Peter Collins (organ builder)
Encyclopedia
Peter Collins is an English
pipe organ
builder based in Melton Mowbray
, Leicestershire
. He specialises in tracker action
organs typically with clean, modernist light wood casework and well-balanced classical voicing. Collins is an advocate of computer-aided design
, using it to produce remarkably compact instruments and to control costs as raw materials for pipe organs are often expensive, requiring fine, well-seasoned timber and high quality alloys.
Collins founded his company in 1964. Prior to that, he worked in another established organ building firm. He has built organs varying in size from one stop to over 50 stops.
Examples are to be found in Greyfriars Kirk
, Edinburgh
; Magdalenenkirche Bayreuth; St Peter Mancroft
, Norwich
; the Turner Sims hall at Southampton; and a controversial collaboration with digital organ builders Allen
in Trönö, Sweden
. A notable commission was for the St Albans International Organ Festival
(IOF), with which Collins has been associated for some time; the IOF organ was built in 1989 in the style of Andreas Silbermann
(1678–1734). Peter Collins's organs are found in a number of other countries, including Australia
, France
, Germany
, Norway
, Korea
, and the United States
. Peter Hurford
has played commissioning recitals on a number of Collins organs, and has also recorded on some of them.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
builder based in Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
. He specialises in tracker action
Tracker action
Tracker action is a term used in reference to pipe organs and steam calliopes to indicate a mechanical linkage between keys or pedals pressed by the organist and the valve that allows air to flow into pipe of the corresponding note...
organs typically with clean, modernist light wood casework and well-balanced classical voicing. Collins is an advocate of computer-aided design
Computer-aided design
Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
, using it to produce remarkably compact instruments and to control costs as raw materials for pipe organs are often expensive, requiring fine, well-seasoned timber and high quality alloys.
Collins founded his company in 1964. Prior to that, he worked in another established organ building firm. He has built organs varying in size from one stop to over 50 stops.
Examples are to be found in Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk, today Greyfriars Tolbooth & Highland Kirk, is a parish kirk of the Church of Scotland in central Edinburgh, Scotland...
, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
; Magdalenenkirche Bayreuth; St Peter Mancroft
St Peter Mancroft
St Peter Mancroft is a parish church in the Church of England, in the centre of Norwich, Norfolk. It is the largest church in Norwich and was built between 1430 and 1455. It stands on a slightly elevated position, next to the market place...
, Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
; the Turner Sims hall at Southampton; and a controversial collaboration with digital organ builders Allen
Allen Organ
The Allen Organ Company builds classical digital and combination digital and pipe organs, as well as digital theatre organs. Its factory is located in Macungie in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.-History:...
in Trönö, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. A notable commission was for the St Albans International Organ Festival
St Albans International Organ Festival
The International Organ Festival is a biennial music festival and organ competition held in St Albans, England since 1963. Originally held annually, it was changed to every two years in 1965 due to the complexity of organising the increasingly ambitious programme...
(IOF), with which Collins has been associated for some time; the IOF organ was built in 1989 in the style of Andreas Silbermann
Andreas Silbermann
Andreas Silbermann was a German organ builder, who was involved in the construction of 35 organs, mostly in Alsace...
(1678–1734). Peter Collins's organs are found in a number of other countries, including Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Peter Hurford
Peter Hurford
Peter Hurford OBE is a British organist, born St Cecilia's day 1930 in Minehead, Somerset.Educated at Blundell's School, he later studied both music and law at Jesus College, Cambridge, graduating with dual degrees, subsequently obtaining an enviable reputation for both musical scholarship and...
has played commissioning recitals on a number of Collins organs, and has also recorded on some of them.