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Historic Organs of England & Scotland

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Historic Organs of England & Scotland Historic Organs of ENGLAND & SCOTLAND May 16-29, 2016 Hosted by J. Michael Barone www.americanpublicmedia.org www.pipedreams.org National broadcasts of Pipedreams are made possible with funding from Mr. & Mrs. Wesley C. Dudley, grants from Walter McCarthy, Clara Ueland, and the Greystone Foundation, the Art and Martha Kaemmer Fund of the HRK Foundation, and Jan Kirchner on behalf of her family foun- dation, by the contributions of listeners to American Public Media stations nationwide, and by the thirty member organizations of the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America, APOBA, represent- ing the designers and creators of pipe organs heard throughout the country and around the world, with information at www.apoba.com. See and hear Pipedreams on the Internet 24-7 at www.pipedreams.org. A complete booklet pdf with the tour itinerary can be accessed online at www.pipedreams.org/tour Table of Contents Welcome Letter Page 2 Bios of Hosts and Organists Page 3-6 Historical Background of English Organs Page 7-8 Alphabetical List of Organ Builders Page 9-13 Discography Page 14-17 Organ Observations Page 18-19 Tour Itinerary Page 20-23 Organ Sites Page 24-128 Rooming List Page 129 Traveler Profiles Page 130-133 Hotel List Page 134-135 Map Inside Back Cover Thanks to the following people for their valuable assistance in creating this tour: Tom Bell and Richard Brasier in London, Brook Green UK for tour arranging, Valerie Bartl, Janelle Ekstrom, Cynthia Jorgenson, Janet Tollund, and Tom Witt of Accolades International Tours for the Arts in Minneapolis. In addition to site specific websites, we gratefully acknowledge the following sources for this booklet: The National Pipe Organ Register: http://www.npor.org.uk/ Accolades International Tours for the Arts Logo Usage Samllest size is 1.25” wide Preferred Two-Color Preferred One-Color or 90 pixels The clear space surrounding the logo would accommodate the “O” in “FOR”. Preferred Two-Color Reverse Preferred One-Color Reverse Font: Atilla Accolades Black Accolades Red Accolades Grey Hex #000000 Hex #D52027 Hex #77787B RGB 0 / 0 / 0 RGB 237 / 28 / 36 RGB 119 / 120 / 123 CMYK 0 / 0 / 0 / 100 CMYK 10 / 100 / 99/ 2 CMYK 0 / 0 / 0 / 65 Process Black Accolades White Accolades Red Accolades Grey Hex #000000 Hex #D52027 Hex #9D9FA2 RGB 255 / 255 / 255 RGB 237 / 28 / 36 RGB 157 / 159 / 162 CMYK 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 CMYK 10 / 100 / 99/ 2 CMYK 0 / 0 / 0 / 45 PAGE 22 HISTORICALORGANTOUR OBSERVATIONS DISCOGRAPHYBACKGROUNDWELCOME ITINERARYHOSTS Welcome Letter from Michael... Dear Organ-Loving Friends, Welcome aboard…to the many of you who have participated in past PIPEDREAMS travels, certainly, but also particularly to those of you who have ventured to join our little throng for the first time. I hope you all will have an extraordinary experience! The history of the organ in England is somewhat curious. The term ‘insular’ comes to mind (literally, of course), and part of the story is colored by the geographic separation of this country from the body of Europe, as well as a later tendency of English organ builders to think they knew best. As elsewhere, the ‘evolution’ of pipe organ’s utility and technology related importantly to circumstances in the church. And while English church organs in the pre- Reformation period were not unlike organs on the mainland…and an early instrument at Winchester Cathedral was reported to have a particularly strong voice, heard a mile away…virtually all of that heritage was erased by the English Reformation and the later destructive Commonwealth period. Remember that in those days conservative religious groups throughout Europe considered the pipe organ suspect, both because of its former ties to the Roman Catholic Church and due to its generally seductive qualities as a tone- producer. But Martin Luther embraced music, and organs, in his world-view, and the Dutch Calvinists, being eminently practical, while first proscribing the use of organs during worship, nonetheless were happy to use organs as tools for cultural and civic advancement (and pride!), and later welcomed them as important leaders of community religious song. As you will discover, existing examples of historic English Organs date back only to the late 17th century, and those instruments are, by comparison with European installations of the same era, relatively modest in stature. Whereas the contemporary Germanic organ style represented a maximum exploitation of instrument and player…with multiple keyboards controlling four or five large ‘divisions’, with the independent use of the pedals elevated to a point of extraordinary virtuosity…the typical English instrument had only two manual keyboards, or perhaps a third that (as sometimes in France) played just the ‘descant’ upper half of the compass. Pedals were few, or non-existent, and low bass tones were accessed through an expanded range of the main keyboard (extending to the GG below the low C of the increasingly standardized European organ). All this abruptly changed with the Industrial Revolution, as England’s imperial aspirations were challenged by European examples and supported by the development of England’s modern technologies. Access to mainland instruments, through safer and more efficient means of travel, provided impetus for change, and the appearances of pipe organs in the civic halls of virtually all important English cities enlarged both the market and the audience for pipe organs and their music. Indeed, for a time, English organs almost literally ruled the world, in both size and variety of sounds produced. But that is just the beginning, and this story is not mine to tell. Our genial guides Tom Bell (back with us for a second go-round!) and Richard Brasier and their various colleagues will talk about and demonstrate a wide variety of instruments for us, and we will learn, by immersion (and by reading the copious notes in our tour book) that the Organs of Great Britain, though often very much in a style of their own, can and should stand comparison with the best in the world. While I hope for ‘smooth sailing’ and good health for us all during the course of this tour (you did bring comfortable shoes, yes?), I do encourage your patience with any last-minute complications. We’re doing our best to make this an adventure to remember! Your only requirement is to enjoy it! Michael Barone BIOSTOUR ITINERARY PAGE 3 Hosts Michael BaroNE is a well-known voice on public radio as host for the national broadcasts of American Public Media’s Pipedreams, which celebrated its 34th anniversary in 2016. He came to Min- nesota Public Radio in 1968, served as the system’s music director through 1993, and continues as Se- nior Executive Producer and the longest-tenured of any present MPR/APM staff. Barone is a graduate (B.M. in Music History) of the Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio, and an internationally known advocate for the pipe organ. He served as President of the Organ Historical Society and is co-founder of the Chamber Music Society of Saint Cloud. He received the President’s Award from the American Guild of Organists (1996), the OHS Distinguished Service Award (1997), and the Deems Taylor Broadcast Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (2001), and was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame for his contributions to the musical community at large and to organ music in particular. He was consultant on the Walt Disney Concert Hall organ project and is programming advisor to Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center/Verizon Hall organ performance series. Tom BELL enjoys a varied freelance solo career as an organist, based in London and active across the UK and abroad. He has performed in mainland Europe and the USA, undertaking two tours to the latter encompassing the East Coast and Mid-West in 2013. In 2014, Tom was a featured artist in the Southbank Centre’s Pull Out All The Stops festival, celebrating the restoration of the epoch-making Royal Festival Hall organ. Tom’s debut CD, featuring music by Bliss, Elgar and Malcolm Williamson and released on the Regent label, was described by one reviewer as “...a marvelous recording, full of light, from a charismatic and virtuosic musician” (Organists’ Review). His latest recording is a double CD of contemporary music on the London Independent Records label. Tom’s playing has been heard on the radio in the UK, Europe and the United States, including (from the Temple Church in London) a live solo recital on Dutch Radio 4 as part of their Handel Day, 2009. In 2015/2016 Tom looks forward to collaborating with his organ duo partner Richard Brasier, and developing his work with beatboxers. He also will be visiting Germany and the USA, and releasing his second recording with Regent: a program of Brahms and Schoenberg. Tom is Artistic Director to the London Organ Day, and teaches the organ for the Royal College of Organists and the Royal Hospital School in Suffolk. He is a regular tutor on various residential courses, gives masterclasses, lectures and examines. Tom also serves as Organist and Choir Master at St Michael’s Church, Chester Square in central London. He also writes occasionally, and his work has been published in BBC Music Magazine, Organists’ Review and others. Tom studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Kevin Bowyer, also travelling to Amsterdam to see Jacques van Oortmerssen. His repertoire is broad but he harbors a particular love of new music, something which has led him to premiere many pieces in the last few years. Richard Brasier is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he studied with David Titterington and Nicolas Kynaston.
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