Organ matters - Organs matter!

INAUGURAL RECITAL OF THE NEW ORGAN BY PAUL ISOM
St Luke's Church, Eardley Road
Sevenoaks

Friday, 28 June at 7.30pm

Music by Bach, Buxtehude, Gardonyi, Lemare, Hollins, Phillips, Delius, Franck
Admission £6 Concessions £4


Call 01732 750870 for further details

I have been re-jigging my own website and have posted some information about the organ in the form of official reports and photos of the organ.  This leads me to another thought - I am happy for my website to be used as a conduit for information on redundant organs needing new homes.  There will be no rules as to whether it's historic, mechanical, electric action or whatever.  There are some websites up and running, but information is not very easy to access.  I would aim to be able to embed word or PDF files, include photos and the odd sound file.  I'm happy to provide this service free of charge, but people must come forward with the information.  Ideally I'd like chapter and verse in terms of information and some photos.  I won't have time to edit your files, just to post them on the website.  If it really takes off I may well set up a separate website dealing exclusively with redundant organs.  Now - it is up to you to provide information, keep me up to date if the organ has found a new home etc etc.  This service will be free as I do believe that there is a need for such a service.

My website is www.paulisom.com
Paul Isom

The London County Asylum Hospital at Stone, Dartford, closed a few years ago and is going to be re-developed soon.  There is a fine 3m Norman and Beard instrument available to anyone who can rescue it.  It is in beautiful condition, nice casework and has really been looked after and appreciated.  It falls under my remit as DOA, despite having been made redundant, and the current owners are trying to be extremely respectful to all fixtures and fittings of this large chapel.  No wanton bulldozing here, just a desire to ensure that the organ goes to a good home.  There is no power to the chapel now and it is not possible to try the organ - although power could be laid on; at cost, of course.  Could any interested parties please get in touch with me in the first instance.  I have a sheet with a photo of the console and also the stoplist.  I will put you then in touch with the developers who will arrange access.

PM me for further information.

Paul Isom

Following our successful open weekend and subsequent visits from people to collect armfuls of magazines, I still have a load left over.  I am prepared to give them away to a good home if anyone wants to come and get them.  I have copies of The Organ, ISO journals in profusion, American Organists, Organists Review.  If they are not collected within the next three weeks, they will be taken down to the paper recycling.

PM me if you'd like to come and rummage.

It was good to meet old, and make new friends over the past weekend, and an enjoyable time was had by all.  We still have a large amount of organ books, organ music, choral music and organ periodicals available.  We would really like to have a clear out as they are taking up valuable space.  The periodicals include:

Organ Club Journals going back to the 1970s
Organists Review
The American Organist (a fascinating read!)
The Organ
Het Orgel
ISO Magazines etc

The periodicals are being sold at a knock-down rate.

There are a number of organ CDs too - some quite unusual ones, including the fascinating Organs of Luzembourg books and CDs Volumes 1 & 2, each coming with a sumptuous book, CDs and also Luxembourg stamps of the organs in question.

The organ music is new and is being discounted by 50%, as is also the choral music.  We also have a box of freebies which we are happy for you to take away if you feel you can make use of it.

Do come and pay us a visit and take away some books and music.  Please contact us first if you would like to visit.  PM me if you're interested.

Best wishes,

Paul

Just a reminder that our 'open house' takes place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  There will be second-hand books periodicals, leaflets, CDs (a few), together with hugely reduced new organ and choral music. There will be an opportunity to hear and play our Oberlinger chamber organ and also our Roland (Rodgers) C330 in our music room.  Do come along, you may snap up a bargain!

Opening hours are:

Open Weekend Friday 27 – Sunday 29 April 2012
Friday: Open Evening 5 pm—9 pm
Saturday: Open Day 10 am – 5 pm
Organ demonstrations at 11 am and 2.30 pm (Saturday)
Sunday: Open Afternoon 2 pm – 4.30 pm

Paul & Helen Isom

Yes please David, the more the merrier!

Should be a fun few days,

Best wishes,

Paul

Greetings all,

My wife and I will be opening up our house for a mega sale of new organ and choral music, secondhand organ music and books, secondhand organ and choral CDs, together with periodicals on organs in abundance.  The new music will most likely be discounted to 50% of it's original price. Our organs will also be available for those who would like to play them - an Oberlinger 5 stop pipe organ and a Rodgers 2 manual organ. We are having the 'Open House' on:

Open Weekend Friday 27 – Sunday 29 April 2012
Friday: Open Evening 5 pm—9 pm
Saturday: Open Day 10 am – 5 pm
Organ demonstrations at 11 am and 2.30 pm (Saturday)
Sunday: Open Afternoon 2 pm – 4.30 pm

We are within easy distance of London, Essex, Surrey and Sussex and you are all most welcome.  We will be posting details on our websites in due course.

Please PM me if you would like any further information or would like to come - directions etc.

Paul & Helen Isom
Culver Music/Secondhand Organ Boooks

I visited this organ last Saturday and, with the best will in the world, this is one organ that you may want to steer clear of.  My own organ builder discovered that the pipework has been treated very badly (with inappropriate tools) to the point where a lot of pipework is beyond redemption.  The sound is dreadful and not up to the normal Walker Positif standards.  The organ's internal layout is such that a lot of the pipework is inaccessible for maintenance (or mis-treatment). It is only because some of the pipework is inaccessible that we could hear some of the original sound. My organ builder and I were absolutely staggered at the crass way the organ has been treated, and the terrible condition the various (unknown) tuners have left the organ in. I am sorry to be so negative, but in this case £2,500 will buy you an organ that needs a lot of work to bring it up to speed.  If you're interested, I suggest that you negotiate the price downwards as you will have to spend money on righting the dreadful wrongs done to this organ incompetent organ tuners.*

*I do not know who does/or indeed HAS maintained the organ, and no finger is being pointed at anyone.  My assumption is that the damage may well have been done in the past and subsequently ignored by others.....................................

