Hurricane Katrina’s deluge was Biblical. When it hit Louisiana and Mississippi the morning of August 29, 2005, the storm caused fearsome destruction. Then the disaster grew worse. The levees – the man-made walls built to protect New Orleans from the water surrounding it – failed. Their collapse flooded 80 percent of the city. By the time the waters receded and the survivors regrouped, Katrina, and then Hurricane Rita, had claimed more than 1,400 lives and the dreams of hundreds of thousands.
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Me on the organ at the beautiful Mousehole Methodist Church just outside Penzance, Cornwall. Im playing "If" which demonstrates the soft sounds on this fine organ. Mousehole (pronounced "Mouzel") is a very picturesque seaside village and well worth a visit! The organ here was originally built by Heard & Co of Truro in about 1903 and rebuilt in the 1940s by Hele & Co. It was overhauled in the 1980s by Lance Foy and electric action installed.
Me at Centenary Methodist Church in Newlyn, near Penzance, Cornwall playing the hymn "Just as I am". The present church was built in 1928 and the organ was built by Hele & Co.
Another of the churches I used to help out at in the evenings in the Bloxwich and Willenhall circuit was Lane Head Methodist Church in Willenhall, West Midlands. The organ here was originally built by Henry Hewins for a Methodist Church in Halesowen. It came here in the 1980s where it replaced an electronic! Im in classical mode here playing Handels "Art thou troubled" from Rodelinda giving an opportunity to demonstrate some of the smooth sounds on the organ.
Me at the organ at Short Heath Methodist Church in Willenhall, West Midlands. The organ is a 2 manual (keyboard) instrument that was originally built by Nicholson & Lord of Walsall for Walsall Street Methodist Church, Willenhall. It was removed from there when that church closed in 1964 and reinstalled here. Im playing the wartime ballad "That lovely weekend" as originally sung by one of my favourite all time singers - Dame Vera Lynn!
St John's Methodist Church in Bloxwich, West Midlands was the result of Wesley, Pinfold and New Street Methodist Churches merging in the mid 1960s. The organ was built and installed here by Nelson & Co of Durham. The bulk of the pipework is from the old Pinfold Methodist Church instrument and a couple of the pedal stops from the Wesley church. The pipework is on a plinth at the rear of the church and the console at the front left of the communion area. Parts of the console is from a Compton theatre organ and was originally stopkeys in horseshoe layout. In 1975 the organ was overhauled by Henry Groves of Nottingham. In 2003, it was rebuilt by John Lloyd of Bilston and some tonal alterations were made including the addition of a powerful "Tuba en Chamade" stop on the choir division. The console was also rebuilt and drawstops fitted in place of the stopkeys. In this video I am playing Handels "March from Scipio" which gives the general idea of what the organ sounds like.
Giving the Cornopean stop of the organ at Glazebrook Methodist Church just outside Salford, Cheshire a workout with "Nellie the elephant"! The organ was originally built by "Pendlebury Organ Company". It is interesting in the fact that there is an enclosed choir division consisting of 3 stops playable on the Great.
A cinema organ in a church! Me at Beer Congregational Church, Devon playing "Puff the magic dragon". This is actually a Wurlitzer organ originally built for the Picture House cinema in Walsall, West Midlands - the very first Wurlitzer to come to the UK! The organ was installed here in about 1957 and is now being restored to its former glory.
Me at the organ of St John Vianney Catholic Church in Clayhall, London. Im playing the old tune "If I could help somebody" and using the organs electrostatic melotone unit blended with the Tibia for most of the melody and to round it off I use the Triangle! The organ was originally installed at the Ritz Cinema in Nuneaton and has 3 manuals, 6 ranks of pipes and of course the melotone unit. It was designed by organist Harold Ramsay. When this church was built in the late 1960s, rather than spend large sums of money on a new organ the priest at the time was a cinema organ enthusiast and had this organ brought and installed here. The organ is used for the sunday services, weddings, funerals and other church activities and regular concerts are organised by the cinema organ society.
Me playing "Summer Nights" from Grease on the 3 manual 17 rank Wurlitzer organ installed at the New Victoria Centre in the village of Howden-le-Wear in County Durham. The organ was originally built in 1930 for the New Victoria cinema in Bradford. It is now lovingly cared for by the North East Theatre Organ Assocation (NETOA). The welcome I received here was perfect! For anyone who sees the keys moving on the grand piano be assured it is not a ghost doing a duet with me - I am playing the piano from the organ!
