek word "angelos", which simply means "messenger".  In all the 300 or so appearances of angels in the Bible, there's only one description in Matthew 28:3 – and all that says is:- "3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow."  So maybe there's something in the nativity scenes of angels in white nighties – but there's no mention of wing, and frequently angels look just like normal human beings and aren't immediately recognised.  Indeed, the earliest pictorial representations of angels in Christianity don't have wings"  It's not until c.380 that wings start to appear.

Anyway, let's get back on track.  Shepherds in that time were among the "lower orders" of society – even though it seems quite likely that the flocks they were caring for were destined for the Temple sacrifices, so maybe these men were a cut above other shepherds – at least in terms of piety – but then again maybe not.  The work of a shepherd – the need for their constant presence with the sheep – made it pretty well impossible for them to observe the Jewish religious ordinances and festivals fully, and as a result, they had gathered a not unjustified poor reputation.  Indeed, they were regarded as unreliable – and were even banned from being witnesses in court cases.  Luke's shepherds may possibly have been devout as befits keepers of the Temple flock – but they were still a despised class – and it was to them that God first revealed the Saviour!  It was to them that the angel came.  Ordinary, working class, men.

The shepherds were frightened by this angelic apparition "they were terrified" says Luke (2:9), and indeed the angel's first words are "do not be afraid..." (Luke 2:10).  Mary had already been told that her child's name was to be "Jesus".  That actually was a fairly common name at the time – in Hebrew it would have been "Yeshua" – the same a Joshua, and means "The Lord is Salvation".  Like all babies names, it says, at their birth, more about the parents than the child!  In this case perhaps Mary & Joseph's faith - and maybe a look backwards to the stories of Joshua.  But the words of the angel change that simplicity – telling us that this name – and this child – is of great significance.  This is no pious naming of a baby, but a positive step by God to bring about salvation – to send the long promised Messiah.  Let's remind ourselves of what was said:-
"Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
    11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
    12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
    13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
  14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests."

The angel says that this is "good news" of "great joy" - God is at work in Salvation – and it's available to "all people". The birth of this baby, in poor circumstances – is a major step in God's plan of salvation.  These words of the angel tell of the uniqueness of the child of Mary:-
1.   He is the Saviour – the only one who can rescue mankind from the mess that we've made of God's perfect creation.  He can deal with the sin, the misery and the mortality that are the results of man's behaviour, and He can usher in God's blessings which will meet every human need.  He will bring "peace on earth" – perhaps a strange, even ironic thing to say as we look at the state the world's in these days – and has been in through the centuries – true peace on earth is still to happen – at Jesus' return and the establishment of the new creation – and that of course is God's work.  God is the creator – so the angel is hinting that Jesus was and is God.

 
2.   This baby is the Christ – "" in Greek – and that's simply the Greek form of the Hebrew "Messiah".  It means "the anointed one".  Christ, or Messiah, is the One God has authorised and appointed to carry out the work of salvation – a work that reached its culmination some 33 years later on the cross of Calvary, and Jesus' subsequent resurrection.  The final triumph over death, sin and Satan.

3.   The Lord – a term used by the Jews as a substitute for the name of God, which they considered too holy to speak out loud.  Hence the angel is explicitly saying that Jesus is God.

Finally, the lone angel was joined by "a great company of the heavenly host" (Luke 2:13) – an army of angels – and the shepherds are given a sign – not just a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in Bethlehem – that wouldn't be too unusual – but a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger – not really an everyday occurrence!  The shepherds had to go and check it out for themselves – and having assured themselves that the angel's story was true – God had indeed acted – they went and told others the good news.  We should follow their example – check out what the Bible says about God and His salvation – and tell others the good news.

This topic has been moved to Electronic Organs.
Post moved to more relevant heading (Moderator)
http://www.organmatters.com/index.php?topic=1106.0

Hi

This via a friend.  I have pictures if anyone is interested, but would you please contact Bill Moore direct to negotiate price or if you have further queries.

thanks

Every Blessing

Tony

Hi Tony,

My friend Bill Moore has been contacted by someone who has a couple of American Organs which he wants to dispose of.  He might (or might not) get a few pounds for them on eBay, but before he does that I thought I would send the details through to you to see if any of your contacts might be interested - or if there might be anything "Special" about either of them. They look fairly run-of-the-mill to me - but what do I know about such things?

