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ALTON ORGAN SOCIETY (Founded 1967) Patrons - David Sanger, David Hill and Dame Gillian Weir DBE |
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INTRODUCTION Message from the Chairman of the Organ Society Biographical details of the Organists Location - click MultiMap to see where we are located. PROGRAMMES 2007/2008 Season of Organ Concerts 2006/2007 Season of Organ Concerts 2005/2006 Season of Organ Concerts 2004/2005 Season of Organ Concerts 2003/2004 Season of Organ Concerts 2002/2003 Season of Organ Concerts LINKS Communigate - this is Hampshire (Alton Organ Society) For future recitals Nationally, see www.organrecitals.com North Hampshire Organ Association Oundle International Summer School for Young Organists) St Lawrence Parish Church, ALTON, Hampshire THE ORGAN History of the St Lawrence Parish Church Organ Details of the Specifications of the Organ
Click on GRAHAM BARBER for his biography
Click on DANIEL COOK for his biography
Click on OLIVER BRETT for biography
Click on ANNE PAGE for her biography
Click on ROBERT SHARPE for his biography
Click on DAVID BRIGGS for his biography
Click on DAVID SANGER for his biography
Click on MALCOLM ARCHER for his biography
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May 2009 07:57:23
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This Website will remain open but unchanged while the new
site continues to be constructed. Click ALTON ORGAN SOCIETY to gain access to the new, improved Website. I hope
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included on the new Website. ·
The 2008/2009 Season of Organ Concerts ended on a high
note with a wonderful concert given by Malcolm Archer (Winchester College
& formerly St Paul's & Wells Cathedrals). His choice of programme and
technical expertise in it's delivery was outstanding and proved to be popular
with the audience. ·
The 2009/2010 Programme of Organ Concerts is now
complete and the details can be seen by clicking 2009/2010 Season of Organ Concerts. Full details of individual programmes and recitalists'
biographies are almost complete. Cyril
Diplock (Founder of the Society) has, once again, organised an outstanding
programme or concerts to be given by both distinguished international and
national organists and those gifted musicians at the start of their musical
career - Oundle Award Winners. Admission - £8.00 at the door or £50
Season Membership which is equivalent to £6.25 for admission to each of the
eight Organ Concerts. Apart from David Sanger, all the performers during this
current season will be playing at Alton for the first time.
2009/2010 Season of Organ Concerts -
Celebrating the 43rd Year
2008/2009 Season of Organ Concerts - Celebrating the 42nd Year Back to top
2007/2008
Season Of Organ Concerts -
Celebrating the 41st Year Back to top
2006/2007 Season Of
Organ Concerts - Celebrating the 40th
Year Back to top
2005/2006 Season Of Organ Concerts Back to top
2004/2005 Season of Organ Concerts Back to top
Note 1 – this was the Alton Organ Society’s 300th Concert. 2003/2004
Season of Organ Concerts Back
to top
History of the Organ Society by the Chairman, Mr. Peter Ashworth Cyril Diplock, who was Organist at St Lawrence Parish Church, ALTON over 45 years established the Society soon after the organ was rebuilt in 1966. Cyril retired as organist in July 2006 but will continue to be closely associated with the Organ Society. The Society can boast that well over 330 organ concerts have been given on this fine instrument by recitalists of the highest international acclaim. It is reputed to be one of the longest running Organ Societies in existence. Francis Jackson, who at the time was Organist of York Minster, gave the first concert in December 1966, has played since on a number of occasions including in 1996 the start of the 30th year of the Society. He performed again on the 9th November 1999 and 7th January 2003. The distinguished international concert organist and teacher David Sanger who lives in Cumbria has given an annual concert at St Lawrence for over 30 years and he returns on the 31st March 2009. He most kindly agreed in 2000 to be the first Patron of the Society. I wish you a warm welcome to St Lawrence Parish Church Organ Society and to the forthcoming 2008/2009 Season of Organ Concerts. Please peruse the Website to discover the detailed programmes and pocket biographies of the Organists. 7 October 2008 – GRAHAM BARBER (St Bartholomew, Armley, LEEDS)
4 November 2008 – DANIEL COOK (Salisbury Cathedral)
2 December 2008 - OLIVER BRETT (Nominated by Oundle for Organists)
13 January 2009 - ANNE PAGE (Concert Organist, Cambridge)
10 February 2009 - ROBERT SHARPE (York Minster)
10 March 2009 – DAVID BRIGGS (Organ Emeritus, Gloucester Cathedral/Boston USA)
31 Mar 2009 - DAVID SANGER (International Concert Organist)
28 Apr 2009 - MALCOLM ARCHER (Winchester
College)
BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS OF THE ORGANISTS 7th October 2008 – GRAHAM BARBER (St Bartholomew, Armley, LEEDS) Click PROGRAMME to return to Graham's programme Graham Barber is one of Britain 's leading concert organists. He
is also well-known on the European continent as well as further afield.
