Author Archives: Goetze and Gwynn

The consort organ in Centeilles

L’Acheron viol consort recording in the historic chapel of Centeilles in southern France (In the Minervois in Languedoc), using the new consort organ made last year provided by Francois Ryelandt.

IBO visit to Dublin

IBO visit to Trinity College Dublin on Saturday October 12th with Andrew Johnstone playing music by William Byrd, Pepusch and J.S.Bach.

The wind chest waiting to be inserted in the case

The completed wind chest, with the keys in position, is waiting to be inserted in the case.  The table would originally not have been graphited, and it is unlikely that there would have been grooving for runnings and ciphers, though the grooving did appear in early organs.  In Germany a ‘running groove’ would have been referred to as a ‘Spanischer Reiter’, perhaps with the same attitude as ‘Spanish pox’ or ‘Spanish practices’, none of them (one hastens to add) confined to Spain.

Gluing in the pallets

Edward gluing in the leather pallet hinges.  The baseboard of the pallet box is also the bottom board of the upper case, and would originally have had the spring rail glued to it.  Here Edward has provided a separate spring rail, which means he can position the pallets with their springs as he glues the hinges in place.

Gluing the pallet box to the soundboard

The pallet box frame is glued to the underside of the soundboard (i.e. the bar frame, bars and table), with leather covering the bars and channels behind the pallet box.  Originally the open channels would have been covered with re-used parchment manuscript, or more likely, the Coppel 8ft upperboard and slider would have been attached to the back of the pallet box.

Grooves in the layers of the Coppel 8ft upperboard

This is the Coppel 8ft (stopped wood) upperboard and a joining board to the vertical board for the bass pipes.  In the bass the position of the pipes cannot be accommodated to the spacing of the channels, so they have to be moved further and further away, and the bottom pipes are placed horizontally, with grooving from the slider hole to the pipe hole.  The channels are organised chromatically, in alignment with the keys, and the grooving is relatively simple, compared to some organs in this style .

Pilot holes and oblong holes in the table, sliders and upperboards

The holes would have been drilled through the bottom layers of the upperboards, the sliders and the table as pilot holes.  Because of the narrowness of the channels, the larger holes have to be provided as oblong holes, and the slider movement has to be limited because the holes cannot be staggered

Edward drilling holes in the table

Edward drilling the holes in the table of the soundboard

Making a wind chest – gluing the bars of the soundboard

This year we have been making a new four stop positive organ, in the south German style of around 1700 for Dr. Christopher Kent.  This sequence of pictures shows the stages in making the tiny but perfectly-formed wind chest, mostly made by Edward Bennett.  This picture shows the gluing of the bars into the soundboard

Dominic studying the original manuscript of Thomas Dallam’s journal of his 1599 trip to Istanbul

Dominic had an exciting time last Monday studying the original manuscript of the journal which the organ builder Thomas Dallam kept during his 14 month voyage to the Sultan in Istanbul in 1599-1600, accompanying, repairing and playing a fantastic clockwork-driven barrel organ (with keyboard).  It has been an obsession for many years.  The transcription was started by Christopher Hogwood in the mid-1990s, and has now been completed, with an introduction and illustrations, and is now looking for a publisher.  The picture was taken by the viol player Andreas Linos who is equally obsessed with Thomas Dallam’s voyage.

Derek Adlam re-stringing a Hass clavichord which he made in 1973

Derek Adlam has been re-stringing the clavichord which he made at Finchcocks in 1974 in the workshop, with its new owner Douglas Hollick.  The clavichord was based on an original by Johann Adolph Hass 1763.

Stephen Farr giving a concert on the Beloudy chamber organ at the Horniman Museum

Stephen Farr conducted masterclasses and played an evening concert on Thursday September 12^th.  The concert was really excellent – both Joseph Beloudy’s three stop organ and Stephen and his concert programme keeping the audience engaged through two hours of music, and Stephen earning particular credit for pumping the organ by foot throughout. 

Stephen Devine introducing his concert on the three newly acquired and restored keyboard instruments at the Horniman Museum

Stephen Devine introducing his concert on the three instruments, the ca1800 Joseph Beloudy chamber organ, the 1668 Neapolitan virginals by Onofrio Guarracino, and the 1770 square piano by Adam Beyer.  They were wonderfully played and entertainingly introduced.

Mimi Waitzman announcing the three restored keyboard instruments at the Horniman Museum

Mimi Waitzman introducing the three keyboard instruments which the Horniman Museum has bought from the sale of the collection at Finchcocks, and announcing the series of concerts and masterclasses September 10^th – 12th

A sketch of the key action

The picture shows Dominic’s contribution to the booklet, a diagrammatic measured sketch of the key action, which is most unusual, with keys which are weighted to rest under the key rails at the front, and the stickers resting not on the tail of the keys as usual in these chamber organs, but on a register with the stickers just above the keys.  Setting the action up involved an exact estimate of the effect the humidity might have on the key action. 

Gerard Verloop has written a new booklet about the Pilcher chamber organ now at Zuid Scharwoude in the Netherlands.

