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#261
Hi!

Currently on the front page of this forum are photographs of
http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=D07966

These were taken on the last day of existence of that organ, possibly a Willis, and a delightful small organ arranged over three manuals.

Behind the convent chapel was an enormous pile of broken wood - roof timbers and joists, valuable on the second hand market, just heaped. Nothing was salvaged. The heap was as high as the chapel, and a private second hand fire engine was on hand along the drive to deal with the consequences.

The next day the bulldozers moved in. The chapel was bulldozed. The organ was bulldozed inside the chapel.

Noone cared.

If we are to be able to rebuild our civilisation and what we care for, we cannot just sit back. When you are sliding down a hill, you have to make even greater efforts to progress up the hill.

For that reason this forum exists. In order to reverse the decline, we have to be slightly more evnagelistic about why we think that the organ is worthy of a special place in people's hearts  and I hope that all who care about the organ as an instrument might take an active part in showing people why the organ is so amazing.

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#262
Hi!


This thread is intended for pipe organs, for reasons of extremis and in view of the museum nature of the instrument, I hope that readers will excuse my posting here.


Many years ago I acquired a 1937 Boosey and Hawkes Hammond model E.


This instrument served in a subsidiary chapel of a major public school and was replaced by an extension unit pipe organ that is arguably "worse" than the Hammond it replaced. One of the first, it has typewriter style preset buttons, full 60 note manuals and a full 30 or 32 note pedalboard. Despite being a lifetime old, it still works, although I abandoned the amps and took the outputs to stereo mic amps and power amps with which it operates very effectively. It also has the infamouse second set of tonewheel generators to create the chorus effect, which is much more alive than the synthesised version that was developed for later instruments.


This was a legend of an instrument, probably of the nature of the type infamously installed in Canterbury Cathedral (by Percy Vickery himself), and about which many senior musicians (who had probably lost the upper frequencies of their hearing) were persuaded to give endorsements.


However, I have seen today a clutch of piles of dust from woodworm holes . . . and seeing also the first holes in a bourdon pipe of the pipe organ in the same room, and not having used it in a long time, it's clearly time for this instrument to go somewhere else for more loving care than I have time for . . . .


So if anyone is interested, please contact me.


Best wishes


Forum Admin
#264
Hi!

An analogue Johannus
ebay item
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260577317358

"Some stops unreliable" - this is probably on account of oxidisation of contact wires on the switches - a bit of sandpaper will do the trick, and I have used plating solution on a bank of such switches I got from a scrap instrument.

Ideal keyboards and pedal board for Hauptwerkification - and if anyone buys it, i'd be interested in the power supply with the wires still connected (not random cut) to the main circuit boards as if it's got a reverb board, it will be a bucket brigade type on which I'd be interested to experiment with artificial room reverb!

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#265
Hi!


I'm under attack!  :-[  I should have expected it of course . . .  ;)  Being really flamed . . .


One question. Why are the cinema organs grouped with fair organs? They are serious instruments in there own right, and tbh, they should be in there own catagory. More than half the theatre organ stuff ive listened to and played is far from light. Some of it is a complete orchestral score, arranged for one person. I know that theatre organists put in a hell of alot of effort into what they are playing, it isnt an easy thing to do properly, it gets very complicated, especially when second touch comes in and waterfalling!


Well actually sometimes tonally there are similarities, strong trems too, and the most complicated 110 key Gaviolis are complex in their own right with arrangements having to be complex and artful, very often with a solo/accompaniment structure in the same idiom with highly coloured solo stops pitted against a background of flutes even despite their differences with Tibias.


In terms of orchestral arrangements, Percy Vickery loved playing Orpheus in the Underworld, and on the straight organ, Jeremy Filsell is a master of the orchestral transcription. So there's great overlap across the board.


So putting them together is no disrespect to Wurlys and fairground organ sections don't hit me between the eyes on other forums.


