DEVELOPMENTS IN BRITISH ORGAN DESIGN 1945-1970: A PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE by RICHARD DUNSTER-SIGTERMANS A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham in partial fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Music School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music University of Birmingham October 2015 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT This research forms part of a performance practice degree and focuses on the performance of British organ music written in the period 1945 to 1970. This period was a turbulent time for all those with an interest in the pipe organ, whether they were performers, consultants, organ builders or listeners. The considerable change in the approach to the design, construction and voicing of pipe organs, influenced by the Organ Reform Movement (Orgelbewegung), resulted in strong feelings both for and against the neo-classic organ, and the consequent tensions tested the typical British reserve of many of those directly involved. The challenge for the performer of today is to understand the strengths and weaknesses of British organs in the period and to connect these instruments with the music written for them. The original contribution this research provides is to focus firstly on the organ’s mechanisms, including key actions, registration aids and console design and, secondly, on the tonal designs of the organs of the period. Case studies of music are presented, featuring three composers for the organ in this period, Howells, Leighton and Whitlock, the findings of which inform the associated recital which features contrasting pieces from the period 1945 to 1970. Dedicated with love to my wife Carlyn and son Oliver Acknowledgements I am very grateful to the following for their help in various ways with this thesis: Alex Pott Caroline Ward Con Morris Des Jones Dr John Rowntree Dr Nigel Scaife Dr Paul Rodmell Dr Eleni Keventsidou Fr Brendan Nolan James Williams Jo Leighton Maria Rita Epik Matthew Copley Morley Whitehead Nicolas Kynaston Novello and Company Limited Oxford University Press Professor Denis Cusack Professor Ken Hamilton Rob Colley Robin Palmer Rusty Maclean St Andrew’s Church, Rugby St Peter’s Church, Dunchurch The Governors and Head Master of Rugby School The Librarians of the University of Edinburgh The Librarians of the Cadbury Collection at the University of Birmingham The Methodist Central Hall, Coventry The Rev Imogen Nay The Rev Mark Rowland iv Abbreviations ARCO Associate of the Royal College of Organists BIOS British Institute of Organ Studies FRCO Fellow of the Royal College of Organists GDB Grant, Degens and Bradbeer (organ builders) H&H Harrison and Harrison (organ builders) HNB Hill, Norman & Beard (organ builders) LCM The London College of Music NPOR National Pipe Organ Register ORM Organ Reform Movement RCM The Royal College of Music RCO The Royal College of Organists RFH The Royal Festival Hall, London v A note on the shorthand used for organ stop lists in the footnotes In the footnotes the outlines of stop lists of a number of organs are given. The shorthand provides an overview of the stops but saves space by not giving precise details of the different tone colours. A typical outline: Gt: 8 8 8 4 4 III (tierce mixture) 8 Sw: 8 8 8 8 4 2 IV 16 8 Ch: 8 8 4 4 II (12,17) 8 Pedal: 32 16 16 8 16 is short for: Great: three 8ft. flues (likely to be a mix of Diapasons and Flutes) two 4ft. flues (normally a Principal and a Flute) a three-rank Mixture (with any unusual or noteworthy combination noted – in this case there is a tierce rank in the stop’s make-up) a reed stop at 8ft. pitch. Swell: four 8ft. flues a 4ft. flue a 2ft. flue a four-rank Mixture two reed stops at 16ft. and 8ft. pitch. Choir: two 8ft. flues two 4ft. flues a two-rank Mixture (containing ranks sounding respectively at the twelfth and seventeenth above the unison) a reed stop at 8ft. pitch. Pedal: one 32ft. flue stop two 16ft. flues an 8ft. flue a reed stop at 16ft. pitch. vi Glossary Action see key action and stop action Capture systems A system that allows players to adjust thumb pistons and toe pistons instantly whilst seated at the organ console. Choir Organ Normally the lowest manual on organs with three or more keyboards. The term 'choir' is probably derived from 'chaire' organ, which in old English organs was a division situated in a separate case behind the player's