Recent concert tours have taken him to the Czech Republic , Germany ,
Australia , the USA , Portugal and Norway . Since his solo début in London at
the Royal Festival Hall, Graham Barber has been constantly in demand. Reviewing
his first recording the Sunday Times described him as ‘a technically
brilliant, musically mature organist.’ He has made many subsequent recordings
both in English cathedrals ( Coventry , Norwich , Salisbury , Hereford ,
Ripon and Truro ) and in German and Dutch cathedrals and churches (Altenberg,
Ingolstadt , Osnabrück, Limburg, Villingen and Leeuwarden ), and has been
described in Gramophone magazine as ‘one of the organ world's finest
recording artists.’ Graham Barber has played in most
major venues in Britain , as well as in Europe, the Far East, Australia and
the United States , and has made many radio broadcasts. Recent concerts have
been at the Smetana Hall in Prague , St. Michael’s Church, Leipzig , the
Elder Hall in Adelaide , Stanford University ( California ), Grace Cathedral
( San Francisco ), King’s College, Cambridge , Santa Cruz in Braga ( Portugal
), Lillehammer in Norway , and Notre Dame in Paris . Recording projects for
Priory Records have included music by Herbert Howells, the complete organ
works of Percy Whitlock, C17/18 German and Dutch music on the Müller organ of
the Jacobijnerkerk, Leeuwarden , and Edwardian Music at Ripon Cathedral. For
ASV he has recorded music by J.S.Bach, Böhm, Buxtehude, and Krebs, and for
Hyperion by Reger, Franz Schmidt and Victorian composers. Forthcoming concerts
this autumn include Schagen ( Holland ), Hull University , Sheffield
Cathedral and Chorley ( Lancashire ). Professor of Performance Studies at the
University of Leeds and Visiting Tutor at the Royal Northern College of
Music, Manchester , Graham Barber has given masterclasses in Weimar ,
Enschede, Braga , Lisbon , Cologne and Lillehammer . He is also organist at
St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley. His recent DVD Organ Story charting the
restoration of the renowned Schulze organ there and featuring a performance
of the Reubke Sonata has been critically acclaimed. Graham Barber is the recipient of a
prestigious Fellowship from the National Endowment for Science, Technology
and the Arts which has allowed him to explore innovative ways of presenting
the organ in performance. 4th November 2008 – DANIEL COOK (Salisbury Cathedral) Click PROGRAMME to return to Daniel's programme Daniel Cook moved to Salisbury Cathedral as Assistant Director of Music in September, 2005. In addition to his work with the Cathedral Choirs his duties involve playing the organ for all major services, broadcasts concerts and recordings as well as being founder director of the newly formed Cathedral chamber choir. Outside of Salisbury he is Musical Director of the Grange Choral Society (a 160 strong mixed choir based in Christchurch), and will take up the position of Musical Director of the Salisbury based chamber choir, The Farrant Singers in January 2009. Daniel received his early musical education at Durham Cathedral with Keith Wright. Following a year as Organ Scholar at Worcester Cathedral, he moved to London to take up a place at the Royal Academy of Music where he studied with Nicolas Kynaston, James O'Donnell, and Patrick Russill and participated in master classes with many of the worlds leading organists including Marie-Claire Alain, Lionel Rogg and Jon Laukvik. While at the Academy, he worked as Organ Scholar at Southwark Cathedral and Westminster Abbey before graduating with first class honours in July, 2003. Whilst still a student, he was appointed Assistant Organist at Westminster Abbey where he participated in many important national and international services including the 50th anniversary of the Queen's Coronation. Daniel has twice been a finalist in the St Albans International Organ Competition. As a recitalist, he has played across England and Wales, as well as making appearances in Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Italy and Norway. Recent years have seen engagements in most of the cathedrals in Britain, several Oxbridge College Chapels and in Westminster Abbey's Summer Organ Festival. He is also well known as an accompanist and has worked with many of the distinguished vocal ensembles and choral groups in the UK such as the BBC Singers and the Holst Singers. His first solo organ recording (of the organ works of Sir Walter Alcock recorded in Salisbury Cathedral) will be released by Priory Records later this year. Current projects include a performance of the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen in six recitals to celebrate the centenary of his birth and a CD recording of contemporary organ music for the John Armitage Memorial and Choir and Organ magazine. 2nd December 2008 – OLIVER BRETT (Nominated by Oundle for Organists) Oliver was educated as a music and academic scholar at
