The beautifully conceived and executed case takes its inspiration from its Gothic surroundings

C&O - March April - FEATURES - Gallery T.indd 24 11/02/2014 15:19:08

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About Choir & orgAnEstablished over twenty years ago, Choir & Organ is the leading independent magazine for all those interested in the choral and organ worlds.

in each bi-monthly issue:» beautifully illustrated, in-depth features about newly built and restored organs

» profiles of leading organists, choral directors, and composers & their repertoire

» international news, topical coverage of festivals, symposia and other events, and free, newly commissioned sheet music

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Why Advertise With Choir & orgAn?This bi-monthly title is the ideal opportunity to reach a highly targeted and unique international audience of 12,000 for your products and services.

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» geography: Choir & Organ magazine’s audience is truly international, with more than 50% of our total readership residing outside the UK. 60% of our print audience are based in the UK, while over 70% of our digital audience are based outside the UK www.choirandorgan.com www.choirandorgan.com MARCH/APRIL 2014 CHOIR & ORGAN 2322 CHOIR & ORGAN MARCH/APRIL 2014

GALLERY

end up being bland and tonally insipid in

their quest to be all things to all people.

Worse, some end up sounding hectoring or

even aggressive, as if to make up for their

confused identity.

The moment I heard the Great 8ft princi-

pal (Open Diapason II), I realised that here

was an instrument confi dent in its own skin

and beguiling in its own rights. The sound

was warm but clear, not massively powerful

but able to envelop rather than attack the

room. In fact this sums up the whole instru-

ment, as I realised when building up the

Great chorus. The Swell is at the top of the

case and sings wonderfully into the Quire.

Dynamically, it is almost the equal of the

Great, although the chorus is a little lighter

in effect, despite a pleasantly darker feel to

the 8ft and 4ft diapasons (another Victorian

legacy)? The Choir chorus confi rms that it

is very much the tertiary division, but with

suffi cient presence and having more impact

than many such divisions on 19th-century

English organs. The pedal sounds are

pleasingly weighty without losing clarity.

As importantly, the touch feels different

between the divisions, giving vital musical

feedback to the player: a fi rm but very

responsive Great, a slightly deeper Swell and

a light Choir action, speaking a little nearer

the top of the keys without compromising

the control of releases. The pedal touch

is superb and well-sprung, avoiding that

overly fragile feel encountered on many

instruments. I wondered whether the Swell

might be regulated to be just a little heavier

to match its depth (the instrument is still

awaiting some fi nal tweaks before its offi -

cial inauguration) – certainly the coupled

weight of all three manuals together could

take this.

So much for the instrument’s backbone:

what of the individual registers? Flutes are

beautifully contrasting and characterful,

from the full and pleasantly nasal edge of

the Swell fl utes to the more neutral Choir

Gedeckt and the broad Great Chimney

Flute. The Harmonic Flute is appropriately

large and wide, while able to take its part

in the chorus to form a fi rmer plenum if

desired. The Great Trumpet is very much

a chorus reed, and a well-blended one at

that, whereas the Choir Major Trumpet is

halfway between a bright orchestral trumpet

and a smaller-scale Tuba. It is able to stand

alone as a solo register (albeit against a

judiciously balanced accompaniment) or

sit with the tutti without dominating. The

excellently effective swell boxes – the Choir

division is enclosed, too – add to its versatil-

ity, as I also discovered when registering the

Full Swell. Here, the reeds seem to take their

tonal inspiration from Father Willis, with

fi re and body, and the swell box enables a

wide dynamic range. The Swell Oboe, to

quote John Panning (Dobson’s vice presi-

dent and tonal director), ‘is carefully treated

to blend with the fl uework while remaining

characterful for solo use – a nod to Stanford

rather than Franck.’

Other examples of this versatility and

blend are apparent in two of the Choir

registers. The Corno di Bassetto might

take its nomenclature, like the rest of the

organ, from English traditions, but is rather

chameleon-like. Used alone or with the

Gedeckt and with the box half-open, it is

an English 19th-century clarinet. When

combined with the Diapason and with

the box open, it can act as a Cromorne in

earlier French repertoire, albeit a rather

polite example. The Geigen Diapason itself

is similarly versatile. It can function either

as a Cavaillé-Coll-type Salicional or, with

the box nearly closed, as a more anglicised

Dulciana. With the (American-inspired)

Geigen Celeste, it can be used as an Unda

Maris in romantic French repertoire.

Of course, even a fi nely voiced and

intelligently conceived organ such as this

has to take compromises if it seeks to be

versatile. For instance, the Great cornet

séparé is a winning, mellifl uous sound,

but one which lacks the bite and scale of

either a north Germanic solo stop or the

breadth of a French baroque example.

