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Newsletter
No.64 December 2011
In this issue ...
Guest Editorial page 1
Administrator’s News page 2
Diocesan Organ Advisors’
Conference page 3
Llandaff Meeting pages 4-6
Zurich Symposium pages 7-9
Book Review page 10
Letters & Announcements Tipping the Scales…
pages 11- 12
This Newsletter is published quarterly by the
INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ORGAN
BUILDING
and edited by Geoff McMahon
Letters, news and articles to:
Geoff McMahon 16 Chestnut Drive
St Albans Herts. AL4 0ES
Opinions expressed by the editor and
contributors are their own, and are not necessarily those of the Institute
Photographic Credits:
John Norman (p. 3)
Doug Levey (pp. 4-6)
Raphael Gasser (pp. 7 & 8)
Andrew Hayden (p.11)
Those members who attended the most recent IBO weekend in Cardiff may
remember that I urged people to recall the address given to many of us by Bob Pennells in the workshops of J.W. Walker & Sons (when the new organ built by
that team for Adelaide Town Hall was demonstrated by Thomas Trotter). We were encouraged to look closely at the work of other builders; this would serve either to make us question our approach to the way we were carrying out our
own methods, or reinforce convictions that the way we were doing it was far
better than methods we were invited to inspect! From my own point of view having the opportunity to inspect both new work and restoration techniques has
always been fascinating; we never stop learning, and to think that we know enough may well be a conceit we cannot afford. To put one’s work before the
members of trade associations takes some nerve, and the Board of the IBO is indebted to the willing members who do so, often at their own expense, sometimes risking criticism or indifference, but more often than not earning
admiration and respect.
But our excursions are not only about examining worthy projects, and I recall a couple of events that illustrate this point. On a pleasant day in Cambridge there was an opportunity for lunch in one of the many pubs in that city. I shared a pint
and a table with Peter Collins and we discussed, amongst other things, the problem of sharing basses in small organs. Having used “clack valves” in our own instruments for some time I was quickly persuaded (by means of a felt tip
pen and several napkins) that there was a better way of doing this - we never used
the valves again. On another occasion Andrew Pennells and I took two tables
and maybe a dozen napkins to draw out the differing methods of tensioning mechanical action – needless to say his was far better than my suggestion, and
another Damascene conversion took place.
There are many other highlights that linger in the memory - choral evensong at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and hearing the fabulous sound of the most recent Mander
work; a recital with choreographed lighting in Liverpool Cathedral and the DWOB team guiding us round the organ; the opportunity to climb all around the
Armley Schulze organ and see the painstaking restoration work by Harrison & Harrison; the Tickell installation in Worcester Cathedral; and most recently Nicholson’s thrilling work at Llandaff.
Talks by our trade suppliers have always been a source of much interest and give us the opportunity to catch up on what is being offered when we haven’t had time
to read the emails; demonstrations of pipe making, the latest developments in
transmission systems, shallot making, blowing plants, casework, leather suppliers
and keyboard manufacturing were among this year’s offerings. If the organ building content isn’t enough to tempt people to turn up, then there is
the opportunity to meet friends in the craft who share our fears of keeping going in a difficult market, people who know how worrying it is to keep projects within
budget or who share the passion we all feel for the work we do. So when Carol sends out the flyers for future events, please pause before putting
them on one side; there will be something to interest everyone. The coming year’s meetings should see a fair balance of new and restored organs with great opportunities to inspect them at first hand - we hope to see you all at one!
David Wood
2
Administrator’s News
Fund-Raising Leaflet
Enclosed with this issue is the latest in our series of
Information Leaflets. If you need further copies, then
these are available to download from our website (or
from the IBO Office if you don’t have on-line access).
Business Members: Recent reaccreditation
Congratulations to David Wells Organ Builders Ltd on achieving reaccreditation in the rebuilding category
(confirmed at the November Board meeting):
Professional Member Subscriptions
All IBO Professional members would have received a
renewal invoice during September. These invoices
ought to be paid within thirty days. If you haven’t yet
paid yours then please arrange to send your
remittance by return. It relieves the administrative
burden of reminders being sent too. Thanks!
Notes from Croner
New standard for workplace first-aid kits
A new national standard for workplace first-aid kits
has been introduced by the British Standards Institute
(BSI), following extensive co-operation with the
British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) and
the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Legislation requires employers to ensure that first-aid
kits are readily available in the workplace and of the
right composition to meet their needs following their
own risk assessment. However, current requirements
for the contents of workplace first-aid kits were last
reviewed over 14 years ago (in 1997). Since then, the
BHTA says, there have been extensive changes in
training protocol, new product innovations and
increasing infection control.
With this in mind, the new national standard for
workplace first-aid kits in the UK has been
introduced. Based on the new standard, kits should
now include increased quantities of products
identified as insufficient, including plasters and wipes.
New additions to kits should include scissors or
shears, burns dressings, foil survival blankets, a
resuscitation face shield, nitrile gloves, and adhesive
tape. Quantities of other items have been reduced to
keep the overall size of kits broadly similar to the
existing ones.
The new BSI standard, BS 8599: Workplace First Aid
Kits, effective from 1 July 2011, allows for a six-month
transition period.