Gerard Verloop has written a new booklet about the Pilcher chamber organ now at Zuid Scharwoude in the Netherlands.  It will presumably become available from the church’s online shop at http://www.koogerkerk.nl/winkel/winkel.htm

Gerard Verloop’s thoroughly researched history is the main attraction of this attractive organ, one of the last to be built in a Georgian style.  Not many domestic organs have such a complete story, the star being a watercolour of one Macdowall sister playing the organ to the other in the drawing room of their house in Baker Street.  Tragically, the musical sister had died just before the delivery of the organ.

A concert at 7.15pm at the Horniman Museum in London on Thursday 12th September

And a concert at 7.15pm, see https://www.horniman.ac.uk/visit/events/solo-concert-stephen-farr

Opening events of the recently-restored late Georgian chamber organ at the Horniman Museum

On the attrib. Joseph Beloudy chamber organ at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill S.E. London, there will be a masterclass 2-5pm on Thursday (12.9.2019), see https://www.horniman.ac.uk/get_involved/blog/in-the-company-of-finchcocks-chamber-organ-masterclass-with-stephen-farr

Installed Peter Conacher organ at St Patrick’s Bradford

The newly-installed Peter Conacher organ at St Patrick’s RC Bradford.  The church is in the diocese of Leeds whose Bishop Marcus Stock is determined to expand the mission and teaching of the Church https://www.stpatricksmission.co.uk/about .  As a result this church has stayed open and is administered by the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal https://www.cfrfranciscans.co.uk/about

Installed organ showing the new treble side panelling

The organ was installed in a niche originally intended for an altar-shrine, in the north aisle halfway down the nave, where it fits well.  The new treble side panelling (facing east) is almost indistinguishable from the rest of the casework.

Installation at St Patrick’s Bradford with Chris Davies tuning

The organ was installed in its new home in the week of August 5^th: the church of St Patrick’s Roman Catholic Bradford.  Chris Davies is tuning the basses of the Stopped Diapason

Nick planing up new panels for the treble side

The organ’s new position meant that a new treble side panel was needed, made by Nick Hagen, with graining in the style of the original.  The leather buttons were all corroded onto the threaded tracker end wires, so wires and buttons were replaced in the traditional manner.  The pedalboard was falling to pieces, and was repaired with new cloth strips and washers.  The key action was set again by Edward.

Fifteenth C with a label and number

The lowest pipes of each rank bear a label for Peter Conacher, and the list number, in this case 958, which should help to date the organ more accurately.  On the Fiffteenth C pipe body, there is also the number 1252, which may suggest a later change of stop, though there are no other signs.

Name plate

The characteristic Peter Conacher name plate

Starting to remove thethe Peter Conacher organ at St Michael’s Hudswell

Starting to remove the ca1890 Peter Conacher organ from St Michaels and All Angels Hudswell, near Richmond in North Yorkshire, where the church has been made redundant.  The organ was made for Kirby Malzeard Methodist Church, and moved to Hudswell in 1934, according to newspaper used in re-adjusting the bearers of the wind chest.  In August 2019 it was re-installed in St Patrick’s Roman Catholic church Bradford

Ludlow study Day

On Saturday July 20th the church at Ludlow organised a study day to coincide with a regular lunchtime concert by Peter Dyke on their Nicholson/Gray & Davison/Snetzler organ. It included an introduction to the larger of the two Early English Organ Project organs, by Dominic, and playing and blowing by organists at the study day.

Ellie assisting with assembly

Ellie (Nick’s daughter) doing some work experience post GCSEs assisting with gluing and assembling the top case

FOR SALE English chamber organ, in the style of a 17th century consort organ

This organ was made last year, in 2018, on spec, in the hope that it would excite viol players, who rarely play with the organ which would have been played by the composers of the music they are playing (Byrd, Gibbons, Tomkins, etc.).  The 4½ stops are all made of wood, narrow scaled, with speech and tone very similar to the viols themselves.  Its details can be found on our website page https://www.goetzegwynn.co.uk/organ/consort-organ-in-17th-century-englis-style-made-for-hire/  One of the reasons behind its design was to provide the two pitches at which sets of viols were made in the 17^th century in England.  At the moment the organ is in Brussels.  We are selling it for £48,000.00 (+ VAT)

FOR SALE Italian positive organ in 17th century style

As Edward and Dominic come to the end of their careers, and start to hand over to the next generation of organ builders at Welbeck, we would like to sell two organs which still belong to G&G.  The first is this chamber organ based closely on the ca1700 organ which we restored for Sheila Lawrence (which came to England from Lucca in the 1930s), made in 1996.  Its details can be found on our website page https://www.goetzegwynn.co.uk/organ/italian-positive-organ-in-17th-century-style/.  Its authenticity was praised by Luigi Tagliavini who played it at one of its first public concerts.  It has been used for a number of recordings, particularly by His Majesty’s Sackbuts and Cornets.  It is still in excellent condition.  We would like £36,000.00 (+ VAT) for it.

Moving the Croft Castle organ with Pietro Pasquini and Ilic Colzani

The Samuel Green chamber organ which used to be in the chapel at Dinmore Manor and has stood in the principal bedroom at Croft castle for the last eight years has been sold at auction at Sothebys, and has been bought by the Italian organist/keyboard player/teacher Pietro Pasquini for use in his music room.  Here he is being assisted by the organ builder Ilic Colzani http://www.colzaniorgani.it/it/index.php and also by Dominic