NO COMMENT ON THE 16ft?? (…now THAT'S a first)

Visiting the Pipe Organ at St Matthew (with St Luke), Darlington, UK.
2 Manual Electric Action Organ by Extension... built by 'Blackett & Howden'' Organ Builders of Newcastle in 1935.
History & Specification:
www.npor.org.u...
Detailed information about Extension Organs:
toff.org.uk/mi...
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, SHARE AND COMMENT

[@davidcraggs3770]

Ideal for basic service accompaniment

[@davidcraggs3770]

A suitable hymn machine

[@OrganicVisitations]

That's about it...

[@ConacherOrgan]

From the period Blackett and Howden were involved with Hill, Norman, and Beard. Those stop tabs are identical to those found on Christie cinema organs, with slightly different engraving. Would have loved to have seen a Blackett and Howden cinema organ, they didn't build many, the one heavily documented one from the Princes Theatre, North Shields, went to Australia !

[@OrganicVisitations]

If you know of any nice Conacher organs to visit please drop me an email 👍

[@gregmonks]

What's really sad is if I had a 55-foot trailer I could fill it with unwanted pipe organs. I rescued a behemoth of an electronic church organ that weighs more than my piano, but that's all I can squeeze into my living room. I was offered two old pipe organs that are disassembled and sitting stored in barns. The electronic organ is awaiting Hauptwerk/Artisan conversion. It's a strange world we find ourselves living in.

[@louisglen1653]

Well being and extension organ or unitized to quite a degree, there is no need for sub and super couplers. I suppose it would have been a bit better if both manuals had all the same stops. I am not a fan of extension or unitized organs, but they suit the need without the cost of individual ranks for each stop. Thanks for another nice video!

[@OrganicVisitations]

Agreed! Not a fan of extension organs either and I won't be in a rush to cover another one. I just couldn't find a way to explain it clearly.

[@OrganMusicYT]

Many unit organs are equipped with Sub and Octave couplers, along with Unison off. These functionalities are frequently utilized and serve various purposes depending on the user's preferences. A meticulously crafted and thoughtfully designed unit organ can truly be a remarkable instrument.

[@louisglen1653]

@@OrganMusicYT Yes theatre organs and other unit organ can and do have Sub and Super couplers and I agree with you and what you are saying. I have played a few unitized organs in Canada and never played more than one verse of a hymn on any of them because it was just too frustrating. All the pipe organs I had played previously and learned to play on had no borrowing, so I just found it too limiting. That being said it wouldn't bother me if similar organs come up on future videos.

[@OrganMusicYT]

​@@louisglen1653My local church houses a 10 rank straight organ, which unfortunately has its limitations. Without any couplers, no stops above 4ft pitch, and possessing only one 16ft, its capabilities are quite restricted. Personally, I would favour having 10 unified ranks instead of 10 straight ranks, as it would offer a much wider range of tonal variety.

[@louisglen1653]

@@OrganMusicYT I did a fair bit of work on a 4 and a half rank pipe organ and then played it for the church it is in. One four foot rank. I just had a sub and super. It has two manuals. but here is where I am the opposite of you. I know if it was unified it would be more versatile than having the sub and super couplers. I never tried unifying it when I rebuilt it because it would have been quite complicated to do that during that time.

[@shiningarmor2838]

All the overlapping notes of a theater organ without any of the color

[@OrganicVisitations]

Yep!

[@davidcraggs3770]

Basically a heap of junk!!!

[@peterw29]

As four-rank extension organs go, this one is particularly parsimonious, obviously built down to a price. Only the flute rank is fully extended from 16' to 2'. The diapason and string ranks are 8' and 4' only, and the Oboe is just 8'. Within these limitations it would have been possible to include a Nazard, using the flute rank at 2 2/3' pitch, but I think anything else would require extra pipework. As for the Great Bourdon, even I have to admit that it's useless here.

[@TB76Returns]

Is this your first extension organ? I encountered one by Vincent of Sunderland at Hardraw near Hawes. Have you seen the organ restoration videos by LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER which is an extension organ, and notably the one that was in the house in Bristol

[@OrganicVisitations]

It's the first extension organ on the channel, but I have come across many before. Trouble with this video, other than the keys not working and it being bloody cold, was that I wasn't quite sure how to explain things and kept getting my tongue in a twist. Once that happens I start getting myself wound up... I have seen that LOOK MUM video :-)

[@mattmilford]

Not a mutation or a mixture in sight! Which ranks are enclosed?

[@OrganicVisitations]

Well, according to NPOR the great and swell are both enclosed, but although I was unable to climb inside the organ, I could see through the front pipes that several were not enclosed. Can’t give you a definitive answer I’m afraid.

[@davidholmes9756]

@@OrganicVisitations When you played it I would have thought that you would have worked it out.

[@davidcraggs3770]

For the size of that church building that organ is somewhat an apology!!! But I suppose it is only a hymn machine . I just wonder if it can support a full congregation?!!!!

[@OrganicVisitations]

That’s all it is…a hymn machine. Nothing spectacular by any stretch 🙄👍🎹