Instead of a 'favourite organs we have played' thread (save that for a rainy day), I thought it would be good to see which organs any of us feel some sentimental attachment to, even if they are an old heap/small/not there etc. with little going for them. Include npor if you can, so we can all mentally visualise them. If you're wondering why so sentimental today, not long before THAT birthday, so spending too much time reflecting!

1. School
Place where it all started, years of lessons with long-suffering teacher, but invaluable experience playing for services and assemblies on a regular basis. Not there anymore as school taken over by the former polytechnic.
2. Wrangthorn, Hyde Park, Leeds
The first 'paid' service (£2), in a poor state 25 years ago, even more so now. Note, absolutely nothing above 4' over 3 manuals, a real museum piece.
3. St Mark's, Leeds
A classic Binns (with some upperwork even!), and am pleased to note from npor that although the church was made redundant shortly after I finished playing there on an ad hoc basis, it has at least found a new home. Sentimental because it is the smallest congregation I ever played for (5, Holy Week, mid 80s)
4. St Anne, Edinburgh
First salaried post! Main student practice organ.
5. Huddersfield University
Organ competitions as a boy were few and far between in Yorkshire, and this was the only one I could enter (and won a couple of times), part of the Mrs Sunderland Festival (which I think still exists?). Sentimental becuase that's where the FRCO exam I took was held, exactly 20 years later. One of those circular 'life journeys', back where it all started.

Over to you all...........

1. My old school: I won a music scholarship and an academic scholarship for six-form. Took grade 6 and 8 there. Also played a fair amount of school services there.

2. University Music Department organ (http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=N08942) : It is the worst nightmare. A chamber organ that is often out of tune and really badly made. Though I somehow manage to learn a big chunck of repertoire there. it is a miracle how i manage.

3. college organs (http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=D07597): where i have most of my organ lessons and i feel very at home there.

4. Cathedral organ (http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=R00118): took my LTCL and soon-to-be FTCL.

5. St. Ann's (http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=E00255) : love the organ. love the church and people. took my 2nd year recital there, played eben moto ostinato as mad as possible. guess final year recital would be there, with even madder stuff.

1, St. Mary, Berry Pomeroy
My first church job with a pipe organ, as opposed to an electronic. Very sweet-toned instrument, unfortunately the pedalboard is non-standard and only has 27 pedals, so wasn't ideal for some items in the repertoire. I was here from the age of about eleven and, as a teenager, used to enjoy a nice long walk from home out to the village to do some practise on Saturday mornings and summer evenings. One of my greatest pleasures here was restarting a choir after the last choir faded in the 1960s.

2, St. John, Bridgetown, Totnes
My "local" church as a lad, and I was so fortunate to have unlimited practise time on this marvellous instrument. One of the most musical instruments I've ever played; responsive, and utterly gorgeous.

3, Christ Church, Paignton
After passing my driving test at 17, I decided to get a new organist's job! I used to enjoy revelling in the lovely acoustic in this place, with a lovely colourful instrument, even if it was a bit of a so-and-so to play. Only stayed here 3 months as there was an impossible elderly choir!

4, St. Paul, Birmingham
Whilst doing my MA, I was organist here. I gave weekly organ recitals at the church, which was good for rapidly extending my repertoire! Very colourful instrument, in a lovely acoustic. Thomas Trotter had moved his weekly recitals to this church several years before during the period that the Town Hall organ was being rebuilt, and he said that he so enjoyed playing this instrument that he didn't miss the Town Hall instrument once!

5, Paignton Parish Church
My "baby". Learnt on this one in my mid-teens. It gradually became increasingly unreliable and was in a bit of a state by mid 1990s. Ten years ago I was fortunate enough to supervise a rebuilding as consultant and nowadays it knocks the spots off all the other organs in the area. I give monthly organ recitals on it, and it's a very versatile instrument indeed.

Oh, BTW, Happy Birthday when it comes, Monsieur Guilmant!

I have just two, though both churches closed , the second one in mid 70's and the first one a few years later

Temple Street Methodist Church, Keighley, West Yorks

3 manual originally by Forster and Andrews, modified by Laycock & Bannister in 1896.