If anybody is interested they should get in touch with Bill Moore directly - rather than you and me as middle-men!

Thanks, Will

From: Bill Moore [mailto:wapmoore@tiscali.co.uk]
Sent: 25 November 2011 2:13 PM
To:
Subject: Reed Organs.

The J&F Bell requires a few stop wires but sounds good!
viola 4 dulcet 4 diap 8 dulcet 8 bourbon16 bass coupler vox humana
forte
treble coupler cremona 16 euphone 16 echo 8 celeste 8 melodia 8 flute 4. 4ft long

The other smaller instrument is made by John Malcolm and Co London

Melodia echo vox humana dulciana diapason.
3ft 5 in long

Thanks

Hi

For those who, like me, didn't manage to get to Greenwich for the Early Misic show last week, there's a report on Saturday's BBC Radio 3 Early Music Show (available on iPlayer for the rest of this week).  A good second-best to actually being there.

Every Blessing

Tony

Hi

I'm giving a concert of Christmas music with a difference on 10th December at Heaton Baptist Church, Bradford.  (Laylands Lane, BD9 5PX)

The concert is a mix of classical organ music for Christmas, played on the church's c.1820 chamber organ, and meditations on Christmas carols played on synthesiser and digital keyboards.  There will also be a chance to sing a few favourite carols - and, of course - refreshments!

Free admission - retiring offering for Baptist mission work.

Poster on the church's Facebook page. (Heaton (Bradford) Baptist Church -
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Heaton-Bradford-Baptist-Church/136323246408412)

Every Blessing

Tony

Hi

Priory Records have announced a new on-line radio service of organ & choral music.

http://www.prioryrecords.co.uk/radio/

Every Blessing

Tony

Hi

A currently unique - and well worthwhile - project.  Tutor Michael Wooldridge writes:-

"RYE WURLITZER ACADEMY
Teachers Report
As we enter the new College year,
it is exciting both to look back at
all we have achieved in our first
full year and also to look ahead to
many good things to come. In the last academic
year it has been wonderful to gradually be able to
spend more time with the students, though I still
feel they would benefit from even more regular
lessons and I am thrilled that as we move into the
new year, we are now addressing this for the most
conscientious of the players. It has been a joy for
me to receive such wonderful support from the
staff throughout the college and, most especially,
from Head of Music, Mr. Chris McGeever, who
never fails to offer the children inspiration to further
their musical endeavours.
As we enter the new school year, I am looking forward
not only to meeting the new year 7 students
as they join us but also to expansion of the
scheme to Year 5 & 6 at three local junior schools.
This could potentially offer a year 5 pupils seven
whole years of study at the electronic and theatre
organ, time enough to become very accomplished
indeed.
Of course we are also very much looking forward
to our trip to visit the East Sussex National Wurlitzer
at the end of September and our special parents'
evening on October 11th, at which we shall
be announcing some even more exciting news."

Every Blessing

Tony
P.S.  the exciting news is sponsorship to take a group of young players to the ATOS congress in America next year!

Hi

http://youtu.be/zD-Gj-gkB8k

obviously a publicity video blowing Allen organ's own trumpet!  But still interesting to see some of the technology - even if the sheer scale of the instrument is somewhat on the large side!

Every Blessing

Tony

Hi

Before you all get excited/worried that the Willis grand organ is being supplanted, this one is for the OBE Chapel in the crypt of the cathedral.  William Drake is busy construction a new organ - the stop list looks very typical of Drake - English classical in style.  See http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=E01834

The chapel previously had a 1959 2/p 16 stop Willis, supplanted by an Allen electronic in the mid-1990's.  I've not (yet) found a date for the organ's installation & inauguration.

