Those of us steeped in the digital organ world will long have regarded Copeman Hart instruments as the pinnacle of quality from the 1980’s onwards. There is of course something in the name, a double barrel adding a veneer of quality just as it did with Rolls Royce.
Ernest’s instruments deserved their praise. He achieved a wonderful quality sound using the Bradford computing system that rivals could not get close to. He would spend a week or two after delivery, voicing each stop to ensure a perfect blend across the divisions, and of course with the church building as well. All of this came at a significant price premium so it was only a small customer group that could afford a Copeman Hart instrument.
As good as expected
I explored buying one in about 1994. I had a 2 manual Allen at home, bought in 1992, and was eager to upgrade to 3 manuals. I explored Wyvern and Makin playing both. The price of a Copeman Hart home 3 manual organ was over £100,000 so I did not visit any instruments at that time. The budget being even by my standards just too much and I ended up buying another bigger Allen.
I first met Ernest in about 2010 when he came to us to explore using the new Physis sound generation platform in his instruments. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to reliably source the Bradford system and with an eye to the future he was looking to discretely change his technology to future proof new sales.
We became good friends and I then travelled to listen to a nearby Copeman Hart instrument, the one in Oundle Schools chapel. Fine as the gallery Frobenius organ is, it is not very suitable to accompany a choral evensong and so the chapel boasts two instruments. It were as good as I expected with some interesting tricks. If you drew the tremulant stop alone I remember you found yourself playing a harpsicord!
And so afterward we made our way to a nearby hostelry for lunch. Ernest always bought a bottle of wine, and unless I had resisted hard it would more likely have been two.
A possibility to buy the Copeman Hart business
The conversations with Ernest fairly quickly moved on to us buying his business which I would dearly have loved to do. But I declined for two reasons.
Firstly the business without Ernest and carrying his name would be harder to sustain. But also, despite Viscount now having a wonderful sound platform, I felt the market would never believe new instruments could ever be as good with any new owner.
Viscount at the time, were if anything reputationally the leader in volume and good value instruments. Until I built the first moving drawstop instrument, Viscount didn’t even offer them. To put it in automotive terms how would customers feel about Ford taking over Rolls Royce. However good the new product, the brand magic would be lost and that by and large is what happened later when taken over by another competitor.
Secondly, I was aware that it would be very difficult to maintain Copeman Hart as a stand alone business. Combined with any other and larger competitor it would be inevitable that cost savings would be sought and that was bound to include job losses. I had no wish to be seen in such a small sector as the person that damaged either the people or the company. That prediction also came to pass quite quickly and so by good judgment or good luck I passed on the opportunity to purchase Copeman Hart.
New range of high quality organs
The plan I decided upon was to start our own range of high quality instruments. Regent Classic was born in about 2010 when, working with Renatus in Devon, we built our first custom 3 manual moving drawstop console. Another two quickly followed for Northampton Cathedral and the Metropolitan Tabernacle Elephant and Castle.
These were followed by my new home instrument replacing the Allen which we sold to Dundee Cathedral. These instruments, especially my home instrument demonstrated the care and attention that is put into the console construction. I think it fair to say we added far more embellishment than Ernest ever did working with wonderful veneers and inlays to create a really beautiful playing environment.
Older Copeman Hart Organs coming up for rebuilds
Ernest’s concern about future component supply was well placed as today we are starting to see a significant number of older Copeman Hart’s coming up for rebuild. Along with other quality drawstop instruments of the 80’s and 90’s the supply of required micro chips is becoming a problem.
As a consequence we are amongst those now invited to make rebuild proposals for these instruments. It seems my decision to build our own brand has been proved right as we have enjoyed significant sales won in competition with Copeman Hart and other leading builders.
In so doing we replace all the electronics while retaining the solenoids and keyboards. Although we do prefer to replace keyboards to open up the access to velocity sensitivity of organ pipe speech which our sound platform can exploit.
Ernest sadly died last year but I do hope that he feels the amazing legacy that he developed in his lifetime is carrying on as his instruments of the past are brought bang up to date by a Regent Classic overhaul.
Rebuilt Copeman Hart Organs being installed
Our first rebuilt instrument has just been installed in All Saints Wokingham (picture above) which has undergone a 12 month internal refit.
Our second rebuild will return to the chapel of Denstone College in early autumn. This installation will involve a most exciting redesign of the speaker resources, which are being placed high in the roof space requiring substantial scaffolding for the work to be carried out safely.
And our 3rd? Well we will have to wait and see!
I have had a passion for church organs since the tender age of 12. I own and run Regent Classic Organs with a close attention to the detail that musicians appreciate; and a clear understanding of the benefits of digital technology and keeping to the traditional and emotional elements of organ playing.
