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THE CATHEDRAL ORGAN APPEAL
Patron: HRH The Prince of Wales
PRESENTATIONS
given at the
OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF
ORGAN APPEAL
at a Service Commemorating the
the
50th Anniversary of the
Re-hallowing of the Nave
Friday, 13th July 2008
JEFFREY MORGAN
- Appeal
Chairman
Mr Dean, distinguished guests; I am delighted to see you all and grateful to
The Dean and Chapter for the opportunity to launch the Organ Appeal here in
this lovely Cathedral.
The 50th anniversary of the re-hallowing of the Nave is an
appropriate occasion for this launch.
Those of you here today who were in the congregation - or singing in the choir
- 50 years ago, will remember 1957 as a time of great austerity, a
time when there was no money to replace a war damaged musical instrument a time when the repair became a make-do-and-mend compromise.
SO, an
appeal in 1947 of £100,000, to build a new organ was rejected. Today, our
appeal for 1.5 million pounds is an equivalent amount 60 years on. It
will finance what we believe will be one of the finest pipe organs in the
United Kingdom. It will certainly be the largest wholly new organ to be built
in a British Cathedral for 45 years.
It will be
built by Nicholson’s of Malvern, a company of more than 160 years’ standing.
Their reputation for organ building extends across the world, from cathedrals
in Portsmouth, Gloucester, Worcester and Birmingham in the UK, to Madrid, Hong
Kong and the USA.
We are delighted that Andrew Moyes and Guy Russell from Nicholson’s are here
with us today.
And so, the task has fallen to us to complete the work that should have
started after the war.
Today, we start that deserving work.
I ask you to lend your support to this great and wonderful task of
providing a suitable instrument for the liturgy, worship, musical development
and education that Llandaff, Cardiff and Wales deserves.
Cardiff is now an acclaimed international centre of musical excellence and
home of:
-
The Cardiff Singer Of The World Competition
-
The
Welsh National Opera
-
The
BBC National Orchestra of Wales [reputedly one of the best orchestras in
the world]
-
The
University Academy Of The Voice, and
-
The
Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
We, as
friends and worshippers of one of the most ancient Ecclesiastical
Establishments in the United Kingdom, have a responsibility to leave this
hallowed place of praise and prayer with an instrument worthy of our
generation, and of those to come.
I ask you today to stretch your generosity as far as possible in funding the
Nicholson organ. I can tell you now that we have already raised funds that
represent 1/5 of the total cost. That means that over the next two and a half
years we need to raise one and a quarter million pounds.
When, in the future, you think of Llandaff Cathedral, worship here, or listen
to a broadcast from this place,
you will feel a connection
your heirs will know of your attachment
and the wider community will appreciate your great generosity which I trust
and hope you will embrace today.
You are now
going to hear first from Richard Moorhouse, Organist and Master of
Choristers, and then, Canon Graham Holcombe, both of whom – in their different
roles – are very involved with the whole project, for which the Appeal
Committee thanks them. We are grateful for their support, involvement and
advice.
And so,
We thank you for your time today
We anticipate with pleasure the joy the new organ will bring to this Cathedral
and community
We commend this Appeal to you all
Diolch.
RICHARD MOORHOUSE
-
Cathedral Organist and Master of Choristers
From my
perspective as the Cathedral Organist, let me explain to you the reasons why
we need a new organ.
The main problem that we experience with the present organ is its inability to
fill the building with sound. This is due to three main issues:
-
The
location of the organ, which is a long distance from where you
the Congregation sit
-
The
cramped internal layout, combined with the screen surrounding the organ,
which encloses the sound, rather than enhancing it
-
and
the Parabolic arch above me, a striking feature of our Cathedral, but a
barrier to the sound.
In addition,
the majority of the pipework is of poor quality, and for decades the general
condition of the instrument has been in decline. The organ has become
increasingly unreliable, with faults developing that would cost tens of
thousands of pounds each to repair. This finally came to a head in February of
this year, when a lightning strike caused further damage to the electrical
system inside the organ, making it unusable for the daily services.
We are very grateful to the BBC in Wales for the temporary loan of the
electronic instrument which we are currently using.
For over 30 years, the Cathedral authorities have discussed the issue of the
organ, and have looked into many possibilities. After much deliberation, it
was decided that the best option for Llandaff was the scheme proposed by
Nicholson’s of Malvern. Their proposal is for a wholly new instrument to be
built in two symmetrical cases, which will be situated either side of the
Choir stalls, directly behind where the choir was sitting for today’s
service. This is a layout that has impeccable Anglican credentials, as I have
experienced first-hand in numerous British Cathedrals, including St. Paul’s in
London, where I worked for over 8 years. It is the best way to ensure that the
sound will travel effectively through the building, while still being
well-placed to accompany the Choir for services.
The sound of the new organ will be traditionally British, with 76 speaking
stops spread over four manuals and pedals. The specification has been drawn up
to be flexible and allow the organ not only to be suitable for its primary
role of use in the liturgy, but also to play a worldwide organ repertoire.