There is, of course, a direct crossover point in the automatic playing instruments from the Aeolian Organ company for whom esteemed composers such as Moszkowski composed (Opus 90, the manuscript of which is in a friend's collection), demanding harps and other effects common to the cinema instrument and the Welte instrument at Saloman's House at Tunbridge Wells.


So the genres share commonalities of repertoire, style of arrangement, tonal structure and often mechanism which I have suggested therefore can be usefully explored together.


Perhaps "orchestral organs" or "unit orchestras" should actually be considered in the same category as French Baroque instruments which replicated the brass bands of their day. And of course the "unit orchestras" shared a common purpose in the theatre that orchestrions played in the dance halls . . .


So I hope to be forgiven for drawing together such similarities . . . and I'm really looking for that DYNAMITE that excites passions enough to start some discussion on this forum!

I note that NPOR does not include the Salomon Welte instrument, so in fact drawing automatically playing instruments into the genre might help towards recognition and preservation.

Best wishes


Forum Admin
#266
Organ concerts / Re: Bilston Town Hall
March 30, 2010, 10:00:57 PM
Hi!


Wonderful new to hear of all these concerts and I hope in due course that this thread will be quite a resource. Thanks so much for posting.


If you're playing at all, it would be wonderful to hear on these posts on why you like the instruments you're playing and why you like the programme being performed. I'm really hoping that overall this forum will be a real opportunity to make everything about the organ a good deal more interesting than the often sterile announcements one finds elsewhere. No criticism - merely just inspiration, I hope!


I was intrigued by Percy Vickery's demonstration of the 2/7 Christie at Waltham Cross the way in which the instrument synthesised other sounds from the combination of its limited numbers of ranks. Hearing about such things is rather interesting, perhaps on the registration section, and especially to those of us more familiar with classical pipe organs. In saying this one mustn't forget the long heritage of organ sound synthesis - there was a certain pope who declared reed stops the work of the devil, and this was the origin of the "Cornet" aliquot stop on classical instruments.


Of course this isn't relevant specifically to concerts but when players come across idiosyncracies of instruments they're playing, telling prospective audiences about such things can be really interesting, making the instrument and its music more meaningful and possibly attracting more audience.


Best wishes


Forum Admin
#267
Hi!

Perhaps to some the name Dom Bedos might merely be a name in the midst of time and far flung reaches of memory. But following his tradition leads to exciting instruments. . . If you haven't come across this genre before, try
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSf7-4t_SWc

Need one say more . . . other than "How does this sound so amazing . . . ."

So this thread is here to explore this heritage, the organs, their construction and registration . . .

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#268
Harpsichords / Re: I want one
March 28, 2010, 08:00:04 PM
Hi!

Going to the Early Music Festival at Greenwich every November is an excellent way to see what's happening in the current harpsichord world.

I have had direct experience with eBay era (by which I mean those that tend to come up at an affordable price on the second hand market) instruments.

Interesting things were happening in the 60s and early 70s as "authenticity" kicked in - and now I'm not at all sure that "authenticity" isn't merely an excuse for cheap construction and omission of detail that makes instruments more playable and regulatable.

In particular it's a fashion to leave off the adjusting screws on the jacks so that instead of turning a screw if a plectrum doesn't pluck or overhangs the string too much, it has to be taken out and cut. An instrument will move structurally in different weather conditions and this can change both the tuning and the regulation - so screw adjustments are rather helpful and their omission is retrograde.