Meetings in 2012
Regrettably, at the time of going to press, it has not
proved possible for us to confirm the exact details of
our programme of meetings for next year. Rest
assured, however, that we are working hard to put the
final pieces of the jigsaw in place. The outline of
events we have planned is as follows:-
Leeds, Saturday March 10th. In the morning
Simon Lindley will demonstrate the organs
in the Town Hall (Gray & Davison/Abbott
& Smith/Wood Wordsworth) and the Parish
Church (Harrison & Harrison/Wood
Wordsworth/Andrew Carter). After lunch,
Ben Saunders will perform on the Klais organ
at St. Anne's Roman Catholic Cathedral.
AGM in London, May 12th
(There will once again be two vacancies on the IBO
Board to be filled at the 2012 AGM. If you would like
some more information about what this entails do
contact me or a Board member, past or present, for
further information.)
Summer Meeting TBC
Autumn Residential Weekend (19–21 Oct) in
East Anglia, starting at Ely Cathedral on the
Friday afternoon and moving to Bury St
Edmunds for Saturday and Sunday.
With all best wishes for a peaceful Christmas and Happy New Year
Carol Levey
Administrator
IBO RULE (1.9) GOVERNING
WORK INVOLVING
ELECTRONIC SOUND
Result of Ballot.
Well over 50% of the IBO’s professional membership voted on this issue with the result being that from now on the Rule will apply to INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS in addition to Business Members (to whom it
already applied). All professional members will receive an amended Rules booklet in the post shortly. The membership has recorded its view on digital tone, both at AGMs (York 2009, Lichfield 2005) and through this ballot result. On behalf of the membership, the Board will continue to take this matter seriously, thoroughly investigating cases brought to its attention.
DOA Conference St Chad’s College, Durham University 30 August – 1 September 2011
This year’s conference was held jointly with BIOS
(British Institute of Organ Studies) and attracted over
forty people. The conference focused on issues and
challenges in Durham Diocese. Like much of the
North-east, Durham is not currently very prosperous,
and a number of churches have been declared
redundant in recent years.
The conference visited churches which had faced a
variety of organ problems. St Luke’s, Ferryhill, had
received an ‘organ transplant’ of an 1867 Brindley
instrument from a closing church in Derby. This was
felt to have been very successful. Whitworth Church
is a picturesque estate church with a tiny parish
population but supported by numerous weddings.
Here the restoration of the 1886 Harrison & Harrison
was funded through the efforts of an energetic church
warden who had successfully located sources of
outside funding.
St Brandon’s, Brancepeth, in the shadow of the castle,
had suffered a disastrous fire in 1998, completely
destroying all interior furnishings. The rebuilt church
now contained an excellent 1870 Father Willis
instrument from the chapel of a closing mental
hospital (below). Sadly, this was somewhat under-
powered because the architect had insisted on a
sound- absorbing finish to the interior of the new roof.
St Hilda’s is a remarkable Georgian church in the
centre of South Shields with an 1866 organ by T.C.
Lewis in a later case by J. F. Bentley (below). Here it
was the incumbent who had undertaken the successful
fund-raising for the organ’s refurbishment. St Helen’s,
Low Fell, on the other hand, has a major funding
problem after spending £250,000 on the roof, yet the
very fine 1876 Father Willis was ailing, following cut-
price alterations in 1949. Sadly, there was a faction in
the parish that just wanted to cease musical worship if
the instrument failed completely, although it was
observed that, in an urban area where there is a choice
of places of worship, this could have a serious impact
on congregational numbers.
The conference also visited the workshop of Harrison
& Harrison, where we were welcomed by Dr
Christopher Batchelor, the new Managing Director.
as well as by Mark Venning, now Chairman of the
company and by Duncan Matthews who is now
taking a lead role in the voicing side of Harrison’s
work. Work was in progress on two large London
organs, Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, and the Royal
Festival Hall. The finish of components cut by
computer-controlled router was particularly admired.
John Norman
3
4
Weekend Meeting in Cardiff
Friday 14 – Sunday 16 October
As I had not attended the last few meetings, I was
looking forward to this weekend at Llandaff and it
would be fair to say that all those who attended were
not disappointed. In the absence of Martin Goetze
who was unwell, introductions at the venues were
given by David Wood. Coaches had been pre booked
to take us between venues on the Saturday, which
made the weekend much more relaxed. A good job
too as some of us had faced up to two hours traffic
delay at Monmouth!
The weekend started on Friday Evening with a visit
to St Peter’s Church, Roath, a church beautifully
restored with side chapels decorated in deep blues and
reds and with designs not unlike William Morris
and Pugin. Interestingly there is also a reliquary of
Blessed Antonio Rosmini, a nineteenth century Priest
and political thinker who is still highly thought of
in Italy today. A new three-manual organ was
installed in 2005 in memory of a local business man,
Julian Hodge, by the Swiss firm of Spath. Apart from
the unusual manual layout of Great-Swell-Choir, to
look at the instrument one would be forgiven for
thinking that this was the work of a British builder;
with its front of five pipe flats and pointed arches it
has all the appearance of Victorian Gothic.
