Hereford Cathedral

[ardcarp]

CE will be from Hereford next week. I was lucky enough to play the organ there for w week (accompanying a visiting choir in summer hols) before the 1977 (?) Harrison refurb, and a few times since. It did not sound different! I remember a few things, clearly...the old Willis console with its curved stop-janb labels, its (rather bewildering) array of couplers such as 'Choir to Great sub-octave', the extraordinary swell-box with a dynamic range that made the quiet strings almost inaudible when shut, and the bottom octave of the 32' pedal reed, which had glass fronts so interested parties could thrill to the sight as well as the sound of reeds beating at around 16cps.

http://www.harrisonorgans.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Hereford-Full-Spec.pdf

[mw963]

It's a lovely beast. I was fortunate enough, while on a visit, to be invited up one evening in about 1998 to The Loft by Dr Massey while he accompanied Evensong (it was the day of the week when Peter Dyke directed and Roy played). Just after five o'clock he embarked on an extended improvisation "just to show you a few of the stops". Twenty five minutes later - as the choir shambled in (they never really got the hang of dignified precessing at Hereford!) - he'd been through every stop in a musical tour de force, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, and throughout he kept up a fascinating commentary of what he was doing. I really don't think they make 'em like that any more, delightful man, admirable choirmaster.

I now - years later - have Hereford on my Hauptwerk organ, and a pretty magnificent testament it is. Like many, I've whacked the levels on the Swell up a bit, as ardcarp says it's not loud in some parts of the cathedral. Apart from the 67 stop version which is faithful to the current instrument, there's an extra large version (don't panic, it's very sympathetically done and adds some bits that were there once, but are no longer) and also extends the compass. With its generous acoustic it goes some way to smooth out the lumps in my lamentably poor playing.

[ahinton]

It's a lovely beast. I was fortunate enough, while on a visit, to be invited up one evening in about 1998 to The Loft by Dr Massey while he accompanied Evensong (it was the day of the week when Peter Dyke directed and Roy played). Just after five o'clock he embarked on an extended improvisation "just to show you a few of the stops". Twenty five minutes later - as the choir shambled in (they never really got the hang of dignified precessing at Hereford!) - he'd been through every stop in a musical tour de force, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, and throughout he kept up a fascinating commentary of what he was doing. I really don't think they make 'em like that any more, delightful man, admirable choirmaster.

I now - years later - have Hereford on my Hauptwerk organ, and a pretty magnificent testament it is. Like many, I've whacked the levels on the Swell up a bit, as ardcarp says it's not loud in some parts of the cathedral. Apart from the 67 stop version which is faithful to the current instrument, there's an extra large version (don't panic, it's very sympathetically done and adds some bits that were there once, but are no longer) and also extends the compass. With its generous acoustic it goes some way to smooth out the lumps in my lamentably poor playing.

It is indeed a magnificent instrument but it's a pity that both manual and pedal compasses are short at the top end (manuals to A and pedals to F); no problem in Hauptwerk, of course but I can imagine that shortcoming being a nuisance when actually playing the instrument...

[ardcarp]

Whilst there are instances in the organ literature where this matters, they are surely few and far between. The expense involved in increasing the compass of a large instrument is huge...and I dare say that those involved in planning the re-build(s) preferred the money available to be spent elsewhere and to greater effect.

[ahinton]

Whilst there are instances in the organ literature where this matters, they are surely few and far between. The expense involved in increasing the compass of a large instrument is huge...and I dare say that those involved in planning the re-build(s) preferred the money available to be spent elsewhere and to greater effect.

You're probably right about that, but it's a pity nonetheless. I fear that I'm one of the guilty parties who've used those top notes but the instrument that was in the front of my mind when writing a piece commissioned in memory of John Ogdon (yes!) was the wonderul one at St. Mary Redcliffe in Bristol which is where it got recorded (by Kevin Bowyer) - not that I've written much for the organ, mind...

[ardcarp]

I fear that I'm one of the guilty parties who've used those top notes but the instrument that was in the front of my mind when writing a piece commissioned in memory of John Ogdon (yes!)

I'm impressed!

[ahinton]

I'm impressed!

Thank you! Kevin Bowyer regarded John Ogdon as his keyboard hero; how often would an organist say that of a pianist (even one of the order of John Ogdon)? Although largely in jest, Kevin - surely one of the finest organsts alive - once defined the term "organist" in my hearing as "failed pianist" - which is perhaps rather odd, coming from him, since although he'd initially have liked to become a pianist he didn't approach the organ from any real experience of the piano as most organists do. I had the pleasure of introducing Kevin to John in May 1989; shortly after this, John listened to Kevin's recording of Sorabji's Organ Symphony No. 1 which had been released some six months earlier and he expressed fulsome admiration for both the music and the performance. Little did I know at that time that, less than a year later, I would draw the double barline at the close of a 45-minute organ piece for Kevin in remembrance of John. It's on a 2-CD set In Memoriam John Ogdon with some other organ works all recorded at St. Mary Redcliffe, as well as some piano music played by John himself (Altarus AIR-CD-9063[2]).