This is not a criticism – any organ which is

more than a mere copy of one particular

specifi c school cannot and should not try

AMERICAN BEAUTYDaniel Moult is beguiled by the new Dobson organ in Oxford University, built as part

of the 750th anniversary celebrations of Merton College. MAIN PHOTOS BY COLIN DUNN

There’s a good reason why organ

cases are photographed in glori-

ous sunshine, so my expectations

were not too high as I opened the Merton

College Chapel door on a dark and

dank January evening. Any reservations

were blown away as I saw the beautifully

conceived and executed case, taking its

inspiration from its Gothic surroundings

but having the solidity and size more akin

to some of the Victorian additions in the

Chapel. Even from the most disadvanta-

geous angle it pleases the eye, not least as

the side panels are decorated with sten-

cilled Pedal Bourdon pipes (a Victorian

trait). Designed by the organ builder Lynn

Dobson, the case is a wonderful creation

and one which manages to assert its place

in the room without dominating (although

it houses quite a large instrument) or

appearing too slight (a possible criticism

against the 1968 Walker organ it replaced).

The same philosophies of seeking inspi-

ration from the past without belonging

to any one school and of a scale avoiding

extremes seem to apply to the instrument

itself. Again, I had reservations before my

fi ngers fi rst touched the keys. The console

looked handsome and ergonomically sensi-

ble, although the stoplist suggested a rather

eclectic organ. Eclecticism has perhaps

received a bad name in organ circles. Many

instruments seeking to be versatile often

The reeds seem to take their tonal inspiration from Father Willis, with fire and body

‘A wonderful creation’: the new Dobson organ in Merton College

JOH

N PA

NN

ING

/DO

BSON

PIPE ORG

AN

BUILD

ERS

View of the medieval chapel from the organ

slug

www.choirandorgan.com march/april 2015 choir & organ 29

A friend, on hearing I was writing an anthem

for the reinterment of Richard III, quipped

that I should title myself ‘Mistresse to

the Late King’s Musicke’ – it is indeed a unique

experience to find oneself composing a piece for

a Plantagenet king! An interest in Richard III has

been a constant in my life, although my views on the

character of the king have changed radically through

the years – not surprisingly with my own experience

of life, and also given the ongoing body of scholar-

ship which has developed so much from the default

‘Shakespearian’ position.

It all started in the 1960s: when I was 12, I saw

the Olivier film of Richard III (1955). I not only

loved the play and the melodramatic, technicolour

presentation, but of course totally fell for Walton’s

music. I persuaded my father to buy an LP from the

World Record Club – Walton’s own recording with

the Philharmonia. The early music movement had

not really made its way to Sheffield at that time, so I

found Walton’s cod Elizabethan sounds very winning

and imitated them a bit in my own compositions at

that time. All this started me reading about the king,

and Josephine Tey’s book The Daughter of Time very

soon introduced me to the Richard III Society and a

shift in my views. Down the years my opinions have

kept shifting, but nowadays I see him as that strange,

medieval mix of pragmatic warlord and pious, schol-

arly thinker – a mix we nowadays only tend to find in

the Middle East.

In 2012 the University of Leicester announced

that they had begun the search for Richard’s body in

a wide location that finally centred on a council car

park. I couldn’t help thinking that, if they discovered

the body, there might be some sort of service to give

ric

ha

rD ii

i SO

ciE

TY

The name of the roseThe sensational discovery of the body of King richard iii in a

Leicester car park set Judith Bingham composing an anthem for the

medieval king’s reinterment in March

Is this the face of a king? A reconstruction of the face of Richard III, the last of the Plantagenet monarchs

CO_0215_F_Bingham Richard III T.indd 29 11/02/2015 17:59:45

www.choirandorgan.com march/april 2015 choir & organ 23

THAXTED

The Church of St John the Baptist, Our Lady

and St Laurence at Thaxted in Essex is one of

the most spectacular medieval churches in

East Anglia. It is a place of pilgrimage for architectural

historians and also for musicians: Gustav Holst lived

in the village between 1914 and 1925 and composed

The Planets there. But now there is another reason

for making a pilgrimage to Thaxted. Since 1858, the

church has housed the largest surviving late-Georgian

pipe organ in the country. For many years its condi-

tion had been deteriorating, and concerns had been

raised (by BIOS, among others) about its future. But

last year, following a fund-raising campaign by a

group of local residents, Martin Goetze and Dominic

Gwynn Ltd completed a painstaking restoration of

the instrument. It can now take its place as one of the

very few intact English church organs pre-dating the

Victorian reform of organ design, which sounded the

death knell for so many Georgian instruments.