back. Chorus The basic ensemble in an organ, consisting of a group of similar toned stops of different pitch drawn together. A flue chorus might have Diapason stops of 8ft., 4ft., 2ft. and Mixture, whereas a reed chorus might have 16ft., 8ft. and 4ft. Trumpets. Cipher The term used for when a pipe keeps sounding despite the relevant key having been released. Due to the mechanical complexities of most organs this is not an uncommon occurrence. Combination action The mechanism used to operate thumb pistons and toe pistons. Combination or A metal pedal located above the pedalboard which brings out composition pedal pre-determined stop combinations. Compound stops Stops with more than one rank of pipes, e.g. Mixtures Console The part of an organ where the organist controls the instrument, consisting of keyboards, pedalboard and stops. Coupler A device which allows stops from one division to be operated from a different manual or the pedalboard e.g. when the Swell to Great coupler is drawn any note depressed on the Great will also cause the corresponding note on the Swell to sound. Cymbelstern A specialist stop consisting of a rotating star upon which small bells are mounted, producing a continuous gentle tinkling sound. Division A collective term for all of the stops played from one particular keyboard e.g. Swell division. Drawstop The control on the console for engaging or disengaging a rank of pipes. Drawstops are pulled out for ‘on’ and pushed in for ‘off’. En chamade A powerful reed stop mounted horizontally and outside the case, designed to project the tone for maximum effect. Expression See Swell Extension system A system in which all or some of the pipe ranks are used for more than one pitch and also may be made available for use on more than one manual and on the pedal. An extension organ is one where there is much manual extension. Floating division A division on the organ that has no designated manual, with controls allowing the player to assign the division to a manual of their choice. Flue pipe Pipes that have no moving parts, working on the same principle as flutes, recorders or whistles. Typical organ flue stops include Open Diapason, Stopped Flute and Salicional. Fluework The collective word for all of the Flue pipes in a division. vii Full Swell A unique combination of stops that is particularly associated with British organs and their repertoire. A traditional Full Swell has a complete chorus of powerful reeds (16ft., 8ft and 4ft.) along with a flue chorus including a bright Mixture. Great Organ The main manual division to be found on British organs. On a three-manual organ the Great organ is normally the middle keyboard. Key action The means of connecting the keys (both manuals and pedals) to the pallets of the soundboard. Manuals The keyboards operated by the hands, as opposed to the pedalboard. Mechanical action See tracker action Mixture A compound stop of several high pitched ranks at 8ve and 5th pitches (occasionally 3rds and, more rarely, others such as flat 19ths), designed to add clarity and definition in the bass register, and fullness and solidity in the treble register. Mutation A stop that sounds a pitch other than the unison or octave, e.g. a Tierce 1⅗ft. will sound the note E28 when the key C1 is played. Nicking Nicking is a technique in voicing an organ, whereby the organ builder modifies the sound of a pipe by cutting with a knife (‘nicking’) a series of small notches either side of the flue of a flue pipe. Octave coupler A device which when drawn causes any note on a manual to sound simultaneously both its own pitch and the octave above. In a similar way a sub-octave coupler will sound the octave below. Pallet The valve in the pipe chest that allows air into the pipes. Pedal Organ The division that is operated by the pedalboard. Pedalboard The keyboard operated by the feet, as opposed to the manuals. Pistons See Thumb pistons and Toe pistons Pitches e.g. 8ft., 4ft. All pipes have a pitch length in addition to a name and this refers to the length of the speaking pitch of the longest pipe in a particular rank, with 8ft. ranks being unison pitch. Therefore a stop of 4ft. pitch will sound an octave above unison. There are various ways of notating the stop lengths: 8 foot, 8ft, and 8’. Rank The collection of pipes of one timbre e.g. Open Diapason 8ft., Bourdon 16ft. etc. Reed pipe Pipes in which the sound is produced by brass tongues vibrating.