Another thing that I miss on "authentic" instruments, as an organist, is pedals to access the coupler, 4ft addition, unison off and nasard or "lute", relying entirely on hand levers. This might enable "authentic" playing but limits the imagination in playing the instrument as a living instrument with new repertoire or jazz. See YouTube "Jerzy Owczarz jazz harpichord" (not recorded very well I'm sorry to say) and you'll hear what he makes of an instrument capable of variety given by pedals. I think you might have also seen already the YouTube video on the same instrument "Bach BWV807 English Suite Harpsichord".plucky

That instrument is a Morley of the 60s. Like many of those days it has a piano frame construction. It's nice to play but as a performance instrument the resonance of the bass is not as good as authentic construction. Sperrhakes and those triangular instruments with orange plastic sharps (old age amnesia kicking in) and the diamond lozenge name plates are similar, although the latter are well respected and used by a lot of learned musicians. However both these have a plucky bright tone that shines through as one wants among singers or in ensemble.

Towards the later 60s or 70s, Sperrhakes went to the traditional enclosed soundboard - like a giant guitar but still with a heavy case. I have yet to replace the tongues on the jacks of this so can't comment on the sound but think it will be better.

The Zuckermann kits from the 70s onwards are of the lightweight "authentic" enclosed soundboard construction and are strident, on the Italian model, shining through choral and instrumental groups and with quite good bass. But their construction used a simplified framework which allowed the base plate to bow outwards and causing the soundboard to bow worse, and often this can be so bad that the strings vibrate against it in the tenor. I have one of these instruments - it has settled down after a couple of decades stored sideways in a cupboard and it's now regulated and if you wanted to borrow it, it could possibly be available. However, just two 8ft "choirs" on one manual is not the most inspiring - and to be blunt, I think that cheap one manual instruments without pedals permitting variety have caused the instrument and thus its music to be considered rather boring. Maintaining expensive instruments has not been the favourite hobby of music schools or concert venues.

See YouTube "clayson and garrett sound" for a complex instrument made at the start of the "authentic" period but made with all the playing conveniences.  . . .  Oh I wish.

So good luck with the search, but even a modest instrument can facilitate experiment with the repertoire and temperaments.

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#269
Hi!

Percy Vickery was a cinema organist from the '30s and very kindly did a recording of each stop of the Waltham Cross Christie:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-D6B815ku4

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#270
Harpsichords / Re: I want one
March 28, 2010, 12:42:52 AM
Hi!

Ebay item 250603492978 might be useful to start with and is said to be in good condition#

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#271
Harpsichords / Re: I want one
March 27, 2010, 11:40:17 PM
Quote from: Crosivda101 on March 27, 2010, 09:30:49 PM
What I need is a good Rucker's styled harpsichord, two manuals with some nice stops preferably. But the only setback is I have very little money to spend on such luxuries. If anyone ever hears something about someone wanting to 'do away' with any harpsichord, please do drop a note by here.

Hi!

Certainly I'll keep my eyes peeled.

There are often harpsichords for sale on ebay but there are two hitches:
(1) the 1960s ones often have leather plectra which are now brittle and beyond the end of their useful life and need replacing. Professionals drill a slot through the leather and insert a delrin plectra - I've been quoted £300 per rank for this. I started such a job myself and made a lot of work for myself and will probably make new tongues.
(2) even if the instrument is theoretically fine, all 2nd hand harpsichords need regulation and it's time consuming to adjust - so one has to be prepared to spend some time on them . . .  :)

There was an instrument at my son's school which had not been used in 30 years on account of being too complicated to maintain. It turned out that it had a structural fault. I offered to get it going again - it was 6 days work and four figures for help from a furniture restorer and a friendly harpsichord specialist to help regulation and adjustment.

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#273
Organ building and maintenance / Les Anches . . .
March 26, 2010, 06:01:41 PM
From a wonderful voicer friend -

Le travail de Moucherel était sans doute remarquable mais c'est   Isnard qui vraiment porté le choeur des anches à la qualité qu'on a   retrouvé aujourd'hui. C'est lui qui a ajouté le clavier de Bombarde  et   retravaillé les trompette du GO.

Je peux vous donner des renseignements   précis sur la manière de travailler ce genre d'anches.

