Organ Project!
No sermon from me this week, but please read about our Organ Project.
The organ that we have at Saint Martin’s was built originally in 1870 and would have served in a small chapel or private house. The organ was moved to Saint Martin’s some time in the 1950’s. The organ was never really powerful enough for the building especially when we are full such as at Christmas or my Collation.
The Saint Martin’s organ was built with just 10 stops and a single manual. It has been proposed by the PCC that we aim to buy a brand new digital organ early in the new year. The cost of the new organ is likely be just over £10,000 + VAT. This may seem like a huge sum but when you consider that my previous parish spent over a quarter of a million pounds on an organ this amount becomes quite realistic, and even more realistic when you know that I have been able to obtain a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of the organ from the City Parochial Fund through Archdeacon Paul.
The proposed new organ, subject to faculty, has a carefully chosen traditional specification of 31 speaking stops and two full compass 61 note manuals with a 32 note pedalboard. The emphasis is on quality of tone rather than an extensive stop list. This instrument is particularly suitable for the accompaniment of congregational singing, and has more ‘weight’ in the Pedal department plus a 16’ reed on the Swell. The organ will have its own custom build audio system with speakers up high on the west wall, in a decorative case and also in the quire area of the church and this system will help produce the character of a very good pipe organ! We hope to buy a Wyvern Sonata CH6 Digital organ (pictured below).
No sermon from me this week, but please read about our Organ Project.
The organ that we have at Saint Martin’s was built originally in 1870 and would have served in a small chapel or private house. The organ was moved to Saint Martin’s some time in the 1950’s. The organ was never really powerful enough for the building especially when we are full such as at Christmas or my Collation.
The Saint Martin’s organ was built with just 10 stops and a single manual. It has been proposed by the PCC that we aim to buy a brand new digital organ early in the new year. The cost of the new organ is likely be just over £10,000 + VAT. This may seem like a huge sum but when you consider that my previous parish spent over a quarter of a million pounds on an organ this amount becomes quite realistic, and even more realistic when you know that I have been able to obtain a grant of £5,000 towards the cost of the organ from the City Parochial Fund through Archdeacon Paul.
The proposed new organ, subject to faculty, has a carefully chosen traditional specification of 31 speaking stops and two full compass 61 note manuals with a 32 note pedalboard. The emphasis is on quality of tone rather than an extensive stop list. This instrument is particularly suitable for the accompaniment of congregational singing, and has more ‘weight’ in the Pedal department plus a 16’ reed on the Swell. The organ will have its own custom build audio system with speakers up high on the west wall, in a decorative case and also in the quire area of the church and this system will help produce the character of a very good pipe organ! We hope to buy a Wyvern Sonata CH6 Digital organ (pictured below).
The Diocesan Organ Advisor, Paul Isom, has been involved with this proposal from a very early stage and was responsible for much of the system design with myself and the proposed organ builder.
I would like to see this organ installed in Saint Martin’s by March 15th 2008, the day before Palm Sunday. This means that we will have the new organ in place for the Easter Festivities. If we are to achieve this we have to raise the rest of the money. This is being looked into and many events planned including concerts, dances and a festival of Christmas music. We will also be selling “bonds” as we did to fund the replacement of the kitchen. If you would like to help with the funding of this new instrument please contact me also if you have any ideas for fundraising please also contact me.
Wyvern Organs will be kindly lending us a similar organ to use over the Christmas period. We will have it in place for the Saint Martin’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Sunday December 16th for which my father-in-law, John Knight, is playing. Also on Friday 14th December we will be having a “Festival of Christmas Music” with Jeremy Allen, the Director of Music from Saint Laurence, Upminster, on the Organ, to raise money towards this project, followed by Mince Pies and Mulled Wine.
Please “get behind” this project as this new organ, together with the younger members choir studying for the Royal School of Church Music Voice for Life awards, can only help to enhance the music and worship of our church.
Many Blessings, Gareth.
I would like to see this organ installed in Saint Martin’s by March 15th 2008, the day before Palm Sunday. This means that we will have the new organ in place for the Easter Festivities. If we are to achieve this we have to raise the rest of the money. This is being looked into and many events planned including concerts, dances and a festival of Christmas music. We will also be selling “bonds” as we did to fund the replacement of the kitchen. If you would like to help with the funding of this new instrument please contact me also if you have any ideas for fundraising please also contact me.
Wyvern Organs will be kindly lending us a similar organ to use over the Christmas period. We will have it in place for the Saint Martin’s Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Sunday December 16th for which my father-in-law, John Knight, is playing. Also on Friday 14th December we will be having a “Festival of Christmas Music” with Jeremy Allen, the Director of Music from Saint Laurence, Upminster, on the Organ, to raise money towards this project, followed by Mince Pies and Mulled Wine.
Please “get behind” this project as this new organ, together with the younger members choir studying for the Royal School of Church Music Voice for Life awards, can only help to enhance the music and worship of our church.
Many Blessings, Gareth.
