Liverpool Cathedral, England
The firm of Henry Willis & Sons was established in 1845 by the late “Father” Willis, who took his two sons, Vincent Willis and Henry Willis, into partnership with him in 1878. The majority of the patents and improvements produced by the firm were solely the work of “Father” Willis, although his son Vincent was associated with him in certain of the later patents. Vincent Willis left the firm in 1894, six years previous to the death of “Father” Willis, which occurred in February, 1900, and the business has since been carried on by his son, Mr. Henry Willis, with whom is associated Mr. Henry Willis, Jr., the grandson of the founder.
The famous traditions of the firm in the field of reed-voicing and flue tone have been maintained by the present partners, who are both experienced voicers; and in general up-to-date mechanical details the firm is in the forefront of the English organ-building industry; as is evidenced by their recently obtaining the contract for the magnificent divided organ which they have now under construction (1913) for the enormous New Cathedral of Liverpool, the specification of which is here appended.
There are five manuals, of 61 notes, CC to c3, and a radiating and concave pedal board of 32 notes, CCC to g. There are no extensions or duplications. With the exception of the Celestes, which go down to FF only, every stop is complete, of full compass. There are 167 speaking stops and 48 couplers, making a total of 215 draw stop knobs.
PEDAL ORGAN (33 STOPS).
FEET. FEET. Dble. Open Diapason, wood 32 *Violoncello, metal 8 Dble. Open Diapason, metal 32 Flute, metal 8 Contra Violone, metal 32 *Quintadena, metal 8 Double Quint, wood 21 1/3 Twelfth, metal 5 1/3 Open Diapason No. 1, wood 16 Fifteenth, metal 4 Open Diapason No. 2, wood 16 Mixture, 17th, 19th, 22d Open Diapason No. 3, wood 16 Fourniture, 19, b2l, 22, 26, 29 Open Diapason, metal 16 Contra Trombone 32 Contra Basso, metal 16 *Contra Ophicleide 32 *Geigen, metal 16 Trombone 16 Dolce, metal 16 Bombardon 16 *Violone, metal 16 *Ophicleide 16 Bourdon, wood 16 *Fagotto 16 *Quintaton, metal 16 Octave Trombone 8 Quint, wood 10 2/3 *Octave Bassoon 8 Octave, wood 8 Clarion 4 Principal, metal 8 * Stops marked * are in separate Swell Box. Wind pressures: 6, 7, 10, 15, and 25 inches.
CHOIR ORGAN (23 STOPS).
FEET. FEET. Contra Dulciana 16 *Gambette 4 *Contra Gamba 16 Dulciana 2 Open Diapason 8 *Flageolet 2 *Violin Diapason 8 *Dulciana Mixture, 10, 12, 17, Rohr Flute 8 19, 22 *Claribel Flute 8 *Bass Clarinet 16 Dulciana 8 *Baryton, dble. vox humana 16 *Gamba 8 *Corno di Bassetto 8 *Unda Maris (FF) 8 *Cor Anglais 8 Flute Ouverte 4 *Vox Humana 8 *Suabe Flute 4 *Trumpet (orchestral) 8 Dulcet 4 *Clarion 4 * Stops marked * in separate Swell Box.
Wind pressures: 4 inches; Trumpet and Clarion, 7 inches.
GREAT ORGAN (28 STOPS, 1 COUPLER).
FEET. FEET. Double Open Diapason 16 Octave Diapason 4 Contra Tibia 16 Principal 4 Bourdon 16 Flute Couverte 4 Double Quint 10 2/3 Flute Harmonique 4 Open Diapason, No. 1 8 Twelfth 2 2/3 Open, No. 2 8 Fifteenth 2 Open, No. 3 8 Piccolo Harmonique 2 Open, No. 4 8 Mixture, 10, 12, 17, 19, 22 Open, No. 5 8 Sesquialtera, 19, b21, 22, 26, 29 Open, No. 6 8 Double Trumpet 16 Tibia Major 8 Trumpet 8 Tibia Minor 8 Trompette Harmonique 8 Stopped Diapason 8 Clarion 4 Doppel Flöte 8 Solo Trombas on Great Quint 5 1/3 (By Coupler) Wind pressures: 5, 10, and 15 inches.
SWELL ORGAN (31 STOPS).
FEET. FEET. Contra Geigen 16 Lieblich Flöte 4 Contra Saliciona 16 Doublette 2 Lieblich Bordun 16 Lieblich Piccolo 2 Open Diapason, No. 1 8 Lieblich Mixture, 17, 19, 22 Open Diapason, No. 2 8 Full Mixture, 12, 17, 19, b21, 22 Geigen 8 Double Trumpet 16 Tibia 8 Wald Horn 16 Flauto Traverso 8 Contra Hautboy 16 Wald Flöte 8 Trumpet 8 Lieblich Gedackt 8 Trompette Harmonique 8 Echo Gamba 8 Cornopean 8 Salicional 8 Hautboy 8 Vox Angelica (FF) 8 Krummhorn 8 Octave 4 Clarion, No. 1 4 Geigen Principal 4 Clarion, No. 2 4 Salicet 4 Wind pressures: 5, 7, 10, and 15 inches.
SOLO ORGAN (23 STOPS).
FEET. FEET. *Contra Hohl Flöte 16 Concert Flute 4 Contra Viole 16 Octave Viole 4 *Hohl Flöte 8 Piccolo Harmonique 2 Flute Harmonique 8 Violette 2 Viol de Gambe 8 Cornet de Violes, 10, 12, 15 Viol d’Orchestre 8 Cor Anglais 16 Viole Celeste (FF) 8 Clarinet (orchestral) 8 *Octave Hohl Flöte 4 Bassoon (orchestral) 8 French Horn (orchestral) 8 Tromba Real 8 Oboe (orchestral) 8 Tromba Clarion 4 Contra Tromba 16 *Diapason Stentor 8 Tromba 8 All Stops in a Swell Box except Stops marked *. Wind pressures: 7, and 20 inches.