The organ was built in 1821 for St John’s Chapel,

Bedford Row, London. This was a proprietary chapel

north of Theobalds Row – a modest brick build-

ing, fitted with galleries and large windows, where

a congregation loosely attached to the Established

Church maintained a minister whose views were

to their taste. There was also a singing master and

an organist. By the end of the 18th century it had

become known as a centre of evangelicalism and was

committed to the reform of parochial psalmody, so

the maintenance of an organ to encourage congrega-

tional singing was essential.

In 1812 Daniel Wilson (later Bishop of Calcutta)

was appointed minister. He was a powerful preacher

who attracted large congregations and the decision

was taken to enlarge the galleries. The old organ by

John Harris (1703) was removed and replaced with

a new instrument by Henry Cephas Lincoln (c1788-

1864). Its innovative features included FF compasses

for Great and Choir, a second Great open diapason,

pedals and unison (8ft) pedal pipes, and an enlarged

Swell with tenor e compass and three imitative reeds.

The organ was completed by November 1821.

Lincoln was one of the leading London organ

builders. The Prince Regent commissioned a large

organ for the music room in the Royal Pavilion

at Brighton (1818); it is now in the ballroom at

Buckingham Palace and was restored by William

Drake in 20021. He also made a number of organs

for new suburban churches in London; a contempo-

rary writer commented on the ‘remarkably brilliant

chorus’ and ‘rich and powerful tone’ of the instru-

ment in St George, Camberwell (1824)2. Later, he

attempted to adopt the reforms of the 1840s (C

compasses, Pedal Organs and novelty stops), but his

business failed when he was unable to complete a

vast new organ for Gauntlett at St Olave, Southwark

(1846). He then sank rapidly into obscurity, but was

remembered posthumously as ‘one of the finest organ

builders of modern times’3.

The new organ was opened by John Purkis (1781-

1849), a blind organist who held the appointment

at St Clement Danes. A gentleman-amateur from

In search of the essencea late georgian pipe organ in Essex has been restored by goetze & gwynn. consultant

Nicholas Thistlethwaite treads the path between conservation and practicality

© m

ich

aEl Ba

iliE©

mic

ha

El BailiE

The restored H.C. Lincoln organ in Thaxted Parish Church offers a ‘rare window’ on to late Georgian instruments. © michaEl BailiE

The restored console, and (bottom) the pedal board

CO_0215_F_Thaxted T.indd 23 11/02/2015 17:55:54

www.choirandorgan.com march/april 2015 choir & organ 47

national children’s choir

aware of the joy of singing, there are still yawning

gaps in choral music provision: ‘Some children have

nothing at school. My biggest regret is that I can’t offer

this kind of experience to everyone.’ Nonetheless, Gray

has embarked on a programme of open workshops

which will allow children to participate in activities

under the auspices of the NCCGB, working with the

organisation’s professionals, and gaining experience;

although conceived as rewarding ‘stand-alone’ events,

they might also bring benefit to children thinking of

going on to take part in the formal auditions.

The NCCGB’s holistic approach begins with the

audition process itself. ‘We always talk to the children

after they have sung,’ says Gray, ‘because some we’d

like to have but their voices aren’t quite ready, and

for them we might make a deferred offer. And some,

for whatever reason, may not wish to take up a place.’

Once accepted for a course, children and their parents

are drawn into the embrace of the NCCGB’s pastoral

care system, headed by Kim Reffell, a former school

bursar who followed her daughter into the pastoral

team, before going on to take over as choir adminis-

trator in 2007. Parents preparing to say goodbye to

their young offspring – some of whom might never

have been away from home before – will be reassured

by the NCCGB website’s comprehensive ‘Frequently

Asked Questions’ section, which covers every aspect

of the course experience from clothing to expecta-

tions of behaviour, filming and recording on mobile

devices, food, and health and wellbeing; an even

more detailed Handbook awaits course participants.

Many of the pastoral team, which offers full-time

cover at the courses, are former members of the choir,

keen to return after going on to work in a variety of

musical and non-musical fields; armed with medical

and personal profiles provided by parents for every

participating child, the team is equipped to support

and deal with any emotional and medical eventual-

ity from simple homesickness to allergies and other

chronic conditions – a qualified nurse attends every

course and in some cases a child will be assigned a

personal mentor if parents notify a circumstance

which merits it.