Il faut suivre   rigoureusement  Don Bedos. Les facteurs contemporains (surtout les   anglo-saxons) n' arrivent pas à désapprendre et à oublier les techniques   romantiques de l'intonation des anches. A la condition d'être soigneux   dans le travail, et de respecter certaines observations, c'est   relativement facile de reproduire ailleurs une telle palette   sonore. C'est aussi plus efficace et moins coûteux que d'essayer d'imiter   par des procédés électroniques. La distortion est infiniment trop   grande. Avec les harmoniques impaires, il y a une telle énergie libérée   que le corps tout entier entre en vibration, pas seulement les oreilles.   

Les anches française du XVIIIè n'ont rien à voir avec Cavaillé-Coll.A   Albi, on se sert de la superposition des harmoniques impaires pour   développer des résultantes graves. Cavaillé-Coll fait le contraire, avec   une pression double!!!

Il ne faut pas non plus oublier les cornets qui sont prévus pour   renforcer le dessus des trompettes.

Ensuite, le tempérament joue aussi   son rôle. Formentelli a toujours regretté de ne pas avoir pu accorder   cet instrument avec les 8 tièrces justes du mésotonique.

Les harmoniques de 7 et 9 :elles sont très importantes   pour l'idéal sonore du baroque français. La difficulté est de maintenir   en même temps les pavillons dans la plus grande longueur possible,avec   une courbe de languette la plus forte, sur toute la longueur du canal   :ne surtout pas courber sur le bout ou en  " S" comme le recommande   Cavaillé-Coll   

Seulement un 16' ordinaire  Je crois qu'un 32' à la manière de   Moucherel serait insupportable, Il faut savoir que quand on travaiile   une telle batterie d'anches, pendant toute une journée, on éprouve une   fatigue au niveau de la cage thoracique :Si on arrive à bien courber les   languettes, l'énergie est énorme.   On l'entend pendant toute la nuit   qui suit... D'ailleurs,Dom Bedos conseille d'y travailler seulement   quelques heures 

           Tout cela concerne la production du son,mais il faut encore voir   l'influence de la résonance et des réflexions, surtout en ce qui   concerne les harmoniques impaires. Je crois qu'on n'a pas assez d'une   vie pour comprendre  l'univers baroque : Il symbolyse le pouvoir absolu, tyrannique du Roy et de l'Eglise.

Ce n'était pas pensable de conserver un tel souvenir après 1789.   Il fallait absolument supprimer les harmoniques impaires pour obtenir   des sons plus ronds, plus moelleux.

Le tempérament des 8 tons de   l'Eglise Catholique  Romaine à été abandonné dans le même contexte;    Empêcher que la musique ne puisse plus exprimer une méditation   métaphysique dans laquelle le peuple est l'esclave du pouvoir: c'était   vraiment une révolution. 

Food for thought and discussion?

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#274
Hi!

Why devote a corner of an organ forum to Dom Bedos? The reality is that this 18th century monk set the foundations of organ building, from which modern instruments have departed significantly. With declining exposure to organs, these instruments have not grabbed the attention of the population that they once did. Possibly the answer is to find something new and going back to the source of our art, back to fundamentals brings startling new sounds to our ears.

We have all heard the Bach D minor countless times, but when I heard it played by Pierre Bardon at St Maximin, both performer and instrument brought it new vigour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSf7-4t_SWc
and luckily I had recorder and camera to capture the moment.

These organs surviving and restored in the spirit of Dom Bedos are truly the Kings of instruments and their study can lead, perhaps, to that excitement that the organ once more generally inspired.


There's a new organ which has been built to the Dom Bedos idiom:
http://www.organosandomenicorieti.it/dombedos2.htm
and its inauguration is 16th -20th April at Reiti, 80km north of Rome.

J'espere peut etre que Christian Colard dirait en plus . . . .

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#275
<blockquote> 
   
A friend kindly sent me some tips about management . . . :


A priest offered a Nun a lift.   

   
She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.   