CLAVIER DES BOMBARDES (TUBA ORGAN) (6 STOPS).
FEET. FEET.
Contra. Tuba 16 Octave Bombardon 4
Bombardon 8 Tuba Clarion 4
Tuba Mirabilis 8 Tuba Magna 8
Wind pressures: 30 inches; Tuba Magna, 50 inches.
The Stops of this department will be played from the fifth Keyboard, the action being controlled by Draw-stop Knob marked “Tuba On.”
ECHO ORGAN (19 MANUAL AND 4 PEDAL STOPS).
ECHO PEDAL.
FEET. FEET.
Salicional 16 Fugara 8
Echo Bass 16 Dulzian (reed) 16
ECHO MANUAL.
FEET. FEET.
Quintaton 16 Flautina 2
Echo Diapason 8 Harmonica Aetheria (flute
Cor de Nuit 8 mixture), 10, 12, 15
Carillon (gongs) 8 Chalumeau 16
Flauto Amabile 8 Cor Harmonique 8
Muted Viole 8 Trompette 8
Aeoline Celeste (FF) 8 Musette 8
Celestina 4 Voix Humaine 8
Fernflöte 4 Hautbois d’Amour 8
Rohr Nasat 2 2/3 Hautbois Octaviante 4
Wind pressures: 3 1/2 and 7 inches.
Both Pedal and Manual Stops in Swell Box. The Echo Manual Stops played from the fifth Keyboard, the action being controlled by Draw-stop Knob marked “Echo On.”
Arranged in two double columns on the left-hand or bass jamb are 48 draw-stop knobs for the Couplers and Tremulants. The principal Couplers may also be operated by reversible pistons and the Tremulants (3) by reversible pedals. There are also 5 reversible pedal pistons for the Manual to Pedal Couplers. In addition to the usual Inter-manual Couplers there are on the Choir, Swell, Solo, and Echo organs Sub and Super and Unison (off) Couplers, each on its own Manual.
A novelty is a coupler labeled Solo Tenor to Pedal. By its use the upper 20 notes of the pedal-board are available for a tenor solo by the right foot, at the same time the Pedal tones are cut off from these notes and the remainder of the pedal-board is available for use by the left foot as a bass.
The stop control is effected in the first place by 9 Adjustable Combination Pedals to the Pedal Organ. Then there are 9 Adjustable Combination Pistons to the Choir, Great, Swell, Solo and Echo organs and 5 to the Tuba organ. It is possible to couple each set of these Manual Pistons to the Pedal organ Combination Pedals, either by draw-stops or by piston, thus moving pedal and manual stops synchronously.
All these Combination Pedals and Pistons move the draw-stop knobs, showing a valuable index of their position to the organist.
There are 5 Adjustable Pistons on the treble key frame (and 5 duplicates on the bass key frame) for special combinations, on Manuals, Pedal, and Couplers.
There are 5 pedals to operate the various swell boxes of the lever locking type—a locking movement allowing the performer to leave pedal in any position. The swell pedal for the Pedal stops can be coupled to any of the others.
The Tremulants have attachments allowing the performer to increase or decrease the rapidity of the vibrato at will.
The action throughout is electro-pneumatic and tubular-pneumatic (according to distance of pipes from keyboard), excepting the Manual to Pedal Couplers, which are mechanical to pull down the manual keys.
There are seven separate blowing installations of electric motors.
The instrument occupied two special chambers on each side of the chancel, and a portion of the south chancel triforium. There are four fronts, two facing the chancel and two (32 feet) facing the transepts. The console is placed on the north side above the choir stalls. The organ is the gift of Mrs. James Barrow and cost (without cases) about $90,000. The specification was drawn up by Mr. W. J. Ridley, nephew of Mrs. Barrow, with the full approval of her committee, Mr. Charles Collins, Mr. E. Townsend Driffield, the Cathedral organist, Mr. F. H. Burstall, F. R. C. O., and Henry Willis & Sons.
It is claimed that this organ is now “the largest in the world.” We give the dimensions of some notable instruments for the sake of comparison:
Paris, St. Sulpice, 118 stops; London, Albert Hall, 124; Sydney Town Hall, 144; St. Louis Exposition, 167; Hamburg, St. Michael’s, 163, and Liverpool Cathedral, 215.
[1] This is really only c3 (see footnote, page 22), but we have decided to adopt the usual nomenclature.
James Ingall Wedgwood, in writing his excellent “Dictionary of Organ Stops,” felt it incumbent upon him to offer an apology, or rather, justification for introducing the name of Hope-Jones so frequently.
The author of this present volume feels the same embarrassment. He, however, does not see how it would be possible for him, or for any future writer, who values truth, to avoid reiteration of this man’s name and work when writing about the modern organ.
The author’s thanks are due to the Austin Organ Company, the Bennett Organ Company, Dr. W. C. Carl, the Estey Organ Company, the Hook & Hastings Company, the Hope-Jones Organ Company, the Hutchings Organ Company, Mr. M. P. Moller, Messrs. J. H. & S. C. Odell, and the E. M. Skinner Company, of the United States; to Messrs. Casavant Frères, of Canada; to Messrs. J. H. Compton, W. Hill & Son, Dr. J. W. Hinton, Alfred Kirkland, John Moncrieff Miller, and Henry Willis & Sons, of England; to Dr. Gabriel Bédart, of Lille, and M. Charles Mutin, of Paris, France, for valuable data, photographs and drawings, kindly furnished for this book.