I can vouch for the quality of this organ - good flexible sound, including a wonderful Glockenspiel stop.  Actually the quality of Oberlinger organs is fantastic, and my wife and I visited them before their reorganisation and bought our wonderful 5 stop house organ.  The company was re-jigged a short time afterwards and incorporates Hammer (amongst others).  They have a wonderful setup, and also the Organ Art Museum (now owned by the local authority) with a fantastic selection of organs.  It's well worth a visit, especially for the local wine - it's rather like a little slice of Bourgone!

Done - I think!?!?!?!?

P

Now sold.

I have had a flurry of activity on the site this week and am gradually adding items.  I have a set of CDs which are rather unique - all by Jean-Jacques Kasel of Luxembourg.  He is a pupil of Guillou and has made a number of CDs, all on Guillou designed (or inspired) organ and built by Kleuker.  The exception is a rather fine instrument by Tambourini/Bonata.  The other two items are the superb collector's edition of the Organs of Luxembourg Volumes 1 and 2.  They come complete with CDs, specifications and colour photos of the organs and collector's edition stamps as well.  Please look at the website for more details.

H

The copy of the Harrison Story by Elvin is now on my website (www.paulisom.com).  The book is in really excellent condition and still has it's dust cover (from memory, I think it's the purple one with St Clement Danes on the front).  I've checked prices against what I paid for it, and as far as I can see it's the cheapest available. 

We are on holiday until the 26th August and it will be despatched shortly after this.

First come first served!

Hector

P.S.  The book sales will shortly be moving to a new website www.secondhandorganbooks.weebly.com
P.P.S  If any clever boffins have any ideas about how I can effectively list the copies of the periodicals without having to do them laboriously one by one, I'd be grateful for some advice.

I have one for sale - PM me if you're interested.  It's in pretty good condition, just not on the website yet.

www.paulisom.com

Greetings all - there has been a new clutch of books added to the website today, a number of them look brand new!  Some fascinating items, including the illusive Clutton & Dixon tome, and yes David, I have finally found the inventaires at long last.  Needless to say, there is buy now facility for all interested parties.  The response has been terrific, so be quick and snap up some hard to find books!

Best wishes,

Hector

http://www.paulisom.com/second-hand-organ-books-music-and-cds.html

Thanks for all the positive responses.  I have been burning the midnight oil and put many more items on, although the large runs of periodicals pose somewhat of a problem due to their sheer number, but I'll get there in the end, although the recent addition of twin boys to the family has curtailed my time a little.  Recent additions are some really interesting booklets on organs from near and far, some sets of specification leaflets and addition to the books.

Paul

P.S.  David - your French book will surface, although having moved house, things are surfacing a little slower than I'd like!!!

Thank you all for the interest.  I have managed to refine the purchasing process and I have revised the website so that you can buy direct by simply pushing a button. All very natty really!

Much more to go on when I get the time.......

The web address is http://www.paulisom.com - and just click on second-hand books etc.

Best wishes,

Paul

Just to let you all know, the first set of books are now up on my website.  I have yet to trawl through the copies of the organ, American Organist, Organists Review, ISO Journal etc and will try and put them up on my website as soon as possible.

To order - just click on the link and send me an email, and I'll send a paypal invoice inclusive of postage.

Paul

I hope our hosts will excuse me for this rather blatant bit of publicity.  I have been frustrated by the lack of shops selling books on organs, especially second-hand books.  To this end, I have been building up a modest stock of interesting books and periodicals which will appear for sale on my website very soon.  I am currently fighting with e-commerce settings and photos and, once complete you should be able to order direct from the website or via Paypal.  There will be a wide variety, including back copies of periodicals (The Organ, The American Organist, ISO Journal etc) as well as a wealth of other interesting material (including French inventaires - some new and unread).

Please PM me if you would like to be notified when the list has been published together with website details.

Paul

P.S.  If anyone would like to offload any material please PM me

For those of you in France at the end of July, I shall be playing a recital at Meursault (see details below) in aid of their organ restoration.  They have been very kind and awarded me honorary life membership of The Association of Friends of the Organ of the Church of St Nicholas at Meursault for helping them move the restoration along a notch or two.  It is hoped that it will be restored by Formintelli, even possibly at the end of the year.  If you are able, do come as it's an amazing instrument.  I have a key, so could arrange for interested parties to come and try the organ.  PM me privately if you're interested. The website is still a work in progress, although the English side has recently been updated, and I hope to have it completed by the 31st July.  The revised address is www.meursaultorgue.com. Details of the recital are as follows:

M E U R S A U L T
Église Saint Nicolas

En accompagnement du
Festival Musical de Bach à Bacchus
et en coopération avec
l'Agence de Tourisme de Meursault,

les Amis de l'Orgue de l'Église Saint Nicolas de Meursault*
v o u s   i n v i t e n t
au

RÉCITAL D'ORGUE
par
P A U L   I  S O M
Consultant des Orgues du Diocèse de Rochester, Angleterre,

Samedi 31 Juillet 2010  à 20h30

sur le précieux Mutin & Cavallé-Coll orgue de l'église.

Œuvres par :
Johann Sebastian Bach, Augustin Barié, Denis Bédard, André Fleury, Alexandre Guilmant, Gustav Hägg, 
Samuel Rousseau, Charles-Marie Widor.


Le récital est donné en faveur de la restauration de cet orgue important et votre générosité sera beaucoup appréciée.


*Association régie par la loi du 1er juillet 1901