AN EMIGRANT MAKES ITS MARKJ.G.Van DaalIt is not certain, but I might have been the only BIOS member living in Great Britain to have attended the inaugural concert given by Francis Jackson at the organ of the St Christoforus Kerk in Schagen on May l8th, and it must be said it was a revelation. The organ, a three-manual Nicholson from cl878 has in its entirety been put down in the church of a small Dutch town in the North of the Province of Northholland, and as Dutch churches go, they are mostly large, and devoid of the large congregations of yore. This particular church has been well maintained and looks in so.Tie ways like a small English cathedral (on the inside, that is), it is built in the form of a cross and has a very high nave and side-aisles. A screen however you will not find, nor an organ-chamber; so,facing the altar, the organ has been put in the left side-aisle. The sound emanating from it is absolutely first-rate and one wonders why so .-nany great English organs have been hidden in chambers, where no justice is done to their potential. The organs powerful singing voice can be heard in the furthest corner of the building, and is as clear as if one were sitting close to it. All this of course helped by good acoustics. The organ was purchased by the church council from St Mary Magdalene, Worcester, for the scrap value of one thousand poundsi although dismantling, refurbish-ing and resituating was not cheap. The job was done by Bishop and Son, and John Budgen made a magnificent job of it. The Dutch with their fondness of pedal reeds did add a 16 Trombone belonging to a Hill organ of 1858 (St Mary, Hulme). The bass octave of the Dulciana (choir) from St Johns, Tottenham, and the oboe (swell) from an organ at Blechingley in Surrey. It must have been a little tiring for Dr Jackson to play this instrument without a registrant (John Budgen turned the pages), as the organ is completely mechanical, no pistons of any kind, so all stop changes had to be made while playing, no mean feat. The old-time swell footlever was also left intact. But Dr Jackson was undaunted and played more than an hour non-stop, and for his efforts was rewarded with a bouquet of flowers and enthusiastic applause. It was altogether an unfor-gettable experience. A visit to Schagen to see and play this organ is a must for any British organist visiting Holland, and I am sure our fellow-member Gerard Verloop (he was the instigator) would be glad to assist. The disposition is as follows:-
16 16 8 16 1864 Great
Swell Bourdon Choir Dulciana 8 Stopped Diapason 8 Gamba 8 Flute 4 Piccolo 2 Cremona 8 Pedal Open Diapason No Great to Choir coupler Three composition pedals for Great Three composition pedals for Swell Windpressure 2.5 inches. Choir to Pedal Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Swell to Great Swell to Choir Number of pipes: Octave to Pedals (Pedal octave coupler) 6 |