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www.ydoa.co.uk The York & District Organists’ Association is affiliated to the Incorporated Association of Organists (IAO) and

serves all who are interested in the organ and its music.

The PipeLine

The YDOA Newsletter: November - December 2012

Patron: Dr Francis Jackson CBE (Organist Emeritus, York Minster)

President: Raymond Sturdy, 01904 693908

Secretary: Philip Paul, 01904 638423

Treasurer & Membership: Robert Firth, 01609 779795

Publicity Officer & PipeLine Editor: Alistair Timmis, 07852524028

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Contents

1. Words of Wisdom ......................................................................................................... 3

A message from the President: ........................................................................................... 3 A message from the PipeLine Editor: ................................................................................ 3

2. Looking Back................................................................................................................. 4

3. Future Meetings ........................................................................................................... 5

4. Upcoming Recitals & Concerts ................................................................................ 6

Locally ......................................................................................................................................... 6 Further Afield ........................................................................................................................... 6

5. Gallery ............................................................................................................................. 7

6. Articles ............................................................................................................................ 8

7. Organ of the Month ................................................................................................... 10

8. The Trivia Section ..................................................................................................... 11

The Caption Competition .................................................................................................... 11 Humour .................................................................................................................................... 11

9. The People Section .................................................................................................... 12

10. Subscriptions ............................................................................................................ 13

11. Next Edition .............................................................................................................. 13

Note ............................................................................................................................................ 13 12. Appendix: YDOA Constitution ............................................................................. 14

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1. Words of Wisdom A message from the President: As President, following the AGM, I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to the many people who help, and who have helped, make YDOA the success that it is: - To Joan Johnson for giving the recital before the AGM. I am sorry that I was unable to be there,

but there was a very large and appreciative audience! - To Adrian Crawford for all his work on the Pipeline, and as a former President and committee

member. - To Kath Crawford and her helpers for the tea, sandwiches and cakes following the AGM.

Everything seemed to be eaten very quickly! - To Philip Paul for giving his time so unstintingly as Secretary. - To Bob Firth for keeping the finances in order. - To all who have organised events this year and the churches who have so willingly allowed us

access to their organs. - To former committee members for their enthusiasm and commitment. - To Alistair Timmis for the website and also for taking on the Pipeline – good luck! - To Cynthia Wood, for so efficiently updating us about upcoming events. - Above all – the membership – otherwise there would be no YDOA! - Finally – a ‘thank you’ and also a ‘welcome’ to the new committee members following the AGM.

We look forward to receiving all your ideas! The YDOA has increased in membership over the last year. It provides varied events each month, and is in a sound financial position. Let’s keep up the good work!

Ray Sturdy

A message from the PipeLine Editor: As your new PipeLine editor, it has given me great pleasure to produce my first edition. For those of you who don’t know me, I graduated from Durham University last summer and now work in transport management, with my time now broadly divided between Derby and York. It was my pleasure towards the end of 2011 to develop our new YDOA website, which seems to be going well. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Adrian Crawford myself for his dedication in developing the PipeLine newsletter, and I look forward very much to building upon this good work. You will note that this is a combined November and December edition, and a decision will be made before the New Year as to whether we should adopt this more substantial bi-monthly publication, or continue with the more concise monthly bulletin. Feedback on this, and any other comments, ideas or contributions, would be most welcome. Please contact me via e-mail at publicityofficer@ydoa.co.uk – and thank you for reading!

