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The Pipe Line

The monthly newsletter of

York & District Organists’ Association

August 2008 Next Event: Saturday 16th August at 2:30pm

Exploring the Organ in a Church Context, York

Patron Dr Francis Jackson CBE FRCO DMus President Andrew Roberts Secretary Philip Paul (zen159870@zen.co.uk 01904 638423 ) Treasurer & Membership Alfred Boddison (Alfred.boddison@boddison.co.uk 01347 821668) Committee Alan Aspinal, Adrian Crawford, Alan Hardwick, Paul Sangwine, Phillip Sangwine, David Simpson, John Jones, Cynthia Wood

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Saturday 16th August at 2:30pm

Originally we had planned our August visit to the new carillon in York Minster. After considerable delays, the carillon is now installed and being played, but the practice clavier is still incomplete.

Knowing YDOA members’ enthusiasm for getting their hands on a keyboard, we have postponed this visit until next year. To see and hear the carillon. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7519954.stm

I am most grateful to Phillip Sangwine and Philip Paul for their generosity in organising a most interesting alternative event, at somewhat short notice.

Exploring the Organ in a Church Context, York

2:30pm Meet at All Saints Church, The Pavement

3.30pm Walk to Central Methodist Church, St Saviourgate

4:40pm Walk to York Minster for Evensong

In addition the following events will be taking place, which you are most welcome to attend.

7:00pm Organ Recital by Dr Francis Jackson in the Quire, York Minster. Tickets £7 (conc. £5)

9:15pm Concert: A Celebration of Philip Moore in the Chapter House, York Minster. Tickets £10 (conc. £7)

Getting to All Saints

All Saints Church is on the corner of The Pavement and High Ousegate. From St Helen’s Square, pass Betty’s and walk along Davygate and Parliament Street, until you reach the end of Parliament Street. All Saints is on the right hand side and can be identified by its octagonal lantern. Enter by the north door in High Ousegate.

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Programme

All Saints was one of the first churches in York to acquire an organ. Our Past President, Phillip Sangwine and members of his choir at All Saints, have kindly arranged to demonstrate metrical and chanted psalms and anthems with organ accompaniment.

Later in the afternoon, our Hon Secretary Philip Paul will demonstrate how the organ at The Central Methodist Church is used to accompany hymns, which have been a staple diet of Methodism since its inception. He will also show us that the liturgy at Central is more ‘catholic’ than might be expected!

Evensong in York Minster will be sung by the Ebor Singers, under their director, Paul Gameson. The settings will be the 2nd Service Philip Moore and the anthem Beati quorum via by Stanford. The organ will be played by Peter Seymour.

The concert by the Ebor Singers will feature choral music by Philip Moore, who retired in July after having been Master of Music at York Minster for twenty-five years. The Ebor Singers will be joined by the counter tenor James Bowman. The programme will include Philip Moore’s Three Prayers by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Some members might have heard this work in a recent concert by the BBC Singers that was recorded for broadcast on Radio 3.

You should be able to find a variety of places to eat between the various events, but if in doubt ask one of us for our favourite places.

Cover Picture

This month the cover of The Pipe Line features a photograph of one of the organs we have visited during the year. In the December issue of the Pipe Line we will have a quiz for you. You will see pictures of some of the organs the Association has visited this year. The first person to identify the locations of all of the organs correctly will win a free bottle of wine at our Annual Dinner as a prize.

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YDOA Events for 2008

– starting at 2.30pm unless stated otherwise.

Saturday 16 August – Exploring the Organ in a Church Context

Saturday 27 September – All day event - President’s Day in Ripon

Saturday 11 October - Committee meeting

Saturday 25 October - Recital by Cynthia Wood and Annual General

Meeting at Holy Trinity Church, Micklegate

Saturday 22 November – Music by Messiaen, St Olave’s Marygate

December social evenings, 7.30pm to 10pm – dates tbc

2009 – Provisional programme

IAO/YDOA Yorkshire Organ Day. Exploring the C18th English

Repertoire. Date, venues and programme to be announced.

Saturday 31st January 11:30am Committee Meeting 2:30pmTalk by

Geoffrey Coffin, Principal Pipe Organs at Jacobs Well, Micklegate

Saturday 28th February – Visit to organs in and around Escrick

Friday 27th or Saturday 28th March – Annual Dinner in York

Saturday 25th April – Visit to Doncaster Minster

Saturday 16th May – York Event

Saturday 27th June – Visit to Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland &

Howden-le-Weir

Saturday 18th July – York Event

Saturday 22nd August– Visit to the carillon in York Minster

Saturday 26th September – Visit to organs at St Mary’s & St Martin’s

churches in Scarborough

Saturday 24th October – Recital and AGM in York

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Saturday 28th November – Exploring the Neo-baroque organ, York

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Ruckpositiv (looking back!)

