ORGANS IN & AROUND CHESTERFIELD
ANNUNCIATION R.C., SPENCER STREET The foundation stone of this characterful church was laid in 1853, and the chancel built in 1855. In 1874 the building was completed and the broad tower-front added at the west end. There is seating for 600 people.
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The organ was installed in 1875 as the gift of the industrialist William Arkwright (a
descendent of the inventor of the spinning frame, Sir Richard Arkwright) who lived at Sutton
Scarsdale Hall. It is the only organ in the area by 'Father' Henry Willis.
GREAT
16 Double Diapason 1-12 stopped
8 Open Diapason
8 Claribel Flute 1-24 stopped
8 Dulciana 1-12 grooved
4 Principal
4 Flûte Harmonique
2 Fifteenth
8 Trumpet
SWELL
16 Bourdon
8 Open Diapason
8 Lieblich Gedact
8 Salicional 1-12 stopped
8 Celeste 1-12 grooved
4 Principal
2 Flageolet
8 Cornopean
8 Hautboy
Tremulant
PEDAL
16 Open Diapason wood
16 Violone metal; in case-fronts
16 Bourdon
Couplers: 3 unison.
Composition pedals: 3 to Great & Pedal; 2 to Swell.
Balanced pedal to Swell.
Compass: 56/30 (R&C)
Mechanical action.
In 'Historic Organs in Derbyshire' (Cromford, 1998) Rodney Tomkins wrote:
The two cases stand at either side of the west gallery. Great and part of Pedal are on the north side; Swell and the rest of Pedal on the south side. The attached console is on the north side, and the player thus sits in the middle of the instrument, which speaks out boldly from its open position. The console is what one expects in a Willis of this date. It appears largely unaltered, though the balanced pedal presumably replaced a lever pedal at some time, and the nomenclature on the pedal drawstops is oddly varied. The mechanical action is comfortable, if rather heavy with Swell coupled through. The trackers to the ranks on the south side run underneath the gallery floor, and rattled somewhat on the occasion of my visit in 1991; the tuner's book contained complaints (from the tuner!) about the filthy state of the instrument. It has been cleaned and overhauled since that date.With five stops of 16ft. pitch and two case fronts containing open metal Violone pipes it is clearly an instrument in which no expense was spared - the price of £1,200 making it one of the most costly nineteenth century organs in the County.
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The Great Open Diapason is one of those rare stops which is truly 'an organ in itself'; it is vigorous and big, with a distinct edge to the tone, and quality is maintained throughout the compass. The Double Diapason inclines to geigen quality without tonal mud, and adds a valuable new colour when played an octave up as a gentler unison diapason. The Claribel Flute has an abrupt break between open and stopped pipes at middle C, above which it is woody and full-toned. The Dulciana is a small-scale, soft diapason with pleasing harmonic development. The Principal and Fifteenth are each rather louder than the double and rather softer than the Open, each possessing a bright, full tone. The chorus is bright and transparent; if anything, the Fifteenth seems rather assertive, and one misses the binding quality of a Twelfth. The 4ft. Flûte Harmonique has a poor, hard-toned bass (a feature I have noticed in other Father Willis organs) but a good, pure treble. The Trumpet is a fine low-pressure reed, free and virile; it is loud enough to be used in solos against the Swell chorus. As is typical of Father Willis, such unlikely combinations as 16ft. with 4ft. Principal, or 16ft. with 8ft. Claribel and Dulciana work very well. The blending properties of all stops are excellent.
The Swell division is a full-blooded foil to Great, speaking as it does from the front of the gallery on the south side. Unlike so many Victorian organs, the combination of Swell diapasons 8+4+2 is virtually equal in power to the same stops on Great, making the organ an unexpectedly good vehicle for the North-German repertoire. The 8ft. Open is a slightly smaller version of that on Great, with added edge and vigour. The Principal is its equal in volume, while the Flageolet - according to Willis's usual practice - is a Fifteenth in all but name. Like the Great Fifteenth, one feels that it is a little assertive, in danger of sitting atop of the chorus rather than extending it and brightening it. The Lieblich Gedact has body and piquancy, almost like a renaissance stopped flute. Below tenor G the tone abruptly changes for the worse: were old pipes re-used for some of this register? The Bourdon has a hollower timbre than the Gedact, but is otherwise similar. The Salicional has only a trace of string tone, and the Celeste (which draws both the Salicional and an undulating rank) creates an effect richer and warmer than many 'cool' Willis swell celestes. The Cornopean has a little more body and a little less freedom than the Great Trumpet; the Hautboy needed regulating at the time of my visit. The Swell box is an effective one.
The wooden Open Diapason on Pedal is more indefinite than some other examples by Father Willis; a pervasive rumble which, particularly in the lowest octave, is painful to the player sat in the middle of the organ. The Violone is a mezzoforte diapason with no perceptible string tone. The presence of three 16ft. Pedal stops means that the Bourdon has been voiced as a genuinely soft register.
This instrument is of outstanding local interest, as well as a valuable member of the national stock of surviving instruments by Father Henry Willis.
Church exterior: Julian Rhodes, 1999
Organ pipefront & console: Nigel Tilley, 1991
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