The cases will be finished in a light coloured solid oak, with the visible
pipes being of polished tin. They have been designed to maximise acoustic
contact with the listeners, while being visually exciting. The softer voices
will speak into the choir, while the more powerful divisions will be directed
westwards into the aisles, to lead large services in the nave.
It will take approximately 20,000 man hours to build the new organ and it will
contain 4,870 hand-made pipes. The building of the organ will start in the
Autumn of 2008 and will take approximately 18 months to complete.
Once installed, the new organ will have many roles:
-
It will greatly
enhance the daily
services sung by the Cathedral Choir, Llandaff being the only Anglican
Cathedral in Wales to have a full-time choral foundation and a dedicated
Choir School.
-
We hope to forge
further links with the educational establishments surrounding the
Cathedral,
by
creating an organ scholar post with the Royal Welsh College of Music and
Drama, and Cardiff University.
-
Organ
demonstrations will be given to Schools which visit the Cathedral, and
there will be the
opportunity
for children to play the organ and have lessons.
-
The Cathedral’s
reputation for musical excellence will be greatly enhanced by the
opportunity
to
hold organ recitals, concerts, and recordings, with the new organ
attracting organists from around the world.
You are
warmly invited to look at the displays that have been prepared in the David
Chapel and in the South Aisle, next to the shop. They contain a selection of
photographs and drawings, and we will be delighted to answer any questions
that you may have.
CANON GRAHAM HOLCOMBE
-
Canon-at-Llandaff
As the only
cleric of the three, I give you a text from Job 21 v12
“They take the timbrel and harp and rejoice at the sound of the organ”.
Sir Ninian
Comper the great church architect said that when you enter a church it should
draw you to your knees. The sound of the organ should raise people’s hearts
and minds in awe and majesty to worship and praise Almighty God.
This
Cathedral organ has performed valiantly since 1957, over 50 years. Personally
I have been involved with this instrument since the age of 13 when I started
organ lessons with Robert Joyce.
During these 50 years there have been some eminent organists:
Thomas Hallford, Kenneth Turner, Eric Fletcher, Robert Joyce, Michael Smith
and the present organist, Richard Moorhouse. There were three assistants,
Graham Elliott, Anthony Burns Cox and Michael Hoeg.
Not forgetting the great names who have played here over the years, to name a
few:
Marcel Dupre, Fermando Germani, Jeanne Demessieux, Pierre Cochereau, and
Gillian Weir.
The launch
of an organ appeal is a major drive to expand that musical lift drawing on the
Cathedral’s musical history and vibrant contemporary life.
In this appeal we aim:
-
to renew our worn out organ, sad
as it may seem
-
to
enhance the liturgy and worship that this new organ will bring – the
most important and primary function
-
to be
a venue for the performance of organ recitals and concerts bringing
international performers to this city
-
to
give opportunity for organ scholarships, teaching and educational
benefits that this instrument will bring to young people, universities,
colleges and schools.
Our existing
organ was built after World War 2 from a mixture of different instruments. The
money ran out to complete the extras that were needed and the old instrument
became:
-
unreliable and unpredictable
-
likely to break down at any time, like the Easter we all remember
-
unpleasant and inconsistent in tone, too poor to be played for recitals
-
afflicted by problems for which there was no technical solution
the
unanimous advice of distinguished organists from both home and abroad is to
replace it.
Over the last two years Richard Moorhouse and I have visited various
instruments of three different organ builders. The one we favoured most from
our visit to Portsmouth, Christchurch Priory, Bridlington Priory and Malvern
Priory, was Nicholson.
A Nicholson organ with clarity of tone, brightness, uplifting, fresh and
direct, an organ with the sound, colour and textures needed for the diverse
liturgical repertoire we use at Llandaff. The one thing made clear is the
important function of accompanying hymns for large Diocesan and Civic services
which the old organ has been very unsatisfactory in doing. We both felt
confident Nicholson would give Llandaff an instrument of excellence for
leading worship, recitals, concerts and teaching students.
The launch of this appeal for a new organ here in Llandaff is an exciting and
challenging project, for those who worship here it will be a definite
enhancement, but also for the Diocese, City and community.
The organ itself a thing of great beauty will be a gift in the 21st
Century to the people of the 22nd Century. It is a sign of
confidence in the creative arts, in our life and worship and the cultural life
of the Diocese, City and County.
In a world so often full of destruction here is an opportunity to build a sigh
of hope in the future, a sign that can sound across the years, it will produce
such thrilling varieties of sounds that listeners will understand why the
organ is called the King of Instruments.
People who attend here for worship, weddings, funerals, special services,
expect the sound of the organ to match the splendour of their surroundings.
To return to my text,
“They take the timbrel and harp and rejoice at the sound of the organ”.
Cathedral Website Last Updated:
14/07/2008 12:31 |
