News:

If you have difficulty registering for an account on the forum please email antespam@gmail.com. In the question regarding the composer use just the surname, not including forenames Charles-Marie.

Main Menu
Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Messages - Terz

#1
Organs Preserved / Re: Sheffield Cathedral
September 17, 2016, 12:57:39 PM
I wish I shared David Drinkell's optimism. Organ thinking in the Uk is still in the Edwardian era for many with one notable recent rebuild not even making a nod to direct any sound into the nave of the building.
#2
If it was about half way through the the church was Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.  Uk church organs don't come any larger than that one!
#3
Organs wanted / Re: Compton Pedal Diaphone
February 11, 2016, 09:32:13 AM
Yes; you are correct.  I should have mentioned it was not Compton.  Sorry for misleading you but I thought there might not be many redundant Diaphones around these days.
#4
Organs wanted / Re: Compton Pedal Diaphone
February 10, 2016, 09:38:52 AM
Possibly Worcester Cathedral? I thought there was one remaining there in the Transept case, just left when the new Harrison reed was installed.
#5
Given the high regard that those writing seem to have for this organ (I have not seen or heard it) the non availability of Lottery funding will be a disappointment.  Presumably the officials deciding on Lottery funding have expert advice available to them in order to make their decision.  Can we please be told which member of the Association of Independent Organ Advisers was used to provide advice on this occasion?
#6
FOR SALE and WANTED / Re: Organ library for sale
August 07, 2015, 08:30:01 AM
This is a very interesting collection of books as detailed in the catalogue.  I have bought several and can recommend this seller.  I hope the remainder find good homes; I'm running out of shelf space!
#7
Organs in danger / Re: Battersea Arts Centre
March 14, 2015, 12:44:29 PM
This has appeared on Facebook.  No doubt more accurate information will emerge in the coming days/weeks;

Dear friends: Tonight, one of England's finest concert halls, Battersea Arts Centre, was gutted by a huge fire. Thankfully, the historic 1900 Hope-Jones organ (the largest and most significant survivor of that maverick genius's work) had mostly been removed for restoration and so has escaped the fire - but the Grand Hall has been completely destroyed, the roof and ceiling completely gone, and so one must presume the organ cases and building frames have been reduced to ashes. The reservoirs, relays and console remained on-site below the stage: their state remains unclear. They may have survived, but heat, smoke and water may have caused significant damage. The Arts Centre will rise again, but it needs your support: a fundraising page has been set up at https://www.nationalfundingscheme.org/BAC012#.VQN2GEZFCSE - please consider giving whatever you feel would be an appropriate donation to ensure that the phoenix does indeed rise from the ashes...
#8
The use of re-cycled parts was one of the reasons George Pace (not in fashion at the moment) designed wooden screens to hide it all.  It gave him control of what the finished organ casework looked like instead of leaving it very much to chance with organ builders' re-cycled front pipes.
#9
According to text on the New College website it seems Paul Hale was consultant and he supplied the following:
The stop-list has been changed thus: Positif None 8/9ths and 1ft Octav now on the Swell in place of the Teint, which is removed to store; Sesquialtera 12.17 replaces them on the Positif. Great Messing Regal 16ft removed to store and replaced with a 'French classical' Vox Humana 8ft; 16ft Quintade revoiced as a Bourdon, with a new wooden bass. Pedal Subbass/Flute revoiced; 4ft Rohr Schalmei replaced with 4ft Trompete; 32ft Fagot receiving a full-length bass (was half-length). New coupler - much longed-for - 'Swell to Positif'. Should be good! Paul Hale
#10
I also like the New College case.  It is a shame that after all these years, recent work has included stop changes (so I am told).
#11
It is a lways worth asking the BOA in Birmingham, as although they might not have the records, when Chris Kearl was Archivist there I think he had a record of other places that had organ builder's records.  Roy Williamson may know more as his book on The Organs of Gloucestershire records two instances of their work in that County.   
#12
The organ is listed on the NPOR at http://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N11694

The Uk acknowledged expert on Hill is The Revd Canon Nicholas Thistlethwaite MA PhD, the author of the widely acclaimed book 'The making of the Victorian Organ'.  This contains texts about Hill.  He is also available for consultancy work, being a member of the AIOA; see http://www.aioa.org.uk/advisers/members/nicholasT.htm , which contains details of how to contact him at Guildford Cathedral. 