Alistair Timmis

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2. Looking Back Following an excellent recital by Vice President Joan Johnson a record number of members attended the AGM in Jacob's Well. Reports were received from the President, Treasurer and Secretary. After this there was some discussion of the association constitution, the updated version of this is attached. Ray Sturdy has kindly agreed to continue as President for a second year and Bob Firth and I will continue for another year in our respective posts. With regard to the committee there are a few changes. We thank David Simpson and Peter Stott for serving on the committee for a number of years, and special thanks are due to Adrian Crawford for producing the Pipeline for 4 years. Alistair Timmis will now produce/edit the Pipeline and I am very grateful to him for taking on that role - he does need contributions from you all, so if you have an interesting article on something related to organs or organ music please forward this to him. We welcome Helen Roberts and Keith Dale to the committee. At the AGM we also discussed future events and I would ask you to continue to forward your suggestions to committee members or myself. These might be for visits to organs or other types of event, there seems to be general agreement that roughly a 50/50 split is right balance in order that we can offer events that appeal to all members.

Philip Paul

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3. Future Meetings OUR NEXT EVENT - Ray Sturdy, President, writes: On Saturday 17th November a friend of mine, Jon Morgan, will give a talk/demonstration of the Sibelius music writing software at Central Methodist Church at 2.30pm. This is something of which I have a basic knowledge, but is an area in which I would like to become much more proficient. Sibelius is used by many musicians, teachers and students throughout the world – in fact, anyone who wishes to produce music of professional type/print quality. Please support Jon and learn something of what Sibelius might be able to do for you! I am sure there will be an opportunity to ask questions. DECEMBER SOCIAL EVENINGS – Philip Paul, Secretary, writes: Following the success of these last year, they will take place again on Tuesdays 4th and 11th December 2012, 5.00pm to 8.00pm at St Helen, Stonegate and St Martin, Coney Street, York. We will start at St Helen's at 5pm and then walk across to St Martin's at 6.30pm. Members will have access to both organs and we will have a bring and share feast in the Upper Room at St Martin's. I will provide mulled wine for this; could members attending please bring buffet-type food (e.g. crisps, sausages rolls, pork pies, French bread, a few biscuits/cakes etc), other ideas welcome. Generally speaking "faith teas" seem to work out with a good balance of food, I hope our feast will be the same! Please note that both churches will be locked, the doors will be opened at the times above and at other times by arrangement. Please could you let me know if you are coming and when you expect to arrive.

**DIARY DATES** Upcoming Association Events, 2012-2013. November Saturday 17th 2.30pm: Sibelius workshop at Central Methodist, York. December Tuesdays 4th/11th 5.00pm onwards. Social evenings with organs in central York. Based around St Helen’s/St Martin’s, playing and festive food. January Saturday 19th 2.30pm. Desert Island Discs – an encore! Venue t/b/c. February Date t/b/c 6.00pm (for 7.00pm). Annual Dinner at the Monk Bar Hotel. Guest speaker to be confirmed

Please keep an eye on our website at www.ydoa.co.uk and your future newsletters for any changes

to these events and for crucial information on events further in to 2013.

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4. Upcoming Recitals & Concerts Locally Events during November/December in York & North Yorkshire include:

St Mary’s, Boston Spa Hear the newly restored pipe organ put through its paces by John Bradbury on 10th November, beginning at 7.30pm. This is the final recital in a series played by distinguished local organists. Entry is £8, which includes a glass of wine.

York Minster York Musical Society (YMS) chorus and orchestra performs on Saturday 10th November at 7.30pm under the direction of David Pipe. The music will include Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Trumpet Concerto, rounded off by Bach’s Cantata 147. Later in the year, YMS will perform Handel’s Messiah on Saturday 8th December at the same time and venue. St Helen’s Church, York Local choir Spectrum, directed by Ben Horden (Acting Assistant Director of Music, Sheffield Cathedral), will perform a programme of choral music from Tudor England on Saturday 24th November at 7.30pm.

Further Afield For the more adventurous amongst you, recitals during November/December elsewhere in Yorkshire include:

Huddersfield Town Hall Regular recitals take place on Mondays at 1.00pm. Admission is £5 (£3.50 concessions). Details of all concerts in this hall are at: http://kirklees.gov.uk/visitors/documents/ConcertSeason.pdf

Leeds Town Hall Regular recitals take place on Mondays at 1.05pm. Admission is free. Details of the programme of organ recitals and other music can be found at: http://www.leedsconcertseason.com

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5. Gallery If you would like to see your photos included here next time, please send on photographs to Alistair Timmis at publicityofficer@ydoa.co.uk no later than 5th January 2013.

