Organ Recital on 1878 Pipe Organ

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Sunday, November 14th, 2010
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM

On Sunday, November 14 at 3:00 p.m. organists Alastair Highet of Lantzville and Robert Ramsay of Courtenay will play Cumberland United church�s historic pipe organ. The program will include Cesar Franck�s Prelude and transcriptions of Handel�s Water Music.

Sharing the stage with Alastair and Robert will be soprano, Eve Mark, voice teacher and director of Cumberland United church�s choir. She will be singing a selection of well-loved sacred music compositions and operatic arias.

Admission to the recital is by donation ($10 suggested) with proceeds being used for continued maintenance of the organ. For further information contact Robert Ramsay at 250-338-0653 or e-mail: [email protected]

Following the recital, the church will be hosting a fall harvest supper at 5 p.m., cost $10. Reservations for the supper can be made by leaving a message on the church�s telephone at 250-400-7800.


BACKGROUND

Alastair Highet emigrated to Canada from Scotland in 1958, having completed studies in music and organ at the University of Glasgow. His working life was spent as a music educator with School District #68 (Nanaimo). The organ, however, was never far from his reach as for 35 years he had a small pipe organ in his home. Robert Ramsay is organist at the Comox Valley Seventh-day Adventist church. He studied organ with Martha Graham at St. Luke�s Anglican church in Winnipeg before emigrating to Victoria where he served as substitute organist in a number of churches.

The organ in Cumberland United church was built circa 1878 by the London, England firm of Alfred Hunter. It was purchased by the British Navy for its garrison church in Esquimalt. It is a one manual and pedal mechanical action organ with seven ranks of pipes. Built before electricity was in use, the instrument was fitted with a long lever attached to the bellows. Whenever the organ was played, someone had to stand at the side and pump the lever up and down to provide air pressure which makes the pipes sing. After construction, the instrument was taken apart, packed in boxes, and shipped around the horn of South America to Esquimalt.

When the garrison church was expanded during World War I, a larger instrument was required, and the little one manual and pedal instrument was sold to St. George�s Church in Courtenay for $500 where it remained until 1946, when it found a new home in Cumberland United church. Today an electric motor turns a blower to supply the air pressure, but otherwise the 132 year old instrument is as-built.