A recent 999 emergency call found us working in Sherborne Abbey to help set up a short-term hire instrument as internal building works demanded the pipe organ be wrapped up in plastic to prevent any dust damage that might develop from stonework adjacent to the pipe case. With only a few days’ notice to set the instrument up and a couple of our key team on holiday, I could not escape contributing myself to the on-site work, even though we drafted in some of our skilled ‘ad hoc’ resources from the Isle of Wight.
After a two and a half hour drive, we gathered at the Abbey at 10.00 am on what was the last day of a music festival. This constrained working hours. Installing was scheduled for 3 time windows. 10.00am to 12.00pm, 2.00pm to 5.00pm and then after 9.00pm.
The Pipe Organ at Sherborne Abbey
As always if opportunity allows, I sneak a view of the pipe organ we are working alongside, and the Abbey instrument is certainly a great example of a high quality pipe instrument in fully restored condition. The original instrument was built by Gray & Davison based on an instrument they built for the Great Exhibition in 1851. Later a remote console was added during a rebuild by Walker.
Tracker action was reinstated in 1987 when a complete rebuild was undertaken by Bishop & Sons. It was interesting to see that a small west end division was added by Ken Tickell in 2005 to help support a full building. This is a feature that we add occasionally to large churches where the additional cost is much less in digital form as we don’t need a blower and all the woodwork needed to drive real pipes.
Good planning and preparation helps
Happily, good planning meant the challenge was not too stressful. My colleague Richard Patt had called in a few days before and agreed a plan with the Abbey staff. We were consequently able to prepare cables and terminals in advance. Space above the choir stalls was comfortably accessible from ladders avoiding the need for scaffolding.
With almost unheard-of speed, we had the console and speakers in and working before we had to withdraw at midday to allow an event rehearsal. This gave us a relaxed lunch opportunity at the nearby Half Moon pub where I was booked in for the night.
Looking forward to a powerful Tuba stop
We returned at 2.00pm to begin the job of defining which stops played from which speakers and at what sound power levels. The current organ scholar was looking forward to having a powerful Tuba stop which the pipe organ did not offer. I have almost lost count of the number of customers who look forward to this facility so often not available on their church organs.
The work of sonic set up was made relatively easy by the magical acoustic in which we worked. While we set the instrument up on both north and south sides of the choir the sound mixed so quickly it was hard to distinguish which speaker group we had set a particular stop to play through. So, getting the chorus volume balances correct and the relative levels of the pedal, swell and choir departments was the focus of the afternoons work. This is known as regulation rather than voicing.
Our colleague Richard Goodall spent a day the following week adjusting speech, chiff etc and selecting alternative voice models that created an instrument that better fitted the space than the one we left the week before.
Evensong at Sherborne Abbey
With our work done by about 4.30 and staying that evening in Sherborne before heading for Gatwick the following morning, I decided to remain for Evensong and also sat in the Abbey for the choir rehearsal as this provided an opportunity the hear the pipe organ, the last time it will be played for perhaps a year.
The organ scholar was at the console while DoM James Henderson took the rehearsal. The choir must have been close to 40 in number with all members dressed in lovely strong red cassocks gathering in the stalls from about 5.00 pm. The treble line is made up of both boys and girls but midweek evensongs is often exclusively just the girls. This was the case for my visit with ages ranging from perhaps 6 to 12. The enjoyment the gathering got from working together under James’s guidance was obvious. Despite the organist being quite remote and only having sight of James via a TV monitor, the rehearsal was clearly a relaxed challenge also assisted by the great acoustic in which they performed.
Shortly before the service started the choir procession could be seen gathering behind the north side choir stalls, now with surplices adorning the red cassocks. Their procession to the choir stalls helped create a magnificent sense of order and peace in contrast to the wider world in chaotic form sitting outside the Abbey walls.
The service began with ‘I Sat Down’ by Bairstow and the anthem was ‘He Delivered the Poor’ by Parry. The service concluded with a delightful movement from a Bach Trio BWV 525 that showed off just a few stops in delightful manner. Less is so often more when it comes to organ registration plans!
I have not attended an evensong for many years despite it personally being a very beautiful musical event. The solemnity, dignity, order and pattern of the service is so consistent, that it affords a very tranquil and comforting atmosphere in which to contemplate thoughts that at other times may be stressful to visit. Whether or not you believe in Father, Son, and Holy Ghost it is impossible not to be moved by the words and music presented regularly in Evensong and especially so when heard in sacred spaces like Sherborne Abbey, that illustrate the extraordinary skill and effort our ancestors made in medieval times to respect their powerful belief in the Almighty creator of our people and universe.
Evensong remains a huge foundation stone of our great musical tradition that has inspired composition and performance for well over 500 hundred years. It is important that these skills and inspirational activities are sustained for the future. We all must attend more services to help those involved see more people joining in to share the magical and comforting time they create that allows us all a little relief from the ever-rising pressures of daily life.
The below audio file was recorded on the Hire Envoy 350-FV in Sherborne Abbey. The composer is Matt Dury and the organist is David Arkell.
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.
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