Hillie2412

Saturday concerts After Mr Gary’s wonderful work, there are now lots of opportunities to hear my sounds You can come to hear me every Sunday, at weddings and funerals, at special services and when one of my organist friends is practising (as you know practice is essential, especially as there are no longer any excuses for wrong notes as all my keys and pedal notes work perfectly) There are also some sound clips available if you know where to look!  So, if you want to imagine getting married in this wonderful building, and would like to process out to the well-known wedding march, listen to some of it on the Abbey’s www page  -   I’m told www is world wide web, but I guess all my switched on, modern friends know that Now, on alternate Saturdays throughout the year, there is a concert at noon.  Most of these feature your friend Hillie, but to add some variety and interest, some of the concerts are by singers or other instrumentalists There are musicians ...

What a bargain! Fame! This grand old lady is now a national TV star! You might have heard of a TV programme called Bargain Hunt, in which people dressed in blue or red go hunting for bargains, and then sell them at auction for more (or less) than they have paid No, Hillie didn’t take part in the hunting/auctioning part of the show, and I didn’t have to dress in either blue or red, but instead I starred in the middle section of the programme Have a look!  You can see some of my lovely pipes, see how proudly I sit in this beautiful ancient building and hear how impressive I can sound when playing some of Bach’s organ music Give the programme a go A nd of course I am a real bargain - and such good value for money.  In 1911 I cost the sum of £1,100 (and OK it cost just a bit more than that to complete me 110 years later) but I’ve no idea what price an auctioneer would get for me now! Editor:  Bargain Hunt series 61, Shrewsbury 9, first broadcast Friday 4 Mar...

  All Shapes and Sizes   I know you find this difficult to believe, but when Mr Gary has finished all his work I will have over 2400 pipes, about 500 more than I’ve had since 1945   So as promised here’s some useful information about all my lovely pipes.   They come in all shapes and sizes, literally   Now I’m just a grand old lady, not a scientist, so I don’t quite follow all the science of pipe making, e.g. where the sounds come from, what makes a difference to the quality of sound, what materials are best and so on.   This is just my non-psychist understanding of it all!   The longest pipe is one of those ones that look like water works pipes, from our London friends, at about 26’.   The smallest pipes are just a few cms inches long.   The longer the pipe, the deeper the sound.   But as I’ve already told you my deepest pitch 16 hz is going to be from the lowest note on my new contra trombone   -   the lovely ...

  Special delivery   Here’s a test for you   What is 16 feet high, made of beautiful poplar wood, gradually tapered top to bottom, and has to sit on a heavy wooden boot   Why, of course, it’s a CCCC resonator, one of 12 lovely new pipes to make my new contra trombone stop   Just recently there was a special delivery by van, all the way from York (where I’m told there is an even more famous organ, believe it or not).   Inside the van were some lovely new trombone resonators, some older ones resonators made by one of my friends 100 years ago, and 42 boots - one for each of these lovely pipes   These trombone pipes needed special attention, so a handpicked team of friends (handpicked as such care was needed in the task ahead) unloaded the van, then managed to order them by size (that is also a skilled job) before posing them for photos, and then moving them to the north aisle of my Abbey.   Their final move will be to the very top...

  What’s this about? Does anyone know why there is so much fuss about a C major chord?   My friend Mr Nigel keeps on about this chord - he really wants to start practising it, he says, but can’t do so until I’m finally completed and in tune   He also says its not any C major chord.   It is a famous chord.   It is a big fat fff chord played with most of my pipes, new and old.   He really needs to start practising it to be sure of getting it right, with all the nuances it needs   And apparently its needed for a piece by a very famous French composer   -   a piece with lots of tunes (just for a change   -   it is French after all), a very big orchestra, and lots of people will come to my Abbey just to hear this?   So what’s all the fuss about?   Do tell me if you know!   Editor note:   here are two clues for you to help Hillie work this out!!  

  A very very famous visitor   Dear friends   I assume you all have pocket diaries, although some of you might also be as modern as me and use New Technology……………………….   In October, we are going to have a very famous person coming to play me   A clue   -   he played me beautifully just before Mr Gary began to take me apart and send me to sleep;   in Birmingham, he plays another organ by Mr William’s family, one even older (and bigger!) than me;   and his initials remind you of a famous annual motorcycle event   I will say no more about him, but you MUST all come to hear him play   In his concert he will include some music especially in the memory of Miss Catherine, who sadly is no longer with us, and never heard any of my new sounds.   So that’s another reason to come to Mr XX’s concert, a concert which is of course………………………. my OPENING RECITAL!!   Wow, that will be soooooooooo exciting.   ...

A new little friend While I was asleep, a new friend arrived in my Abbey   This new friend is much smaller than me   -   she has just 240 pipes, and of course I will soon have 10 times as many.   Unlike me, she has no pedals and no double risers, just a single short trunk   Her name is Boxie, she is about 30 years young, and was made appropriately by Mr Church   She does look a bit like a crate, with a flat top and doors that open when she is playing, so that all her lovely pipes can be seen.   Some pipes are wood, but more are made of metal   Boxie makes such a sweet sound   -   very bright and chirpy   -   and her sounds carry so well in my lovely Abbey.   I also have to admit she is very good at playing music from olden times   -   tudor, renaissance and plainsong   -   but even when she grows up, she will never be able to play any of Sir Edward’s lovely music, nor any of that modern ...