For Gray and Reffell, the safeguarding system is

an essential part of a framework which is intended

to allay anxieties, for parents as well as the children,

so that the young singers can undertake the musical

demands of the courses in a happy and relaxed

atmosphere. But the freedom fully to enjoy not

only the training but the recreation periods – which

might include sport, craft-work, quizzes, films and

a much-anticipated Cabaret Evening – does involve

submitting to a few rules, not least the vexed question

of rationing the use of mobile phones: attendees are

expected to hand in their mobiles at the beginning

of the course – these are registered and returned

every evening for 15 minutes so that the children can

phone home. ‘Older girls can find this a challenge,’

says Reffell, ‘but Senior Choir members can keep their

phones as we expect them to be mature enough to

behave responsibly.’ Tablet computers, laptops and

DVD players are verboten for Juniors, but Seniors

can bring computers for revision purposes: ‘This is

all about being able to go away from home, but being

safe,’ says Gray. Is the gentle easing of technology-

fixated youngsters out of their private bubbles, to be

shown the joy of concentration in a shared experience

such as singing, all part of the holistic approach? ‘Yes,

if you stretch their abilities without stress, the results

are amazing!’

ShrEW

SBUrY Sc

hO

Ol

hosting a youth choir from Beijing has led to an nccGB tour in china in 2018

dan ludford-thomas rehearses the senior choir

CO_0215_F_NCGGB T.indd 47 11/02/2015 18:15:52

slug

www.choirandorgan.com22 choir & organ march/april 2015

CO_0215_F_Thaxted T.indd 22 11/02/2015 17:55:37

slug

www.choirandorgan.com46 choir & organ march/april 2015

The National Children’s Choir of Great Britain

(NCCGB) began life as the brainchild of

Lissa Gray, singer, teacher and founder of

the Hampshire County Children’s Choir: ‘In 1998,

I looked around and there wasn’t a children’s choir

involving people from all over the country and from

all backgrounds. There seemed to be a need, and

having launched it, the project just grew and grew.’

That growth is measured by the fact that the original

Millennium Youth Prom group of 38 has swelled to

around 250 currently active members, split across

junior and senior choirs; children are able to join – by

audition – at numerous entry points between the ages

of 9 and 19. The NCCGB’s work is structured around

residential courses which may separate children from

their parents by hundreds of miles. The organisation

therefore goes out of its way to emphasise that an

appropriate level of family care is provided for course

participants: ‘It’s about giving talented young singers

the opportunity to work together and enjoy making

music under the guidance of inspired teachers,’ says

Gray. ‘But all the children are encouraged to develop

their abilities within a caring environment.’

This year’s courses take place in Shrewsbury (6-12

Apr) and Edinburgh (1-8 August). Securing a place on

a course involves taking part in auditions – these are

held up and down the country and are publicised to

all state schools via the music hubs, by direct mailing

to the private sector, and via the website: www.nccgb.

com. Gray points out that although central initiatives

such as Sing Up! have made some gains and Gareth

Malone’s TV projects have helped make adults more

The national children’s choir of great Britain made its concert debut in the

Millennium Youth Prom at the royal albert hall in 2000. But, notwithstanding its

concerts and tours, the backbone of the work happens out of the public eye at its

annual residential courses. Lindsay Thomson looks in. phOTOS cOUrTESY NccGB

FULLY STRETCHED

NCCGB founder Lissa Gray: ‘It’s about giving talented young singers the opportunity to enjoy making music’

CO_0215_F_NCGGB T.indd 46 11/02/2015 18:15:34

www.choirandorgan.com98 choir & organ march/april 2015

Mortality, forgiveness and under-

standing – these themes have

resonated down the centuries,

and are central to a new choral work by

Yorkshire-based composer Emily Levy.

In paradisum – dedicated to victims of

violence – sets a text by US essayist Andre

Dubus II alongside two movements of the

Requiem (Lux aeterna and In paradisum),

the emphasis being on hope and peace.

The work came about when the Marian

Consort’s artistic director, Rory McCleery,

commissioned Levy to write a piece that

would give the opportunity for a four-part

adult choir and a youth choir to perform

side by side with the Consort – ‘an impor-

tant step up from either listening to us in

concert or attending a workshop led by us.’

McCleery explains, ‘We wanted something

to complement our education programme,

something approachable and accessible to

a wide range of performers – so the SATB

choir could be a good adult chamber choir,

school sixth-form choir, or college choir.

Emily is fantastic at writing music that is

very beautiful, but which also draws dispa-

rate groups together.’ Levy jumped at the

chance: ‘I’m a big admirer of the Consort’s

sound, and combining several groups of

singers really appealed, as I like to think

texturally and spacially when I write; it

immediately suggested lots of possibilities.’

The theme was chosen to tie in with

the Consort’s touring programme of

‘Lamentation and Consolation’. Levy

explains: ‘ We looked for texts that could

work well with the familiar, devotional

words [of the Requiem]. I hoped to find

something that was immediately recogni-

sable as contemporary, non-liturgical and

in English.’ McCleery adds, ‘The message

of the texts is very important, especially in

the context of all that has been happening

recently in the news.’

