Its spring again


Its spring again

Dear friends

What a wonderful time of the year it is, and just in case you’re wondering, it’s my 109th spring.  And there’s renewed spring in my pedals because I know that all my wingeing and complaining and moaning has clearly worked, and Mr Gary’s work has sprung (sic!) into action

What does spring mean to me?  Well, although I am here in this wonderful building, I can see the beautiful sun streaming in through Mr John’s clerestory windows, I can hear (and occasionally see!) birds singing and in previous years, I know all my friends have had an extra spring in their step as summer is definitely on its way.  This year I know it’s different, but I’m hopeful we will start to get back to normal before long

Spring is also a good time musically.  This lovely building shakes off the winter’s cold and as it’s ancient stonework warms up, so the acoustics change and I begin to sound even better in the more resonant, warmer atmosphere. And then there is music specially written for organ and other music my friends adapt for manuals and pedals, which shows everyone that spring is in the air

Now nearby I’m told there are some lovely hills and on those lovely hills sky larks can be heard again.  My organ playing friends delight in often playing music by modern French composers, and in one of those offerings by M. Messiaen (actually meant for Whitsun) there is some birdsong, allegedly sky larks.  Now if that’s what sky larks actually sound like, then I think I’ll just stay where I am and not bother to visit the hills.  Of course my favourite Sir Edward would have made a much better fist of it, and Mr Ralph too

Perhaps there should be a new rule, once the work on me is finished.  “Birdsong only permitted by order of Hillie!”       




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear friends

Image
Dear friends The long overdue work on me has now begun, and I am being dismantled - yes, dismantled!  And no, this is not at all painful For more years than you can imagine, my pneumatics have been drying out and failing, and I have become more and more unreliable I would love always to fill this beautiful building with my rich tones, and usually that is just what I do, but not always. My many pneumatic motors are a patchwork of sticking plasters, my lovely pipes are covered with 60 years' worth of dust, and woodworm are munching their way into my timbers The day work began is a day I will always remember.  Hundreds of lead tubes were removed (for recycling), my keyboards extracted, the pedalboards removed revealing countless lost pencils and piles of dirt, my stop heads removed and the the lovely console removed But I am still here, waiting eagerly for all the work to get done so we can have that epic celebration promised by this building. I am going to look sad for...
Read more

Another spectacular recital

Image
Another spectacular recital I’ve already told you about the wonderful organists coming to play me, your friend Hillie, each month.   These are international recitalists!   They are used to playing the top organs in Great Britain and abroad.   Yet here they come, to help put me on the map, and to help raise money for my renovation and completion. The second of these organists played just recently.   This was Miss Catherine (Ennis) and she played music all about angels including one piece by my most favourite of all composers, Sir Edward Her playing was just marvellous.   She made me sound as if I was young again, and brought out all sorts of sounds I hadn’t heard in many a year And so many people had come to hear me, and hear her play.   My friends counted more than 120 people, and I’m sure there were other folk lurking in corners All that is amazing.   Also amazing is that I’m told Miss Catherine played in her winter coat.   ...
Read more

Let’s talk trunks

Image
Let’s talk trunks   Trunks and wind might not sound particularly exciting, but when your double risers and electric blowers are all moved around, this becomes a most important subject   In 1911, Mr William connected my blowing mechanism to 3 double risers and those were then connected to my windchests.   A whole series of zinc trunks made those connections   But with the passage of time, my trunks became rather the worse for wear.   Their bends began to leak (you can imagine straight trunks are a very good idea, but in practice bends are essential) but old newspaper stuffed in saved the day.   Joins too become a bit brittle, but drawing pin fixes have proved invaluable in keeping me going   After all these years, and now with my lower regions completely reshaped, my trunks too have therefore had to be given attention by Mr Gary   He told me that in these modern times, u-bends and black plastic pipes can be very effective. ...
Read more