Tonbridge School in Kent and then at King’s College, Cambridge as organ
scholar, from where he graduated in 2007 with an honours degree in
music. Since then Oliver has
been organ scholar at Westminster Cathedral in London , and last term, acting
Director of Music at Westminster Cathedral Choir School . In September, Oliver took up the post
of Assistant Director of Music and Organist at Felsted School in Essex and has
recently taken up the post of Director of Music at St. Philip’s Church,
,Earl’s Court Road in London. At King’s, Oliver was heard by millions worldwide through
numerous television and radio broadcasts, most notably the Festival of Nine
Lessons and Carols in 2006. As
well as accompanying the daily services at King’s, Oliver played in several
concerts in the USA, Singapore, South Korea, the Baltic States, Turkey,
Scandinavia, as well other venues throughout Europe and performed regularly
with orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra and the Academy of Ancient
Music. As a solo recitalist, Oliver has performed all over England as
well as in Holland , Canada and the USA , performing in venues such as
Washington ’s National Cathedral and St. Thomas ’s Church, Fifth Avenue , New
York City , and Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, Kansas City . Other past engagements have included
recitals in Westminster Abbey, Lichfield Cathedral and Worcester Cathedral as
part of the Three Choirs Festival.
In March this year, Oliver returned to King’s to perform Messiaen’s
Livre d’Orgue to mark the composer’s centenary. In July he gave a recital in St. John’s College ,
Cambridge as part of the Cambridge Summer Music Festival, and in August
returned to Holland and the USA .
Future engagements include three recitals as part of the Festival of
Sacred Music in Ecuador at Easter. A keen pianist, Oliver has been an active chamber musician,
performing works such as Schubert’s Winterreise, Britten’s Canticles,
Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto under Stephen Cleobury, and most
recently, Schubert’s last three piano sonatas in Westminster Cathedral Hall. Oliver is a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, having
passed both of his diplomas before leaving school with top prizes. He has studied the organ with Sarah
Baldock, Thomas Trotter and David Briggs. Click PROGRAMME to return to Oliver's programme 13th January 2009 - ANNE PAGE (Concert Organist, Cambridge) Click on PROGRAMME to return to Anne's programme Anne
Page is known in the UK and abroad as a musician who combines virtuosity with
versatility. Born and educated in Perth , Australia , she subsequently
studied in Europe with Marie-Claire Alain, Peter Hurford and Jacques van
Oortmerssen. Her London debut at the Royal Festival Hall in 1988 playing 20th
century masterpieces marked a commitment to contemporary music which led to
commissions and premieres of new works. It also led to international recital
appearances and broadcasts in Europe, the USA and Australia . Of
equal importance is her interest in historic instruments, their repertoire
and playing techniques which inform both her playing and teaching. She has
been closely involved with the Historic Organ Sound Archive, playing an
essential role in its organisation as well as researching and performing over
10 hours of recordings for the project. The HOSA project has been a pioneer
of the current trend towards free internet access for classical music - see
below for details. She continues to give talks to organists' associations
about this major resource for the study of English organs and their music and
has contributed articles on its use to several organ journals. Interest
in historical performance led to her engagement with the harmonium, an instrument
only recently receiving attention from scholars and musicians as a serious
medium for Romantic, early modern and contemporary music. She is acknowledged
as one of the country's leading experts and has appeared as soloist at the
Edinburgh, Three choirs and Oundle Festivals. The Royal Academy of Music
invited her to establish a course in Harmonium, the first in modern times at
any conservatory in the UK . She therefore succeeds Lemmens as Professor of
Harmonium, who was appointed at the RAM in 1869. During
eight years (1987-1994) as Artistic and Executive Director of the Cambridge
Summer Recitals she programmed many first performances of new works and
invited major recitalists from abroad to give UK debut recitals. Gaston
Litaize and Louis Thiry gave masterclasses for Cambridge organ scholars in
addition to their concerts. Anne has more recently been instrumental in
founding a charity for the education of organists, the Cambridge Academy of
Organ Studies which presents regular study days with distinguished scholars
