West Sussex Organists' Association

This site is packed with information about the activities of the Association, as well as lots of colour photographs of many splendid instruments both from this county and others.

The WSOA is one of the most active of the county Organists' Associations making trips both within England and to the Continent.

Look at the photos in the site. We hope that you will join the Association. You can read excerpts from our quarterly newsletter online, but why not join and get the newsletter delivered to your home, days before the web publication.

We have recently completed the Millennium Survey of Pipe Organs in West Sussex, a volume which has been greatly admired, and has sold very well. We have made a modest profit on the book and it is already into its third printing! Please go the Millennium Book Page on this site to view the introductory pages of the book. If you want to purchase a copy, please write to The Organist, Chichester Cathedral, Chichester, West Sussex.

We are affiliated to the Incorporated Association of Organists (IAO) which publishes the excellent "Organists' Review". Keep in touch with the world of the pipe organ by joining us and also taking the OR.

The President's Piece

Happy Easter

to everyone! I always enjoy that moment in the First Eucharist of Easter when the organ sounds at proper volume and in full festal glory for the first time after a long Lent. This year, our Acting Assistant Organist Simon Lawford played Tournemire Victimae Paschali at the end of the service and the Cathedral Organ somehow sounded louder than before after all those weeks of quiet choral preludes.

The lighter days and better weather (we hope) should enable us all to get out and enjoy some live organ music this term. In the Cathedral lunchtime series we have organ recitals from Donald Hunt - a Canadian organist, John Mountford (one of the Cathedral‘s former Organ Scholars) and John Dilworth (this year‘s Organ Scholar). John will also be giving the short recital at the end of the President‘s Evening, and I think you will be impressed by this talented 18 year old who will be leaving us in July to take up an Organ Scholarship at Magdalene College Cambridge.

The Southern Cathedrals Festival will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and Thomas Trotter will be giving the Celebrity Organ Recital. This should be an excellent social event for the Association and a good opportunity to turn out in force to support Thomas. Please also have a look at the brochure and come to some of the other concerts if you are free, or come and join in the singing of some of S.5. Wesley‘s hymns which will be featured in the services throughout the Festival!

Programme for 2011

John Collins' recommendation for the 2011 Silbermann trip

Unless you are very confident with your pedal technique, it would be wise to learn only those pieces with a simple pedal part or for manuals alone, as the seventeenth century pedal board takes some getting used to, and you won't have a great deal of time to practice on these instruments.

I suggest you choose half a dozen pieces or an album from this selection; that should be ample. Many of the pieces can be played with varying registrations, and Silbermann produced some very fine and diverse stops which will be exciting to explore. Ed

I thoroughly recommend this concert which is being performed by the Cathedral Organist playing music ideally suited to this most beautiful instrument. This promises to be a most worthwhile and enjoyable evening. DO try and come along, and encourage your friends as well.

If you want a copy of the flyer in pdf to print out and post on a notice board, please email myself or Malcolm Hawke.

Ed.

Chichester Cathedral - Lunchtime Concerts

For current events, please visit www.chichestercathedral.org.uk and click "Skip Intro" and then "What's On".

TUESDAYS 1.10 - 2.00 p.m.

Westbourne Church organ

Mark Burgess has recorded a trumpet tune by William Boyce on the new Kenneth Tickell organ at Westbourne church. If you have Windows Media Player, click here to hear it [WMA file, 2Mb. Total time: 2:32].

Contact

To find out more details, please e-mail the secretary Malcolm Hawke, at ikb13@tiscali.co.uk

Membership

Membership of the Association is open to anyone having an interest in the pipe organ and organ music. We try to cater for all tastes, and have recently visited theatre organs as well as classical pipe organs, although it is fair to say that the emphasis is on the more traditional instruments.

Objectives

To advance the education of, and appreciation in, the art and science of the organ and its music by the presentation of recitals, lectures, demonstrations and visits, and by such other means as the Society shall from time to time determine.

How to Join

Please print out the membership application form which is in Word format - 21Kb -and send it to the secretary with your remittance. We are encouraging members to use standing orders as well as gift aid, so if you wish to help the association in this way please indicate on the application form.

Please return your completed application form to The Hon. Sec., Mr W M Hawke, 'Pengegon', 13 St Flora's Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex BN17 6BD enclosing a cheque for £10.00 single or £15.00 joint for the current year's membership. Please make this payable to The West Sussex Organists' Association.

Sherborne and English Organ School, September 2005

The Restored Hill Organ - Arundel Cathedral

The long awaited restoration of the Hill organ has been undertaken by David Wells Organ Builders Ltd of Liverpool. The work focussed on overcoming the unreliable playing action, curing the unsteadiness and inadequacy of the winding system and rectifying some of the tonal excesses incorporated over recent years. A new electro-pneumatic action has been installed throughout the instrument whilst two new wind reservoirs give a better supply of wind. Tonally the organ has been restored to a scheme very close to the one that existed between 1873 & 1931. Stops have either been restored or replaced to meet this objective.

