In October this year I found myself for the first time visiting St Mary’s Melton Mowbray. My only knowledge of this church was as a venue where Carlo Curley often played organ battles with his touring organ set up in the nave. Carlo lived nearby and so was a regular visitor.
An Organ just in time for Christmas
We had been called in to provide a hire instrument. The church was nearing the completion of a £2 million renovation which included a complete overhaul of the pipe organ. While building works were due for completion by the end of November the organ would not be back until the spring of 2018 so a temporary instrument was needed before Christmas.
Happily, this was an easy installation as an ideal speaker platform was available in the form of the choir screen. It was very wide and about 4 feet deep and 12 foot above ground. The higher in the building you can place the speakers generally the better the result will be. In that regard we often provide a scaffold tower if the hire is to be for any length of time but at St Mary’s thanks to the very good screen this was not needed.
Installation of the Rental Organ
And so it was on Monday November 27th we attended to install our instrument. In the end 6 speakers were placed on the screen with the full instrument split between them. 2 speakers were also placed on the south transept along with the large bass sub woofer to reinforce the sound and allow projection more subtly into the nave.
As you will see the church now has a fine new floor and with the large space a really good acoustic which is the final ingredient to make any instrument, pipe or digital sound really majestic.
You will find 3 recordings made by Jeremy after he completed the voicing. There are unfortunately some background noises as the preparation for the Christmas Tree Festival was in full flow. Even so you will get a good impression of just how successful the set up is.
Bach Trio Sonata:
Durufle Veni Creator:
Mendelsohn:
Interested in a permanent church organ?
If you are interested to know, this instrument (Envoy 35-F) on the same scale of audio system can usually be installed in a church for about £20,000 including VAT. To the best of our knowledge this is less than any of our competitors for a similar sized instrument and audio. Do not make the mistake I did when buying my first of 3 digital home organs (from another leading brand and long before I purchased Viscount) to base your view of quality on the instrument price. Let your judgement be guided by your ears.
We believe that you will be delighted by the results from our software based physical modelling sound engine whether you are buying for home or church use and even more surprised when you compare the final price with other instruments you might consider!
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.