Peter Hindmarsh, who has the care of this instrument,
gave an introduction on the construction of the organ
and its various tonal qualities A demonstration
was given by the resident organist Peter Clark who
treated us to Langlais, followed by a light hearted
compilation of some well known tunes which seemed
to suit the instrument. The principal chorus is bold
and bright. With the mixtures the overall sound was
rather top heavy; however the flutes have a warmth
and were a delight to listen to, apart from the one 8’
which had a pronounced chiff. We were told that the
fluework had very little nicking and was voiced from
the feet. The reeds were fiery and blended well for full
organ. It was a pity that the cymblestern was not used
in context. There are not that many in the UK, I
think, but they are a delight when used in appropriate
pieces of Bach etc.. Even Worcester can boast of one
on the Nicholson/Tipple organ at New St. Martin!
As one would expect, the workmanship is very fine
but it does beg the question; why an imported organ?
There are any number of British organ builders who
would have risen to the challenge. Not that it is a bad
thing to have European organs here; it just seems
rather a one way traffic.
Our first evening at the Copthorne Hotel was very
welcoming and later the bar seemed to be well
attended; however one or two of us ventured further
afield to the Beech Tree Inn for a most enjoyable
meal.
And so to Saturday Morning and the much-awaited
visit to Llandaff Cathedral with its new four-manual
Nicholson organ. We were welcomed by Canon
Graham Holcombe who has been involved with
the project from its conception. David Wood in his
introduction noted that British organ builders were
now responsible for three new cathedral organs:
Worcester, Bury St Edmunds and Llandaff. Hopefully
this means that organists are at last waking up to the
fact that we can do the job of providing an instrument
that can fulfill the task of accompanying our great
British choral tradition (and also serve as a recital
instrument). But again, I am sure we would agree,
more has to be done.
Following on we had a slide-illustrated talk from
Andrew Moyes charting the history of the organs at
Llandaff, starting with the Gray and Davison organ of
1861 which was moved to Usk Parish Church in
1899, and was the subject of a visit by the IBO a few
years ago. It was hard to credit the extent of the war
time devastation of Llandaff in the surroundings of
the beautifully restored building as it is now (all,
apparently, funded from public subscription).
We then had a talk from Guy Russell, who was
responsible for the voicing of the pipe work,
demonstrating the various tonal qualities of the
instrument. Much credit has to be given to Guy for his
work here as this is a big instrument (albeit not yet
completed!) and must have been quite a challenge.
Guy then, with the help of the Cathedral Assistant
Organist James Norrey, demonstrated the contrasting
effects from each department of the organ. For me the
diapason and flute choruses were a joy to listen to; the
former on both Swell and Great big enough to support
the upper work when added. So often mixtures are
too overpowering, but here they are not. The Swell
strings have a soft warm sound which radiates around
the building, and one suspects that when the Solo
Organ is completed, the Viole stops will have more of
a bite to them. When it came to the reeds we were not
disappointed, the Swell having a more restrained
quality but not lacking in power; whilst the Great
Posaunes are big with plenty of fire. Currently the
only quiet solo reeds available are the Swell Oboe and
Choir Cremona, both of which are lovely stops.
The Pedal department has all that one could wish for
and has sufficient variety to underpin any registration,
particularly with a new full length 32ft Open Wood
stop! The reeds are robust (to say the least!) and it will
be interesting when this department is completed by
the Bombard 16ft and 8ft plus the 8ft Trumpet.
Listener, be warned! At present the only stop on the
Solo division is the unenclosed Tuba 8ft which sounds
well over full organ.
James then gave a short recital comprising Saint-Saens’s Danse Macabre, and Duruflé’s Prélude et Fugue
sur le Nom d’Alain, after which we were allowed to
explore inside both the North and South cases.
Everywhere you looked there was superb
craftsmanship, and the job as a whole was beautifully
laid out. When one thinks of the back-breaking
exercises we go through on some old (and not so old)
organs, this one must be sheer joy for tuning and
maintenance. When entering the North side of the
organ you are met with the 32ft Trombone rank
which in itself is big, until you see that behind it is the
32ft Double Open Wood. These are beautifully made
pipes and one feels a little insignificant standing next
to them!
The console is everything that one has come to expect
from Nicholson & Co., and is a handsome piece of
furniture in its own right. Andrew Moyes and his staff
are to be congratulated on building such a fine
instrument.
After our explorations we were treated to a superb
buffet lunch provided by the Cathedral, in Prebendary
House. The puddings were of healthy, mouth-
watering quality; one pipe maker from the North,
who shall be nameless, must have looked particularly
undernourished judging by the size of his portion of
roulade. Others of us, when attempting to serve
ourselves with a second helping, were informed “only
one item per plate”!
Our final visit of the weekend took us to Dewi Sant
Church which serves the Welsh-speaking churchgoers
of Cardiff. Worship was originally held, from 1856,
at All Saints Church, Tyndall Street but was moved
to a new site in 1891 in Howard Gardens. This
building suffered much war damage so in 1956 the
congregation was again moved, this time to Saint
Andrew’s Church which was re-consecrated as
Eglwys Dewi Sant.
