It has been a very demanding year for organ hires. In fact the demand seems to have no end in sight with two more just booked for September to cover pipe organ rebuilds in London and Bromley. From this insight into the ‘pipe organ world’ I would say that the work out there has never been greater and one must wonder what damage the recent long spell of very hot weather may have done to some of our church instruments, so what is in store for 2019!
Hire Organ due to major building work
The requirement at St Bartholomew’s Crewkerne however was not related to work on the organ but to major building work on the west end window. Sensibly knowing this would create much dust, a pipe organs real enemy, St Bartholomew’s pipe organ was to be covered in plastic sheeting and effectively mothballed for the time of the building work.
We were requested to provide a loan instrument which was installed in early August. Our console sits close to the pipe organ console but allows the musician direct sight lines to the altar that sits under the crossing. 4 external speaker cabinets have been paced inside the organ above the main wind chest with a bass speaker nearby on the church floor.
Power to the organ blowers has been isolated so there is no danger of inadvertent use of the instrument, although the speakers are placed in a way that would not have caused any damage had the wind chest sprung into life.
I was able to play the pipe organ so we could get the volume of our instrument at more or less the same level. Sadly the ‘west end’ chamade of the pipe organ had already been removed to allow the scaffold to go up so I was denied the pleasure of using and listening to a stop that I guess most of us would really love to have available.
Growing list of churches requiring a temporary organ
This adds to the impressive list of places this year that have relied on a Viscount or Regent Classic organ to maintain worship:-
- St Mary’s Church, Melton Mowbray
- Canterbury Cathedral (Regent Classic)
- Tewkesbury Abbey
- Hull Minster
- York Minster
- St Bride’s Church, Fleet Street
- St Mary the Virgin, Mortlake
- St Mary Magdalen, Oxford
- Croydon Minster
- Wells Cathedral
If you or your church is interested in hiring an organ please get in contact with us. On our Hire an Organ page you can find out more about what we can offer and our pricing for this service.
I have had a passion for church organs since the tender age of 12. I own and run Viscount Organs with a close attention to the detail that musicians appreciate; and a clear understanding of the benefits of digital technology and keeping to the traditional and emotional elements of organ playing.
Greetings Mr Mason,
An unsolicited e-mail from you just now reminded me that we were in touch weeks ago but didn’t resolve the options regarding the Viscount Canticus instrument that you had for sale. (It is the model without pistons I gather). Is it still unsold? (On a separate subject: I knew the Crewkerne set up because I lived in Yeovil until I recently moved to Loughborogh. Regards David Rogers