Organ & Choir
Organ Fund
We are to raise £315,000 for our new organ project at Betchworth. This is to commission a new mechanical action pipe organ from a reputable British organ builder to replace our current failing instrument. We have raised £275,000. To complete our fund raising we need a further £40,000.
Donations are most welcome whether immediately or as a pledge for the future.
Please CLICK HERE to open the Appeal Leaflet (PDF format) and make a donation.
Current Organ
The present organ has a chequered history and has been altered and enlarged many times. It was deeply compromised by an inferior renovation in 1990 by a firm that subsequently went into liquidation. Further money spent on it is unlikely to result in any great improvement.
The organ is very difficult to access for maintenance and is located in the worst acoustical location in the building for leading worship in the nave. The organ is failing progressively and for years has not provided predicable or reliable performance. Nor does it cope well with the extremes of temperature and humidity in a medieval church.
Professional Advice on the Organ Problem
The Parochial Church Council (“PCC”) sought professional advice on the organ problem. Ian Bell, who enjoys an international reputation as an organ consultant, produced a report which indicated that a new mechanical action pipe organ represented the optimal solution to the organ problem.
The Project
The PCC agreed unanimously in September 2006, after an extended process of considering options, that subject to raising the necessary funds, a new mechanical action pipe organ should be commissioned. The PCC agreed that a new organ, with mechanical action and specifically designed for the church, offers the best long term aesthetical, acoustical and value for money approach. The new organ will be designed to make music for generations to come. Such an organ will be reliable in operation, simple to maintain and less susceptible to the temperature and humidity range in the building. It should last at least 100 years before any major maintenance is needed.
We are looking to build a new mechanical action organ of 2 manuals and pedal with about 25 stops on the south side of the chancel (where the console is now). The project will permit the construction of a new vestry/meeting room where the current organ stands.
New Organ
The firm of Kenneth Tickell & Co Ltd of Northampton have been appointed as our preferred choice to develop the detail of their outline proposals for a new mechanical action pipe organ further and, subject to contract, to build it for us. Kenneth Tickell and Company Ltd are one of the UK's leading pipe organ designers and builders. In 2008 they built new Quire organ in Worcester Cathedral of 4 manuals (keyboards) and pedal with 58 stops. Recent new organ installations have included St Giles, Cripplegate and St Mary-le-Bow in the City of London; Latymer School in Hammersmith and parish churches in Oxford and Cambridge. They recently secured the contract for the new organ in the screen at Manchester Cathedral.
Role of New Organ
The new organ will enable worship to be led with traditional musical support from the best available location in the church. With the new organ, St Michael’s will be able to offer the wider community a venue for concerts, educational events and as a teaching facility for music scholars from local colleges and schools. Both the Royal College of Organists and the St Giles Organ School have commended the educational aspects of the project. The latter hope to feature Betchworth in future teaching initiatives once the new organ is installed.
Background to the Organ Appeal
The cost of the new organ (at 2011 prices) is £315,000. Currently (Easter 2011) we have raised £275,000. In reaching this amount we have been helped by a Fund Raising Committee and more recently by the involvement of Chris Goldie, a fundraising consultant who has worked with a number of cathedrals and churches, as well as a variety of other institutions, over the last 7 years.
During the summer months of 2011 our consultant met people around Betchworth so that he could form an independent overview of both the Appeal and the “organ issue”. His report to the PCC included a recommendation to re-examine the project in depth, in particular, the viability of the organ proposal, and a re-examination of possible alternatives. This work continued through the Autumn months, undertaken by a small group including the Rector. The PCC were challenged to demonstrate their collective commitment to a renewed fundraising campaign, based primarily around pledged giving.
An information event was held, to which all members of the Electoral Roll were invited, this was to bring the church family up to date with our progress, present the renewed arguments for a pipe organ and answer any questions that people may have.
On the evening of Friday 14th January in the Betchworth Village Hall, an Open Evening to which everyone was invited was held. This was an opportunity for people to ask questions and give those who were satisfied with the answers, an opportunity to hear how people can support the campaign through a pledged giving programme.
The Appeal Leaflet, with Messages of Support from our Patrons (Lady Hamilton, the Bishop of Southwark and the Organist of Southwark Cathedral) and others (including Susan Gritton and John Rutter) is obtainable on request from betchworthorganappeal@hotmail.co.uk.
Choir
The Betchworth Church Choir leads the liturgical services of the Church and sing at most Weddings. The aim of the chosen Choir repertoire is to achieve quality and secure integrity. The monthly Evensong is a full Choral Evensong (increasingly rare in parish churches) and Choral Matins, which whilst predominantly based on Anglican chant versions of the Canticles, does sometimes include a choral setting of the ‘Jubilate’. The repertoire of Versicles and Responses continues to grow. There is a tradition of singing an anthem at each service and the Choir repertoire has continued to expand during 2010. We continue to use traditional hymns with a selection of the best of modern hymnody (at least mostly the best).
The Service of Nine Lessons with Carols remains the musical highlight of the year. In 2010 it took place in severe weather conditions. In spite of the loss of necessary rehearsal time the Choir featured a range of challenging music including brand new carol settings by Malcolm Archer (2010), Stephen Cleobury (2010), John Rutter (2010), and from earlier times, Mack Wilberg (2008) and Corlynn Hanney (1992). The Choir managed a 100% attendance and should be congratulated for that; the Congregation were more obviously deterred by the weather conditions.
It is always good to welcome back at Christmas young people who in former times sang in the Choir and see the chancel filled with a large choir. We need a larger pool of singers to sustain the normality of services, ideally at least double the current numbers and would be delighted to hear from anyone interested in joining the Choir. The commitment is not that huge and we are flexible over attendance and commitment.
The Choir Outing in 2011 took place on Saturday 7 May to Windsor. Following free time and a splendid tea in the Windsor Castle Hotel we attended the special Evensong in St George’s, Windsor attended by the Friends of St George’s and the Descendants of the Knights of the Garter.
The service was a mixture of music known very well at Betchworth (the setting of the Evening Canticles by Stanford in C major) and the extended anthem in 3 sections, ‘Hymn to St Cecilia’ by Benjamin Britten, which was hardly known at all. Following the astonishing outgoing Organ Voluntary by William Bolcom (b1938), a Free Fantasia on ‘O Zion, Haste’ and ‘How Firm a Foundation’ the Assistant Director, Richard Pinel, provided a short (quieter) organ recital for us after everybody else had left. Individual choir members were fascinated by the opportunity of going up into the organ loft and seeing the console and pipes at first-hand.
Any enquiries on Organ and Choir to Melvin Hughes on 01737241355