Copeman Hart

27/09/2024

15/01/2024

We are delighted to announce that Managing Director, Dr Keith Harrington was recently awarded two Honorary Fellowships from The Cotswold Society of Church Musicians and the Three Counties School of Music. The diplomas were presented in recognition of Services to Church Music including long-standing roles as Managing Director of Copeman Hart & Company Ltd, Makin Organs Ltd and Church Organ World and as a church organist for many years.

Keith commented, “These awards were a total surprise to me, and I am delighted and humbled in equal measure.” He added “Dr Ian Higginson, Principal and Chief Examiner at Three Counties School of Music, his patrons and their association with the University of Gloucestershire has been of considerable benefit to many church musicians. Their wonderful work over the last decade is simply inspiring.”

Three Counties School of Music was established in 2010 and has operated in association with the University of Gloucestershire ever since. TCSM is an independent assessment board, which provides a wide range of accessible and flexible grades (1-8), performance certificates, plus four levels of performance diplomas, CertTCSM, DipTCSM, ATCSM & FTCSM.

25/08/2023

Yet Another Copeman Hart Rebuild
Earlier this week we installed the rebuilt console in St Giles Exhall, which has 41 speaking stops spread over two manuals and pedals. The specification, as devised by Ian Tracey, is based upon the previous one with a few modifications and additions. It benefits tremendously from the addition of octave and suboctave couplers in the Swell.

We were able to refurbish and reuse the excellent Herber-Brooks keyboards and brought the console up to the latest Copeman Hart standards.

As ever in a rebuild, we produced new stop jambs and added new stop heads. Even prior to the final voicing, the organist Henry Wagstaff is utterly delighted!

25/06/2023

17/05/2022

04/05/2022

Battle of the Organs at Norwich Cathedral
Organists David Dunnett, Ashley Grote and George Inscoe will perform the Battle of the Organs on Friday 3 June at 2pm. Join them for this final performance before the Cathedral’s 105-stop pipe organ is taken out of service for a 15-month restoration.

David Dunnett (Cathedral Organist), Ashley Grote (Master of Music) and George Inscoe (Assistant Organist) will present a programme of some of the best-loved works in the organ repertoire including Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor and Widor’s Toccata in F, played on three organs at once!

After a successful music appeal, the restoration of the Cathedral’s pipe organ begins on Monday 6 June. Most of its 6,655 pipes will be taken away to organ builders Harrison and Harrison of Durham, before being reinstalled and re-voiced next year, ready to be heard again by September 2023. This huge project is the instrument’s first complete restoration since it was rebuilt in 1942, following a fire which partially destroyed the instrument in April 1938.

Whilst the pipe organ is out of use, the Cathedral will have use of two digital organs for its services, provided by Church Organ World in Manchester. In this Battle of the Organs concert, the organists will play the pipe organ and the digital organs (a Makin and a Copeman Hart) alongside each other, as well as the Cathedral’s one-manual chamber organ.

No tickets or booking are required and admission is free.

The performance will last around one hour and there will be a retiring collection taken for the Cathedral music fund.

18/01/2022

Ernest Copeman Hart (1934 – 2022)

We are very saddened to report the passing of Ernest Hart aged 87 on Sunday 16th January 2022. Ernest had been in poor health for some considerable time, but his passing although peaceful, has still been a significant shock to those in our business who worked with him and for him.

Copeman Hart & Company Ltd was founded by Ernest in 1960 and was run by him as Managing Director for fifty years. During that time, it became perhaps the most recognised name for quality in the pipeless organ world, with many sumptuous installations worldwide and a tremendous following of loyal customers and admirers.

Great attention to detail has always been a trademark of Ernest and the company, with every single instrument being built totally bespoke to meet the exact needs of the customer in the most flexible way possible. Time was lavished on building the finest quality consoles, which are built on a par with the best from pipe organ builders. The culmination of the whole process was impeccable on-site voicing by Ernest to ensure that the best result possible has been achieved for every customer, down to the last detail of every note.

Ernest and the company he led has never stood still in its research and development efforts. Through the years innovations helped to ensure that customers always had the best solutions available, from analogue through to solid state and now with digital components. Whatever the hardware or software used through the years, the results have always been stunning, with satisfaction guaranteed.

This great tradition of unsurpassed sound, complimented by build quality finesse was passed on to Managing Director Dr Keith Harrington, who took over this role in 2011 when as part of Ernest’s retirement planning at the age of 77, Copeman Hart was acquired by Makin Organs Ltd.

Keith commented, “Meeting Ernest for the first time in person during 2010 was a tremendous privilege.” He added “I have met many customers who were simply in awe of him and what he has done for so many years; his passing is certainly another end of an era”. Ernest had a soft spot for Steve Bell who he employed in 1991 and who has been with the company since.

In his later years Ernest acquired quite a taste for red wine and became somewhat of a connoisseur. Although the organ business was his life, he thoroughly enjoyed watching Grand Prix racing.

If customers or friends have any memories or thoughts they would like to share with our staff and Ernest’s family, please send them to [email protected].

01/04/2021

Installed this week, and to be voiced shortly by Ian Tracey and Keith Harrington our customer in Dormansland, Surrey is exceptionally happy with the result. Originally this beautiful console, built by Copeman Hart, contained 'home built' innards and had been well played and looked after through the years.

The rebuild undertaken brought the organ into the 21st century with new Copeman Hart innards, a new increased and enhanced specification, new solid mahogany jambs, new wood-based keyboards and piston rails. The 12.2 new amplification and speaker system is housed in a mini organ loft at the other side of the room. The LED screen, which really helps with the control of the instrument has been placed on the right hand side of the music desk so it can easily be seen, or indeed hidden by some music if a purist were to visit.

Rebuilding quality consoles, typically from drawstop instrument, where the economics makes most sense, has become increasingly popular for churches and homes alike. Our next rebuild project, this time of a Makin drawstop instrument from 1995 will be completed within the next few weeks.

15/01/2021

A wonderful concert with four organs (Copeman Hart, Johannus, Makin & Rodgers) with four organists (Ian Tracey, Andre van Vliet, Shean Bowers & Dan Miller). Enjoy!

We're extremely proud to take part in a beautiful and unique video concert, organized by the Global Organ Group. Four top-class organists in three different ...

23/12/2020

As played by Professor Ian Tracey on the Copeman Hart organ at St Mary's Parish Church, Handsworth