and teachers and an annual summer course in Cambridge . As
the musical co-ordinator of the Historic Organ Sound Archive Anne Page has
been closely involved with this project since 2004 and has made recordings on
23 of the 45 organs which can be accessed for free via the British Institute
of Organ Studies (BIOS) website: www.bios.org.uk
and click on Historic Organ Sound Archive on the front page. 10th February 2009 - ROBERT SHARPE (York Minster) Click on PROGRAMME to return to Robert's programme ROBERT SHARPE was Director of Music at Truro Cathedral
September 2002 to August 2008, having previously held posts at Lichfield
Cathedral, St Albans Abbey and Exeter College , Oxford . His work centres around the daily choral tradition of Truro
Cathedral, with its magnificent liturgy and ceremonial and well-known choir
and in addition he performs frequently as an organ soloist and accompanist,
having played in many parts of Europe and the USA as well as major venues in
the UK . Recordings on the Truro
Cathedral organ include Volume X of the Great Cathedral Organs series, and
the complete organ music of Paul Spicer – Fanfares and Dances; both are on the Regent label. He has made numerous recordings with the cathedral choir; Pader
an Arleth, a disc of music written specially written for them, has
recently been reviewed: “Truro Choir…one of truly international quality, a
fact underlined by these richly satisfying performances…a gem of a disc”
(International Record Review).
Truro Cathedral Choir’s Gibbons album, Peace on Earth, was reviewed as number one choice for a single
composer compilation at Christmas 2007.
The choir’s most recent project, a recording of the complete
liturgical music of Louis Vierne, has recently been released and will be
followed by a special recording commissioned by the Dean and Chapter of
Carols from Truro in the Autumn. His work as Musical Director of Three Spires Singers has
included concerts with the Three Spires Orchestra and with the period
instrument ensemble, Charivari
Agréable. In 2007, he
conducted Bach’s St Matthew Passion and
Rachmaninov’s Vespers and in 2008,
Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. Sharpe’s teachers include Roger Bryan, the late Nicholas Danby
and David Sanger as well as those with whom he has had the privilege of
working, most notably Andrew Lumsden, Barry Rose and Paul Spicer. Robert Sharpe has a keen interest in liturgy and music and the
interplay between them, and also in food, interesting wines, real ale,
architecture, clocks and furniture.
He holds Fellowships of the Royal Society of Arts and the Royal
College of Organists and is a member of the Victorian Society and the Wine
Society. In 2008, he was made an
Honorary Fellow of the Guild of Church Musicians. In September 2008, Robert Sharpe succeeds Philip Moore as
Director of Music at York Minster. 10th March 2009 - DAVID BRIGGS (Organ Emeritus, Gloucester Cathedral/Boston USA) Click on PROGRAMME to return to David's programme David Briggs is an internationally renowned organist who has built a world-wide reputation as an innovative musician and dazzling performer. Increasingly sought after for his orchestral transcriptions and his art of improvisation, his performances are known for their musicality, virtuosity and ability to excite and engage audiences of all ages. David studied organ with Jean Langlais in Paris. The first British winner of the Tournemire Prize at the St Albans International Improvisation Competition, he also won the first prize in the International Improvisation Competition at Paisley. At the age of 17 he obtained his FRCO (Fellow of the Royal College of Organists) diploma, winning the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. Having held positions at Truro and Hereford Cathedrals and King’s College, Cambridge, where he was Organ Scholar, David Briggs is Organist Emeritus at Gloucester Cathedral, where he directed the music for eight years. While at Gloucester, he oversaw the complete rebuilding of the Cathedral organ by Nicholson, and directed the Three Choirs Festivals, conducting some of the UK’s finest professional orchestras, notably the Philharmonia. A gifted and inspirational teacher, David
regularly gives masterclasses at the Royal Northern College of Music and at
Oxford and Cambridge. He is frequently invited to serve on international
