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November 2009 - January 2010 (Number 350) Issue 350 includes features on:
For previous editions of The Organ, see our index of back issues. |
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The Town Hall Birmingham Organ - a 175th Anniversary AppreciationThe Town Hall and its Organ
As the British Empire grew to its zenith near the end of the 19th-century, founded upon trade and manufacture, the wealth generated by sustained economic activity enabled the construction of such tangible examples to take place within what is euphemistically termed the 'heart' of those cities - physical statements, forming constant reminders to the indigenous population of who and where they were. Today, of course, more often than not we no longer regard such buildings in quite the same light as did their creators. With communication across the modern world having become so instantaneous, and - dare one say it? - so intrusive, the use to which such buildings are put as have survived the centuries is often today very different from that for which they were first constructed - if we consider it desirable that they should so survive the march of 'progress'. As history itself can be, among other things, a sign of old age, it is surely incumbent upon us, as well as for future generations, that such manifestations of a past - Imperial or not - as those great civic buildings exemplify be preserved and handed down to future generations as tangible parts of the legacy of a community's corporate identity. To see the whole article with full specification subscribe to The Organ. |
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Bach in ToulouseBrian Hick
Most readers will be familiar with the contest between Handel and Scarlatti but I wonder how many are aware of a similar context between Sweelinck and John Bull? For the lunchtime concert on 15 October Benjamin Righetti recreated this event, playing the six works performed by the composers back in the late 17th century. To make the event even more enjoyable we were encouraged to vote after each pair of work, and I'm delighted to note - even at the expense of upsetting come of my European colleagues - that John Bull won each round. Bull's goodnight brought much greater clarity than Sweelinck's Est-ce Mars? and his In Nomine IX proved inspirational in the face of Sweelinck's precise but uninvolving Fantasia Chromatica. In both cases it was obvious that the works were performed with equal skill but the contrast moved the audience firmly towards John Bull. The final round was the clincher with a fiery dance movement Why ask you? sweeping all before it. That evening in St Etienne we heard an Hommage au Sagittaire - a collection of works by Heinrich Schutz performed by Les Sacqueboutiers, joined by four solo singers - with Venetian settings proved unexpectedly sensuous, particularly Venite ad me and Veni dilecte mi. The evening concluded with Schutz' concise but highly sensitive setting of the Seven Last Words from the Cross. The soloists shared the part of the Evangelist, with Bruno Boterf a moving Jesus. Friday was a day of improvisation opening in Saint Sernin with a recital by Juan de la Rubia Romero. He gave us three separate movements linked by an underpinning plain chant motive. The first section was a set of variations in the style of J S Bach. While technically well played there is always the difficulty that real Bach sounds so much better, and there is so much of it it is difficult to justify the exercise. More impressive was the second late romantic section which nodded towards Gustav Mahler. Built like a symphonic slow movement it explored a fine range of tonality and dynamic without ever becoming unduly sentimental. The triumphalist climax impressed as did the dying fall. The final, contemporary, section was full of fizzy-pops and loud noises, but it was difficult to feel any real sense of musical development. To see the whole article subscribe to The Organ. |
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L'A.B.C. Musical by Gottfried Kirchhoff: a work thought to be lostBy Maxim Serebrennikov (The State Conservatory of St Petersburg, Russia)
An indisputable source of pride to the Scientific Music Library of the St Petersburg State Conservatory is its unique collection of publications from the 15th - 19th centuries. This collection includes not only materials relating to music (sheet music, treatises, dictionaries, and textbooks), but also artistic literature, books on philosophy, theology, philology, history, medicine, geography and other sciences. Some of the items in the collection are extremely rare, unique copies that are lacking in even the largest European libraries. Undoubtedly among the rare items is a collection of keyboard pieces, L'A.B.C. Musical written by Gottfried Kirchhoff (1685-1746), a German organist and composer from Halle celebrated in his time, a fellow-student of G. F. Handel and a good acquaintance of J. S. Bach. The title-page of the edition reads: "The musical A.B.C.s | containing | preludes and fugues in all keys | for organ or harpsichord | highly useful to pupils for the study of accompaniment of figured bass | and for the making of preludes and fugues; | composed by Mister | Gottfried Kirchhoff | musical director and organist of the Church of St. Vierge of Halle. | Opus One. | Published by means | of Gerhard Fredrik Witvogel, | organist of the New Lutheran Church of Amsterdam | No. 31.". To see the whole article subscribe to The Organ. |