Every Blessing

Tony

Hi

There is now a web listed of the status of pipe organs affected by the recent earthquake -
http://www.nzorgan.com/earthquake/Organ-damage/canterbury-organs.htm

Every Blessing

Tony

Now showing in Birmingham.

see http://www.thsh.co.uk/page/news/double-screen-success-for-organ-animation/

An animated film aimed at school children, introducing the organ (specifically the Klais in Symphony Hall, Birmingham)

A link to the animation is on the above web page.

Every Blessing

Tony

A series of pieces using organ with a variety of other instruments, based on the liturgical hours.  World Premiere due in October at St Marylebone Church, 27/10/11

According to the article in Sept/Oct edition of choir & Organ, the scoring is:-
1. Vigils.  flute, organ, percussi0n, timpani, vilons, double basses.
2. Lauds. Organ, electronics
3. Prime. accordion, cello
4. Terce.  Organ, accordion
5. Sext.  Harmonium, electric keyboard, cello, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor
6. None.  organ, percussion, bassoons, tubas, double basses.
7. Vespers.  oboe, bassoons, tubas, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, organ, accordion, harmonium, electric keyboard, percussion, violins, cello, double-basses.
8. Compline  2 alto flutes, soprano, saxophone, organ, 2 "home-made" organs.

I wonder if this (spread over 3 concerts on the same day) will be recorded for broadcast?

There certainly look like some potentially interesting juxtapositions of instruments.

Every Blessing

Tony

Hi

Whilst not directly related to the Zurich Symposium, Connecting Arts is billed as an European Organ Festival linking organ music with other art disciplines including visual arts, theatre, dance, etc.  First event is in Utrecht on 2nd October, then Toulouse, Copenhagen, Helsinborg, Malmo & Kristianstad (May 2012).  See http://connectingarts.org/en.html

Pity it's not coming to England!

Every Blessing

Tony

P.S.  the Choir & Organ article is now on line at http://www.rhinegold.co.uk/magazines/choir_and_organ/news/choir_organ_news_story.asp?id=1163&dm_i=1X8,K291,3LBTY8,1MPK2,1

Hi

This is well worth watching.  Wagner's Tannhauser Overture, arr. by Edwin Lemare.  Note the thumbing down, etc.  A real tour de fource!

http://youtu.be/mNZwgNlhmG8

Every Blessing

Tony

Church of São José, Rio di Janeiro:-

A fascinating inquiry has come my way from a colleague in the Reed Organ world who has been help the above church try to track down information on their pipe organ, which appears to be of English origin.  There is no visible makers plate or any other information on the instrument, but recently documentation has come to light that reveals that the London firm of Moore and Moore received payment for the instrument.  This raises a number of questions.

Moore and Moore were perhaps best known as a piano manufacturer, founded from the cabinet making business of John & Henry Moore in 1838.  (This date comes from a number of web pages that all seem to be based on a common original source!)  According to the same web page, the firm was taken over by Kemble in 1933.  The DBOB entry reveals that Moore & Moore were also reed organ builders, at least from before 1884 until 1921.  It appears that they built at least one enharmonic reed organ
So the question is, why did this firm get involved with the supply of a pipe organ to Rio de Janeiro?  Did they in fact build the organ?  Or did they act as agents?  If that was the case, who were the builders?  Pictures of the organ in question can be seen at http://www.arteorganistica.org.br/saojose.html.

Any information as to the builder of this organ, and any further information on Moore & Moore would be gratefully received.

This is just for fun - no prizes.  We're currently doing a series at church looking at Biblical characters - this morning our subject was Noah, so I used a little quiz to start with.  See how many answers you get right - preferably without looking it up!  There is one trick question, and one real stinker.

1.  How many sheep did Noah take into the Ark?
2. How many pigs did Noah take into the Ark?
3. How long did it rain for?
4. How long in total did Noah spend in the Ark?
5. How many sheep did Moses take into the Ark?

Have fun - I'll post the correct answers tomorrow (if I remember).

Every Blessing

Tony

Hi

Reading through my copy of this, I find recommendations for playing Vieux Noel from Franck's "L'Organiste" on pipe organ - in an article by Daniel Moult aimed at exam candidates (the piece is set for ABRSM & Trinity Guildhall exams at Grade 3).

He suggests playing it on a single manual - and seems to not know anything about Harmonium registration!

