Kent County Organists’ Association

Visit to Salisbury

As our coach neared Salisbury its Cathedral spire stood out majestically above the trees. This was not Constable’s famous view-across-the-water-meadow of Salisbury Cathedral, but it still produced a frisson of excitement and expectation. We disembarked at St. Ann’s gate and made our way along North Walk to Sarum College, which is the centre for Liturgical Organ Studies founded in 1860. The College is housed in an imposing Charles 11 building standing in the shadow of the Cathedral, it was built by Francis Hill in 1677. We were greeted by Robert Fielding, the Director of Music, who gave us an insight into the courses available at the college. Gathering in the college chapel, a Victorian addition, we were to hear the Kenneth Jones organ of 2000, which had replaced a one-manual Victorian instrument.

The Kenneth Jones organ is a two-manual and pedal instrument with an 8ft and 4ft stop in each unenclosed department, all housed in an impressive oak case and fitted with the now de rigueur straight pedalboard and tracker action. Robert Fielding played the Bach Trio Sonata 1v in E minor, which ideally demonstrated the delicate voicing and character of this organ. Robert confessed to some trepidation, playing a Trio Sonata for an audience of organists but, of course, his performance was faultless.

There was just time before lunch for some members to view the practice room Vincent Woodstock organ of 2001. This was also a two-manual and pedal instrument with tracker action, which felt like silk, but with no independent pedal stop just a pedal coupler. Interestingly, an octave of flute basses were housed, for compactness, suspended from the inside roof of the organ’s case.

The Rt. Hon. Sir Edward Heath, who lives in the Cathedral Close and is an honorary member of the KCOA, joined us for lunch in the college refectory. He still radiates a Prime Ministerial presence and great charm although he is now in his eighty-seventh year. His face is marked and worn like a piece of old linoleum, his eyes as watery and mournful as an elderly bulldog’s, but with an inner sparkle as he spoke of his organ scholar days at Balliol College Oxford and the variety of music and musicians at Salisbury. His sparkle only wavered briefly, his lips puckering like someone sucking unexpectedly on a piece of lemon, when mention was made of the Salisbury Cathedral girls choir who were to be singing for us later in the day. No, it was the boys’ choir for Sir Edward.

Politics was only briefly mentioned when one of our members piped up, “I voted for you in 1970, and in 1973”. He beamed. Undoubtedly, he has excelled in many fields, but politics was his first love.

It had been a privilege and honour for us to meet with Sir Edward, but time prevented us staying longer as we were soon due at St. Thomas’.

This fine church features in Simon Jenkins’ – England’s Thousand Best Churches.  It was rebuilt in the mid-15th century, with a soaring perpendicular nave, but over the chancel arch it has the largest and most complete Doom mural in England.  Also notable is the organ, built by Samuel Green in 1792 and presented to the Cathedral by King George 111.  In 1876 it was displaced by the new Willis organ in the Cathedral, and presented to St. Thomas’s by the Dean and Chapter, where it was reconstructed by Hill for £600.  Over the years this 3 manual instrument has undergone various alterations but the case and much original pipework survive.  The gentle unforced quality of this was admirably demonstrated by Alison Hogg, Organist and Director of Music and South-West Regional Tutor of the St. Giles International Organ School, in 18th century pieces by John Bennet, Samuel Wesley and John Travers, followed by one of the Haydn mechanical clock pieces and a Buxtehude chorale prelude.  Alison Hogg showed that later music could also be performed satisfactorily by playing John Ireland – Intrada and her demonstration ended with a spirited performance of the Bach 9/8 Prelude in C major BWV 547.

Alan Harwood, the Director of Music at St. Martin’s Church was, sadly, unwell so the organ was demonstrated by Andrew Cesana.  This is another lovely mediaeval church with a nave of slender pillars and a plastered barrel roof, which no doubt partly accounts for the resonant acoustic.  There is also a striking rood screen dating from 1918.

The present 2-manual organ was originally built by Hill in 1869 and then moved by them to a new loft on the north side of the chancel in 1898.  It was restored by Hill, Norman and Beard in 1994, and in 2002 a Bass Flute 8ft, Principal 8ft and a wooden Trombone 16ft were added to the pedal department by Nicholsons.  These new stops are controlled by pedal hitchdowns so that the appearance of the 1898 console is preserved.  Andrew demonstrated the full range of the organ by playing Whitlock – Elegy from the Symphony in G minor arr. Malcolm Riley, and Flor Peeters – Chorale and Toccata from the Suite Modale.  There are 24 speaking stops, with mechanical action to the manuals and stop controls, and direct electric action to the pedals.  The sound of this fine organ is very full and colourful, and it was interesting to hear how tonal characteristics had changed between the Green of 1792  and this Hill of 1869.

St. Martin’s also has a chamber organ of 5 stops with pedals permanently coupled to the manual. This was built in 1985 and purchased in memory of Richard Exon, Organist of St. Martin’s 1996-1997.

The Cathedral and Close were breathtakingly lovely in the evening light — this could be nowhere but England!  Evensong was sung by the girls choir and layclerks, with the Rose Responses, Psalms 73 and 74, Gibbons Second Service, and the anthem See the word is incarnate – Gibbons.  This is not the place to enter into a discussion about the merits of girls and boys voices, but the girls sang beautifully and several people remarked that if they had not been able to see, they would not necessarily have been  aware that the treble line consisted of girls and not boys. The choir was conducted by Simon Lole, the Director of Music, and the organ was played by the Cathedral Organist, David Halls, whose colourful accompaniment of the psalms was much admired.

The famous Willis organ of 1876 came into its own in a splendidly articulated performance of Bach’s Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, which although excitingly played with registration changes, including the full reeds, never lost clarity. After Evensong Simon Lole spoke about the organ (4 manuals and 65 speaking stops) which has been little altered tonally.  Indeed, the pipework was carefully guarded by Sir Walter Alcock, Organist from 1916 until his death in 1947, and no alterations were permitted. Willis carried out restoration work in 1934 and 1969, with new action and updating by Harrison and Harrison in 1978. A number of members took advantage of the opportunity to play the organ, which sounds magnificent throughout the Cathedral. Others enjoyed walking round the building in the soft evening light, perhaps noticing the striking dark colours of the Lady Chapel Prisoners of Conscience window designed by Gabriel Loire and installed in 1980, or the Snetzler chamber organ of 1764 acquired by the Cathedral in 1958, with elegant casework designed by Lord Mottistone in 1961.

So another splendid day arranged by our President Andrew Cesana, came to an end.  Our heartfelt thanks are due to him for providing us with full specifications and histories of all the organs we saw and for all the research and detailed arrangements he had made for a day which gave so much interest and enjoyment.

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