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The new Willis Organ of St James Episcopal Church, FlorenceRobert Matthew-WalkerMarking the 60th birthday of the distinguished Swiss composer, the editor considers his important output of organ music of the last 30 years
David continued, 'It's a quart in a pint pot!' - and one has to agree with him, because the new organ, heard before a full and appreciative audience on September 19th for the first time, sounds for all the world as though it were a four-manual instrument. Of course, part of the secret lies in the actual placing of the instrument within the building, In that regard, the siting within the north-west part of the church, with the organist facing the upper nave, able thereby to see directly at first hand everything that is going on in the service, naturally took its cue from the site of the original organ which - by all accounts - had reached the end of its useful life. The new instrument was designed by Geoffrey McMahon in close consultation with David Wyld, and the actual time-frame of the build itself took around 18 months. Quite apart from its musical qualities, the appearance of the instrument is remarkably fine, as the accompanying photograph shows, and, as Colin Walsh commented, the manuals fit admirably under the forearm and hands - it is therefore both a very modern, and very beautiful-looking, instrument, confirming the company's re-establishment as a leading manufacturer of pipe organs, Henry Willis and Sons having been in continuous existence for 165 years. To see the whole article with full specification subscribe to The Organ. |
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Mendelssohn in the Palace:The Organ in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace'....the largest instrument in the kingdom......it is as much distinguished for its peculiar delicacy of tone as for its prodigious powers' Despite such eulogising by the author of the Stranger in Brighton, the organ in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace has a Cinderella-like history; long years of neglect coupled with brief moments of chandelier-lit glory. For Prince Charming, substitute Prince Regent or Prince Consort, but the metaphor holds uncannily well. The ballroom is to be found at the end of the 'white-and-gold' Louis XVI style East Gallery in Buckingham Palace, part of the south-eastern range of the present Palace. Opening large, mirrored doors that must have reflected many a tiara and tail coat, one enters the red plush of the largest room in the Palace, now used for investitures and state banquets. To the right, beyond serried ranks of seating, is the investiture throne under its own canopy and up to ones left one sees a grand old lady looking down, somewhat sadly, from her balustraded balcony- the Grecian-cased H. C. Lincoln organ. It was here that I recorded the Mendelssohn Organ Sonatas over two days in April 2009. To access the organ loft is to be reminded that an organist is a distinctly 'below stairs' profession; returning to the mirrored East Gallery and taking a right turn into one of many banqueting rooms, the way to the loft is not immediately apparent. A little inside knowledge reveals which of the enormous wall-height mirrors is in fact a door, leading through to the butlers' area. Now directly beneath the organ, one treads linoleum rather than expensive carpet, and the servants staircase ahead leads up to the band-room and organ loft level. Humid air from the kitchens rises up from below. To see the whole article subscribe to The Organ. |
