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ST MARKS ORGAN
The St. Marks organ has 174 pipes, a pedal division of 30 notes and two manuals (i.e. keyboards) of 58 notes each. The lower manual is known as the "Great" because the organ's most prominent stops are found here. The upper manual is called the "Swell" because its associated pipes are enclosed in a box with Venetian blind shutters, which are operated by a swell pedal next to the organist's feet. Pressing this pedal opens the shutters to increase or "swell" the sound; raising the pedal decreases the volume. The pipes are grouped into three ranks, each rank having a different musical tone. The diapason rank (played on the Great manual) produces hard, bright notes; the flute rank emits a softer, more rounded sound while the salicional has a stringy tone. The manuals and pedals control these ranks and are linked by electro-pneumatic action, i.e. the keys are connected by electric wiring to pallets underneath a wind-chest. When a key is depressed, the pallet is activated and allows air into the pipes above it. This electro-pneumatic action enables the same set of pipes to produce two stops of the same type at different pitches which can be played on both manuals and the pedals; this is known as the "extension" principle. The organ tone sounds thinner than it would if all the main ranks were independent of each other but conversely, there is a saving in wood, metal, space and money. To save even more money, plastic keys of the type used on electronic organs were used on the St. Marks organ but they are far less durable than the conventional wooden keys that are synonymous with pipe organs and are proving to be a false economy
.St. Marks organ was built by George Osmond of Taunton in 1974. It was purchased, at a fixed price of £2375 raised mostly by donation, to replace an electronic organ which had become unreliable. By the time the church was built in 1976 the cost of the organ would have risen by £1000. Today the cost of a new keyboard alone is about £4000 which is why the PCC has decided to purchase a second hand keyboard at £1845, including installation, complete with a two year guarantee. The electrical contacts are silvered for reliable operation. The concept of recycling organs is well established as the British Institute of Organ Studies has kept a register of redundant organs for many years. The register, now controlled by The Redundant Organ Rehousing Company Ltd., can supply a complete organ from as little as £1000, excluding installation. Should you wish to donate towards the cost of the replacement keyboard, please send to the Rector
VISIT TO THE INCORPORATED ASSOCIATIONS OF ORGANISTS CONGRESS 2010
Another great Congress week, albeit with a couple of reservations. I was unimpressed with my hotel room (just ten feet square, with neither air conditioning nor windows) and there was a travel mishap on the third day, about which more anon. Those two blemishes apart, the week was up to the usual high standard and is always one of the highlights of my year.
The proceedings began with a superb recital by Michael Maine on the fine Hill organ at All Saints, Hove, a beautiful Gothic Revival building with excellent acoustics, designed by J. L. Pearson, whose other churches include St. Stephens, Bournemouth and Truro Cathedral. His programme included two delightful chorale preludes by Canon Anthony Caesar and Peter Hurford's Suite "Laudate Dominum".
The following morning began with a recital in the remarkable church of St. Bartholomew, which is notable for being the loftiest church in Britain apart from Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral. The sweet-toned 3-manual Morgan and Smith organ, revised by Wood/Brown, was excellently played by Julian Thomas, who I first met as a 15 year old at Charter House School on our 1991 Outing. He showed enormous potential in demonstrating the Chapel organ for us that day and he is now Director of Music at Tonbridge School. In contrast, our next port of call was the East Sussex Golf Resort, where Mike Wooldridge played medleys of popular tunes and songs from the musicals on the 4-manual Wurlitzer which is housed there. Then it was on to Lancing College Chapel. Despite its lofty proportions the acoustic was surprisingly dry, which I learned later was due to the sandstone used in its construction. Consequently the sound of the somewhat under-sized Walker organ on the west end gallery did not carry well through the building. Daniel Hyde played a recital of music by Parry, J. S. Bach, Ireland and Guilmant and then conducted a master class on the Frobenius organ in the chancel. Its baroque voicing was perfect for the J. S. Bach pieces chosen by James Luxton, Nick Miller, and Joseph Wicks, who responded positively to Daniel's skilful and gentle guidance.
