Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ

The Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ is a large pipe organ built by English firm William Hill & Son in 1890. It is located in the Centennial Hall of Sydney Town Hall in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.[1]

The Grand Organ

When it was installed in 1890, the Sydney Town Hall Grand Organ was the largest in the world and remained the largest concert organ built in the 19th century. It was described by Westminster Abbey's organist, Dr Bridge, as the 'finest organ ever built by an English organ builder'.[2] It remains the world's largest organ without any electric action components and is of international significance. It contains one of only two full-length 64′ organ stops in the world (the Contra-Trombone in the pedal). The other 64′ stop is the Diaphone-Dulzian in the Right Stage chamber (Pedal Right division) of the Boardwalk Hall Auditorium Organ at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States.

History

In 1973, Sydney Council began a major restoration program to address the mechanical problems it had begun to experience. Managing the program was R H Pogson Pty Ltd, whose employees worked for almost 10 years to restore the organ to its original form.[1]

Sydney Town Hall today also holds free organ recitals which are held throughout the year.

Specification

The grand organ can be played from 5 manuals and features 127 stops. The specification is as follows:[3]

GREATSWELLCHOIR (enclosed)SOLOECHOPEDAL
Contra Bourdon32Double Open Diapason16Contra Dulciana16Bourdon16Lieblich Gedackt8Double Open Diapason Metal32
Double Open Diapason16Bourdon16Open Diapason8Open Diapason8Viol d'Amour8Double Open Diapason Wood32
Bourdon16Open Diapason8Hohl Flöte8Violin Diapason8Unda Maris II8Contra Bourdon32
Open Diapason I8Hohl Flöte8Lieblich Gedackt8Doppel Flöte8Viol d'Amour4Open Diapason Metal16
Open Diapason II8Viola da Gamba8Flauto Traverso8Flauto Traverso8Flageolet2Open Diapason Wood16
Open Diapason III8Salicional8Gamba8Stopped Diapason8Glockenspiel4 RksBourdon16
Open Diapason IV8Dulciana8Dulciana8Viola8Echo Dul. Cornet4 RksViolone16
Harmonic Flute8Vox Angelica8Octave4Octave4Basset Horn8Gamba16
Viola8Octave4Violino4Harmonic Flute4Dulciana16
Spitz Flöte8Rohr Flöte4Celestina4Flauto Traverso4Quint12
Gamba8Harmonic Flute4Lieblich Flöte4Harmonic Piccolo2Octave8
Hohl Flöte8Gemshorn4Twelfth3Contra Fagotto16Prestant8
Rohr Flöte8Twelfth3Fifteenth2Harmonic Trumpet8Bass Flute8
Quint6Fifteenth2Dulcet2Corno di Bassetto8Violoncello8
Principal4Piccolo1Dulciana Mixture3 RksOrchestral Oboe8Twelfth6
Octave4Mixture4 RksBassoon16Cor Anglais8Fifteenth4
Gemshorn4Furniture5 RksOboe8Octave Oboe4Mixture4 Rks
Harmonic Flute4Trombone16Clarinet8Contra Tuba16Mixture3 Rks
Twelfth3Bassoon16Vox Humana8Tuba8Mixture2 Rks
Fifteenth2Trumpet8Octave Oboe4Tuba Clarion4Contra Trombone64
Mixture3 RksCornopean8Carillon Bells2Contra Posaune32
Cymbel4 RksHorn8Posaune16
Sharp Mixture4 RksOboe8Trombone16
Furniture5 RksClarion4Bassoon16
Contra Posaune16Trumpet8
Posaune8Clarion4
Trumpet8
Clarion4
  • Rehearsing on the Organ
  • The Sydney Town Hall Centennial Hall interior
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References
  1. City of Sydney Homepage , The Grand Organ, 29 December 2007.
  2. Betteridge, Margaret (2008). Sydney Town Hall: the building and its collection. Sydney: Council of the City of Sydney. p. 85. ISBN 9780975119648.
  3. http://www.ohta.org.au/confs/Sydney/SYDNEYTOWNHALL.html


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