Johannes Huefken at Harrison & Harrison Organbuilding in Durham
Johannes Huefken reports on his practical training at "Harrison & Harrison Organbuilding" in Durham, England.
Practical training startet at 1. February and remained to the 12. of September 2006
An Organ in action...
Sunday morning, the bells are ringing. But not just like other countries of Europe. The well- educated "Bell ringer" in England strikes up different tunes to a mathematical system
They are inviting me to a service in the venerable Norman Cathedral of Durham.
The relics of Saint Cuthbert in this place were the reason that this Cathedral was built in the 11th centrury.
The H & H Organ has already been playing for 20 min. playing when I enter.
The position of the Organ is on both sides in the choir part. This is the common position in England.
Why actually?? Let’s see later...
After the entry of the Boy-Choir (30-40 singers) at 10.00 o’clock, the organ stops playing.
A friendly welcome followed. Then the liturgy starts.
The choir is singing a psalm setting and variations of the Magnifikat, Benedictus or Nunc Dimittis. Organ and Choir play music perfectly together.
The Boy voices – sometimes with a solo, countertenors and basses – as well as the very varied registration of the organ, becomes ennobled through the acoustics of the building.
I’m fascinated...
There is no question; the choir and the organ have highest priority in the traditional process of a service, which explains the position of the organ.
At the end we listen to a piece of Messiaen. Step by step is the organ increasing its power.
Suddenly resounds a voice which gets through the sound of the organ – an English Tuba.
Final: octave coupler makes the last chord enormous. – Goose pimples... .
... There is no question; the choir and the organ have highest priority in the traditional process of a service, which explains the position of the organ.
At the end we listen to a piece of Messiaen. Step by step is the organ increasing its power.
Suddenly resounds a voice which gets through the sound of the organ – an English Tuba.
Final: octave coupler makes the last chord enormous. – Goose pimples ...
To be alive is not just organ building...
Before I report about my experience of English organbuilding, I would like to say what I will keep in warm remembrance from this time.
The integration at family Venning was really super. At dinner you could talk with the company owner also about other things than organbuilding.
Durham is not just characterized by the cathedral, it is also the internationally well known University.
Wednesday 8.00 pm is "Amigo’s – International Student Meeting and Friends" - we had countless nice meetings and very interesting excursions.
In the "Bible-study-group" we had a lot of joy at reading the bible, praying, snack and talk and nice trips. I wish I could take them home...
And last of course "Sesam" - the exchange program included Mrs. Berger as a very helpful contact person who made the practical training possible.
My first place of action.
After just 3 day in the shop, the company sends me to London for about 7 weeks.
- Bourne Street St. Mary’s church. A three manual Father Willis organ was waiting for tonal regulation from Andrew Scott (London tuner) with my help.
(Father Willis is the first generation of a famous organ builder dynasty. This company built many famous organs in Britain.
Previously the organ had been given a general overhaul by H & H. The 16’ and 8’ Trombone were totally restored in the shop. The organ also got a new Trumpet 8’ in the Great.
These catch my eyes at the first view in the organ:
- Pfeifen, die laenger als 4Fuß (1Fuß entspricht 30 cm) sind, bestehen meist aus Zink und haben teilweise Stimmlappen.
- Ein offener 16Fuß aus Zink, versteckt in einer Organ, war fuer mich zunaechst ungewoehnlich, ist aber, wie sich spaeter herausstellte, hier durchaus normal.
- Elektrische Spieltraktur und elektropneumatisch angesteuerte Schleifenladen.
- Tuning slides – neither tuning rolls nor cone tuned pipes.
Whether bottom C of the 4’ (ca.120cm) or c’’’’ of the 2’ (ca.2cm) all are given tuning slides. A reason why this is done in England I will explain later.
- Pipes which are longer than 4’ (‘ = 1 foot = 30 cm) are often made of zinc and sometimes with a tuning flap
- An Open 16’ hidden in the back of the organ is made of zinc
- Electro-pneumatic Key Action with slider chests.
