Building Guildford Cathedral Organ 1961

[EccentricRichard]

Also - "when the organist puts his foot on the pedal" - of course, now, it's "her foot", not his!

[Murphywood]

Amazing!  Was that a 32' pedal reed at the end?

[lustful2]

Alas the firm that made this Organ Rushworth & Dreaper went out of business some years ago. It was good in it's heyday this organ but rather dull by today's standards. Most new organs are returning to mechanical actions based on 19th century tonal schemes.

[EccentricRichard]

@lustful2 - I've heard all three of the biggest surviving Rushworths (this one, Malvern Priory and Christ's Hospital School Chapel) and I can tell you that the older, pre-war pair are much better than the Guildford organ. The Guildford one is a dreary heap that ought to be thrown out - it's just not voiced appropriately for the building, it's got no character. It can do the quiet, soft stuff quite well, and it can be good with everything going, but there's nothing in between.

[Offshoreorganbuilder]

@EccentricRichard What do you expect from a Rustwork and Creeper?  Heap is just about right for the later ones.

[EccentricRichard]

@lustful2 - and the Guildford organ is extremely badly sited, with the console similarly poorly sited. The organist has to work in an extremely cramped loft, and actually cannot see the organ from the console, let alone hear it over an orchestra. My mother played it for a Dream of Gerontius and found that the only way she could hear it from the console was by deafening the orchestra.

[tritus67]

A really interesting documentary, thank you very much!!! Mary