I recently moved house and, with a dedicated music room, I decided to look for a practice instrument for home. Initially sceptical about digital instruments, I have been completely won over and am now the delighted owner of a Noorlander organ with Hauptwerk software. The console is attractive, the touch wonderful and the sound system magnificent. Nigel Stark could not have been more helpful throughout the whole process, from initial thoughts to project completion. Daily practice is no longer merely an aspiration but a fact, and life, frankly, has been transformed! Professor David Saint
Organist & Director of Music, St Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham
Former Principal, Birmingham Conservatoire
Amazing! Thanks to the brilliant Hauptwerk programme, a superior console installation from Noorlander, and the expert services of Nigel Stark at Hauptwerk SystemsUK, I can now play Bach on a Silbermann, Cesar Franck on a Cavaille-Coll and everything else on a magnificent modern eclectic instrument, each instrument heard in its original acoustic. Truly inspirational.
David Lovell Brown, B.Mus., A.R.C.O. Organist, Stamford Endowed Schools
I have had an organ in the house for perhaps 35 years, a series in ever increasing size from a leading American organ builder. The latest 13 years ago served me well but was huge. Downsizing the
house was never on the cards and a smaller instrument would have been both expensive and possibly disappointing. Out of curiosity, I went with a friend to Oakham to see and hear Nigel Stark
demonstrate the Noorlander Fugara 3. Less than a minute was enough to convince that I wanted one.
Edward Sharp, Tewin, Hertfordshire
I am absolutely delighted with my Noorlander Fugara III. It currently has three complete instruments on it, and I can blast my neighbours with the splendid full organ of the Goerlitz Sonnenorgel, explore the magnificent Werkprinzip of the Schnitger in Zwolle, or (more normally and public-spiritedly) enchant my practising ear with the many exquisite flutes of the Waltershausen Trost organ. In addition, I can go on voyages of exploration through the many free sample sets installed on it, and enjoy the business end of the Caen Cavaille-Coll, or even a charming 2-manual German baroque harpsichord. Nigel gave painstaking and expert help in establishing the various options I wanted (including an extensive piston collection); and I am thrilled with the end result, which is a joy to use and to listen to.'
I have had a three manual Hauptwerk practice organ for almost 3 years now. I have played other electronic organs with not much satisfaction over a number of years. The Hauptwerk system is the best I have come across so far in having a realistic pipe organ sound and touch. Nigel Stark has set up this system to its best advantage and has installed additional sample sets which make the system even more versatile. I can thoroughly recommend his ability in this regard.
Father Stephen Dye. BA STB School
The Hauptwerk system is startlingly realistic. My first experience of a HauptwerkSystemsUK home installation left me almost speechless, I sensed that I was actually in the same building as the organ I was playing, that realism was quite addictive and involving and I found myself adapting my playing and approach to each individual instrument and building. Having recently heard and played a recent HauptwerkSystemsUK installation in a church building, I can say that it is by far the best substitute for a pipe-organ that I have experienced and that anyone considering an alternative to a pipe organ should fully explore the musical and audio qualities that a Hauptwerk system provides.
Jeremy Jepson Bmus PG.Dip. Conductor Stamford Choral Society, St. Peter's Singers, Dyvers Voices
If you are looking for the most convincing pipe organ substitute, then the Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ is the one to investigate. I was amazed by the authentic sounds produced and the feeling that I was playing a real pipe organ.
Colin Druce FRCO GBSM ARCM Head of Keyboard, Warwick School
I had a very basic instrument using the free version of Hauptwerk on a reconfigured electronic organ console. I contacted Nigel with the initial aim of seeing if he could upgrade that instrument – but five minutes (or, more likely, five seconds) in the presence of his Noorlander Fugara made me realise that there was only going to be one outcome.
What impressed me when I saw Nigel’s Fugara was not only the quality of the sound, but the quality of the console. It is very easy to think with Hauptwerk only of the realistic sound. Although that is clearly a major attraction, having a console that is a delight to play is also of great importance. An added bonus is that it is also a lovely piece of furniture that looks good in the home. Nigel’s guidance was excellent throughout the planning, ordering and delivery process, and he has been very helpful since.
It certainly has changed my life. People of my vintage (I am 61) will remember having to go to usually cold and dark churches to practise when they were learning. To have an instrument in the house that seems to look at me demanding to be played whenever I walk past it means that I am practising more now than I have probably ever done. And, of course, it is a delight to be able to play the different areas of the repertoire on instruments suited for them. I don’t think that most musicians who play other instruments realise how much this matters with the organ.
The delivery day was memorable. The Noorlander truck looked extremely imposing outside my house. It’s not every day that an organ builder’s truck appears in my road and, if I’m honest, I was rather hoping that my neighbours might have noticed what was going on and commented. Disappointingly not one of them has, but equally none of them has complained that I am playing too loudly. That is not altogether surprising, as I live in a detached house!
I have a former colleague who has had a Hauptwerk instrument (of another make) for over five years. When I speak in glowing terms of my Noorlander organ, he tells me that there is no one as fervent as a recent convert!
Would you recommend us to other people? I already have done! David Whittle, former head of music, Leicester Grammar School
I recently purchased a Noorlander three-manual Praeludium III from Hauptwerk Systems UK, dealing directly with the owner, Nigel Stark. Nigel handled the entire
project brilliantly, from advising on the various organs in the Noorlander catalogue to choosing the computer and audio system, ordering and installation, and even down to ancillary equipment such as
headphones and desk light. He combines accomplishment as an organist with a comprehensive grasp of the Hauptwerk system, resulting in the delivery of a quality product with which I am extremely happy
and which will greatly enhance my enjoyment of playing and practising. His communication was faultless, with very short response times to my many emails, so that I felt fully supported throughout
what is a daunting and stressful process for the novice. Nigel offers an after-sales service, including supplying and installing additional sample sets. I am pleased to recommend Nigel and Hauptwerk
Systems UK unreservedly.
Maurice Maguire, former BBC producer
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