St Mary's Bells

Mon 7 Jul 2008, 10:44

Thank you for your apology Malcolm. It's OK, you didn't 'upset me so much'---it's just that you were factually wrong and my husband was involved and Richard and others are working so hard fundraising, and so I needed to set the record straight.
It's interesting though what you say about 'having no idea about the relationships between the incidents and times'. I am definitely not an advocate of the 'your grandfather must have been born in Charlbury before you can speak'philosophy. Howvever,it does show that there is a balance to be struck between expressing new thoughts and ideas (which we should all welcome) and being tactfully aware of the history behind certain projects and institutions in a smallish community.

Fri 4 Jul 2008, 00:18

All I can say is sorry, my wordplaying was simply NOT meant in ANY of those ways, and sorry to cause any upset, again that was not intended in any way and I had no idea of any relationship between the incidents and times nor any idea I'd upset you so much in playing with words in allusions and connections in that way, so once again I can only say that word sorry...

Thu 3 Jul 2008, 01:11

I took it to heart because you were implying a) that the present organ had cost £20,000 and b) that some 'grand mistake' had been made---neither of which was true. As my late husband was vicar at the time and lots of people are now working hard to raise money it is not really a joke.

Tue 1 Jul 2008, 17:59

Hey! The allusion of the use of the word "blown" in the context of an organ coming to the end of its useful life was just too irresistable to miss out, so don't take it too heart so much! And, as Richard says, at heart as well it is "just"…

Long post - click to read full text

Tue 1 Jul 2008, 09:47

Absolutely.

We now have the opportunity for something more up-to-date - after all, it's essentially a computer inside, and who still uses a 20-year old computer? - and are very pleased to be doing so. In normal circumstances we would be able to upgrade the outdated parts of the current organ, but the unusual design of this one (effectively, it has no stops, just 'presets') means that isn't possible. With this in mind we are looking for a design where, in 20 years' time, the next upgrade will just require a little internal surgery rather than a complete replacement. But I don't think there's any doubt that the church has got a good innings out of the current instrument.

Tue 1 Jul 2008, 01:19

£20,000 has not been 'blown' in 20 years. When the electronic organ was bought 20 years ago it didn't cost anything like that. The old pipe organ needed expensive repairs (about £6000 if I remember rightly) and removing it meant that a large space was freed which was able to be used for a kitchen, loo and upper meeting room. The elctronic organ cost about the same amount as the repairs would have done. There was disquiet about whether an electronic organ would sound right in church but the two manufacturers tendering gave open demonstrations---rather like informal concerts--and most people thought the sound was good.

Tue 1 Jul 2008, 00:45

Yes, instant recognition of the "tune"! Just out of technical curiosity (being inveterately technically curious) just how can someone make an electronic organ so "differently" that it is irreperable in only 20 years??

I realise I don't know what you mean by electronic as well - is it generating the sound using just speakers or is it that the controls of the blown air up the spouts are fly by wire instead of what must be a bemusing mass of connecting mechanical items, or sound generators at the bottom of resonating pipes, or just speakers and no pipes at all (I can't remember what on earth the church organ looks like, been in the church a few times, but not a churchy person at all and no recollection. Its amazing what one can sometimes simply not make a note of - like walking down a street for a decade and then one day noticing a carving above a door lintel that is so vivid one is astounded at the preoccupation that meant no observation was made).

20 grand err "blown" in 20 years does sound like a grand mistake by someone, or a good piece of pig in pokery salescraft!

Incidentally, one of the nicest little organs I've ever heard is the one crammed into a little Catholic church in Croydon's High Street, between two mammoth cathedrals to mammon. They used to do lunchtime concerts there, religious and secular music, when I was working in Croydon back in the 80s. Unpretentious, undecorated, not large, but had a sonority that beat the pipes off a lot much bigger instruments in some places I could name in London (I used to drop by for lunchtime concerts quite often cycling around London in my years as a campaigner when I wasn't tied down in an office 9-5 but was buzzing about to meetings and projects all over the capital, so developed quite a taste for organs mixed with me cheese sarnies.

Mon 30 Jun 2008, 23:24

Malcolm: this is the Widor - I'm sure you will recognise it. And if you're really interested, Google "Jehan Alain" - the brother of the organist in that performance - and see where that takes you...