May

On17th May Association members visited three organs that had recently moved from Kent to the York area.

In Dunnington, John Jones provided a background to the very productive period when the Pennells’ family controlled the Walker firm. The two Walker organs in his house date from this time, a one rank 4’ Positive built in 1979 and a two manual and pedals organ constructed in 1995, both with mechanical action. For this event the instruments were in separate rooms to provide more playing opportunities, but we were told that they also sounded very good together. It is hoped that the smaller instrument might join the well know 1967 instrument by the same builder at St Martin Coney Street, in a recital of music for a ‘pair of Walkers’, next year. After some lively playing, cake and tea we moved on to Melbourne.

Dr Nigel Perry built his beautifully crafted instrument over several years. It is designed primarily for playing Baroque music. The upper manual has flutes 8 & 4 and the lower manual Flute 8, Principal 4 and fifteenth 2. Both manuals can be coupled to the pedal which also has 16, 16, 8 digital stops. Visitors played music appropriate to the instrument, but we also enjoyed the first performance(?) of a new piece by our President. It proved to be an afternoon of delightful playing and company.

June

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July

We are most grateful to our member Peter Stott for kindly arranging for us to visit the new organ at St Mary’s, Sand Hutton and also Whitwell on the Hill.

Peter outlined an interesting history of Sand Hutton and outlined the reasons for replacing the ailing Wordsworth & Maskell two manual & pedals organ built in 1885/6 with a new three manual digital organ by Makin. The new instrument has a very comprehensive specification, which Peter ably demonstrated by playing pieces by Harold Darke, Daquin & Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély. Players obviously enjoyed the resources of the instrument, as it was difficult to prise them from the organ bench!

After welcome refreshments, for which we must thank Brian Atkinson, we all succeeded in crossing the A64 to visit St John’s, Whitwell on the Hill. The church built in 1860 has an imposing tower that can be seen from miles around.

The two manual and pedals organ proved to be something of a puzzle. We could find little recorded history, but some thought that the two manual and pedals had evolved from an original Willis Scudamore organ. Internal investigation revealed some quality pipework. The tracker action on the Great was particularly responsive. Our President Elect identified the bench as Norman & Beard, but otherwise the instrument remains an interesting enigma and we would all like to know what happened to the 2’ on the Swell!

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Organ Recitals in York August 2008

Date /Day Time Artist(s) Venue

2nd Sat 7:00pm Philip Moore (Master of Music, York Minster) York Minster, Yorkshire North

5th Tue 1:00pm Edmund Cooke (Ripon) St Martin, Coney Street, York, Yorkshire North

8th Fri 7:30pm Philip Paul (York Central Methodist Church) York Central Methodist Church, Yorkshire North

9th Sat 7:00pm Peter van der Velde (Antwerp Cathedal) York Minster, Yorkshire North

14th Thu 12:30pm David Wilks (Lidgett Park Methodist Church, Leeds)

York Central Methodist Church, Yorkshire North

16th Sat 2:30pm YDOA Exploring the Organ in a Church Context.

All Saints Pavement, York

16th Sat 7:00pm Francis Jackson (Organist Emeritus, York Minster)

York Minster, Yorkshire North

20th Wed 1:00pm Philip Paul (York Central Methodist Church) St Helen's, Stonegate, York, Yorkshire North

21st Thu 7:00pm Jeffrey Makinson RNCM. Messiaen Le Banquet céleste, Offrande au Saint-Sacrement, L’Apparition de l’église éternelle, Diptyque, Prélude,L’Ascension

York Minster, Yorkshire North

22nd Fri 7:30pm Raymond Sturdy (St Mary's Priory Church, Malton)

York Central Methodist Church, Yorkshire North

23rd Sat 7:00pm Richard McVeigh (Organ Scholar, York Minster) Messiaen La Nativité du Seigneur

York Minster, Yorkshire North

25th Mon 7:00pm Andreas Jetter (Winner Moscow Conservatory Rachmaninov Competition) Messiaen Les Corps glorieux, Messe de la

Pentecôte

York Minster, Yorkshire North

27th Wed 7:00pm Stephen Farr (formerly Guildford Cathedral) Messiaen Livre d’orgue, Monodie, Verset

pour la fête de la Dédicace

York Minster, Yorkshire North

28th Thu 12:30pm Francis Jackson (Organist Emeritus, York Minster)

York Central Methodist Church, Yorkshire North

28th Thu 7:00pm Thomas Trotter (Symphony Hall, Birmingham) Messiaen Méditations sur le

mystère de laSainte-Trinité

York Minster, Yorkshire North

30th Sat 7:00pm John Scott Whiteley (Organist York Minster) Messiaen Livre du Saint-Sacrement

