An olive branch has been offered in a long-running dispute over a Victorian church organ in Angus.
The minister at the East and Old Parish Church in Forfar, Rev Barbara-Ann Sweetin, had said repair estimates for its 114-year-old Forster and Andrews organ topped £300,000 and wanted it removed.
This caused discontent among the local church and heritage bodies but a national authority told The Courier she wishes to ”repair any bridges which have been damaged”.
Scottish Federation of Organists (SFO) president Nicola MacRae said she wanted to ”highlight” the organ’s plight as its fading grandeur may be salvageable.
”In the past and on several occasions, pipe organs of considerable historic note have been removed from buildings without either notice or official permission being sought,” she said.
”It is difficult to argue about the merits of removal of an organ after the event has taken place. The official position of the SFO, as regards the Forfar organ, is the SFO wished to establish proper procedure should be followed and relevant permission should be sought before the removal of this fine, late Victorian organ.”
Curator for the Scottish Historic Organs Trust, Alan Buchan, said the Forfar instrument is ”not just any old church organ”.
He said: ”In the right hands, it can sound superb and fulfil an excellent musical and liturgical function.”
Mr Buchan, of Newtonmore, said any figure to renovate the organ would be much closer to £150,000 and not the £300,000 referred to in two quotes.
He added: ”I can assure Ms Sweetin, having seen one of the organ builder’s reports, it was not a proper quotation. Indeed, it indicated specifically the organ builder in question did not want to carry out the work.”
Mr Buchan said he believed there is more than enough money in the kitty to repair the organ. He said this could be added to by possible Lottery Heritage funding and further alternatives could be found if necessary.
”If the church requires to use the space occupied by the organ, or if funding is not awarded, there is no good reason to scrap the entire instrument,” he said.
”A similarly large organ in the old Perth City Hall recently found a new home in Melbourne.
”In other countries, the king of instruments is still not quite regarded with the same disinterest as it appears to be in Scotland, although relocation can still be very difficult.”
Mrs MacRae, a member of the Edinburgh Society of Organists, said the general trustees of the Church of Scotland are aware of the conflict and Rev Sweetin has agreed to seek permission before any removal.
The main roles of the SFO are to help in co-ordinating the work of six societies. Its committee met in Perth on September 22 and Mrs MacRae said: ”It was told by the chairman of its organ advisory sub-committee the future of organ in the East and Old Parish Church Forfar was under threat.
”The committee resolved the secretary of the SFO should write to the church authorities and to the press.”
A point frequently raised is a sum set aside for the organ’s repair, of which late organist Willie Bernard was custodian and fundraiser-in-chief.
Mrs MacRae said the SFO mentioned neither Willie Bernard’s legacy, nor potential Lottery funding.
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