Winchester Cathedral Organ

[ardcarp]

http://www.harrisonorgans.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/winchester-full.pdf

It's one of those Willis/Harrisons that does what it was intended to do...namely, accompany a choir in the sort of repertory it sings, and accompany varying sizes of congregation. I understand it is very comfortable and easy to play in both those roles.

[Roger Judd]

Well ... I love it, but then I was a chorister there with Alwyn Surplice (1954-58), and he started me off on the instrument. I played a recital there last August Bank Holiday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of leaving the choir. My subsequent musical career in the cathedral world is entirely owing to the two influences of Surplice and choir.
RJ

[greenilex]

I am sure both are wearing well...

[vinteuil]

Well ... I love it, but then I was a chorister there with Alwyn Surplice (1954-58), and he started me off on the instrument. I played a recital there last August Bank Holiday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of leaving the choir. My subsequent musical career in the cathedral world is entirely owing to the two influences of Surplice and choir.
RJ

... what with Alwyn Surplice at Winchester and Donald Buttress as Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey - who said that nominative determinism didn't play a part...

.

[Vox Humana]

In my experience Harrison consoles are always comfortable. The Winchester organ had a good duffing up by Hele & Co of Plymouth in 1905 and I'm not sure it ever quite recovered from that. I don't detect too much Willis, except maybe in the Full Swell. But it's so many decades since I heard the instrument live that my memory won't be entirely reliable. It has the only 32' reed that Hele's ever made (the organ in the Guildhall, Plymouth nearly acquired another, but it never materialised). Hele & Co's answer to the problem of projecting the Winchester organ down the nave was, typically, to pile on the foundation tone. So they added two extra, louder 8' diapasons to the two already on the Great, another Great 16' diapason and at least one more Great Principal, not to mention another 8' diapason on the Swell. That was the trouble with Hele's: they spent far too much time trying to make their organs sound like orchestras instead of organs. Harrison reduced the Great 8' diapasons to two again and brightened the instrument up with more mixturework. Latterly they added a nave organ, which I imagine must have been a great help for nave congregations.

[mw963]

Thanks VH for the clarification as to what your "wishlist" for the organ was..... I haven't heard it in situ for many many years, but I do remember an organ recital on Radio 3 (remember those, every week??!!) in about 1989 with Byram Wakefield playing Bairstow and Jackson. Both the quality of the technical balance and the organ itself knocked socks off, the instrument sounded superb, both crisp and majestic. So from that I would consider it a shame if Winchester ripped the instrument out, but I do also remember a broadcast not so long ago when the organ sounded pretty dire, but mainly I suspect because (some of) the OB balancers of today do not seem to have the experience or expertise of their colleagues from thirty or more years ago.

Laters: I should add that I haven't heard yesterday's broadcast yet, my remarks about OB balances refer to a previous Winchester....

[Vox Humana]

I do remember an organ recital on Radio 3 (remember those, every week??!!)

Yes, indeed. Those were the days, eh? :)

[ardcarp]

One has to be careful what one wishes for with completely new organs. It is easy to get carried away and install an organ that is superb for a particular recital repertoire (e.g. 20th C French or 18th C German) but which struggles to accompany the choir in much of its traditional fare. There is an impressive new organ not far from where I live (no names, no pack-drill) which has turned out to be much too loud for choir accompaniment in a large and exceptionally resonant building. Apparently one is confined to just a few quietish ranks in order not to overwhelm choral singing. It is extraordinary that with all the expertise around, these things are not thought about sufficiently. One answer is to have two organs! (Think Westminster Cathedral.)

[Vox Humana]

I think I can probably guess the identity of that organ, ardcarp. But it is perfectly feasible to build a new organ that fulfils both functions very well. Worcester Cathedral is an example. I would think twice before engaging a foreign firm to build an English Cathedral organ. I'm not sure that they all understand quite what is required. I had the impression that the (now not so new) Beckerath at Marlborough College would balance well, but that's a smallish chapel. There are less happy examples, e.g. one foreign organ that ended up being substantially revoiced (though I don't know the reasons or the detail). One would hope that any of the top British firms would be a safe bet, but I have never been an organ nerd, so I could be mistaken.

[greenilex]

What previously untried sources of funding are available for church organ restoration?

Christ Church Freemantle has been silent for a while now, and we miss it.

[ardcarp]

I think most cathedrals probably have an ongoing organ fund which may be topped up by bequests. I believe that some time ago Hereford's wonderful Willis had a rebuild partly (wholly?) funded by a well-known cider making firm!

I'm not sure 'crowd-funding' would work..as that usually needs a Worthy Cause to fire it off. While organs are a Worthy Cause to some of us, I'm not sure they are to the Facebook generation!

[mopsus]

I think most cathedrals probably have an ongoing organ fund which may be topped up by bequests. I believe that some time ago Hereford's wonderful Willis had a rebuild partly (wholly?) funded by a well-known cider making firm!

I'm not sure 'crowd-funding' would work..as that usually needs a Worthy Cause to fire it off. While organs are a Worthy Cause to some of us, I'm not sure they are to the Facebook generation!

The logo of the company in question is rendered on the organ case! But it's not the only instance of a drinks company sponsoring church music; St. Ann's Church, Manchester used to have a 'Boddington's Organ Scholar', and I expect there are other examples. (Bristol Cathedral choir used to be sponsored by Nuclear Electric, whose name appeared on the fronts of the music folders.)

Our church is currently raising money for work to upgrade the organ. There are various charities which have made contributions to this kind of work in the past, though there may be conditions such as geographical location.

[MrGongGong]

The Heritage Lottery Fund has funded many organ restorations.

https://www.hlf.org.uk/community/general-discussions-forum/conservation-and-restoration-pipe-organs

[greenilex]

Thanks to all for suggestions, which will be passed on to the director of music.