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Dr J. H. Reginald Dixonby Kenneth ShentonThe city of Lancaster's rich and illustrious history has, this year, much to celebrate. Alongside the 150th anniversary of its impressive Roman Catholic Cathedral, 2009 also marks the centenary of its most august Town Hall, complete with a most distinctive four manual instrument by Norman and Beard. In addition, the year also commemorates the arrival in the city one hundred years ago, of the celebrated organist, the distinguished custodian of both institutions, Dr J. H. Reginald Dixon. One of the founding fathers of the Incorporated Association of Organists, Dixon was undoubtedly somewhat ahead of his time. A flamboyant and extrovert personality with a dress sense to match, he is still fondly remembered by many for sporting a most distinctive ear ring. It was his great friend and fellow composer, Percy Whitlock who perhaps best caught the essence of his character, famously describing him "as generally the naughty boy at any party." Born in 1886 at Flaxton in Yorkshire, James Hugh Reginald Dixon initially studied music with Dr A. Eaglefield Hull in Huddersfield. Educated at Archbishop Holgate's Grammar School, York, having succeeded Arthur Meale as Organist of Selby Wesleyan Chapel, he later moved to St Helen's Church, Dringhouses. From there, having converted to Catholicism, in 1909, he moved to Lancaster, initially appointed Organist of St Peter's Catholic Church. To see the whole article with full specifications subscribe to The Organ. |
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The Singer as Preacher:The Choral Music of Domenico Bartolucci and the Roman School
His mother was a farmer and his father was a worker who sang in church although not as a professional singer. Musical life was very rich even in very small towns; there were choirs, music groups, lyric companies, and of course many musical activities related to catholic liturgy. When he was still young, Bartolucci already experienced a double vocation: to be a musician as well as a priest. He was immersed in the musical world of the Church since he was a child, as he once recounted: "I remember that when I was a child, the common people used to sing in their church. They sang at the Vesper (antiphons, psalms and hymns all out of their memory), they also sang in the devotional services (the Stations of the Cross and other services in the honour of the Virgin Mary), they sang in the Processions (the Magnificat, Te Deum, Lauda Sion, with other hymns), they also sang in the solemn masses. I was singing as well, sometimes behind the altar with my dad, a cantor of the church, sometimes at the pews with the common people where there were no cantors behind the altar. And the people just sang loudly the chant that has been handed down to them through the ages. It is a powerful, severe chant that kids learned from adults not at school or in rehearsal rooms but from their continuous practices in the church. How can I not remember with great living emotion the participation of all the people in the Liturgy of the Dead and especially in the funeral? All, I repeat, ALL were singing loudly "Libera me domine" and then "In Paradisum" and then "De Profundis" All! And the chant, very beautiful chant, was acquiring a value incomparable and it was a profound and heartfelt farewell to the dead one who was leaving his church where God knows how many times he had been singing praises of God at the top of his voice! The people used to sing!" To see the whole article subscribe to The Organ. |
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A French Feast - The Organ of St John's
The instrument in St John's Chapel creates an important statement: with thirty-three stops spread over four divisions (three manuals and a flat pedalboard with radiating sharps), an entirely tracker-based action, and a minimal amount of enclosure it is both an exciting and challenging instrument to play. The action on all manuals and pedals is very responsive, although the depth of touch varies (the Récit is very light, with short key-slips, the Positif is positive, and the Grand Orgue is the heaviest of the three, though still light). When couplers are drawn (Récit/Grand Orgue and Positif/Grand Orgue) the Grand Orgue becomes heavier, whilst still remaining comfortable to the player. The Récit is perhaps the most interesting division on the organ - comprising of only eight stops and a tremulant, half of the department is also enclosed. The double-division concept works thus: three string stops - Unda maris 8', Viole 8' and Salicet 4' - and a gentle 8' reed (the Dulcimeau) are enclosed in a small box at the top of the organ, with four swell shutters (two on either side) which are controlled by a pedal located above the right hand side of the pedalboard. The remainder of the division, which consists of an 8' flute, 4' flute, Quinte and Cornet (three ranks), acts both against and together with the enclosed stops, giving the impression of a fourth division. When drawn together, the Unda maris and Viole create an intensely French sound because of their tuning. The flutes are rich and warm in timbre - a characteristic common to all of the flutes on the organ - and because the 4' flute is voiced like a harmonic flute (with a stopped bass), it has the most extraordinary colour - the crowning flute in a scheme where the richness and beauty of the flutes is abundant. To see the whole article with full specifications subscribe to The Organ. |