Number 1,2and 4 turned out to be very, very usual in England... .
We had to interrupt our work from time to time for Andrew’s other duties – tuning of organs. That was never a burden to me...
After the organ in Bourne Street was completed, I took up the offer to go with Andrew on his tuning round for some more weeks.
On the program was Westminster Cathedral, Southwark Cathedral and the following ...
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-Royal Holloway College-
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-Fairfield Halls, Croyden-
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-All Souls’ Church Langham place -
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-All Saints’ Church Margret Street-
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| -Twickenham- |
-Westminster Abby- |
It was a very exciting time for me to see how the giants but also the smaller ones look inside. And to experience their sound.
Once I got an call from Andrew 2 hours before a concert in All Souls’ Church was due to start. I lived very close and he was not close enough to get there in time. - Emergency -
The 2’ is totally out of tune and the 4’ is not going off.
Fortunately it was just a stiff slider trouble which I could sort out.
Even I was speaking to Andrew by phone in the job, the stress was huge, when the audience is coming and you haven’t got a clue.
But any way, I enjoyed a nice concert as a reward.
The Westminster Cathedral is my most exciting instrument. Marcel Dupré was involved in the tonal design.
I attended 2 Concerts there. The amazing power and the somewhat unusual position for an English organ – on the back gallery, give the audience a very direct sound impression also from the high-pressure reeds that have up to 750 mm water gauge.
Organs are tuned quite often. Westminster Abbey 2-3 times a month. Others once a month and many get tuned 4-8 times a year. That’s more often than in Germany. This explains maybe the use of tuning sliders.
The pros and cons of tuning slider
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Pros:
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- If organs get tuned very often: The material of a tuning roll could collapse, Smaller pipes could get damaged at the foot or mouth through the use of a tuning cone
- At the final voicing there is no need to cut the
pipes to perfect length because the slide
gived you the variety of half a tone ( this is
not true of pipes with expression).
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I dare to claim that quicker tuning is
possible. The slide is easier to catch because
it fits all round over. A tuning roll will be just
on one side of the pipe.
Tuning slides sometimes become loose but it
is easy to tighten them again.
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Contra:
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- Pipes could be scratched because the body of the pipe is the guide to flatten the note
- Smaller pipes occasionally jump off the pipe foot hole when the pipe is flattened,
especially if the countersink is small or the slide is too tight
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Tonal regulation at the Walker Organ in St. Matthew’s, Northampton
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This work took place at the end of my time in England. But fitted very well with my other experience.
This organ is one of 4 surviving Walkers organs of this size (ca.50 stops) today and is because of that an instrument of wealth.
Herr Peter Hops erwarb sich durch ueber 40 Jahre Intonationstaetigkeit bei der Firma Harrison & Harrison einen großen Erfahrungsschatz. Ich bin sehr froh und dankbar, mit welcher Offenheit mir Sachverhalte erklaert wurden. Herr Hops verfuegt nicht nur ueber viel Wissen, sondern hat auch Witz und ist gut im Raten, wenn ein Auslaender – wie ich – versucht, etwas zu sagen...
The main issue of this organ was: general overhauling of the
electro-pneumatic organ, a new console with new combination system,
32’ Contra Trombone (bottom octave as an extension of the existing 16’ Trombone) and the tonal regulation of the whole organ.
Mr. Peter Hopps has worked for Harrisons for almost 40 years and voiced countless jobs. I’m very glad and thankful for the openness with which he explained facts.
Mr. Hopps has not just a treasure of skill he is also good in joking and guessing if a foreigner like me is trying to say something...
It was very interesting to see how an English reed works and I could learn some connections during the tonal regulation.
An important difference to the traditional German reeds is the wind pressure.
Of course can you not put 220mm water gauge on a chest in a mechanical tracker organ...
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The Electro-pneumatic Chest
It is still a normal slider chest but the way to open the pallet is different.
- When the lever magnet moves it opens a valve to atmospheric pressure.
- The valve exhausts pressurized air from the power motor.
