Organ matters - Organs matter!

Hi Richard

I must agree with you, in the Midlands Symphony Hall does little to excite me but the Town Hall is magnificent.
I am afraid that many Town Hall organs will be silenced or neglected, Councils logic defeats me, not far grom me they knocked down a perfectly good Crematorium, which could have easily been refurbished and built a new one, the reason being COST. I fail to follow the logic there, at least they moved the toaster from the old building to the new but also introduced the Wesley system of prerecorded MP3 files >:(
I hate the way Wolverhampton Civic Hall has gone, the late Arnold Richardson would not be happy, BUT the important thing is the organ is in regular use and heard regularly.
I wish the same applied to the JJ Binns at Darlaston Town Hall, its only played once or twice a year the concealed by a curtain.
I must update NPOR Wednesbury Town Hall disappeared years ago.
Best wishes
Barrie

Hi
Why has Manchester allowed the Town Hall organ to degenerate like this? I can only assume that it is rarely used being overshadowed by the Marcussen in the Bridgewater Hall.
I knew attempts were being made to get Dover Town Hall restored, I hope this happens. There were several posts on another Board about this organ from memory the console has been removed and placed into storage and the main cables were cut through by workmen. Good luck to them raising the £250,000+ needed to fund this project.

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

There really is some encouraging news from the USA about pipeorgans being saved and finding new homes where they are appreciated. It is good to see that some "toasters" are being replaced by real organs, perhaps people are realising how limited their time span is. I read somewhere 25 years is the average life of a "toaster".
Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

I have just done a search on NPOR listing the Town Hall organs which has given me some thoughts;
1. How many of these instruments are used on a regular basis?
2. How many councils still employ the services of an organist or curator?
3. In view of the present economic state many councils are in how many will justify spending money on the instrument?
4. Why is it so difficult to gain access to play them? I do realise there are other events held in them but there are many times when the Hall is free.

I was prompted to do the search after seeing West Bromwich Town Hall organ in an advertisement for Channel 4.

Best wishes

Barrie

Dear Sean,

I have just spent an enjoyable few minutes looking at your website, congratulations on this project. The blogs you have made are really amusing, I particularly liked the one about your trip to the top of St Pauls. Incidentally do they really have blow up models of Rowan Williams in the gift shop, I have been trying to get one for ages to put in the garden.
Please keep more coming.
Best wishes

Barrie

Thank you for this news Eric, I knew the church was closing and am really pleased its going to get a good home.

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

Thank you for your reply Tony.

Silence in Worship is needed many times, as is quiet with a very restrained background of music. We must remember that the organ is there to enhance Worship and not take it over.

I adore Taize' Worship which rarely uses the organ and relies on the human voice with simple instrumental enhancents.

In answer to the question why are priests wary of organists thats a very hard question to answer, but I feel the answer is so easy, many organists are not Christians (a generalisation for which I apologise), in my area they are good recitalists from a  Music College who blast out voluntaries before and after the service regardless about the theme of the worship. My own church likes a quiet time before any act of worship and complain if that is overlooked. One person when he plays gets applause at the end of the concluding voluntary, that is not a way to conclude an act of worship.
The applause should be after the Blessing to thank God for the Blessings He has given us.

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

What did happen to the Burton HJ? I know the console was acquired by the HJ society and I had assumed they had rescued the pipework and soundboards, I think the cases had to remain. It looks as if the organ was removed on a piece meal basis, has anyone got any further information about this?

Best wishes

Barrie

Thats brilliant, it would be good to have it restored to HJs original concept

Dont let us forget Keith Hearnshaw FRCO who not only promotes visual productions of recitals but is a superb recitalist.

Barrie

Hi

Well here goes:

Carlo Curley
Carole Williams
Thomas Trotter
Francis Jackson
Roy Massey
Thomas Trotter
Nigel Ogden .....YES
There are so many, Paul Carr is good as a recitalist, up and coming.

Best wishes

Barrie

Have you any idea which firm it is good to see something happening

I would like to take the opportunity to wish members of this Board, both old and new, a very Happy Christmas and New Year. It would be good if some of the newer members, and older ones, would contribute more to the Board, we all have something to offer one another. A good start could be, if you play, about the instrument you play regularly or even an instrument that inspires you. We would love to hear from you!!!!
Best wishes and greetings

Barrie

Out of interest and off the subject, whats happened to the other large Compton in Parkstone, I think the Greek Orthodox took over the building.

Barrie

Hi

This is a 3 manual Father Willis, rebuilt over the years by W.J.Bird and electrified and moved to a west gallery with a detached console in the 60's by L J Snell. The spec on NPOR is not up to date, I will try to research my records. The organ is now silent and has been for several years being replaced by a Toaster. The reason being the console was riddled with woodworm and went to the bonfire complete with Willis keys and drawstops. The 16 Gamba on the Great was the best example I have heard, the flutes all differed and the Tromba was "hair raising". I worry for the future of this organ, I have been told ranks are missing but thats hearsay. The casework is impressive, it always gleamed in the sunlight. If only something could be done.

Best wishes
Barrie

David has suggested quite rightly that it is better to have the notes of the Quint even for the bottom octave independent, I have often played Quinted Bourdons which simply do not work.

Best wishes

Barrie

I know Pierre, I lament the demise of the old Worcester Cathedral organ, it had certain problems but on the whole did the job. It was comfortable to play as a solo instrument and had some lovely quiet stops. The new organ is superb for the choir but badly needs the transept section adding. There is a good Great chorus in the Transept case why not take this out of the box and add a new Swell. I know they want to keep the 2 32s in that case, so the Diaphones and H&H reeds would have to go to make space. Why oh why move the transept case?

Organs in the UK are not valued, the average village church in my area plods along with a well built N&L but when it fails they call in either "Bodget and Codget" or get thinking of a toaster.

Any organ can be kept playing by some means, but why waste money when in the long term the more expensive option has to be faced.

Moan over
Best wishes

Barrie

Holy Trinity Southport can certainly go to the grave yard, I am not sure if the pipework is still there but the sound units of the most of the new organ are in the main organ chamber as were the original "toasters". I would imagine the old console has been removed as it had been modified to play the "toaster" before the present one. This work is well described in the Newsletter circulated by the "toaster builders"!

Welcome to David and Pierre.

Best wishes

Barrie

Im pleased to learn about the Bevington at Quarry Bank, the Nelson at Christchurch QB has been condemed by the DOA, it still plays but I hate to think of whats going to happen in the future. I came upon a little organ in a Baptist Church in Rowley Regis, the Pastor tells me it used to be a house organ, its in the West Gallery and has no builders name plate, unplayable but the pipes that sound are very sweet. The Church is being brought back into use as an exhibition place for Bibles and the present Pastor would like the organ playing again, but funds........... many pipes have been vandalised, some bent double. I have asked one of the board members to have a look and give me his opinion. The basic spec is manuals tracker ped t/p Ped 16 Gt 88 Swell 884 sw to gt gt to ped.

Best wishes

Barrie

Hi

I,m almost certain the consoles were bought from KA and would be of good quality, from memory the drawstop units were not very good but these can be easily replaced.

Best wishes

Barrie