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JensKorndörfer poses the question:The Organ - An Unmusical Monster?"I dislike [...] the fact that the monster never breathes." - Stravinsky made no effort to conceal his opinion of the organ. And he is not alone in the musical world: After the Baroque Era, major composers have either neglected this instrument entirely, or, like Schumann and Brahms, they "devoted just some pieces to it, which are far from being their most significant." Even Mozart, who referred to the organ as "king of instruments", not only "left behind no large-scale compositions for the organ apart from a few counterpoint exercises", but also disdained the idea of employment as an organist. Those who devoted a large part of their output to the organ were "organist-composers" in nineteenth-century France and Germany, e.g. C.M.Widor, L.Vierne, M.Reger and J.G.Rheinberger (although, Harvey Grace probably goes too far when he states that Rheinberger's organ sonatas have greater artistic value than Beethoven's piano sonatas). We have to wait until the 20th century to find a major composer - Olivier Messiaen - writing substantial music for it. The organ is the only instrument with a sustained, unaltered sound that can only be modified in a very limited way: the organist has control only over the attack and release of each note, but not the quality of sound in between those two events. Therefore, he has very little influence on the actual sound quality, contrary to most other western instruments, and as such, the interpretation of music on the organ is hindered by the lack of the usual means of musical expression. As C.M. Widor commented, the organ "speaks in a unique way: stiffly, majestically and self-limiting - the language of the philosopher." Until the end of the Baroque Era, this way of speaking seemed to have been sufficient for most composers, but after that it is evident that their attention was drawn to other keyboard-instruments which were seemingly more appropriate to expressing their intentions, eventually giving overwhelming preference to the piano. To see the whole article with full specifications subscribe to The Organ. |
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If, as Samuel Johnson claimed, 'When a man is tired of London he is tired of life', there are several great cities across the United Kingdom that offer unique aspects - adjuncts to living - such as are not even found within the capital. For more than a quarter of a millennium, the growing conurbations which have evolved into such great cities as - taking a few at random - Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, Cardiff, Glasgow and Birmingham each have characteristics which define them alone, geographically, in civic terms, and socially, the various manifestations of civic pride often taking the form (as in every known evolved society) of those public buildings which lie at the centre of great cities.
Toulouse les orgues crams so much into the annual Festival that even a few days can bring a multitude of delights. We were there for the final weekend which opened and closed in the Musee des Augustins with performances on the superb Ahrend organ.
"Of all the private libraries in Russia, (even the libraries of the late Prince Odoyevsky), the most impressive, both in its completeness and in the quantity of its bibliographical rarities, is, of course, the library that he [Azanchevsky] donated to the conservatory a few years ago [....] The enthusiasm, hard work and critical tact with which the collection was created cannot be overstated, nor can the hope that some day someone with a mind and a pen will present the incalculable wealth of this collection to the public in an intelligible and eloquent form."
'We don't do small!' quipped David Wyld, managing director of Henry Willis and Sons at the post-recital party when I commented on the extraordinary range and power of the new two-manual organ his company had installed in the American Episcopal Church in Florence following the inaugural recital on the instrument by Colin Walsh, Organist Laureate of Lincoln Minster. 
Domenico Bartolucci was born in Borgo San Lorenzo, a small town near Florence, in
1917. Just for historical context, let us take a look at the most significant events of
that year. The first world war was still going on; on April 6 the US declared
war with Germany. Towards the end of the year the October revolution broke out in
Russia. In just one week after the birth of Bartolucci one of the most important
apparition in church history took place in a small portoguese village known as
Fatima. Italy in those years was still largely agricultural, so as the hometown of
Bartolucci. 
Since its founding in 1555 St John's College has always had an organ in its chapel and in 2007, with the impetus of a new President, a committee was formed to search for a new organ. Bernard Aubertin, a French organ builder working in Counterfontaine (near Dijon) was eventually chosen, based in part upon his work in St Louis en l'Îsle, (Paris).