5
6
This 1860s building has quite a plain interior but one’s
attention is quickly drawn to the sixteen foot front
pipe façade of the almost unaltered three manual
‘Father Willis’ organ filling the South wall of the
chancel. The pipes are of plain metal with no
casework. Peter Hindmarsh, who again has care of
the organ (having restored it in 1980), gave us an
insight into the work he carried out, as well as
the earlier additions to the Swell, Choir and Pedal
departments by the Sweetland Organ Company in
1927. Also of considerable interest was the ‘floating
lever’ action on the Great; Peter’s working model of
this was the subject of much discussion among the
members. This was followed by a short demonstration
by the resident organist Ieuan Jones.
We were then able to investigate inside while some
members demonstrated their skills at the console
which gave us a better idea of the rich sounds this
organ can make. Although there is no mixture stop,
the brightness of the upper work, without being
forced, enables the organist to play a wide range of the
organ repertoire.
Then it was on to the National Museum of Wales, an
imposing building by any standards, where we
enjoyed some light refreshments, including Welsh tea
cakes for those wishing to top up on their dietary
requirements. We then had some free time to take in
the museum (where there is a Snetzler organ restored
by Goetze and Gwynn) and to take advantage of the
sun, despite the cold wind, and sit in the park
opposite. Some ventured into the city centre for a
shopping expedition. One could not help noticing
that a large number of people were wearing identical
red and white shirts … I cannot think why!
We returned to our hotel in good time to make ready
for the dinner that evening, and a splendid meal it
was. Our guest speaker was Mr. Michael Drayton
who had spent his working life in the ship brokerage
business. We were led through a fascinating world of
big ships, route assessment and vessel chartering.
Michael eventually reached the peak of his career as
successively Vice Chairman then Chairman of the
Baltic Exchange; a high office indeed. Michael told us
that he had a life long love of music and it seemed
appropriate that to mark his retirement he should
commission an anthem for The Baltic Exchange.
The International Maritime Organisation had designated 2010 as The Year of the Seafarer with its
celebrations being held in Vancouver. Malcolm
Archer, Master of The Quiristers at Winchester
College, was commissioned to compose the music,
setting the well known words by William Whiting, Eternal Father Strong To Save. The fact that Whiting
had held the post of Master of The Quiristers in the
nineteenth century gave even more poignancy to the
commission. The first performance was given during a
service in Vancouver Cathedral in November 2010.
To listen to Michael was to live in a world as far
removed from organ building as it could be and this
made it all the more interesting.
A vote of thanks was given by David Wood who also
thanked Stephanie Moyes and our Administrator
Carol Levey for all the hard work they had put in,
arranging the hotel, the venues and the coaches to
make the weekend such a huge success.
Sunday Morning was given over to the IBO’s own
Suppliers’ Fair. There was a wide range of stalls from
pipe making, leather, low voltage electrical
components, blowing and humidifier units and wood
products, to the ultimate wizardry of high tech solid
state circuitry and software. There were some fun
items too: key rings with a small pipe attached and
square and triangular metal pipes which actually
worked! We later learnt that the Penny’s Mill
representative had been unable to make the Fair,
having been stranded on the wrong side of town by
the Cardiff Marathon, which was a great pity.
So ended a highly successful and enjoyable weekend,
which would not have been possible without all the
hard work of Stephanie and Carol.
John Bleney
Orgel Orgue Organo Organ
2011
An extraordinary gathering of organ builders,
organists, academics, students and schoolchildren
took place in Zurich over four days during September.
Hosted by the city’s University of the Arts, it was both
a celebration of the role of the pipe organ in European
culture, and an appeal to artists, musicians, politicians
and educational institutions to safeguard its future.
Engaging the interest and enthusiasm of young people
was seen as central to this objective, and free organ
lessons for suitably qualified students were on offer at
a variety of venues for the duration of the symposium.
After a speech of welcome from Professor Michael
Eidenbenz (Director of the University’s Music
Department), the business of the first day concerned
itself primarily with the organ as a liturgical
instrument. Lectures and discussions addressed such topics as The Organist as Church Employee and The Role
of Organ Music in Catholic Worship. There was also a
presentation summarising the reports of thirty-five
national specialists regarding the status of the organ in
their respective countries (these are to be made
available as a single collated publication in due
course). In the evening, cathedral organist Professor
Andreas Jost gave a concert on the Metzler
instrument in the Grossmünster (below), featuring the
world premier of a work for organ and electronics by
German Toro-Pérez.
Day Two (Friday September 9) addressed the
question of the organ’s relevance for contemporary
society and the next generation. A concert (‘not only
for children’) on the Kuhn organ in the University’s
main hall exploited the instrument’s tonal variety to
represent different characters in a fairy story, after the manner of Peter and the Wolf. Later on in the same
venue, ISO President John Mander gave a talk on The
Present Situation and Future Outlook for Organ Building,
an edited version of which is reproduced on the
following pages. The symposium’s aspirations were then formalised and adopted in the Zurich Resolution
2011, the full text of which (along with a wealth of
other information) can be accessed at www.zhdk.ch
Saturday morning saw an ‘act of public ceremonial’,
in which the Zurich Resolution was formally
presented to representatives of the groups to whom it
is addressed (the state, the church and the press). A
recital by Guy Bovet formed the centrepiece of this
event, culminating in a fanfare at 11a.m. when organs
all over Switzerland were played simultaneously. In
the afternoon there was an ‘organ crawl’ around the
major churches of Zurich, and after dark attention
turned to one of the city’s night clubs where a
Hammond B3 provided the focal point for some jazz
combo performances.
