Organ featured on Choral Evensong broadcasts

[ardcarp]

Chester Cathedral

Back on post #27, I had difficulty finding info about the organ. All I could come up with was this:
https://www.dwob.org/index.php/chester-cathedral/....

If anyone wants to dig deeper, that would be great.

PS Still haven't fathomed the National Pipe Organ Register

[subcontrabass]

Chester Cathedral]

https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=E01969

To find this, on the NPOR home page ( https://www.npor.org.uk/ ) click on "Search by address". You should then find a very narrow text box about half way down the screen, labelled "Keywords" at the right. Type in as much information on address as you have, and then click on the "Send" button below it. This should give you a new page showing one or more possible "Buildings found" to select from. Click on the blue link in the relevant one, and this will list all the organs associated with that building. In this case typing "Chester Cathedrsl" in the text box produces only one building. Clicking on that link gives a list of 12 organs. The information for each should enable identification of the required instrument.

[ardcarp]

Thanks for the Chester info. I'll try harder next time with the NPOR !

[ardcarp]

Worcester Cathedral Organ

(from the 3 Choirs CE broadcast)

https://www.worcestercathedral.co.uk/media/1316/organ-spec-2016.pdf

[ardcarp]

Rugby School Chapel

https://www.rugbyschool.co.uk/school-life/co-curricular/music/facilities/pipe-organs/

[ardcarp]

Edington Prory

https://www.harrisonorgans.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Edington-Priory-full-2021-to-print.pdf

Ages ago, Mrs and I went to the Edington Festival and camped in a field nearby. (I think Richard Seal conducted it a couple of times). The organ was in those days a fairly typical village church instrument and hardly up to accompanying the cathedral repertoire. How they afforded the relatively recent Harrison I've no idea!

[ardcarp]

Worcester Cathedral

The history of organs at Worcester is a bit complicated, and I'm no expert so would welcome some input from anyone 'in the know'.

I think the uber-Romantic organ built by the famous (infamous?) Robert Hope Jones was used for the most part of the 20th century, having been rebuilt by Harrison....I think.

The decision to have a completely new instrument by Kenneth Tickell was made in recent times. Details here: https://www.worcestercathedral.co.uk...-spec-2016.pdf

[ardcarp]

Merton College

http://www.dobsonorgan.com/html/instruments/op91_merton.html

[ardcarp]

Keble College, Oxford

Redbrick Oxford Reform Movement chapel with great acoustics, and a new-ish (2011?) Kenneth Tickell organ. It sounded suitably 'English' on today's broadcast. The chapel also houses the famous and very beautiful 'Light of the World' painting by Holman Hunt. Surprisingly small when you see it in the flesh.

I can't seem to find details of the organ at the moment. Will try harder, but in the meantime maybe someone else can come up with the goods?

When I was last there, years ago, to hear a Schola Cantorum concert, the organ was a large electronic. Not many of those in Oxbridge College Chapels.

[Keraulophone]

.

https://www.npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=H00775

IVP/45, 2011-12 Kenneth Tickell (replacing 1873 Hill, rebuilt 1925 Rushworth & Dreaper: it had been called the last romantic organ in an Oxford college, and can be heard played by organ scholar Colin Walsh on ‘Romantic Choral Classics’ (1977, Argo ZRG871) accompanying the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral conducted by Simon Preston - a terrific recording.
Ruffatti have since revoiced the new organ (apparently to brighten it?).

The interim Copeman-Hart toaster was (I have been told) the same one that stood in for the Truro Cathedral Fr Willis in 1991 during the Mander renovation. Its harpsichord stop made occasional skeleton-like contributions!
.

[ardcarp]

Thanks for that K. As an aside, if you had to have an electronic, Copeman Hart was at the time the most convincing, I think.
I womder why Ruffatti is the new kid on the block....Fastbuck Abbey and all that?

[Keraulophone]

if you had to have an electronic, Copeman Hart was at the time the most convincing, I think.
I womder why Ruffatti is the new kid on the block....Fastbuck Abbey and all that?

C-H had a better reputation than most. Back in 1976 a modest little one-manual C-H I played a few times sounded rather delightful; certainly better than no keyboard continuo when a harpsichord was inappropriate.

I have no idea why those Padovan organ builders are flavour of the month over here. There's another one (IIIP/33) being installed in Pershore Abbey: http://pershoreabbey.org.uk/wp-conte...pdate-2019.pdf

The Fastbucks instrument brought forth an unprintably derogatory assessment from someone who ought to know, a few days after he'd given a recital on it. Apparently it is LOUD. Two comments from the Mander MB: 'wasteful, badly thought-out and, in places, gimmicky'... & ... 'Having heard a very well regarded international recitalist put this instrument through it's paces, I'm afraid I was far from impressed. The quieter stops are quite ordinary and the main choruses are simply too loud for the music to be heard.' [sorry about the 'through its paces'!] Martin Baker, who gave the opening recital seems understandably pleased with it here, though: https://youtu.be/Yld4i1OYPUY
We'll be singing there in July, so I'll be able to offer a first-hand opinion.
.

[Roger Judd]

Fastbuck Abbey simply had/have too much money to spend - they have millions in the bank! William Drake, the nearby organ builder, produced a lovely scheme, with equally fine cases, but it probably wasn't expensive enough!
I don't think that I'm betraying any confidences, but Martin Baker was very far from happy with it, but couldn't say that in public! Apparently there isn't one beautiful sound to be found.
Despite trying, I can't discover why Ruffati are building at Pershore ... it looks horrid on the plan, and the stop-list is, to say the least, perverse.
OK - I'll get off the fence now!
RJ

[ardcarp]

Back to Keble. Quite by coincidence I was talking to a structural engineer today, recently retired. (He is a keen amateur musician, hence the encounter.) He was responsible for advising on and devising the instalment of the Kenneth Tickell organ. I guess we often forget the weight-bearing structures of organs (think the 'Stoller' organ at Manchester Cathedral). There is apparently a huge emphasis placed on certifying structural safety.... obvious I suppose.

[ardcarp]

St John's College, Cambridge

https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Specification_of_the_new_Mander_Organ.pdf

and

https://mander-organs.com/st-johns-college-cambridge/

It only seems like yesterday when the Hill organ was chucked out for this mechanical action instrument by Mander.
However, I have heard rumours, and I found this lurking somewhere on the internet:



St John’s has the extraordinary opportunity to obtain a Willis organ, renowned for its warmth, character and beauty of tone. The present Mander organ in Chapel is becoming unreliable, and there is a mismatch between the reputation of the College Choirs and the potential of the College organ. With support from Johnians, the College plans to change organs in 2024–5.

Henry Willis (1821–1901), commonly known as ‘Father’ Willis, was the greatest British organ builder of the late nineteenth century, the same period in which the College Chapel was built. A Willis organ would therefore achieve a synergy between the Choirs, the organ and the Chapel architecture.