Westminster Abbey Organ, London, Eng
All good Americans when they visit London go to Westminster Abbey, and will be interested in the organ there; in fact we believe it was largely built with American money. The house of William Hill & Son, who built this organ, is the oldest firm of organ-builders in England, being descended from the celebrated artist, John Snetzler, whose business, founded in 1755, passed into the possession of Thomas Elliot, and to his son-in-law, William Hill (inventor of the Tuba), in the earlier part of the Nineteenth Century. The business has been in the Hill family nearly a hundred years and is now directed by William Hill’s grandson. The firm has built many notable instruments in Great Britain and her colonies (Sydney) celebrated for the refinement and purity of their tone.
The organ in Westminster Abbey is placed at each side of the choir screen, except the Celestial organ, which is placed in the triforium of the south transept (Poets’ Corner) and connected with the console by an electric cable 200 feet long. The form of action used is Messrs. Hill’s own, and the “stop-keys” therefor (made to a pattern suggested by Sir Frederick Bridge) will be seen in the picture to the left of the music desk. Note that this organ can be played from two keyboards. The main organ has pneumatic action throughout. It was commenced in 1884, added to as funds were available, and finished in 1895. The specification (containing the additions made in 1908-9) follows:
GREAT ORGAN (14 STOPS)
FEET. FEET. Double Open Diapason 16 Harmonic Flute 4 Open Diapason, large scale 8 Twelfth 2 2/3 Open Diapason, No. 1 8 Fifteenth 2 Open Diapason, No. 2 8 Mixture, 4 ranks Open Diapason, No. 3 8 Double Trumpet 16 Hohl Flöte 8 Posaune 8 Principal 4 Clarion 4
CHOIR ORGAN (11 STOPS)
FEET. FEET.
Gedackt 16 Nason Flute 4
Open Diapason 8 Suabe Flute 4
Keraulophon 8 Harmonic Gemshorn 4
Dulciana 8 Contra Fagotto 16
Lieblich Gedackt 8 Cor Anglais 8
Principal 4
SWELL ORGAN (18 STOPS)
FEET. FEET.
Double Diapason, Bass 16 Dulcet 4
Double Diapason, Treble 16 Principal 4
Open Diapason, No. 1 8 Lieblich Flöte 4
Open Diapason, No. 2 8 Fifteenth 2
Rohr Flöte 8 Mixture, 3 ranks
Salicional 8 Oboe 8
Voix Celestes 8 Double Trumpet 16
Dulciana 8 Cornopean 8
Hohl Flöte 8 Clarion 4
SOLO ORGAN (8 STOPS)
FEET. FEET.
Gamba 8 In a Swell Box Rohr Flöte 8 Orchestral Oboe 8
Lieblich Flöte 4 Clarinet 8
Harmonic Flute 4 Vox Humana 8
Tuba Mirabilis
(heavy wind) 8
CELESTIAL ORGAN (17 STOPS)
First Division—
FEET. FEET.
Double Dulciana, Bass 16 Voix Celestes 8
Double Dulciana, Treble 16 Hohl Flöte 8
Flauto Traverso 8 Dulciana Cornet, 6 ranks
Viola di Gamba 8
The following Stops are available, when desired, on the Solo keyboard, thus furnishing an independent Instrument of two Manuals; whilst in combination with Coupler Keys, Nos. 1 and 2, Coupler Keys Nos. 3 and 4 can be interchanged, thus reversing the Claviers.
Second Division—
FEET. FEET.
Cor de Nuit 8 Vox Humana 8
Suabe Flute 4 Spare Slide
Flageolet 2 Glockenspiel, 3 ranks
Harmonic Trumpet 8 Gongs (three octaves of
Musette 8 brass gongs, struck by
Harmonic Oboe 8 electro-pneumatic hammers).
ORGAN (10 STOPS)
FEET. FEET.
Double Open Diapason 32 Bass Flute 8
Open Diapason 16 Violoncello 8
Open Diapason 16 Contra Posaune 32
Bourdon 16 Posaune 16
Principal 8 Trumpet 8
Manuals—CC to a|3|. Pedal—CCC to F.
The entire instrument is blown by a gas engine, actuating a rotary blower and high pressure feeders.
There are 24 Couplers; 10 Combination Pedals affecting Great, Swell, and Pedal stops; 24 Combination Pistons, and 3 Crescendo Pedals.
In 1908-1909 the organ was refitted throughout with William Hill & Sons’ latest type of tubular pneumatic action (excepting the Celestial organ, for which the electric action was retained), an entirely new console was provided, a large-scale Open Diapason added to the reed soundboard of the Great organ, and several additions made to the couplers and combination pistons.
William Hill & Sons are also the builders of the organ in the Town Hall, Sydney, Australia, once the largest in the world; it has 126 speaking stops. It may be looked upon as the apotheosis of the old style of organ-building, with low pressures, duplication, and mixtures. The highest pressure used is 12 inches and there are no less than 45 ranks of mixtures which were characterized by Sir J. F. Bridge as being “like streaks of silver.” The writer saw this organ in the builder’s factory in London before it was shipped to Sydney. A unique novelty was the Contra Trombone on the Pedal of 64 feet actual length. The bottom pipes were doubled up into three sections and the tongue of the reed of the CCCCC pipe was two feet long. Although almost inaudible when played alone this stop generated harmonics which powerfully reinforced the tone of the full organ. The organ is inclosed in a case designed by Mr. Arthur Hill after old renaissance examples.