Levy describes the structure: ‘The first

section, Lux Aeterna, is based around the

idea of everlasting light; it’s very textural,

using vocal sound effects and layering of

vocal lines. The middle section sets words

from Dubus’s Broken Vessels: “We receive

and we lose and we must try to achieve grat-

itude; and with that gratitude to embrace

with whole hearts whatever of life remains

after the losses.” It is sung by the children’s

choir, with the other groups in a supporting

role, creating a backdrop of sound. The final

section combines all the voices in sustained

blocks for the first time, with a persistent

rhythmic motif running through all parts.

My style is informed by my roots in choral,

medieval and classical music with heavy

influences from folk and jazz.’

Benjamin Nicholas conducts the

premiere in this year’s Passiontide at

Merton season, after which it will tour.

Further dates and performances are at

marianconsort.co.uk. www.emilylevy.co.uk

Maggie Hamilton

platformperformances of note

emily levy: in paradisum Greir

Emily Levy: In paradisum(world premiere)The Marian consort, Merton college choir, oxford Youth choirs / Benjamin nicholas (dir)27 Mar, Merton college chapel, oxfordTickets: 01865 305305, www.oxfordplayhouse.com/ticketsoxford

ali

cle

ary

eric

ric

hm

on

d

the marian Consort Emily levy: ‘I like to think texturally and spacially’

CO_0215_R_Platform T.indd 98 11/02/2015 18:37:51

www.choirandorgan.com www.choirandorgan.com MARCH/APRIL 2014 CHOIR & ORGAN 2322 CHOIR & ORGAN MARCH/APRIL 2014

GALLERY

end up being bland and tonally insipid in

their quest to be all things to all people.

Worse, some end up sounding hectoring or

even aggressive, as if to make up for their

confused identity.

The moment I heard the Great 8ft princi-

pal (Open Diapason II), I realised that here

was an instrument confi dent in its own skin

and beguiling in its own rights. The sound

was warm but clear, not massively powerful

but able to envelop rather than attack the

room. In fact this sums up the whole instru-

ment, as I realised when building up the

Great chorus. The Swell is at the top of the

case and sings wonderfully into the Quire.

Dynamically, it is almost the equal of the

Great, although the chorus is a little lighter

in effect, despite a pleasantly darker feel to

the 8ft and 4ft diapasons (another Victorian

legacy)? The Choir chorus confi rms that it

is very much the tertiary division, but with

suffi cient presence and having more impact

than many such divisions on 19th-century

English organs. The pedal sounds are

pleasingly weighty without losing clarity.

As importantly, the touch feels different

between the divisions, giving vital musical

feedback to the player: a fi rm but very

responsive Great, a slightly deeper Swell and

a light Choir action, speaking a little nearer

the top of the keys without compromising

the control of releases. The pedal touch

is superb and well-sprung, avoiding that

overly fragile feel encountered on many

instruments. I wondered whether the Swell

might be regulated to be just a little heavier

to match its depth (the instrument is still

awaiting some fi nal tweaks before its offi -

cial inauguration) – certainly the coupled

weight of all three manuals together could

take this.

So much for the instrument’s backbone:

what of the individual registers? Flutes are

beautifully contrasting and characterful,

from the full and pleasantly nasal edge of

the Swell fl utes to the more neutral Choir

Gedeckt and the broad Great Chimney

Flute. The Harmonic Flute is appropriately

large and wide, while able to take its part

in the chorus to form a fi rmer plenum if

desired. The Great Trumpet is very much

a chorus reed, and a well-blended one at

that, whereas the Choir Major Trumpet is

halfway between a bright orchestral trumpet

and a smaller-scale Tuba. It is able to stand

alone as a solo register (albeit against a

judiciously balanced accompaniment) or

sit with the tutti without dominating. The

excellently effective swell boxes – the Choir

division is enclosed, too – add to its versatil-

ity, as I also discovered when registering the

Full Swell. Here, the reeds seem to take their

tonal inspiration from Father Willis, with

fi re and body, and the swell box enables a

wide dynamic range. The Swell Oboe, to

quote John Panning (Dobson’s vice presi-

dent and tonal director), ‘is carefully treated

to blend with the fl uework while remaining

characterful for solo use – a nod to Stanford

rather than Franck.’

Other examples of this versatility and

blend are apparent in two of the Choir

registers. The Corno di Bassetto might

take its nomenclature, like the rest of the

organ, from English traditions, but is rather

chameleon-like. Used alone or with the

Gedeckt and with the box half-open, it is

an English 19th-century clarinet. When

combined with the Diapason and with

the box open, it can act as a Cromorne in

earlier French repertoire, albeit a rather

polite example. The Geigen Diapason itself

is similarly versatile. It can function either

as a Cavaillé-Coll-type Salicional or, with

the box nearly closed, as a more anglicised

Dulciana. With the (American-inspired)

Geigen Celeste, it can be used as an Unda

Maris in romantic French repertoire.