Mark has also given me the perfect excuse to mention the St Mary's organ!

As he mentions, we are looking to replace the 20-year old electronic instrument: our appeal has in just a couple of months raised some £5,000 towards the estimated £20,000 cost. The problems with the current instrument are not generally symptomatic of digital organs - though who wouldn't love a Cavaillé-Coll such as that at St Sulpice? - but of an unusual and, in retrospect, failed experiment at doing things differently. We are in full consultation with the Diocesan Organ Advisor and are very confident of getting a splendid new instrument for St Mary's.

On Friday 11th - the day before the Beer Festival - there'll be a light-hearted choir concert and supper in St Mary's to raise funds for the appeal. Tickets are available from News & Things, the Pharmacy and the Good Food Shop, or of course at our Sunday services. It should be fun - do come along.

Richard
(organist, St Mary's)

Mon 30 Jun 2008, 22:43

This is a very strange turn of events, but since I didn't launch the digression, here goes. Yes, Widor was organist at St-Sulpice, on the left bank in Paris, for 64 years. It's a large seventeenth-century building, not unlike St Paul's Cathedral, and only a little smaller. The organ is the largest nineteenth-century musical instrument in the world, and has been played by a series of brilliant organists. Unlike the electronic organ in Charlbury - needing replacement after only 20 years (how's that for technological obsolescence), it's still in perfect working order after 151 years. I was there only a fortnight ago. A great place.

Mon 30 Jun 2008, 16:44

Widor?? I feel a wikipedia coming on. That ones got me (and I thought I knew my early music...)

Ahh, I was thinking about 300 years too early as well: I've no idea what that most famous processional piece is referred to from memory, but undoubtedly would recognise it immediately on hearing it! In case anyone else is interested then a quick snip: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widor

"Widor was born in Lyon, France to a family of organ builders, and initially studied music there with his father, who was an organist himself. The French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, reviver of the art of organ building, was a friend of the Widor family: he arranged for the talented young organist to study in Brussels, with Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens for organ technique and with François-Joseph Fétis, director of the Brussels Conservatoire for composition.

In 1870, with the combined lobbying of Cavaillé-Coll, Charles Gounod and Camille Saint-Saëns, the 26-year-old Widor was appointed as organist of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, the most prominent position for a French organist. The organ at St-Sulpice was Cavaillé-Coll's masterwork; the instrument's spectacular capabilities proved an inspiration to Widor. Widor remained as organist at St-Sulpice for 64 years until the end of 1933. He was succeeded in 1934 by his former student Marcel Dupré. Meanwhile, in 1890 he succeeded César Franck as organ professor at the Paris Conservatoire; he later gave up his post in organ to become composition professor in 1896.

Widor's best-known single piece for the organ is the final movement, Toccata, from his Symphony for Organ No. 5, often used as a recessional at weddings"

Sun 29 Jun 2008, 23:03

Why not connect the organ to the bells and then we could all have a sing song every quarter hour and green lights would be good as well for the all night boozers .

Sun 29 Jun 2008, 13:30

If Vierne a bit more money, maybe. But we've only just got a new window and now Widor needs replacing as well... to be Franck, the Liszt is endless.

Sun 29 Jun 2008, 02:00

I think the church should go bach in time then.

Fri 27 Jun 2008, 17:30

Graham - well, we do have a digital organ... but after 20 years we need to replace it with a new one!

Fri 27 Jun 2008, 17:04

Has the Church thought about going to a digital clock yet, preferably with a green display!!!!!

Tue 24 Jun 2008, 20:54

I think they're just having a bit of a nightmare with the clock at the moment. They've tried a couple of things over the last couple of months which have fixed it temporarily. We're now waiting for an expert to visit.

Sun 22 Jun 2008, 13:36

Does anyone know why the quarter-hourly chimes are not ringing?

Sun 9 Sep 2007, 11:40

I know there've been problems with the mechanism of late, but am not sure exactly what the current status is. Will ask the tower captain when he's back from holiday!

Sat 8 Sep 2007, 11:04

I am surprised that no one has responded to this question?
We would also be interested in what has happened as it is very strange not hearing them..........

Fri 24 Aug 2007, 10:04

Does anyone know why the quarter-hourly chimes are not ringing?

(moved from News section -- Richard)