Town Hall organ

Press, 13 June 1979, Page 18

Town Hall organ

Sir, — And what is wrong with an electronic organ for the Town Hall? We live in an electronic age and many advances have taken place in the electronic organ over the last few years. I personally agree with Mr Connall, the manager of the Town Hall, that an electronic organ costing in the vicinity of $25,000 would be an ideal instrument for our modern Town Hall, and in the hands of a competent organist would sound well for every occasion Whether it be Bach or the Beatles. We have a Town Hall to be proud of. Let us have our up-to-date modern electronic organ in keeping with the modern Town Hall. — Yours, etc.,

HARRY DAVIES June 11. 1979.

Sir, — Now we learn that a pipe organ for the Christchurch Town Hall would cost more than $lOO,OOO. How much more? I venture to suggest it would cost near to $200,000 — the cost alone of renovating the Cathedral organ is about $85,000. The citizens of Christchurch do not know how lucky they are not to have a pipe organ. The cost of maintenance and tunning is exorbitant. To keep a pipe organ in first-class order it must be tuned weekly, not to mention the power bill for the huge motor that supplies the wind. The pipe organs in the town halls of Auckland, Wellington and Dunedin are seldom used for public recitals. Why then do we need such an expensive instrument? — Yours, etc., BRUCE ERROL. June 11, 1979.