The IBO has an information leaflet on fundraising etc here: http://www.ibo.co.uk/IBO2005/publications/infoSheet/downloads/Fund%20Raising%20Leaflet.pdf

#13
You may be right about this being the smallest organ with a proper 32ft stop, rather than just an acoustic bottom octave.  I have just checked and the one near me in Standish, Gloucestershire where Andrew Freeman was vicar is a 2M+P of 23 stops.  It has a case designed by Stephen Dykes Bower.   http://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N05780
#14
The most informative publication available in the UK for technical information such as pipe scalings and sectional drawings of organs, including in some cases action runs , is "The Organbuilder" which subsequently became "Organ Building", an annual publication which includes an annual review of Organ Builder's work written by Paul Hale from member input.  If you join the Institute of British Organ Building as an interested member it comes free with membership.  I think copies may be available for non members to purchase but whether any library holds back copies I do not know.  Contact with them may resolve this point and also whether they have an index of articles.
#15
House Organs / Re: House organ started!
May 28, 2013, 02:44:34 PM
These wooden stops seem to be all open pipes.  There is more variety to be gained by having one of them made of stopped pipes for the different harmonic series produced.  You may also wish to think about making some of the stops into divided stops so you have a solo line. 
Someone I know with a 2M+P house organ had 8+4 on one manual and 8+2 on the other and now wishes he had swapped the 2 for another 4ft.  As you already have a 2 2/3 do you really need another 3rd sounding rank; perhaps a tierce 1 3/5 would give another tone colour and effectively give you a cornet .  However, 8  4  4  2  11/3 might be best and if there is no room for the bass of a 4ft principal you could always borrow the bottom octave from the flute.  Bear in mind that metal pipes are easier to plant on the soundboard than wooden ones which might need more space. 
At the end of the day it will be a difficult choice so good luck.
   
#16
This rather depends on the layout of the soundboards within the case.  If lengthways they run from East to West as they did at on the pre Downes organ at Gloucester Cathedral (they recon the old organ sounded best in the South Transept) then a conventional mechanical action will suffice because keyboards and soundboards run parallel with each other.  If they run North to South then a 90 degree turn is required within the action.  This can be done by putting squares in the action, or specially designed roller boards eg Christchurch Priory and Southwell Minster, but is not thought of as the best practice for mechanical actions where the simplest straightforward approach is generally the best. 
The idea is not new in the UK as early mechanical pedal actions went through 90 degrees when the pedal pipes were placed on either side of the organ within the case.  However as they were generally under the bellows they proved difficult to mantain and were often replaced with pneumatic action.
#17
Organs Preserved / Re: early Fr. Willis organs...
March 05, 2013, 03:10:48 PM
Re Old Burghclere; there are no pedal pipes.  The soundboard runs at right angles to the console whch is at the RHS.  The wooden pipes are the 4ft long wooden stopped basses to the 8 ft stops grouped on one end of the soundboard.

The name of Willis is of course associated with the Rev John Baron's Scudamore organs as is Nelson Hall the local organ builder.  However, as was pointed out at the BIOS research conference last Saturday the early career of Willis could benefit from study- did Hall work under the technical supervision of Willis initially as there is a newspaper record of Willis at Upton Scudamore, Wilts.
#18
Organs Preserved / Re: early Fr. Willis organs...
March 04, 2013, 11:05:39 AM
There is an early 3 stop Father Willis of 1860 (which is unfortunately now almost unplayable) in Hampshire, Old Burghclere, All Saints, now redundant [NPOR ref D05792].  Eight pictures and further details are in the NPOR system awaiting uploading.
#19
Organs in danger / Re: Wonderful Organ in Danger
February 20, 2013, 05:20:11 PM
I think I read somewhere that Matthew Copley had retired and the business under new ownership had moved to somewhere in South Hampshire (Liss?).
#20
House Organs / Re: NPOR
December 17, 2012, 05:14:19 PM
Whilst the NPOR seem good in recording amendments to the text so we can see when updating has taken place, the same does not seem to happen for the picture information (unless it is in a file hidden from public view).  Two of the new crop of editors seem intent on removing established pictures and replacing them with their own later versions thus removing part of the historical record.  Makes one want to give up!