All Old Boys, of course, will be familiar with the sight, and
indeed the sound, of the organ in the Great Hall, having
(presumably) sat through twice-weekly assemblies during their
school career, as well as attending School Prizegivings and
Christmas festivities of various sorts (especially the now
traditional Annual Christmas Festival). At a time when major work
on the instrument has become necessary, and about £30,000
needs to be raised, it seems a good idea to mention a little of the
history of the organ, which is likely to have been taken for
granted by pupils at the school, but I know is fondly
remembered by many after they have left!
I have in my possession a photocopy of a newspaper cutting from the
Bolton "Journal and Guardian", dated Friday 22nd January
1937, in which the presentation of the organ to the school by Sir
Thomas Barlow is described. The Vice-Chairman of the Governors
revealed the amount of Sir Thomas's donation to the audience "in
order to show that Bolton School had more than one generous friend"
- the organ cost £1,600 (a lot of money, surely, in 1937!). It was
pointed out at the event that it was not actually an entirely new
instrument, being a remodelled and enlarged version of an older
instrument, given to the school by Miss Annie Barlow, which had
proved inadequate for the size of the hall. The work on the organ
was put under the control of Mr. S.W. Pilling, a native of Bolton
but at that time resident in East Yorkshire, and he it was who
later gave the opening recital.
Mr. F.R. Poskitt, the Headmaster, thanked Sir Thomas Barlow and Mr.
Pilling profusely for their various contributions to the project,
mentioning that, at a recent inspection of the school, the "dignity
and impressiveness" of the morning assemblies had been noted, and
that there could now be a unity between the organ and the hall
(presumably in scale and appearance) which was previously lacking.
There followed a recital by Mr. Pilling, opening with a Prelude and
Intermezzo by Rheinberger, and also including songs by Quilter,
Handel and Mozart sung by Mr. N.D. McAdam, M.A..
The instrument's last major overhaul was in 1970, and it is a
testament to the quality of its construction, and to the work done
then, that it has lasted so well; it is still functioning fully,
although the build-up of dirt inside, and wear and tear over the
years, have inevitably taken their toll, and the speech of many of
the pipes, as well as the reliability of the moving parts, have
begun to suffer noticeably. David Wells Organ Builders of
Liverpool, who have an excellent national reputation, have been
entrusted with the work (which it is hoped will take place during
the 2012 summer holidays) and have already attended to the
instrument twice; I am very impressed with their approach.
Of course, as well as being a considerable ornament to the school,
the organ has provided an opportunity for many pupils to learn to
play, and several of these have gone on to have careers in church
music. A by no means exhaustive list would certainly include David
Leigh, now Assistant Organist at St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin,
Mark Williams, for a time Assistant Sub-Organist at St. Paul's
Cathedral, and now Director of Music at Jesus College Cambridge,
Richard Johnson, later Organ Scholar of Oriel College, Oxford, and
now Director of Music at Westbury Parish Church in Bristol, and
Michael Wynne, lately Organ Scholar of Liverpool Anglican
Cathedral, and now Director of Music at St. Mary's Priory,
Warrington, as well as others too numerous to mention. I hope they
will accept my apologies - I just wanted to give a flavour!
Currently (it is good to know) there are a number of
enthusiastic organ pupils, all of whom promise to do well.
As part of the Music Department's fundraising effort, I was asked
to record a CD of the organ, and specifically to include many of
the pieces with which I regale the school at morning assemblies
week by week; thus Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor is there, as
well as the Toccata from Boëllmann's "Suite Gothique" (with its
compelling tune in the pedals which always sounds as if it ought to
have words!),and the Grand March from "Aida", as well as many other
pieces which have become well known to the school over the years.
The quality of the recording, which was made by Mr Duncan Kyle, is
absolutely superb, and I thank him most sincerely for his time and
expertise; obviously I can scarcely comment on the quality of the
playing, but it seems to me that listening to it will certainly be
an enjoyable experience, giving a good aural picture of the
instrument in the hall, with an engaging selection of pieces (as
they say, there is something for everybody!). The CD costs £10, and
is available from Mr. Stephen Martin, Director of Music of the
Boys' Division. A sample track can be heard at http://tinyurl.com/7qntp6c.
It is to be hoped that many Old Boys will feel moved to support the
Organ Refurbishment Fund, and not just by buying copies of the CD.
As one of the departing Year 13 boys said to me recently after a
concert, when I mentioned to him that I sometimes wondered if
anyone was actually listening to the organ at morning assemblies,
"Oh Yes, Sir, you've been the sound-track to our lives." Long
may it continue!
MICHAEL PAIN (School Organist)