Top left: Our patron Francis Jackson enjoys a cup of tea at our Desert Island Discs Event. Top right: Vice President Nigel Holdsworth plays the organ at St Martin’s, Coney Street.

Bottom left: Members enjoy a visit to hear the organ of St Mary’s church, Thirsk. Bottom right: Out patron Francis Jackson takes a bow after playing his organ recital in York Minster.

Thanks to Philip Paul for these photographs.

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6. Articles This month, YDOA committee member Cynthia Wood has contributed the following thoughts on the efficient practice of a musical instrument: The only way to improve any skill is to practise, that is, to rehearse something in order to be better at it. It may not make perfect – what is perfection anyway? – but it is the only way to fully master anything. How can practice be effective? Not by playing something through ad nauseam, stumbles and all. It has to be a labour of love, painstakingly going over those weak bits until they can be played without error. This may often mean not starting at the beginning, but seeking out that bit in the middle which has never been fully mastered. It is also important to take it slowly for a while, in order to give the brain time to think and assimilate. The passage concerned also needs to be played through enough times for the fingers to learn it, so that muscle memory comes into play and eventually it can be played automatically, without too much conscious direction from the brain. Perhaps the most crucial thing is to find enough time to commit to practising to make it worthwhile. And little and often is better than twice a week for an hour. It also needs to be when one is not tired or fed up as the only way for it to be beneficial is to feel positive about it. How does a baby learn to walk? By one day getting up and taking a few steps and then falling down again. Up again, and down again, over and over until balance is mastered and it no longer permanently stumbles. And learning to speak? By listening and repeating. So it should be for musicians, but musicians are not always good at listening to the sounds they make (I am guilty here) and may not hear them with an inner ear. But really listening to the accuracy, quality of sound being produced and overall musicality should result in revisiting those bars which fall short and working on them until they have improved in every respect, not just playing the right notes. Why do musicians not always practise as they should? Well, it’s hard work and can be boring! But like anything worthwhile, it reaps huge rewards in the long run. As well as working specifically on pieces which need to be brought up to a high standard of performance, allowing oneself time to play other works which are only for private pleasure may help to make the time spent at an instrument more enjoyable. Cynthia Wood

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Finally…YDOA member John Jones updates us on the development of Nigel Perry’s house organ:

A ‘Chayre’ Organ You probably know that the naming of the third manual as Choir on English organs originates from the term Chair organ. One of the first references to a ‘Chayre’ Organ comes from Christ Church Oxford in 1546. On the Continent, the organ case behind the player was designated Ruckpositiv. In its original form the player would have to rotate to play it, but as mechanical actions developed, trackers ran under the seat to the bottom manual. YDOA member Dr Nigel Perry recently decided to give his house organ a larger home and while it was being moved, added action for a new independent pedal organ. In the process the organ had to be raised to enable the mechanisms to be fitted and for a week or so the two manual instrument became a ‘Chair Organ’ as the lower casework was supported by four chairs!

Once this was accomplished the organ was lowered to the ground and the remaining casework and pipes added. The organ now awaits a new pedal wind chest and 16’ Bourdon pipes. In the meantime some versatile players can still manage two manuals, pedals and an independent Chayre Organ! In this case the ‘back organ’ is a one stop Positive organ built by J W Walker and Sons in 1979.

John Jones

**NEWSFLASH** CD launched by David Pipe, Assistant Director of Music at York Minster

This new CD is a ‘must buy’, from local artist David Pipe. As we know, David has a growing reputation for his delivery of exciting recital programmes, and this

disc includes music by Liszt and Brahms – both original compositions for the organ

and some transcriptions. The record label is ‘SFZ Music’. Highly

recommended!