Two set-piece events concluded proceedings on
the final day: an ecumenical morning service in the
Liebfrauenkirche, and an afternoon concert at
the Tonhalle, featuring organist Ulrich Meldau
and the Capriccio Baroque Orchestra of Basel.
7
8
Three or four years ago, any suggestions as to how the
world economy should be handled would be light
years away from the answer that might be proffered
today. The lesson we learn from this is that economics
is fickle and highly unpredictable. This does not make
things very easy for economists, let alone organ
builders.
One of the most important things we, as organ
builders, have to appreciate is where we stand in the
economic cycle. Having experienced a number of
these cycles over my life as an organ builder I have
come to recognize that we essentially sit in the top
twenty or twenty-five per cent. By that I mean that as
the cycle goes up and reaches its peak, a threshold is
reached where quite suddenly, the dearth of work for
organ builders can suddenly become a surplus. In a
matter of months, once this magic point is reached,
order books that once looked rather depressing can
suddenly blossom into several years work.
Appreciation of this phenomenon can be very useful
to the organ builder because it helps him to plan the
time ahead. Organ building, by its very nature,
demands a rather longer look into the future than for
most small- to medium-sized businesses. We are more
akin to very much larger concerns like oil production
or motor manufacturing (it takes quite some time to
develop new oil fields, or a new model of car).
In order to take a snapshot of the current situation in
organ building, I sent a round robin e-mail to all my
colleagues in the ISO to ask them what they felt was
the present situation and what they thought the future
might hold. I didn't get anywhere near as many
responses as I would have hoped; nor were they, I
suspect, particularly representative. Just a small
number of them admitted to the situation being at the
very least worrying and most of those added that,
even if other organ builders were not admitting it, it
was probably the same for them. Clearly there are
exceptions, but my brief was to attempt to find a
general trend. Also interesting was the response from
organ builders who have now retired. Almost to a
man (none of them were women) they seemed to be
full of foreboding for the future and appeared to be
quite relieved that they were not in a position where
they had to worry about it now.
The information I have from suppliers is more clear-
cut. All of the ones I spoke to suggested that there had
been a marked reduction in the amount of work and
materials being ordered by organ builders. There are
probably exceptions to this, but it fits into a pattern
where fewer new organs are being ordered and built
and there is more concentration on restoration and
rebuilding, both of which have need of rather less
materials and equipment than does a new organ.
When the world goes into a recession, organ builders
do not generally feel the effects of this until twelve to
eighteen months later than the economy in general.
Likewise, any improvement in the economy can take
some while to be felt by the organ builders. This time
shift of economic change can, nonetheless, be of
benefit to the organ builder because it helps him to
predict the way ahead; even if things remain slow for
him after the economy has recovered, the increase in
prospects for work can be encouraging and can
occasionally result in work rather more quickly than
the tail-off experienced in the downturn.
In the past the passage of time between any given high
or low in the economic cycle and the next tended to
be relatively brief Today, however, the ball game is
rather different. In spite of occasional glimmers of
hope, I think we have to be realistic and recognize
that the current situation is not going to improve
significantly for at least another two years. If I am to
be brutally honest, I believe that somewhere between
ten and twenty percent of organ builders around the
world are likely to fail in the next few years. We must
recognise that there are quite simply too many organ
builders in the world in the present climate. The
probability is that the very cheapest organ builders,
together with the most expensive, will resist the
difficult circumstances in which we find ourselves
more successfully than those in between. Quality
organ building will always be in demand, as will
cheap and cheerful organ building. This
fragmentation of businesses will probably lead to the
spawning of a new flush of one-man firms, providing
cheap and often decent service at the tuning, cleaning
and overhaul end of the market, and/or contracting
their services to larger companies. This fragmentation
does very little for the training of new organ builders.
What, if anything, can we do to alleviate the
situation? Let me first outline what I honestly think
we cannot do. It is illusory to suggest that government
money should be invested in order to bolster interest
in the organ and organ building. Most governments
are desperately trying to cut their budgets to reduce
what, in many instances, is a grossly inflated national
debt. When a country like the USA loses its AAA
credit rating, it is time to sit up and look hard. There
are far more important things on which governments
need to spend their limited resources than the relative
luxury of organ playing and building.
Similarly, trying to encourage our teaching
institutions to enhance or develop the teaching of the
organ is, I believe, unlikely to prove significantly
effective. Such teaching institutions, where they are
involved with music at all, are far more likely to react
to demand than be able to create an opportunity
which an, as yet, unidentified demand will fill. It has
been suggested that the ISO might take up the cause
of its members in some way by lobbying governments
or promoting the organ in general. This sort of thing
costs time and money, neither of which the ISO has a
great deal, and it is unlikely that its members would
be prepared to pay the fees that would be necessary in
order to make it possible.
If at this point you are thinking that I am suggesting
there is little we can do but to sit back and wait until
the economy revives, let me tell you, you are wrong.