A magnificent new oak console has been provided which loosely reflects the Hill fashion of the late nineteenth century. The original stop knobs have been skilfully incorporated.

When looking up at the case, the viewer will not fail to notice the re-instated horizontal trumpet with eleven pipes projecting high over the centre of the case. This stop is a fascinating and remarkable historical element and provides a most useful additional tone colour to the organ. This is no 'fanfare' trumpet as one would find, say at Lancing College, but a louder and somewhat freer option to the other chorus reeds. When added to the other full choruses, the 'solo trumpet' blends in suitably well to give that little extra theatrical 'bite'.

The organ case has been repolished with the front pipes superbly restored by Jenny Duffy of Northants. The whole effect is of a glittering musical jewel placed under the dramatic west end rose window.

A few lessons from Europe - Don't be late or you will have to stand!!

Following my recent 5 week stay in Germany I feel obliged to share a few thoughts with you all. I managed to drag my long suffering wife along to a few recitals that happened to be on in the area and we were both in for a surprise. Seeing a series of recitals on Tuesdays in Köln Cathedral we decided to arrive 15 minutes before the start time in order to secure a reasonable seat. To our amazement 15minutes before the start time 2000 hrs meant there was NO seat. Like many others arriving at this time we had to stand, lean on a pillar or sit on the floor. The cathedral was packed, some folk had even brought their own folding chairs. Needless to say the recital was exciting with both the 4 manual chancel organ and 3 manual nave division being used to great effect. (No trifling affair the nave organ but a substantial 3 manual organ gracefully hanging just below the roof some 80 feet above the nave floor. Seeing is believing in this case). On another occasion we turned up for a concert of organ, violin and two sopranos in a substantial church in a suburb of Solingen only to find we had to stand along with about 20 others!

We decided to arrive very early for all future recitals and this paid off. We always got a good seat. The concerts were mostly full to capacity. Concerts were almost always FREE with a collection taken at the end. We only had to buy an entrance ticket once, and that was for an organ and trumpet recital which was part of the Stuttgart festival. (A lunchtime event in a huge church˜absolutely packed out.) We turned up 30 minutes before the event and got a pair of the last tickets available. So why are the concerts so well attended? Or did we just attend those that happened to have a full house? All the playing was of a high standard and there were interesting programmes too although I must confess that the two Guillou pieces I heard left me baffled. They seem impenetrable to me. Most of the audience were in the same boat as no one could discern when the music had finished and therefore applause came after a substantial pregnant pause. Perhaps someone can direct my listening to this modern composer. The music seems to be a series of fast fragments (scraps) with no discernable theme or melody available.

The famous Klais organ at the Altenberg Dom was just 15 miles away from our first base in Germany. There are 3 concerts a week plus special events. This truly remarkable organ of 1980 is about to be dismantled and cleaned. The sound on a CD is very compelling but in the flesh it is quite something else. Altenberg is in the middle of nowhere but has a very lively musical and artistic life. Who know... it could be a base for a future overseas visit by WSOA!!

A Message from the past President in our 60th Anniversary Year, 2006

In 2006 the West Sussex Organists Association celebrated its 60^th anniversary. The membership of the WSOA includes many organ enthusiasts as well as players, and many friendships are made as we all meet together socially during the course of the year to visit organs within the County and beyond, to play the instruments or to hear them played, and to learn more about the organ as an instrument and the repertoire of organ music. If you play the organ or enjoy listening to organ music, why not join us? We would be very pleased to hear from you.

Congratulations to our President, Dr Alan Thurlow, who has recently received a Doctorate from Lambeth Palace.

Ancient Churches of Sussex - K & J Whiteman

Perusing the shelves of a large bookseller recently, I came across a book entitled "Ancient Churches of Sussex" by Ken and Joyce Whiteman. It is a complete gazetteer of all parish churches in East and West Sussex built before 1800. The authors claim to have visited every one, and although the information on each is not extensive, it is a useful companion. I keep my copy in the car, and it has given me much pleasure. Published by S.B.Publications at £6.99, it could be a useful companion to the WSOA Millennium Survey of the Pipe Organs of West Sussex, of which there are still copies available for sale from the President.


May 17th.	19.30 Sarah Baldock FRCO	The President‘s Evening at Chichester Cathedral with a short recital to conclude
11th June	Rail trip to CROYDON	Visit Croydon‘s most notable organs using Southern Day Save tickets at £5 per head
24th September	Trip to OXFORD	Visit Merton College chapel organ and other notable instruments. A real feast, with a minibus for transport
13th October	7.30 pm AGM	Held at St Wilfred‘s, Bognor Regis, with a demonstration of the organ by Rex Latter and an opportunity to play the instrument.