competition juries, and was Chairman of the Jury at Nurnberg in June 2007. David Briggs is also a prolific composer and his works range from full scale oratorios to works for solo instruments. Commissions include a setting of the St. John Passion for choir, chamber orchestra and soloists; Symphony ‘Missa pro defunctis’; a setting of the Solemn Requiem Mass; Four Concert Etudes; and a Cello Sonata. ‘Dreamworld’, a song cycle for tenor and piano, his ‘Requiem’, and transcriptions of Tchaikovsky 4 and Schubert 8, have een released on the independent music label, Chestnut Music. David’s schedule includes more than 50 concerts a year. In 2004, he was one of three international recitalists invited to celebrate the reopening of the organ at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Recent engagements include National Cathedral in Washington, DC, Notre Dame in Paris, Severance Hall in Cleveland and Symphony Hall, Birmingham, in the UK. Future recitals include the Royal Albert Hall, Temple Church, and Westminster Abbey in London; St Ignatius Loyola and St. Bartholomew’s in New York City; King’s College, Cambridge; St. John’s Cathedral in Albuquerque, New Mexico and a ‘Battle of the Organs’ with Wayne Marshall in Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, UK. He is frequently asked to perform improvisation to silent films such as Phantom of the Opera, Nosferatu, King of Kings, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Jeanne d’Arc and Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. BBC Music Magazine recently selected David to record a disc celebrating the French composers, Widor and Vierne. Scheduled for recording in October 2007 at St Sernin in Toulouse, France, the disc will be featured on the cover of BBC Magazine in spring 2008 and distributed to more than 60,000 subscribers. He has also recorded 23 solo CDs including his transcription of Mahler 5, Bach at Gloucester, and Organ Spectacular, recorded on the largest church organ in the world: First Congregational Church in Los Angeles. David Briggs now lives in Boston, Massachusetts and is represented by Chestnut Music. 31st March 2009 - DAVID SANGER - INTERNATIONAL CONCERT ORGANIST Click on PROGRAMME to return to David's programme The Chairman and
members of the Society were delighted that David Sanger accepted the
invitation to be the first Patron of the ALTON ORGAN SOCIETY The Society congratulates DAVID SANGER (International Concert Organist) on his appointment as President of the Royal College of Organists. avid Sanger was educated at Eltham College and the Royal Academy of Music and became well known as an organ recitalist when he won First Prize in two international competitions: St Alban's, England in 1969 and Kiel, Germany in 1972. His teachers have included Susi Jeans, Marie-Claire Alain and Anton Heiller. He has toured many countries as recitalist - Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium, Holland, Austria, Italy, France, Russia, Iceland, the United States, Mexico and South Korea - as well as giving many recitals in the British Isles, notably at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, The Royal Festival Hall, the City of London Festival, the Bath Festival, the Chester Festival, the West-Riding Cathedrals' Festival, and many similar occasions. He has given Master Classes in many places including Copenhagen, Stockholm and Oslo, and was 'Headmaster' of the Church Music Seminar in Bergen for fourteen years. He is frequently partnered by Hans Fagius from Sweden for Organ Duet Concerts. As a recording artist he has made over 20 CDs, all of which have received favourable reviews. His debut on the organ was with Polydor (DG Début Series) with Bach and Franck recorded in Munich. He recorded the complete organ works of César Franck at the Katarina Church in Stockholm (before the fire) for BIS. His Meridian recordings of Vierne's Six Organ Symphonies have received wide acclaim and he has embarked on recordings of the complete organ works of Bach. The most recent Bach CDs were recorded on the newly constructed, historic-style, Carsten Lund organ in Copenhagen's Garnisons Church. Recently with Meridian he has recorded a selection of trifles by Lefébure-Wély, this latter CD recorded on the recent Cavaillé-Coll style instrument at Exeter College, Oxford, for which instrument David Sanger also acted as Consultant. Other recent projects as consultant include new, rebuilt or restored organs at Bromley Parish Church, Haileybury College, St Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Sheffield Cathedral and Trinity Hall, Cambridge. Sanger has appeared in the jury of many international organ competitions; St Alban's, Dublin, Paisley, Speyer, Biarritz, Alkmaar, Odense Nűrnberg and Lucerne. He was for some years Professor of organ at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and chairman of the organ department there from 1987-89. Between 1989 and 1997 he was a Consultant Professor at the RAM. He was guest professor for a period of two years at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Copenhagen. Currently, he is a Visiting Tutor in organ studies at the Royal Northern College of Music, and teacher of organ at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He has had many successful students at international competition level, including two winners at the Calgary International Organ Competition. From time to time, he composes music for organ, as well as for strings and choirs. He has written an organ tutor in two volumes for beginners, entitled Play the Organ, which has become the most widely used in Britain in recent years. He runs courses for advanced students at his home in the Cumbrian Lake District, including tuition on the Bevington organ installed there. David Sanger's hobbies include racquet sports, walking, swimming and gardening. 28th April 2009 - MALCOLM ARCHER (Winchester College) Click PROGRAMME to return to Malcolm's programme Malcolm Archer is Director of Chapel Music at