York Minster, Yorkshire North

September 2008

2nd Tue 1:00pm Philip Paul (York Central Methodist

Church) St Martin, Coney Street, York,

Yorkshire North

11th Thur 12:30pm Philip Paul (York Central Methodist

Church) York Central Methodist Church,

Yorkshire North

17th Wed 1:00pm Andrew Passmore (University of York) St Helen, St Helen’s Square,

York

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Recitals around York August 2008

August 2008

1st Fri 1:10pm Geoffrey Coffin (York) Doncaster Minster, Yorkshire

South

2nd Sat 7:30pm Ian Shaw (St John's, Greenhill, Harrow) Halifax Parish Church,

Yorkshire West

3rd Sun 7:45pm Simon Lindley (Leeds City Organist) Leeds Parish Church, Yorkshire

West

9th Sat 12:00pm Ann Bond (Christ Church, Carnforth) Halifax Parish Church,

Yorkshire West

9th Sat 3:30pm Owen Ryder (St John's, Upper Hopton) St Mary the Virgin, Mirfield,

Yorkshire West

9th Sat 6:00pm Organ Duets by Roger Sayer & Charles

Andrews (Rochester Cathedral)

Beverley Minster, Yorkshire

East

9th Sat 7:30pm Richard Moore (Southwell Minster) Holy Trinity, Hull, Yorkshire

East

10th Sun 7:45pm Arnfinn Tobiassen (St Michael and All Angels,

Croydon Leeds Parish Church, Yorkshire

West

12th Tue 1:00pm Anthony Norcliffe (Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel,

Leeds) Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel,

Leeds, Yorkshire West

16th Sat 7:30pm Christopher Newton (St Bartholomew's,

Armley, Leeds) Halifax Parish Church,

Yorkshire West

17th Sun 7:45pm Simon Lindley (Leeds City Organist) Leeds Parish Church, Yorkshire

West

19th Tue 1:00pm Charles Edmondson (Kendal, Cumbria) Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel,

Leeds, Yorkshire West

20th Wed 1:00pm Alex Berry (Holy Trinity, Stratford-upon-

Avon) Holy Trinity, Hull, Yorkshire

East

23rd Sat 12:00pm Ian Shaw, Matthew Shaw (Halifax Parish

Church) Halifax Parish Church,

Yorkshire West

25th Mon

Bank

Holiday

11:00am Christopher Newton (St Bartholomew's,

Armley, Leeds) St Bartholomew's, Armley,

Leeds, Yorkshire West

25th Mon

Bank

Holiday

3:00pm Thomas Heywood (New South Wales,

Australia) Ripon Cathedral, Yorkshire

North

25th Mon

Bank

Holiday

6:00pm Alan Spedding (Beverley Minster) Beverley Minster, Yorkshire

East

26th Tue 1:00pm Anthony Norcliffe (Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel,

Leeds) Mill Hill Unitarian Chapel,

Leeds, Yorkshire West

30th Sat 6:00pm Mario Duella (Pray, Italy) Bridlington Priory, Yorkshire

East

30th Sat 7:30pm Gary Hulme (St Anne's, Royton, Oldham) Halifax Parish Church,

Yorkshire West

31st Sun 7:45pm Simon Lindley (Leeds City Organist) Leeds Parish Church, Yorkshire

West

Information supplied by www.organrecitals.com & www.yorkminster.org

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The Younger Generation

This year Phillip Paul has included some younger players in his summer series’ of recitals. Those of us who were fortunate enough to hear Matthew Atherton’s playing at the Central Methodist Church on 17th July, were stunned by the sheer musicality of his playing. You will get an opportunity to hear another younger player at St Helen’s on 17th September, when Andrew Passmore, who is about to begin his third year at York University, will be giving a recital. Andrew has already given recitals at Hexham Abbey, Bristol Cathedral and All Saints, Northampton.

More Useful(?) Stops & their uses

Boredon The sermon is too long

Open Basin During the collection

Salixional For a headache

Marie Celeste Completely lost

Principal When negotiating a pay rise

Hazard The bride trips over her dress

Terse Speeding up a final voluntary

Upteenth If the Fifteenth is not quite bright enough

Dolly Mixture When playing Fauré op 56 on the organ

Stopped Deorgan When things get totally out of hand!

Articles for future editions of Pipe Line are always welcome. If you have something that you would like to share with other members, or just get something off your chest, email it to Philip Paul, zen15870@zen.co.uk and we will try to include it in the next issue.

This month’s Pipe Line was prepared by John Jones with additional contributions by Phillip Sangwine & Philip Paul. Material in articles represents the opinions of the contributors’ and not necessarily the views of YDOA.