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Annual Review
2010/11
4
A
fter years of consulting,
discussing, planning, fundraising
and building, a new bespoke organ
for the College, constructed to a
design by leading organ builder
Kenneth Tickell, has been installed
in the Chapel. It is a four-manual
instrument with mechanical action,
built on the site where the original
Hill/Rushworth & Dreaper organ
used to stand, in the south transept
of the Chapel above the side chapel
that houses Holman Hunt’s
The
Light of the World
. On September
30th Jeremy Filsell (1982) gave the
opening recital, including the first
performance of
Toccata
by John
Caldwell (Tutorial Fellow in Music
1967-1992).
The size and scope of the instrument
makes this a hugely significant addition
to the organs of Oxford and indeed
the country. Its intelligent specification
affords a great variety of roles embracing
performance, enhancing the liturgy in the
Chapel and musical education. As a solo
instrument the organ’s greatest strength
will be in interpretations of the music of
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It
also has the flexibility for performances
of Bach and much other early repertoire.
The accompanying potential of the
instrument is most happily realised
when it plays for the Chapel’s choral
services, providing a fantastically rich
range of sounds in support of the Chapel
Choir and of congregational singing.
This term sees the launch of a series
of undergraduate organ recitals on
Thursdays at 8.30pm before the very
popular candlelit sung Compline at
9.00pm.
A glance at the specification confirms
the debt to nineteenth century thinking.
The Great manual has a full and warm
principal chorus from a mighty 16 foot
to a bright Mixture. The Swell includes
a family of chorus reeds to cater for the
classic ‘English Swell’ sound. The Solo
division exhibits a wonderful variety of
vivid and exciting individual colours and
the fourth manual, a Bombard, houses
the thrilling Posaune for fanfares and
other flourishes.
Regular organ recitals and master-
classes by visiting professionals of
international repute as well as the
undergraduate concerts involving
organ scholars will bring a major new
dimension to the College’s musical
life. The organ has already made an
impact with potential organ scholars who
attended a Royal College of Organists
course earlier in the summer; many
expressed great interest in the instrument
and a number of leading professional
organists have praised the vision and
execution of the design. The College
is hugely grateful to the many donors
whose generosity and enthusiasm have
made this momentous development
possible.
Simon Whalley
Director of Music
A new
Pipe Organ
for Keble