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Hon. Secretary, Dorset Association of Organists
Nigel Webb
Tel: 01 929 553 375
Email: nigel.r.webb@btopenworld.com
The Dorset Association of Organists (DAO) welcomes all those with an interest in the pipe organ, its construction and its music whether or not they play the instrument themselves.
The Association usually holds nine meetings a year at various locations throughout Dorset. There are usually no meetings during August, December and January. The Annual General Meeting is held in late March.
The meetings cover a wide range of topics related to the organ and its music, as well as to choirs, and sometimes the role of music in the liturgy. There are visits to hear and play organs, talks and classes on playing the organ and on interpreting organ music, talks and demonstrations on organ building, maintenance and tuning, recitals by members and an occasional celebrity recital, an annual coach outing to a cathedral or similar major location, and social events including an annual dinner. From time to time there are sales of second hand music.
Members receive the Associations own Newsletter four times a year. This contains details of the forthcoming meetings, IAO news, news about members, announcements including vacancies for organists, and a diary of local recitals and concerts.
The Dorset Association of Organists is affiliated to the Incorporated Association of Organists. This enables DAO members to participate in all IAO activities and entitles them to all the benefits and services provided by the IAO. DAO members can subscribe at a reduced rate to the IAO magazine Organists Review.
The Association is a Registered Charity No. 277303.
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The subscription is £10 per year payable at the Annual Meeting.
A second member at the same address may join for a subscription of £5 per year.
For those under the age of 18 and students in full time education membership is free.
The annual subscription does not include a subscription to the Organists' Review.
To join the Association contact the Hon. Secretary.
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Meetings 2011/12 | |
| (Full details available from the Hon. Secretary) | |
| Saturday 14th May 2011 | Visit by cars to Tisbury and Warminster beginning at 10.45am.
We meet at 10.45am at St Johns Church, Tisbury. St Johns, which maintains a fine musical tradition, has two organs. In the nave there is a Father Willis from 1887 in a case which dates from 1987. Its specification is Great 8,8,8,4,4,2,III,8; Swell 16,8,8,8,8,4,2,8,8; Pedal 16,16. In the St Andrews Chapel (formerly the chancel) is a single manual organ (8,8,8,4) by Gilks of Peterborough and installed here from a redundant church in the 1972. Members should make their own arrangements for lunch before meeting at the Minster Church of St Denys, Warminster at 1.30pm. St Denys has a fine instrument of three manuals and pedals and 32 stops. It contains pipework from the original G.P. England organ of 1792.. Over the years there has been work by on several occasions by W.G.Vowles of Bristol, by Hill Norman and Beard in 1963 and most recently Griffith & Cooper in 2006. After tea we shall visit the nearby Chapel of St Laurence. Here there is a very interesting Scudamore organ built by Nelson Hall of Warminster in 1860 and in original condition. Scudamore organs were a design of small organ developed by the Revd John Baron of Upton Scudamore. The village from which the organ derives its name lies just a mile or so to the west of Warminster. This instrument consists of an Open Diapason 8, Stopped Diapason treble and bass 8 and Principal 4 with pedal pull downs. The console sits at a right angle to the case. |
| Saturday 4th June 2011 | Visit to Winterborne Kingston, Bloxworth and East Morden.
We meet at 2.15pm at St Nicholas Church, Winterborne Kingston. Here is a delightful small organ built by Bevington in 1885. It has a single manual 8, 8t,8t, 8b, 4 II with pedal pull downs. At 3.30pm we shall meet at St Andrews Church, Bloxworth. The organ here was built by Bishop and Starr in 1872 and has a single manual 8t,8b,8,8,4,2. With an octave of pedal pull downs with a 16 Bourdon. Although a 6 stop Swell was planned this was never installed. Finally, to St Mary, East Morden. Here is one of only four organs known to have been built by E.B. Maley before he joined with Young and Oldknow. It was built in 1875 and has Great 8.8.8.4; Swell 8.8.4.2.8; Ped 16. |
| Saturday 16th July 2011 | Bring and Play at 2.15 pm at St Laurence, Upwey.
Meet at 2.15 pm at St Laurences. Members are invited to prepare and play a short piece (maximum length 5 minutes) to share with other members. At 4.00pm we shall adjourn to the Wishing Well Caf, next door, for a cream tea. |
| September 2011 | Recital by Cathy Lamb at St Marys Church Weymouth at 1.00pm on either 7,14,21 September. At the moment no further details are available about this event. |
| Saturday 1st October 2011 | 10.15am IAO Regional Organ Day, Salisbury Full details and booking arrangements are available on the IAO Web site. |
| November 2011 | The Committee are exploring the suggestion made at the AGM of holding a lunch in place of the Annual Dinner. The likely date for this will be 19th November. Full details will be in the August Newsletter. |
| February/March2012 | In 2012 the Meetings will be as usual, a Skittles Evening 18th February and the Annual General Meeting in March. |
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The inaugural meeting of the Association was held on the 5th November 1937 in Weymouth when it was decided to form the Dorset Association of Organists . The early years of the Association were difficult and membership was very low during the war years but gradually membership grew and today stands at close to 100. Originally, the Association catered for an area from Poole in the east to the Dorset/Devon border in the west and northwards into the middle of the County. However, in recent years it has drawn members from the whole of Dorset and in 2406 the membership decided to change the name of the Association to the Dorset Association of Organists. The new name became effective from 1st January 2007. The Association has close links with neighbouring Associations and from time to time holds joint meetings. The catchment area of the Association is a predominantly rural and many of the members are organists of country town and village churches. However, some members do not play the organ at all and are purely interested in the instrument and its music.
Wellstead, J.B. (1987) South Dorset Organists' Association - 50 years: a history compiled from the records of the Association.
Thorning, M.R. & Webb, N.R. (1989) The Organs of South Dorset: an inventory of organs within the Association's area.
Webb, N.R., Wellstead, J.B. & Smith D.T. (eds) (1997) Diamond Jubilee Year Souvenir Book.
1997 Diamond Jubilee Music Collection. Nine pieces composed by Association members.*
* = currently out of print, second hand copies occasionally available