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Ecclesiastical Case Reports
Re SS Mary & Andrew, Pitminster
(Bath & Wells Consistory Court: Briden Ch, March 2000)
Electronic organ
The PCC sought a faculty for the replacement of an existing pipe organ which needed frequent re-tuning and had a heavy tracker action with an electronic organ costing £15,000 at the most. Replacement of the existing organ with another pipe organ would be prohibitively expensive and repair of the existing organ would cost in the region of £20,000. The application to replace the organ was not supported by DAC. In declining to grant the faculty sought the chancellor stated that because pipe organs are valued for their authentic musical qualities and because with periodic maintenance a well-made instrument is robust enough to stand the test of time and was a considerable investment by the previous generation who bought it, where it is sought to substitute an existing pipe organ with an electronic organ, good reason must be shown for the change. Relevant factors will include the qualities of the respective instruments, the financial burden involved, the musical tradition in the parish and any resultant alteration in the internal arrangements of the churches involved. In borderline cases, the presumption should be in favour of retaining a pipe organ.
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