Of course, even a fi nely voiced and

intelligently conceived organ such as this

has to take compromises if it seeks to be

versatile. For instance, the Great cornet

séparé is a winning, mellifl uous sound,

but one which lacks the bite and scale of

either a north Germanic solo stop or the

breadth of a French baroque example.

This is not a criticism – any organ which is

more than a mere copy of one particular

specifi c school cannot and should not try

AMERICAN BEAUTYDaniel Moult is beguiled by the new Dobson organ in Oxford University, built as part

of the 750th anniversary celebrations of Merton College. MAIN PHOTOS BY COLIN DUNN

There’s a good reason why organ

cases are photographed in glori-

ous sunshine, so my expectations

were not too high as I opened the Merton

College Chapel door on a dark and

dank January evening. Any reservations

were blown away as I saw the beautifully

conceived and executed case, taking its

inspiration from its Gothic surroundings

but having the solidity and size more akin

to some of the Victorian additions in the

Chapel. Even from the most disadvanta-

geous angle it pleases the eye, not least as

the side panels are decorated with sten-

cilled Pedal Bourdon pipes (a Victorian

trait). Designed by the organ builder Lynn

Dobson, the case is a wonderful creation

and one which manages to assert its place

in the room without dominating (although

it houses quite a large instrument) or

appearing too slight (a possible criticism

against the 1968 Walker organ it replaced).

The same philosophies of seeking inspi-

ration from the past without belonging

to any one school and of a scale avoiding

extremes seem to apply to the instrument

itself. Again, I had reservations before my

fi ngers fi rst touched the keys. The console

looked handsome and ergonomically sensi-

ble, although the stoplist suggested a rather

eclectic organ. Eclecticism has perhaps

received a bad name in organ circles. Many

instruments seeking to be versatile often

The reeds seem to take their tonal inspiration from Father Willis, with fire and body

‘A wonderful creation’: the new Dobson organ in Merton College

JOH

N PA

NN

ING

/DO

BSON

PIPE ORG

AN

BUILD

ERS

View of the medieval chapel from the organ

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www.choirandorgan.com www.choirandorgan.com NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 CHOIR & ORGAN 5554 CHOIR & ORGAN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013

CANDÉ CANDÉ

Willis director who came from London to

work for Skinner in July 1927, returned to

England in June 1928 to collect his wife and

two sons. While across the pond, he went

to Candé to measure for the new organ

(pencil sketches of which still survive).

Candé’s stoplist is more orthodox than the

usual Skinner player, containing not only

the colour voices, harp and chimes the rolls

require (save an Echo department) but also

independent diapason and fl ute choruses.

At Candé, the roll player asks for every stop

individually except the Piccolo, Octave and

III Mixture. But even those stops are heard

when the player’s crescendo or full organ

devices engage. Completed in Boston in

March 1929, the organ was installed and

ready for inauguration at Candé by Marcel

Dupré that August.

Dupré would return in June 1937, when

the Bedauxs offered Candé to Edward and

Mrs Simpson for their wedding. Bedaux

had become friendly with the Windsors,

and after the wedding attempted to

increase the connection by sponsoring a

US tour for them. A barrage of negative

publicity turned on both parties, however,

such that the Windsors never went to the

US and Bedaux returned to France and

suffered a breakdown. After the second

world war began, Bedaux worked with

the Germans as an economic adviser;

he remained a US citizen, and as such in

January 1943 was captured in Algeria.

He was transferred to a Florida jail, and

committed suicide 13 months later await-

ing trial on charges of treason. His wife,

Fern, died in 1972, leaving Candé to the

French government.

The library was remodelled with simple English Gothic-style

panelling, which the console cabinetry was built to match

The organ is located above the library into which the tone emits

JOSEPH

DZED

A

JOSEPH

DZED

A

Although the house lay empty until the

later 1990s, in the last decade Candé has

been the object of renewed attention. The

regional consul general, the dedicated Guy

du Chazaud, has taken Candé to heart. The

ground and fi rst fl oor rooms have been

conservatively cleaned, and set up in a self-

guided tour. An exhibit on the Windsors

includes even Mrs Simpson’s wedding

dress. Best of all, the organ has been

overhauled. After Yale University Skinner

experts Joseph Dzeda and Nicholas

Thompson-Allen were brought in to

advise, Manufacture Bretonne d’Orgues

was awarded the project. With great gusto

and wonderful respect, the fi rm’s director

Nicolas Toussaint tackled an organ that

– with its duplexed pitman soundboards,

percussions, and fussy player mechanism –

could not be more un-French.

