Exeter University Singers St Aldhelm’s BS3 3TT 26th April 4pm
Benjamin Irvine-Capel began learning the organ at St Paul’s Cathedral in London while he was a chorister there, firstly with Rachel Mahon (now at Coventry Cathedral) and then Simon Johnson (now at Westminster Cathedral). He then moved to Lancing College where he studied with Neil Cox, Hamish Dustagheer and Alex Mason. He played the organ for many College events and at St Peter’s Westhampnett. Now studying politics at Exeter University and concentrating musically on singing he enjoys playing the organ for University Singers’ concerts, occasional Cathedral services and other ‘sporadic excitements’.
The choir items he is playing for are
- Faure – Requiem
- Mawby – Ave Verum
- Gardner – Evening Hymn
- Ireland – Greater Love
The organ at St Aldhelm’s was built by J G Haskins of Bristol and was installed in 1922. Ralph Morgan, the Organist at St Mary Redcliffe at that time (whose name is inscribed on the back of the BDOA President’s Badge of Office) acted as consultant to the church. He drew up the specification for the instrument, helped with the selection of the builder and oversaw the installation. He also delivered the inaugural recital on the organ on 5th May 1922. The organ has three manuals, a 32 note RCO pedal board and a central balanced Swell pedal. The key action and manual couplers are pressure pneumatic. The stop action is mechanical. There are three combination foot pedals each for the Swell and Great divisions. All the pipe work is good quality and the organ has a mellow tone.
The organ was manually pumped for many years, an electric blower finally being installed in the 1950’s. The Choir Division was rebuilt after the Second World War and the Great Division primary and secondary motors re-leathered in 2010 but otherwise the instrument is much as it was built.
The 1950’s blower finally gave up just before Christmas in 2023. Malcolm Gibbs unearthed a BOB blower languishing, disassembled, in the tower of Parkend Church in the Forest of Dean. This blower has now been rebuilt by BOB Stevenson and was installed just in time for the 2024 Christmas Carol Service. On the National Pipe Organ Register (NO3877) the instrument is described as being in a bad state of repair, but the survey was carried out in 2002 and a lot of repairs have been carried out since then. It’s condition today would better be described as ‘fair’.