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7. Organ of the Month For the first in a series of articles looking at different local instruments, we take a look at the organ located in:

Acomb Methodist Church, York This organ was built by the organ building firm James Jepson Binns in the year 1906. It was originally installed in George Street Methodist Chapel in Little Driffield, but in 1963 the instrument was made redundant upon the closure of that church, and was consequently moved to Acomb Methodist in York by Peter Wood of Huddersfield in this same year. It was carefully positioned in to its then new (and current) purpose built housing, which forms part of the architecture of this Methodist chapel.

The organ chamber and the façade as seen from the church itself were designed with the projection of sound solely in mind, intended to allow projection in to the church in all directions. This is particularly useful as the organ is split across two halves, with the Pedal on the east and the Great and Swell on the west side. The manual and pedal keys work on a pneumatic transmission action, with a small plaque above the swell manual which reads ‘Binns Patent Tubular Pneumatic Action’. Conversely, the draw-stop and combination pedal action is entirely mechanical. The wind supply for the organ comes from an electric blowing unit, housed in its own cupboard adjacent to the rear of the organ chamber itself.

Where the specification is concerned, the tonal character and stop list are entirely original, in exception of one alteration which took place during the 1960s move. The Mixture stop on the Great division was new at this time, and in its place had previously been an 8ft Trumpet stop. This was not included in the move to Acomb, and although a proposal was made in 1986 to re-instate such a stop, this never materialised. The organ is at Binns’ own established standard of musical pitch – his adopted norm was a sixth of a tone flat of today’s orchestral standard, and this married to a very distinctive tonal character, result in a noticeably mellow sound from the entire instrument. In 2010, the organ was justly awarded a BIOS Historic Organ Certificate. If you would like to see an instrument you know included here next time, please send on photographs and information to Alistair Timmis at publicityofficer@ydoa.co.uk no later than 5th January 2013.

FACTFILE: AT A GLANCE!

Address: Front Street, Acomb, York. Builder: J.J. Binns Year: 1906 2 manuals/pedals

SPECIFICATION

National Pipe Organ Register URL: http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-

bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N01015

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8. The Trivia Section Members may be interested to know about a small tribute that has been made recently in the York area by a family member of your PipeLine editor. It was sad that this year we lost one of the worlds greatest concert organists, Carlo Curley. Following a much enjoyed and often recalled concert by Carlo in Beverley Minster a few years ago, it was decided to keep his memory alive in the Timmis household. Therefore, two new additions to the family have been named in his great memory. On the left is Carlo, and on the right is Curley. RIP, Carlo.

The Caption Competition

Humour

What is going on here?

Best captions published here in the next edition. The

deadline for captions is 5th January 2013 – please send them to Alistair Timmis at

publicityofficer@ydoa.co.uk.

What some local organists are forced to do on a Sunday

morning?

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9. The People Section Shown below are any organist vacancies, requests or offers for deputies and appointments in the locality.

VACANCY FOR AN ORGAN SCHOLAR

The United Reformed Church in Priory Street was able to renovate their fine Lewis organ late in 2008. It is a two-manual, 17 stop instrument with electro-magnetic action and a detached console. The church is now looking to attract an ORGAN SCHOLAR who would have full access to practice and the opportunity to widen their experience by supporting the music of the church. There is a service at 10.15 each Sunday morning and a small but active SATB choir rehearses on Thursday evenings, preparing an introit and an anthem for those services. Details can be negotiated and a small remuneration is available, dependent on experience and the commitment the scholar is able to offer.

Enquiries should in the first instance be sent to:

Stephen Harley, 6 Maplewood Paddock, Foxwood, York YO24 3LB Tel: 01904 793179 E-mail: sfh@dsl.pipex.com

ORGANISTS AVAILABLE TO DEPUTISE

Alan Dance is available for Sunday services, weddings and funerals. He can be contacted by telephone on 01377 2577

Alan Aspinall is available Monday to Saturday for weddings, funerals and other services within a 15 mile radius of Wetherby. He can be contacted by telephone on 01937 585564.