I have written to the editor at length (see below) to point out that his suggestions fail to reveal either the true beauty of this piece (which I play frequently), nor Franck's intentions.

Every Blessing

Tony

Copy of my letter to the editor, Organists' Review:-

Dear Editor

With reference to the article "you can play that" in the August 2011 edition, and in particular the first piece mentioned, "Vieux Noel" from Franck's "L'Organiste".  As Daniel Moult correctly notes, Franck wrote this piece for the Harmonium.  However, one vital thing that he seems to miss in suggesting playing this piece is one manual throughout is that this goes totally against what Franck wrote. I am amazed that, in these days of relating performances to the composer's intentions, the glaring errors that I mention below have been allowed to pass without comment.

A glance at the Harmonium score reveals that this is registered for ranks 2 & 5 in the right hand, and rank 1 in the left hand.  Thus, it is a "solo and accompaniment" piece - and the right hand uses 16ft stops - so should sound an octave lower than noted.  Rank 2 is a 16ft foundation, rank 5 is a Musette - normally tuned as a mild celeste.  Rank 1 for the l.h. is an 8ft foundation stop.  This needs to be taken into account to realise both the composer's intentions and the full beauty of this piece.  Playing it on one manual just fails to do the composer's intentions justice.

Even the suggestions (from Anne Marsden Thomas) don't fully follow Franck's intentions, which has a registration change on the last beat of bar 16, where melody goes into the left hand, with the addition of an 8ft reed sound, and the r.h. Musette is removed.  This is reversed at the beginning of bar 26 where the l.h. reed is cancelled, and the r.h. solo re-enters on the last beat of that bar, again with the Mussette rank added.

Pieces like this appear, at first glance, to be written for a single manual.  However, the French Harmonium is amazingly standardised, with the basic 4 ranks at least available on the majority of instruments, and the keyboard split at e/f ABOVE middle C.  This has a bearing on re-arranging for pipe organ when the 2 halves of the keyboard have different registrations.  Composers for Harmonium often treat one - or both - halves of the keyboard as, in effect, transposing instruments, playing either an octave above or below notated pitch, depending what stops are called for.

For reference, the standard ranks - which will be numbered on the drawstops, are:-

Bass:-
1. Cor Anglais 8ft
2. Bourdon 16ft
3. Clarion 4ft
4 Basson 8ft


Treble
1. Flute 8ft
2. Clarinette 16ft
3. Fifre 4ft (or Flageolet 4ft)
4. Hautbois 8ft

The Grand Jeu stop (indicated by a G in a circle in the registration) acts as a blind "full organ" combination, drawing all of the 4 base ranks in both treble and bass.  (The additional ranks also have standard numbers that are indicated in harmonium music.  Franck in "L'Organiste" only calls for the basic 4, plus Mussette in the treble (rank 5).

I can only hope that examiners of any candidate who chooses to play this piece on one manual throughout have no knowledge of Franck's original intentions!

Yours

Rev Tony Newnham
Bradford

[This is a post and thread split from the thread "Researcher seeking organ enthusiasts for Documentary" which subsequently generated interest enough for its own thread . . .  - Forum Admin]

With ref to the comments on Christchurch Priory, it's on record (in a lengthy article in "Organ Building" shortly after the rebuild was completed), that the mechanical console was included at the insistence of an advisor (I can't offhand remember if it was consultant, or DOA, or some other interested party) simply because of the view (which, although I prefer tracker actions) that tracker is always best!  Looking at the drawings in the article, I can see why it's rarely used and has a heavy touch.  I seems to me like an unnecessary complication (and no doubt significant extra expense) on an organ that obviously needs a detached console - or a complete re-thing into something that suits tracker action, which would mean dispensing with many of the characteristic stops on the existing instrument - possibly a complete fresh start.

As Jonathon said, the purpose of a church organ is to serve the current needs of the church - no more, and no less (and that may include concerts, recitals, etc). If it doesn't do that adequately (and in many cases, a historic instrument is fine - in others there is arguably a need to more registrational control)  But the bottom line has to be that the church is NOT in the museum business.

Every Blessing

Tony