Winchester College , where he trains and conducts the Quiristers and Chapel
Choir and teaches organ and composition in the College. He has enjoyed a
distinguished career in cathedral music, which has taken him to posts at
Norwich , Bristol , Wells Cathedrals and then Director of Music at St. Paul
’s Cathedral in London . During his time there he directed the choir for
several State services, including the Tsunami Memorial Service, the London
Bombings Service and the 80th Birthday Service for HM The Queen,
for which he was invited by Buckingham Palace to compose a special anthem,
performed live on BBC.1. His many broadcasts and recordings from Wells and
St. Paul ’s have received critical acclaim, and his CD of Christmas music
from St. Paul ’s was voted Editor’s number one choice in The Daily Telegraph.
Malcolm is much in demand as a choir trainer and choral and
orchestral conductor, and he has directed concerts, workshops and courses in
various parts of the globe, as well as working with several leading
orchestras. As an organ
recitalist he has played in nine European countries, the USA and Canada , and
his CD’s include repertoire as diverse as J.S. Bach and Olivier Messiaen, as
well as his own music. As a composer, Malcolm receives regular commissions from both
sides of the Atlantic , and he has many published works. Recently he has
composed works for the Southern Cathedrals Festival, St. Paul ’s Cathedral
and the Festival of the Sons of the Clergy. He has also jointly edited two
books for Oxford University Press: Advent for Choirs and Epiphany to All
Saints for Choirs. He has been an adjudicator for the BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister
of the year competition, and for four years was a judge for the BBC Songs of
Praise School Choirs competition, including chairing the judging panel for
two of those competitions. He is also a frequent contributor to that
programme as both interviewee and musical arranger. Malcolm has served as council member of the Royal College of
Organists, and he is a member of the council of Salisbury Cathedral, and of
the Guild of Church Musicians, from whom he was recently awarded the
Fellowship for his services to church music over many years. In 2009, he was
awarded the FRSCM for work as a composer for the church. Francis Jackson (York) FRANCIS JACKSON OBE. A native of Malton Yorkshire, was a chorister at York Minster from 1929 to 1933. He was a pupil of Sir Edward Bairstow, organist of York Minster, and gained the fellowship of the Royal College of Organists with the Limpus prize for the highest marks in organ playing in July 1937. In the same year he graduated Bachelor of Music at Durham University, and attained the Doctorate there in 1957. He was organist of Malton Parish Church at the age of sixteen, and succeeded Bairstow at York Minster in 1946. He has given organ recitals throughout Great Britain, Eire and Europe and has made seven tours of the USA and Canada. The major cities of Australia and Tasmania were visited in 1978, and 1981 saw participation in the first Perth Organ and Harpsichord Festival. Francis Jackson has played concertos with several British orchestras, and at the Henry Wood Proms. He has frequently broadcast, and his records include organ music and the Minster Choir. He remained as Master of the Music until retiring in 1982, when he received the Fellowship of the Royal Northern College of Music, the Doctorate of York University, and, at the hands of the Archbishop of York, Lord Blanch, the Order of Saint William of York. Other wards and distinctions are legion, including being appointed OBE in 1978, and Organist Emeritus of the Minster 10 years later. In active retirement he devotes his time adding to a considerable output of compositions, and to organ recitals. Cyril DIPLOCK (Alton Parish Church) In 2006 Cyril Diplock retired as Organist of Alton Parish Church after 45 years, having been appointed Organist and Choirmaster on 2 Jul 1961. In 1967 he founded the Parish Church of St Lawrence, ALTON Organ Society and has to date arranged well over 330 Organ Concerts here, establishing ALTON as an important centre for recitals by international artists. Besides his many solo recitals, his concerts have included