My nomination for Recital of the Week goes to Mark Wardell, whose handling of the splendid Hill organ (restored by David Wells) in Arundel Cathedral was a delight. It matches the building perfectly, which has superb acoustics, and his excellent and varied programme included one of my favourite organ sonatas, the C sharp minor by Harwood. Then it was on to Chichester Cathedral and a fine recital by Catherine Ennis. This was followed by a more informal "organ extravaganza", featuring all 5 of the cathedral's organs played simultaneously by Catherine, together with Mark Wardell, Simon Lawford, Alan Thurlow, the recently retired Cathedral organist and Dr. John Birch, his predecessor.
Next day began with a visit to Christ's Hospital, near Horsham. It included a tour of the hospital, with a short recital on the 2-manual Willis organ in the Dining Hall and then a recital on the Chapel Organ by Adrian Bawtree, the Hospital's Director of Music.
The afternoon venue was Tonbridge School, whose chapel boasts a magnificent 4-manual 67-stop Marcussen organ. This was the setting for the Brereton Memorial Recital, performed by Simon Preston, whose brilliant and intense playing shows no sign of flagging despite being in his seventies. His programme was interesting for including several pieces which were new to me, including Six Fugues on B.A.C.H. by Schumann and an attractive Adagio by Beethoven. The only blot on an otherwise great day was a three and a half hour accident induced delay on the M25.
It was back to Brighton for the final day. It started with the A.G.M. in St. Pauls Church, which was followed by a Communion service and then the R.C.O. Lecture entitled "Spreading the Music - a fresh look at teaching and learning". After that we took the short walk to St. Peters Church for the final Congress recital, given by Neil Cockburn, the Head of Organ Studies at the Mount Royal University Conservatory. Fittingly it included pieces by S. S. Wesley in the bicentenary year of his birth and finished with Peeters1 dazzling Toccata, Fugue and Hymn which amply demonstrated the power and tonal range of the superb 4-manual Willis organ. The Annual Dinner brought Congress to a close. The Guest Speaker was the Right Reverend Graham Knowles, the Dean of St. Pauls Cathedral, who proved a most engaging and amusing speaker.
Overall, another splendid week, spent with like minded people. We are all indebted to Jeanne Cawley, who stepped back into the breach at the last minute following the sudden resignation of Helen Devereux Murray as Congress Administrator after just one year. As always, she strove to make Congress a trouble free experience, which it was apart from the aforementioned traffic delay; even she could not control that! Next year the Congress Roadshow moves across the Irish Sea to Belfast.
A BOURNEMOUTH COMPOSER
Those of you who read the titles of my opening and concluding voluntaries on the pew sheets will know by now that I have a penchant for the music of Percy Whitlock. But how many of you realise that he spent most of his adult life in Bournemouth? Born on 1st June 1903 at Chatham Kent, his musical education began as a chorister in Rochester cathedral choir under the tutelage of Hylton Stewart, the Cathedral Organist. Percy was appointed Assistant Organist of the Cathedral at the amazingly early age of eighteen, by which time his creative talent, generously and sympathetically nurtured by Stewart, was beginning to flower. When Stewart left Rochester, Percy's mild nature precluded him as a successor so, after marrying Edna, he moved to Bournemouth in 1930.
Here he became Director of Music at St. Stephen's Church. By now he had developed into an outstanding composer of music firmly rooted in the English pastoral and romantic idiom; much of his most popular output was created on the St. Stephen's organ during his five years there. He also wrote a symphony for organ and large orchestra and many choral pieces (motets, part-songs and service settings) but he was at his most inventive and original on the organ, reflecting his passion for the instrument. In 1932 he was appointed Civic Organist at Bournemouth Pavilion, a post he held for fourteen years. Unfortunately, most of his life was dogged by ill-health, culminating in his death on 1st May 1946 at the tragically young age of 42, possibly before he reached his peak. Since 1980 his music has undergone a revival, due to the endeavours of the Percy Whitlock Trust and in particular Robert Gower, who has arranged the publication and promotion of his music. Now it is receiving the recognition it so richly deserves.