- The air inside the power motor drops to the atmospheric pressure.
- The pressurized air surrounding the power motor causes the motor to collapse.
- As the power motor collapses it pulls open the pallet against the spring.
- As the lever magnet moves close to the valve it allows pressurized air to re-enter the motor.
- The pallet spring lifts the power motor and closes the pallet.
It is also possible to put a smaller motor between the power motor and magnet when you use a smaller magnet. Here we are at a job on which I spent a lot of time.
Functionally testing of electro-pneumatic chests for the Royal Festival Hall, London
Which work was already done on the chests by my colleages?
- Replacing of the table board and pallet board to ply wood
- New grooving for new slides
- New felt and leather on the pallets
- All motors of the electro-pneumatic have new leather
- New magnet and their connection
- New seals for the faceboard
My Work:
- Checking without wind
- Cleaning of the channels and the pallets
- Adjust the spring power
- Set the pallet stopper
- Check the tightness of the motors
- Any imperfections
- Testing under wind pressure
- Is the chest airtight?
- Close all valves in the pneumatic gadget.
- Checking for running and whimper
- Adjust of a very good repetition ***
- Final works
- If necessary a little cosmetic
- Put a cover sheet on the upper board for protection during storage and transport
- Cover the trunk entrance to protect from dust
- And finally – my favorite job, sticking on the label: "Teste"
***the test of a good repetition?
- perfect adjusting of the pallet stopper, motors (not too tight), and airtight valves
- The valve of the magnet (chest magnets action) and the valve to the power motor need as little stroke as possible (of course it should be still safety)
- We test with a pipe and a mini electro time became connected with each magnet.
- By the way, I find the repetition could be quicker than in a mechanical tracker organ.
Totally dismantling and general overhauling in Cottier Theater, Glasgow
This “Father Willis” organ was once upon a time an organ with “Barker-lever” and mechanical stop action. In 1954 this organ underwent drastic change. Electro-pneumatic
action of “Barker-lever” and a stop combination instead of the simple mech. stop action. Now the organ will be returned to its original state.
My job was the the totally dismantling of the organ and transporting to Durham and the
restoration of the pedal chests to their former glory.
”?
Before I explain the single steps of the restoration, I would like to ask you, if you have ever heard of a “boat pallet
- On the first view it is just a very bulky pallet and let me suppose the opening point of a freezer door to beat..
- The second view showed me a mysterious hole on the back of the pallet.
– The removal and re-leathering brought up light in my ignorance.
- Well this pallet is beyond the leather hollow. Just the wood around the edge is planed to keep it sealed. The leather in the middle of the pallet is also free – moveable.
- The slot has some thin bars in the middle. Every bar is a bit rounded to the middle, following the middle is higher than the surface.
- As soon as wind pressure is in the wind box the leather of the pallet blow up and pushes the pallet from the bars.
The result is a little fire point independent from wind pressure and size of the pallet.
Of course if you carry too far with the rounding on the bars you could make a whimper.
But now what I did on the pedal chests
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- dismantling of the pneumatic part
- cleaning of the chest
- removal of the pallets and pins
- repair of the wind box
- routing a long the cracks in the table
- repair of the bars
- filling the channels with hot glue
- planing, repair and re-leathering of the pallets
- planing the pallet board (not bars!)
- careful cleaning of the chest again
- painting with hot-glue-size the wind box apart from the pallet seats
- re-leathering of any sealings
- stroke back the pins
- preparing the pull-down-board for the pull-down-wires
- installation of the pull-down-wires
- coloring of the chest
- Testing for whimper running and perfect functionality
- protection of sensitive areas with hard board and closing of the trunk entrance
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The End ... ?
The Englishman describes his English organ asround nice and powerful. In return he describes the German shrilly like a bad cat.
The German describe his German organ as just brilliant. But in return the English as a big loud growl. This was told me by voicer of the both countries with a big smile...
I like to use this example to say that the organs of this both countries are so different that I can’t and won’t say that one is better. Much more that each has a very marked character and each should respect the other.
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