What I am saying is that if anything is to be done
about the situation, we have to do it ourselves. We
have to manage this with our own limited financial
resources and time, but with one ingredient that could
save the day, our almost unbounded enthusiasm for
the organ and its music. We have to work at grass
roots level rather than government level. There are
a myriad of small ways in which this can be done,
one of which involves the organists amongst us. You
have to sit at your consoles and give regular recitals
to what might, initially, be relatively small audiences.
You probably have to do it without remuneration
and you have to entice people to those recitals with
engaging programs that don’t appear to be stuffy or
over-academic. The revered English organist George
Thalben-Ball developed his own framework for organ
recitals and always tried to include four elements
in each one he gave: something familiar, something
unknown, something serious and something
humorous.
The organist of Azuchi concert hall is also doing
something interesting to promote the organ and its
music. Although Azuchi featured very prominently
and importantly in the history of Japan in the
sixteenth century, it is now a very much smaller town
and quite remote. Nevertheless, she holds regular
open-house sessions for schoolchildren and their
parents in the concert hall on Saturdays, where they
receive some basic musical instruction and learn some
of the history of the pipe organ. Additionally, about
once a month, she and two of her friends (a flautist
and a singer) go to a school in the vicinity and present
an extra-curricular music lesson. The organist takes
along a small portative organ and around two-dozen
tuned wooden pipes. As part of the presentation, the
children are given the pipes and the organist directs
them in playing simple music in harmony to
demonstrate how the pipe organ works. These efforts
have produced a string of organ students.
We organ builders can also do things to raise
awareness of the pipe organ without incurring
unsustainable costs. Having the occasional open day
or workshop concert is, of course, the most obvious of
these. In England, whenever the National Heritage
Lottery Fund supports the restoration of an organ, as
part of the deal the church concerned has to organize
groups of children from local schools to come into the
church to see the organ itself, and also to visit the
organ builder whilst the work is in progress, to get
some idea of what the pipe organ is all about. It takes
some effort to get this sort of thing going, but I
honestly believe there is great potential for a snowball
effect that could, in time, prove significant.
Very briefly, I would like to touch on a couple of
other issues related to electronic organs and the
European RoHS directive. I honestly do not believe
that the electronic organ represents any major threat
to the pipe organ. As long as I can remember, the
manufacturers of electronic organs have been
claiming that they have finally managed to produce a
faithful electronic substitute for the pipe organ, but
they haven't and there are good technical reasons why
this is simply not possible. Slightly more worrying is
the rise in so-called combination organs. The ISO is
wrestling with that issue at the present time and is as
yet undecided as to whether builders who make
combination organs should be allowed to be
members. Personally, I don't see this as a significant
threat but (also personally) I don't think the ISO
should have members who build them.
The RoHS directive is more worrying. You may
remember there was a fuss about this a few years ago,
which was apparently laid to rest. However, after the
consultation period, the directive was handed back to
the commission responsible, which promptly deleted
all the agreed exemptions, which included the pipe
organ. It is now undergoing an impact assessment by
one man in Brussels. We have to present a united
front on this if we are going to get pipe organs
exempted again, and here I would make a plea to my
German colleagues to be more pro-active. The BDO
has decided not to address this problem, but to keep
very quiet (probably because they have a tacit
agreement with the authorities in Germany that organ
builders will not be pursued). Firstly, I consider this to
be a selfish stance at a time when we should all be
pulling together. Secondly, it could be shortsighted.
The manufacturers of electronic organs are all RoHS
compliant. One or the other of them could, if they
were inclined, bring a pipe organ to the attention of
the authorities, at which point it would legally have to
be investigated. As well as being very unpleasant in
itself, this could have the knock-on effect of putting off
potential clients (for fear either of falling foul of the
directive, or that the organ builder may not be allowed
to complete the project). This already happened in
England during the last scare when RoHS came round
the first time.
In conclusion I would simply like to underscore two
principal points of importance. The first is that I think
it is inevitable that we will be facing challenging times
over the next few years. The second is that only we
can do something about it and if we don't we will only
have ourselves to blame.
John Mander
Editor’s Note: we understand that since this talk was given, the BDO has indicated its willingness to engage more constructively with the RoHS issue.
9
10
Book Review
Gordon D. W. Curtis A
Provincial Organ Builder in
Victorian England, William Sweetland of Bath. Ashgate
Publishing Limited, 2011. ISBN: 9781409417521
(hbk); 9781409417538 (ebk), 307pp. £65
If someone asked my opinion about Sweetland I
would probably say that I had heard that his organs
were well made and his work well regarded. I could
not have said very much about either the builder or
his work, partly since it is fairly confined
geographically. I have not knowingly ever seen one of
his instruments despite Goetze and Gwynn having
restored one of them, listed on page 184. The
attention of those interested in the Victorian organ has
been concentrated on the major builders, and it is a
credit to Gordon Curtis that he has put this lesser
known provincial builder under the spotlight.