   
The priest nearly had an accident.   

   
After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.   

   
The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'   

   
The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.   
The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?'   

   
The priest apologized 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak..'   

   
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.   

   
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'  ;)   

   
Moral of the story:   
If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity. 
;D
Best wishes
Forum Admin (Wishing that other people might start posting things ! Please)
</blockquote>
#276
Organ courses / August 2010 St Maximin
March 25, 2010, 02:03:10 AM
Hi!

http://www.orgue-saintmaximin.com/

Handling a great 18th century historical instrument.
Study of the   proposed works, in the evolution of the repertoire, detailed theoretical   and practical approach.

The Noels of Dandrieu, Daquin, Corrette, Balbastre, Le Clerc,   Beauvarlet-Charpentier... and the Symphonies by Lebègue and Piroye,   Offertes or Grands Dialogues of Raison, Marchand...

20th - 29th August

The course is directed by Phillippe Bardon Titular organist of the cathedral of Pontoise and co-titular organist of   the organ of St-Maximin. Through his long practise of the Isnard organ and his musicological   knowledge, he puts his teaching in the service of an authentic and   sensitive musical interpretation.

This course opens up the whole French idiom and playing the Isnard organ takes one back to the origins of organ building and playing, often leading one to approach registration of later organs in a new and exciting way.

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#277
Hi!

St Peter and St Paul at Nutfield near Redhill in Surrey is a real gem. Very much a traditional English organ by Rest Cartwright jsut before the first world war and enlarged and maintained by Willis, small in size but effective and well developed upperwork:
http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N13834

Two manuals but hardly unlimiting - it looks a joy to play and sounds good, well worthy as a recital organ.

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#278
Hi!

Last night I went to the Lancelot recital at Ardingly College - an interesting instrument presumably a precursor to the famous Grant Degens and Bradbeer instrument 4 years later at New College, especially as rebuilt by Wood Brown without the Violin Diapason foundation on the swell.

Very splendid trumpets giving an awesome Tutti but full organ less reeds is perhaps more reminiscent of a grand chamber organ on a large scale and like New College it has produced some very fine organists. Significantly different idiom from that often found in Public School chapels.

The instrument has been awarded Historic Instrument status for obvious reasons.

Best wishes

Forum Admin
#279
Hi!


A friend asked me to keep my eyes peeled for an instrument on which to practice at home and there are some useful instruments appearing -


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290416065911
This is, or is similar to, one that was for sale on ebay a few months ago. It's based on the Content 220 Midi expander, a useful an competant device which features facilities to change into at least half a dozen temperaments - Equal, Pythagorean, Meantone, Werckmeister, Kellner and from memory I think Vallotti. How and how well this has been incorporated into the console will need examining, but it could be interesting. Good features - the pedal Bourdon and Bombarde, the Swell Voix Celeste which is excellent, the Swell Sesquialtra and Vox Humana / Krumhorn. Perhaps the Great Principal is not as full as some people would want a Great Diapason to be and, throughout the instrument, the chiff is of a semitone variety, of which I tire. Whilst some real pipes chiff with a semitone, others chiff with a quint and a puff of air and it's that variety that makes a pipe instrument more interesting than an electronic. Nevertheless, a servicable home instrument which, with a midi output one could drive Hauptwerk or other midi expander boxes to good effect.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280482145967
I know nothing about this one, but at least it looks like a cheap console to convert to Hauptwerk if the electronics aren't outstanding.


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280483070689 A Viscount Vivace . . . and the price indicates that it must be thought of as being good . . .


Finally if you're looking for a Pedal board to midify for Hauptwerk or to upgrade a standard instrument http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170461450967 looks good.


Best wishes


Forum Admin
#280
Hi!


There is a complete set of pipes from a nice swell department on ebay -
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=180484223251


Ideal for anyone enlarging a pipe instrument or making a house organ


Best wishes


Forum Admin