Toussaint’s approach entailed a more

preservationist bent than most US work in

this fi eld. Where perishable materials had

obvious life left, they were left untouched.

The pipework was conservatively treated,

including preservation of cone-tuned

trebles. In a nod to today’s visitors, windows

were fi tted to allow both pipe chambers and

player relay to be seen. A modern record-

playback device permits the docent to run

the organ without damage to the fragile

paper rolls. Thompson-Allen and Dzeda

remained involved through the project,

coming to France four times to advise on

technique and approach.

The restored organ was celebrated in a

weekend of festivities on 13-15 September

this year. To an invited audience of 100

(half of whom had to be seated in the next

room), Vincent Warnier opened with a

recital of both original and transcribed

music. Warnier’s concluding improvisation

featured a short but passionate affair with

the celesta. Lectures and demonstrations

took up the Saturday, to a solid audience,

particularly given torrential rain. Warnier

gave informal demonstrations throughout

Sunday. Thanks to the generosity of the

consul general, Dzeda and Thompson-

Allen returned to take part in the weekend

and give lectures.

Alas, no one got married.

Jonathan Ambrosino is an organ technician, consultant and journalist in Boston.

Letter from Marcel Dupré to Ernest Skinner on 27 August 1929, praising the fi rm’s organ at Candé

CO

URTESY JO

SEPH D

ZEDA

London Symphony OrchestraLiving Music

LSO Singing Days

020 7638 8891 lso.co.uk

Sat 4 Jan 2014 Haydn The Creationwith Simon Halsey

Sat 25 Jan 2014 Rachmaninov Vesperswith David Lawrence

Don’t miss the chance to sing with a world-class choral conductor this January. Join LSO Choral Director Simon Halsey in a workshop on Haydn’s The Creation, or sing Rachmaninov’s Vespers with LSO Community Choir Conductor David Lawrence. Each Singing Day ends with an informal performance which friends and family can watch.

Whether you sing regularly, or haven’t sung since school, LSO Singing Days are a unique opportunity to get to grips with a classic choral work. Some sight-singing ability is required.

Sung in English, with piano accompaniment Tickets £17 (includes music hire) Afternoon spectator tickets £5 (from 3pm) 11am–4.30pm Jerwood Hall, LSO St Luke’s, London

‘Simon Halsey gave such an insight into the work. It was so inspiring!’

2012/13 Singing Day participant

Untitled-8 1 21/10/2013 16:59:28

II. GREAT (71/2" wind, enclosed), 73 pipes

Diapason 8

Chimney Flute 8

Cello 8

Cello Celeste 8

Flute Harmonique 4

Piccolo 2

Bassoon 16

English Horn 8

Corno d’Amore 8

Clarinet 8

Vox Humana 8

French Horn (10" wind) 8

Tuba (10" wind) 8

Tremolo

Chimes (25 tubes, G to g)

III. SWELL(71/2" wind, enclosed), 73 pipes

Diapason 8

Rohrflöte 8

Salicional 8

Voix Celeste 8

Flute Celeste II 8

Octave 4

Mixture (15.19.22) III

Cornopean 8

Tremolo

Harp (from Celesta) 8

Celesta (61 bars) 4

I. SOLO GREATAll Great stops available

via duplex action

I. SOLO SWELLAll Swell stops available

via duplex action

PEDAL(Flues 6", reed 10")

Contrebasse (metal, in Gt.) 16

Bourdon (wood, in Sw.) 16

Cello (ext. Contrebasse) 8

Gedeckt (ext. Bourdon) 8

Trombone (10" wind) 16

Bassoon (Gt.) 16

Chimes (Gt.)

Bass Drum

Tympani (Bass Drum with roll action)

Château de Candé, Monts, Indre-et-Loire, FranceSKINNER ORGAN COMPANY, OPUS 718 (1929); REST. NICOLAS TOUSSAINT (2013)

C&O - November December - FEATURES - Cande T.indd 54-55 12/05/2014 10:36:22

PRINT DISPLaY

Individually Designed Organs from Viscount

Viscount Classical Organs Limited, Prestige House, 23 Telford Road, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 4LD

Tel: 01869 247 333 | Email: enquiries@viscountorgans.net | www.viscountorgans.net

St. John’s, Stratfield Mortimer

Sadly faced with a pipe organ that was deteriorating, and having received independent advice that it would be a waste of money to try to renovate it, we decided to look for a digital organ as a replacement. Having looked at three suppliers’ instruments and quotations we chose Viscount Classical Organs. We did require slightly more than just an organ as we also wanted to retain the existing front case and display pipes.