The gazetteer and technical information would make
this useful or even essential for builders, advisers,
organists or anyone else interested in Sweetland. But
the chapters that place him in the context of Victorian
society and its musical world open the book to a
wider audience. The extensive introduction nicely sets
the scene for the biography of Sweetland; some details
of his personal life exposed through local newspaper
reports of a court case. Such documents are a source
of information that has revealed many interesting
details of organ builders as documents have become
more accessible to scholars. Sweetland was active
from about 1847 until his retirement in 1902, and a
chapter examines all those listed as organ builders in
Bath during this period, most presumably known or
employed by him. In the following chapter on his
business history we find that in the census entry of
1881 he was employing thirteen men and four boys.
The workshop that Sweetland built behind his house
is still there, and it would have been interesting to
have at least a picture of it.
The organs themselves are now dealt with and for the
organ builders this could be the part they will home in
on, it being closest to their daily activities. As a
researcher rather than builder, Mr Curtis has largely
had to confine his organ investigations to what can be
seen, measured and photographed without too much
dismantling. No doubt much of this was carried out in
cold dark buildings with difficult access to the insides,
rather than the ideal opportunity afforded in an organ
restorer’s workshop. But at least the pictures and
descriptions are here. Hopefully restorers now would
provide some documentation? There are a couple of
places where I had questions. The earliest instrument
described in some detail (Chirton, Wilts, 1854) has the
bottom notes ‘divided C/C# to B’ although the
compass is GG long octaves without GG#. The next
(Devizes, Wilts, 1855) has a C – f3 compass for both
Great and Swell, though the Swell stops only begin at
tenor c. The bass octave is provided by the Great Stop
Diapason Bass, but I have been unable to establish
exactly how the mechanism to the Swell keys works
from the given description. I found Sweetland’s patent
swell mechanism of 1888 particularly interesting,
especially as a surviving example is illustrated. The
shutters are of increasing widths, arranged to open
one after the other, smallest first, to obtain an even
crescendo. He was clearly an excellent craftsman, and
developed a very good system of manufacturing using
the best materials. But it is also here that we begin to
see the story of what happens to our Victorian organs
as we find how few have survived unaltered. In
Sweetland’s case, this is despite the very high quality
of his work. Tastes change, organists want to have the
latest ‘improvements’ and they will find organ
builders willing to carry out the work. Recent times
have seen inappropriate work carried out, and
mentioned in chapter 7 are the painting of wooden
pipes and replacing original oak console parts with
plywood. IBO members would not do that sort of
thing these days. Would they?
From early in his career, Sweetland’s instruments
were clearly fine enough to attract some of the most
influential organists to give opening concerts, chiefly
W. T. Best. There is an analysis of music performed
between 1883 and 1901 at a) Sweetland organ
openings, b) other recitals on similarly sized organs
and c) Leeds Town Hall. The popularity of Bach,
Mendelssohn and Guilmant may not be surprising
amongst the large list of composers, but the absence of
a single piece by César Frank is interesting.
The organ photographs were all taken by Mr Curtis,
and are unfortunately of variable quality. Those taken
in good light are not too bad, but on the whole they
are a bit murky, too many marred by obtrusive flash
reflections. All are reproduced in black and white,
which is a pity, and the reproduction is not to a
standard expected of such a publisher. Continental
organ publications usually include photographs of a
professional standard, for example the Dutch series, Nederlandse Orgelmonografieën (Walburg Press). I
always try to encourage IBO builders to improve their
photographic skills, and it is a credit to the Journal
publishing team that the photographs are such a high
quality. But they do struggle with the many poor
pictures that are sent in, and are sometimes forced to
go and take their own. There is definitely room for
much improvement in organ builders’ picture taking
skills.
Any organ builder working on one of these
instruments will need to consult the book and should
also document the work so that information can be
updated. Organ advisers will also need it if they are
dealing with one of these instruments, but I am sure
they would find it to be a fascinating addition to their
organ book library. Notwithstanding the criticism of
the photography, this is a book that should be on the
shelves of all interested in this golden age of British
organ building.
Martin Goetze
Letters to the Editor
Dear Sir,
The Historic Organ Certificate Scheme (HOCS)
Some IBO members may not be fully aware of the
Historic Organ Certificate Scheme (HOCS) and its
implications. One of the problems in dealing with
historically important organs in the UK is that the
listing scheme for buildings (administered in England
by English Heritage) is not terribly helpful where
organs are concerned. This is because the heritage
value of an organ may not be the same as the heritage
value of the building in which it is placed. Thus an
architecturally important building might contain a
relatively modest organ or an unlisted building an
organ of national importance.
The scheme was run in pilot form for some time but,
following receipt of encouragement from the
Government and from English Heritage, it has now
been rolled out more widely. Of course, it has
not been practical to assess the entire stock of over
40,000 organs in the United Kingdom immediately so
HOC coverage is at present incomplete. Nevertheless,
coverage has now reached the point where both
approvals bodies and grant-giving bodies are tending
to ask whether an organ has a HOC (Historic Organ
Certificate) before making decisions.
Certificates are awarded in four categories:
Grade I for an organ of outstanding historic
and musical importance in essentially original
condition
Grade II* for organs which are good
representatives of the work of their builder, in
substantially original condition
Grade II for organs which, whilst not
unaltered, nevertheless contain important
historic material.
Certificate of Recognition identifies the
presence of individual elements of important
historic material in an organ not otherwise
listed.
