Having read with great interest the forum discussions on this topic, I hope you don't mind if, as Director of Music at Cranleigh and thus with ultimate responsibility for this decision, I contribute on behalf of the School to allay any fears that the decision to request the wonderful Mander instrument to be retuned to equal temperament has been taken lightly, or without exhaustive consideration of the pros and cons on both sides.
Tomorrow it is actually a year to the day since the new Mander organ was first heard in public in all its glory and it is a very fine instrument indeed. We could not be more delighted with the work John and his team have done and the enhancement to both music and worship it has brought to the school is quite remarkable. Jonathan Lane (June 25th) is quite right that the high quality of congregational singing, of which we are proud, had long out-volumed the modest output of the GDB to the extent that I had to personally conduct all congregational singing to ensure we didn't part company! The new instrument is a fine combative partner for the "boisterous boys (and girls)" of the congregation and indeed for the 70-strong Chapel Choir, not to mention an excellent recital instrument.
However, throughout the last year, Philip Scriven (Organist in Residence at Cranleigh) and I have spent many long hours discussing the temperament issues. The results of our discussions and our own feelings are actually summed up rather well by Barry Williams in his post of 21st June. We love the colours that Kellner brings to a wide range of repertoire and the importance of exposure of this repertoire to young organists is not to be underestimated. However, proportionally this repertoire does not form a truly significant enough percentage of the musical requirements of a working Public School chapel to warrant a dedicated temperament. If we were an Eton College with several pipe organs around the school this would of course be a very different matter.
The majority of hymn tunes in our current usage are late nineteenth or twentieth century creations and much the same could be said of our choral repertoire. Elgar, Howells, Stanford, Britten etc. feature strongly and the pupils adore singing this music. I recall a recent "I was glad" (one of the choir's favourites) which was passing fair in B flat but became rather 'eye-watering' (one could argue, appropriately) when we prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. I know I risk accusation of heresy here, but the wide modulatory requirements of this repertoire, like it or not, far from merely adding interesting colouration, to modern ears steeped in ubiquitous equal temperament just sound out of tune.
However, hopefully to show that we do take this issue very seriously indeed, we have asked John Mander to delay the retune for a further year until the summer of 2012. During the next academic year, Philip Scriven will be performing the complete organ works of Bach in a series of 26 Lunchtime and Evening Recitals (details here: http://cl.ly/3t2v3d1A2z1O241O3I2N ) and we felt it highly appropriate to retain the unequal temperament specifically for this very special and exciting project. We would be thrilled if you could bring this to the attention of fellow organ enthusiasts who may like to hear the organ, Philip's remarkable playing and the Kellner temperament over the next year.
I hope you will not think me ill-mannered if I don't contribute to any further discussion. The above is intended as a clarification for the benefit of forum members and as a statement of intent, rather than as a further catalyst.
With vey best wishes
Marcus Pashley
Director of Music
Cranleigh School
Tomorrow it is actually a year to the day since the new Mander organ was first heard in public in all its glory and it is a very fine instrument indeed. We could not be more delighted with the work John and his team have done and the enhancement to both music and worship it has brought to the school is quite remarkable. Jonathan Lane (June 25th) is quite right that the high quality of congregational singing, of which we are proud, had long out-volumed the modest output of the GDB to the extent that I had to personally conduct all congregational singing to ensure we didn't part company! The new instrument is a fine combative partner for the "boisterous boys (and girls)" of the congregation and indeed for the 70-strong Chapel Choir, not to mention an excellent recital instrument.
However, throughout the last year, Philip Scriven (Organist in Residence at Cranleigh) and I have spent many long hours discussing the temperament issues. The results of our discussions and our own feelings are actually summed up rather well by Barry Williams in his post of 21st June. We love the colours that Kellner brings to a wide range of repertoire and the importance of exposure of this repertoire to young organists is not to be underestimated. However, proportionally this repertoire does not form a truly significant enough percentage of the musical requirements of a working Public School chapel to warrant a dedicated temperament. If we were an Eton College with several pipe organs around the school this would of course be a very different matter.
The majority of hymn tunes in our current usage are late nineteenth or twentieth century creations and much the same could be said of our choral repertoire. Elgar, Howells, Stanford, Britten etc. feature strongly and the pupils adore singing this music. I recall a recent "I was glad" (one of the choir's favourites) which was passing fair in B flat but became rather 'eye-watering' (one could argue, appropriately) when we prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. I know I risk accusation of heresy here, but the wide modulatory requirements of this repertoire, like it or not, far from merely adding interesting colouration, to modern ears steeped in ubiquitous equal temperament just sound out of tune.
However, hopefully to show that we do take this issue very seriously indeed, we have asked John Mander to delay the retune for a further year until the summer of 2012. During the next academic year, Philip Scriven will be performing the complete organ works of Bach in a series of 26 Lunchtime and Evening Recitals (details here: http://cl.ly/3t2v3d1A2z1O241O3I2N ) and we felt it highly appropriate to retain the unequal temperament specifically for this very special and exciting project. We would be thrilled if you could bring this to the attention of fellow organ enthusiasts who may like to hear the organ, Philip's remarkable playing and the Kellner temperament over the next year.
I hope you will not think me ill-mannered if I don't contribute to any further discussion. The above is intended as a clarification for the benefit of forum members and as a statement of intent, rather than as a further catalyst.
With vey best wishes
Marcus Pashley
Director of Music
Cranleigh School