The three manual custom built Viscount organ we chose would not fit into the space left after removal of the old console from the casework, and to place it in front of the casework would destroy the sightline to the Sanctuary. This was no problem as Viscount’s staff were able to move the casework back into the organ chamber, and it is now 1 metre from its original position. This also required replacement of some old floorboards and carpet to be laid. Fortunately we still had some of the existing carpet. The carpentry work to the front case, filling in where the old console was, the replacement floorboarding and recarpeting, all carried out by the Viscount team, was excellent and if anything, has visually improved the balance of the Chancel.

The advice and help given to us by Viscount Classical Organs leading up to the purchase was of considerable assistance, and the installation, placing of the 9 speakers and voicing to the building is all excellent. We now have a versatile custom built 3 manual organ that enhances the worship at St. John’s, Stratfield Mortimer.

Pedal

Sub Bass 32

Open Wood 16

Open Metal 16

Bourdon 16

Principal 8

Bass Flute 8

Choral Bass 4

Mixture IV

Bombarde 16

Swell

Open Diapason 8

Chimney Flute 8

Echo Gamba 8

Voix Celeste 8

Principal 4

Wald Flute 4

Fifteenth 2

Mixture IV

Contra Fagotto 16

Cornopean 8

Oboe 8

Tremulant

Great

Bourdon 16

Open Diapason 8

Hohl Flute 8

Stopped Diapason 8

Principal 4

Harmonic Flute 4

Twelfth 2-2/3

Fifteenth 2

Mixture IV

Trumpet 8

Choir

Gedackt 8

Dulciana 8

Gemshorn 4

Nazard 2.2/3

Flageolet 2

Tierce 1.3/5

Mixture III

Clarinet 8

Tuba 8

Tremulant

Couplers

Swell to Pedal

Great to Pedal

Choir to Pedal

Swell to Great

Choir to Great

Swell to Choir

It is comfortable to play in its console layout and a joy to listen to and look at. The quality is evident both to the ear and the eye. The new Physis technology used by Viscount has certainly taken away the common criticisms of electronic instruments and it would be difficult not to think that we have ranks of pipes hidden somewhere.

Nick Munson - Chairman, New Organ Committee

1876_Custom_Ad_2.indd 1 07/12/2012 09:43004_C&O_0314.indd 2 14/02/2014 12:14:14

aPP BaNNER

www.choirandorgan.com72 choir & organ May/june 2013

kenneth leighton

‘When Kenneth Leighton

died, Britain lost one of

its fi nest contemporary

composers, who never received in his life-

time quite the recognition that was his due.

He died at the peak of his powers, and I

have no doubt that we have been deprived

of some enriching music.’ This was the

view of Gramophone magazine, a year or

so after Leighton’s untimely death at the

age of 59 on 24 August 1988. In this 25th

anniversary year of his passing, there is an

opportunity to reassess Leighton’s position

among Britain’s 20th-century composers,

and in particular his contribution to the

fi eld of organ and choral music.

Born in 1929, Leighton was a chorister

at Wakefi eld Cathedral, and later studied

Classics at Oxford University, staying

on in Oxford to study composition with

Bernard Rose before travelling to Rome on

a Mendelssohn Scholarship, to study with

Petrassi. He held positions at Leeds and

Oxford universities before becoming

Reid Professor of Music at Edinburgh

University in 1970, a position he held until

his death.

During his lifetime Leighton received

several prizes for his compositions, and

published more than 100 works. To most

readers, he is doubtless known primarily

as a composer of organ music and over 50

choral works, ranging from small-scale

unaccompanied carols to large choral

symphonies; but in fact he composed many

fi ne works in a wide range of genres – the

orchestral and instrumental works are

well worth exploring. An accomplished

pianist, he wrote many solo works for the

instrument, and used it extensively in his

chamber music. His opera Columba was

completed in 1978, and he wrote several

acclaimed symphonies and concertos,

including one for the organ. Readers

whose perception of his style is based on

an anthem such as Let all the world, for

example, might be taken aback by the

instrumental colour in his orchestral works,

© SH

aLITH

the city of edinburgh, where leighton spent the last 18 years

of his life as Reid Professor of Music at the University

Twenty years after the founding of the Kenneth Leighton Trust, greg Morris assesses the

contribution this often neglected composer made to British choral and organ music

Touching the numinous

PRINT aDvERTORIaL

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sCheduLe 2015-16 issue Copy deadline Publishing date issue theme

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January/February 2016 11/12/2015 28/12/2015 Competitions

March/april 2016 12/02/2016 27/02/2016 Summer Schools and Short Courses

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