Assessment is undertaken by a specialist committee of
BIOS after careful consideration of the heritage value
of the instrument in its existing context. If organs are
rebuilt or transplanted, the HOC is withdrawn
pending re-assessment.
The process is not secret. When a listing is approved,
the custodians of the church or other building housing
the organ receive a formal Historic Organ Certificate
as a mark of the importance of that organ to the
nation's heritage. Many chose to frame it and display
it near the organ. The award is also flagged up on the
National Pipe Organ Register (NPOR) which now
attracts over 1,500 file searches a day.
What are the implications for organ builders? Some
may be disappointed if a project for enlargement or
electrification becomes controversial. But more
valuable surely is the fact that a HOC helps to raise
the public profile of the instrument and 'flags' it as one
deserving respect by future generations, not to be
discarded for an imitation. A number of grant-giving
bodies now use a HOC listing as a help in deciding
grant-worthiness. This can only be helpful to making
possible the continued use of organs which would
otherwise be neglected. It is interesting that letters
received by BIOS on the subject tend to be either
thanks for the award of a certificate or complaints that
a particular instrument has been turned down.
Yours faithfully,
John Norman by email
St Barnabas, Bournmoor, Durham, Gray & Davison 1874,
Historic Organ Certificate Grade I
11
12
Dear Sir,
I could not agree more with what Duncan Mathews
had to say about the state of training in the organ
building trade (Newsletter No.63 p.2). In the April
Newsletter Alan Taylor discussed training and had no
response to his article, which I would say is about
right. People talk about training and how we should
progress, but either do not want to get involved or just
do not have the time. A few years ago the IBO did a
four-day stint at the Manchester skills show, and how
many IBO members turned up to support what was
being done? At recent training events it was said that
some of the hand skills demonstrated by delegates (all
IBO members I believe) were not at the level expected
of the IBO membership. So who are these people
working for, and why are they not trained up to the
right standard? Is it because of the lack of time or
money?
Training in my view should start by sending young
people to local colleges for the usual one day in the
week so they can learn the basics of woodwork. While
doing that they will also learn how to read drawings,
and also pick up the rules and regulations on health
and safety. It’s no good us being envious of the way
youngsters are taught in Germany; we need to get to
grips with this problem ourselves in this country. So
many of the senior members in the IBO are now or
soon will be retiring from the trade with no younger
people coming through to take their place. (I know
there are some youngsters out there, but certainly not
enough to fill the gap.) Some people say we cannot
get young people interested; okay, so we need to do
something to get them in the door. The rates of pay
quoted annually in the IBO Newsletter for 16 and 17
year olds will not attract youngsters - they need
something to work for and work towards. I know that
organ building is a trade on its own in many respects,
but there is a great deal that it can offer to young
people, so we need to do what we can now.
Once the young people have learnt the basics then I
believe with everyone’s agreement we could send
them to learn different branches of the trade in various
other workshops, particularly those of our specialist
suppliers. If we are asking people to teach then we
will need to pay them well to do so, otherwise there
will be no point. It is not realistic to expect the
teachers to lose out financially under the arrangement.
We also have to look at smaller organ builders who
are on tight budgets, especially when working for
small rural churches. Some are being asked to do a
good job for very little money, and at some point
something has to give. Yes, we know that we all do
our best, but sometimes it can be impossible. I think
it’s time to get everybody together in organ building,
both inside and outside the IBO, and start helping
each other. I think the IBO has made good progress
over the fifteen or so years of its existence, but I worry
that it may be losing a sense of direction. Hopefully
things will change in the near future, otherwise I’m
sure I would not be alone in wondering whether there
is anything to be gained by continuing to be a
member.
If anyone would like to talk to me about any of the
points I have made, then please get in touch via the
email address below.
Yours faithfully,
Kevin Rutterford [email protected]
Announcements
We are delighted to learn of the start of a new
generation of organ builders at M.C. Thompson Ltd.
Congratulations are due to Hannah and Simon
Tipping on the safe arrival of William Joseph on
October 12th, weighing in at 7lb 13oz.
St Swithun's Church Worcester: a DVD about the
restoration of the 1795 organ in this church is now
available. With demonstrations of the sound before
and after restoration, the DVD also shows the organ
in the workshops before being assembled once again
in the church. Price £9.00 (including postage) from
Will Scott, The Walled Garden, 6 Rose Terrace, Worcester, WR5 1BU. Cheques payable to The
Friends of St Swithun’s (whose work will benefit from
all proceeds).
THE INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ORGAN BUILDING
PRESIDENT
Martin Goetze
BOARD:
Gordon Blackledge
Michael Blighton
Andrew Dolby
Duncan Mathews
James Richardson-Jones
Clive Sidney
David Wood
01909 485635
07798 644182
020 7739 4747
01842 813201
0191 378 2222
01252 672290
07772 707719
01484 533374
TREASURER
Rosemary Wakeford
Canal Cottage
Crofton
Marlborough
Wiltshire
SN8 3DW
Tel/Fax: 01672 871352
ADMINISTRATOR & SECRETARY:
Carol Levey,
13 Ryefields,
Thurston,
Nr Bury St Edmunds,
Suffolk
1P31 3TD
Tel/Fax: 01359 233433
www.ibo.co.uk