performances with a number of orchestras as concerto soloist. Born near Haslemere, Surrey, he started his musical career early - becoming an assistant organist at Haslemere at the age of 13 - gaining his first post as organist and choirmaster at age 20. He studied the organ privately and at Trinity College of Music, London, and has taken part in organ master classes in Liverpool with Noel Rawsthorne. Under his direction, the St Lawrence's choir has given one radio and nine television performances, led many Cathedral services, and given several first performances. His compositions include the carol "Peace to every Neighbour", which won first prize in ITV's International Carol for Christmas Competition in 1968. In 1977 he made an LP recording of the St Lawrence organ on the Wealden label, which was well reviewed in the musical press and which has since been reissued in cassette form. Since 1986, he has given an annual recital in either Salisbury or Winchester Cathedral, as a prelude to the National Health Service Christmas Carol Service. Other notable recital venues have included Southwark Cathedral and Christchurch Priory. Tony WILLMAN. Secretary and Publicity Telephone (home): 01420 543628 or mobile: 079285 16052 Email address: tony.willman@btopenworld.com Gerald MARLOW Treasurer Telephone (home): 01420 85698 History of the Organs of the Parish of St
Lawrence ALTON The
Bryceson Organ of 1830 The earliest record of an organ at St Lawrence is in 1829 when
at a vestry meeting on 27th Feb 1829 "it was resolved that a
barrel organ be erected in the church. Provided that the cost of the organ
and every expense incurred by its erection be paid for by subscription".
The organ was purchased from the builders Bryceson, stood in a gallery at the
west end of the church (obscuring the west window) and had the following
specification: Back to top Open
Diapason 8' Stopped Diapason 8' Clarabel
Flute
8' (was possibly a 4' stop Principal
4' Twelfth
2½' Fifteenth
2' The
Speechly Organ of 1866 In 1866 the Vicar and Churchwardens inaugurated a vast plan of
restoration that included the purchase of a new organ. Meanwhile, the
Bryceson organ was moved to the Town Hall where the parishioners worshipped
for almost a year whilst the church underwent restoration. The "New Organ" by Henry Speechly and Sons possessed
33 speaking stops, 1,960 pipes, 3 manuals and pedals. It was built as a cost
of £850 provided by Mr Montague Burnett whose family had raised and given
much of the money. The new organ was opened 3rd Oct 1868 and at
this time the church was establishing a musical tradition, under the
direction of the then organist, Mr Newman, with the formation of a choir of 8
trebles, 3 altos (boys), 4 tenors and 4 basses. This organ must have been the
largest in any southern Parish church at that time. In 1893 Henry Speechly
and Sons of the Camden Organ Factory at a cost of £850 restored the organ. Dr
WG Alcock, assistant at Westminster Abbey, reopened the organ on 11th Dec
1895. Twentieth
Century Refurbishments Back
to top Two further overhauls were undertaken by Speechly in 1907 and
1939. By 1965 the action was not functioning adequately and a thorough
overhaul was desperately required. Following tender action, Wood, Wordsworth
& Co of Leeds was invited to undertake the work of rebuilding. The firm
in close consultation with Cyril Diplock, the present organist, prepared the
specification. The overriding consideration was that there should be no major
alteration to the existing tonal characteristics to the existing of the
Speechly organ - which makes this organ such a wonderful instrument popular
with visiting distinguished national and international organists of
repute. Martin
Cross Restoration of 1993 Back
to top By 1993 the electric action had become unreliable so Martin
Cross of Essex was entrusted with the latest restoration and continue to tune
and maintain the instrument. Again, no tonal changes were made or desired as
part of this scheme assuring that the Church of St Lawrence can again be
proud that its organ has been restored to its traditional position as one of
the finest parish church instruments in the South. It is also why the Parish
Church of St Lawrence Organ Society has established such a high standard of
Organ Concerts for the past 32 years. Over 250 top class organists have
visited Alton to demonstrate both their skills and the organ's sound
qualities to give countless members of the public the benefit of professional
concerts of the highest standard. St
Lawrence's Parish Church, ALTON Back to top Detailed Specification of the Organ PEDAL ORGAN Back
to top
GREAT ORGAN Back
to top
SWELL ORGAN (Enclosed) Back
to top
CHOIR
ORGAN Back to top
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May 2009 07:57:23
is the date and time this site was updated |
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