‘Many organs should be scrapped’

Press, 31 May 1985, Page 5

‘Many organs should be scrapped’

When it comes to organs, Anthony Jennings is not afraid to speak his mind. Mr Jennings, organist at Auckland Cathedral for the last 10 years and an Auckland University lecturer, believes many of the organs in New Zealand’s churches and halls should be scrapped. Most came from the worst period of organ construction, he said. A strong advocate of organ reform, Mr Jennings believes that many of the instruments used today do not uphold the integrity of the organ as an instrument. “It is a matter of the integrity of the instrument as a whole. An organ is an instrument in its own right, not an imitator of other sounds,” he said. Originally organs were built to play music especially written for the organ and to accompany large

church congregations, he said. Many of the organs in various town halls today were built to play Beethoven’s symphonies and Wagner’s music at a time when there were few orchestras and the organ was expected to fill the gaps. “That is wrong. Those organs were built for a purpose and they fulfil that purpose but it is not the original purpose for the organ,” he said. The Rugby Street Methodist Church organ, on which Mr Jennings will give a recital tomorrow as guest recitalist at the Association of Organists’ congress at the week-end, did not escape his criticism. “This organ is from the time that we should get back to. It is perhaps one of the best examples in New

Zealand but still there are compromises in it,” he said. These were mainly design factors, most too technical to mention. “One thing is that the casing is not all timber ... I suppose you could liken it to putting a piano in a plywood case,” Mr Jennings said. He has no time for electronic organs. “There is no such thing. What you have got is an advanced hifi system with a keyboard. It is not an organ,” he said. He said that playing an organ using electricity was much the same as playing a piano by flicking electric switches. “Anyone can do it. You can do it without being within metres of the instrument but there is no sensitivity in that,” he said. He believed many of New

Zealand’s organs should be scrapped because it was a matter of going back to basics. “Several of the organs fulfil the purpose for which they were bought. For instance, the Auckland Cathedral organ is an excellent example of the English cathedral style of organ. It is a fine example of what it is, but it is still not a true organ historically,” Mr Jennings said. A few organs were worth keeping and restoring. However, the majority were not, he said. “We have to get back to the organ as an instrument, and as the instrument it was intended to be.” New Zealand organ makers had to develop the skills to make the organs needed, Mr Jennings said. “I believe they can, but the next 10 years is a make or break time for them. If they cannot do it, there will have to be a number of organs imported.” Mr Jennings, who will give a lecture on organ reform as part of the congress, said there had been too many cheap organs brought into New Zealand. “When a church or a city or a parish buys an organ it wants to spend its money once. A well designed, beautifully made organ will outlast any building in which it is placed. It is a matter of buying wisely,” he said.

His recommendation for an organ for the Christchurch Town Hall? “The finest organ that can be afforded — and by that I mean spending up to $1 million," he said. The buyers would get a comprehensive concert instrument capable of playing with symphony orchestras, accompanying big choral groups, and playing solo music from the organ repertoire. The organ should, Mr Jennings said, come from one of a handful of skilled overseas organ makers.