This is NPOR number 05040 , and is the organ I had all my lessons on and also took exams up to Grade 8.

I do not know what happened to it, The Methodist Church started sharing with Keighley Parish Church in , I think early eighties.

Lund Park Methodist Church, Keighley , West Yorks

Two manual by Laycock & Bannister. NPOR No 05055. This was the church through which I was brought up in Sunday School etc and indeed I became its organist in 1962 at age 15, until levaing for Uni in 1965. The church closed in mid seventies, and I thought the organ went to St Johns in Wakefield, but this doesnt seem to be the case by checking NPOR

I DO like the look of this, versatile seems an understatment. Next time we're at the zoo with the kids, perhaps I could arrange an exit pass from Mrs Guilmant.........

PS I still have 5 months of freedom before the big birthday!!

Isn't there supposed to be something really special by Laycock & Bannister in the RC church at Keighley? A small neo-classical organ?



You'd be most welcome! It's only 5 minutes' drive from the zoo.

It's a really splendid instrument. The NPOR survey doesn't quite fill in all the details, unless one does some cross-referencing! It was originally built by Charles Martin of Oxford in 1889, who subsequently moved it to another part of the church and rebuilt it. Forster & Andrews rebuilt it a few years later, followed by Hele & Co. In 1967, Willis IV remade the choir into a "Positif" (actually very successfully despite modern thinking about such alterations). Osmonds electrified the action in 1980, along with some other modifications, and then Deane's took it on. The last rebuilding saw the return of some of the Romantic qualities which had been stripped from the organ in 1967 and 1980.

BTW, the picture in NPOR is of the bit of case above the console in the chancel. The main case - much more impressive - is around the side, facing the nave.

Monsieur Guilmant, I'm always very willing to welcome distinguished guests to give a recital on the instrument, if you'd be interested! We are getting an increasingly good following for the monthly organ recitals (last month's "Organist's Last Night of the Proms" packed the church out!), and I wouldn't mind a month off sometime....

post deleted

This is, for obvious reasons, a very special and sentimental instrument of mine:

http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=K00071

Barry Williams

This looks very special indeed. I was wondering how many other organs have a pedal division bigger than any of the manuals it sits besides. We appear to have something else in common, my current post is an almost contemporary (1868) Gray and Davidson, with the standard Keraulophon as well!

Are there any other organs of any sentimental value you could add?

Thank you. Yes, Keraulophons are quite interesting. We took immense trouble over the design of the House Organ. It is far more diffcult to get a few pipes right than with a large instrument.

Here is another favourite of mine, albeit now in Japan:

http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...rec_index=N1349

I have happy (if somewhat stressful - the church is on a main road) memories of recording this for broadcasts - the 'big' stuff - Dupre Variations, Willan Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, Reubke, Liszt etc. But it sounded terrific for Bach, Mendelssohn and Rheinberger too.

I like this instrument as well:

http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...rec_index=N0101

My wife's family has connections with this church. I gave a recital on this remarkable organ, built at the very height of Harrison's expertise. The church is superb too. It was the last church designed by the great architect, Sir Ninian Comper. His son designed the attached hall and vicarage. The best stop on the organ is the acoustic - it has a stone floor. It also has a fabulous organ case.

Barry Williams

Could you just check those links please, as I am getting 'Survey not found' when I click on them

Thanks

Not just you, Guilmant - I got the same result.

I am sorry about this. I will check the hyperlink shortly. However, in the meantime you can access these organs via the NPOR address list:

Beddington: Residence of Barry and June Williams

Thornton Heath: Saint Jude with Saint Aidan

Cosham: Saint Philip

Barry Willams

I hope these hyperlinks work:

House organ: http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=K00071

St Jude's Thornton Heath: http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N13491

St Philip's Cosham: http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N01010

Barry Williams

PS I have just checked and these hyperlinks do work.

i want an organ at where i live... really don't fancy getting up early to walk all the way to uni to practice every day...especially on a very bad instrument....

I agree totally. The convenience of not having to go out to practice is wonderful. It is also good not to have to rely on churches to learn one's instrument.

Barry Williams

Although Barry may not agree - for obvious reasons - a pair of headphones can be very useful indeed!

tutti and headphones = oh dear.....