ORGAN SCHOLAR APPOINTMENTS

Nicholas Haigh, previously Senior Organ Scholar at Clare College, Cambridge, was welcomed this autumn as Organ Scholar at York Minster.

Tom Dewey has been appointed Organ Scholar at All Saints’ Pavement, York.

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10. Subscriptions Annual YDOA membership subscriptions were due for renewal from 1st October 2012 If you are yet to renew, please send a cheque payable to 'York & District Organists' Association to:

Robert Firth 2 Mayfield South Otterington Northallerton DL7 9JH

Subscription Rates: Ordinary member £15

Associate member £7 (residing at the same address as ordinary member) Under 18/student £6

11. Next Edition The next edition of your PipeLine newsletter will be issued by the 7th of January 2013. Any articles you would like to contribute to the next edition, in addition to any photographs for the ‘Gallery’ section (perhaps of events past and present), or any candidates for the ‘Organ of the Month’, would be most warmly welcomed for publication. Please pass on to Alistair Timmis at publicityofficer@ydoa.co.uk by the 5th of January 2013.

Note This publication was produced by Alistair Timmis on behalf of the York & District Organists’ Association. (Note: all third party information is printed in good faith and the editor cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies).

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12. Appendix: YDOA Constitution 1. The name of the association shall be "York & District Organists' Association". 2. The association shall be affiliated to the Incorporated Association of Organists (IAO). 3. The aims of the association are to support all those with an interest in organs, organ music and sacred music in York and the surrounding area. The association will also seek opportunities to encourage those interested in learning to play the organ. 4. Membership of the association shall be open to all with an interest in organs and organ music. It is not necessary for members to hold a church or civic organists post and membership is open to both professional and non-professional musicians. 5. Membership shall run from 1 October to 30 September, with subscriptions becoming due on 1 October each year. 6. The officers of the association shall consist of a President, an Honorary Secretary, Treasurer and Membership Secretary, and up to two Vice Presidents. The President will initially serve for a term of one year but may serve a second year by mutual agreement. All post-holders will be ratified by a vote at the AGM. 7. The affairs of the association shall be managed by a committee consisting of the officers above and up to four elected members. The committee may, at its discretion co-opt further members who it feels may help the association meet its aims. The committee will meet at least three times per year. A quorum shall consist of the President or a Vice President plus four others. 8. The elected members will be appointed for a year at a time at each AGM, and will serve for a maximum of four years consecutively. The names of potential committee members to be submitted at least seven days before the AGM. If there are more than four candidates a vote will be held at the AGM. 9. The association's Annual General Meeting will normally be held in October each year, or exceptionally at the discretion of the committee, in November. 10. The association will normally hold an event once a month, unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as inclement weather. In line with IAO policy, all association events are open to members of the public. 11. The committee will recommend subscription amounts to the AGM, which will then ratify them. As at 1 October 2012 the subscription is £15 per adult member, £7 per associate member and £5 per student member. Where members join mid-year the committee has the discretion to reduce or waive the subscription. 12. Any member more than three months in arrears will forfeit their membership. At the discretion of the committee they may be reinstated on payment of all of the arrears. 13. Any member who behaves in an inappropriate way may be removed from membership, at the discretion of the committee. 14. In the event that the association had to cease existence (e.g. through lack of funds, or lack of members willing to run the association) then after all expenses are paid any remaining assets would be transferred to the IAO or the IAO Benevolent Fund subject to the agreement of the members at either an AGM or, if necessary an Extraordinary General Meeting. 14. This constitution may be reviewed and updated as appropriate at each AGM.

Date: 20 October 2012, YDOA committee.