DREAM ORGANS
JULIAN RHODES' IMAGINARY ORGANS

 

The photograph shows the striking interior of this town parish church, designed by Alfred P. Strong in 1882. Its Italian Romanesque architecture is enhanced by the use of red and yellow brick terracotta.

The current organ is housed in a chamber at floor-level on the south side of the sanctuary. There are two manuals and 24 stops. My scheme has exactly the same number of stops in the south sanctuary organ, but adds to it a division on the north side (12 stops), and one at the west end (12 stops). The photograph shows only four of the seven nave bays; this is a long church, then, and a west-end section would be invaluable for leading congregational singing. Electro-pneumatic action is assumed throughout.

An instrument suffused with Italian colour seems appropriate. It would be best controlled from a four-manual console. Normal locations of divisions on manuals are given in the stoplist. Alternatively, a three-manual console might suffice, with the west-organ floating.

WEST ORGAN
 
IV ORGANO DA RISPOSTE (unenclosed)
    16       Bordone
     8       Principale Grande
     8       Flauto Armonico         big scale
     4       8a
    II       12a + 15a
    IV       Gran'Ripieno 15
     8       Tromba
     4       Clarone
 
PEDALE
    16       Contrabasso             open wood
    16       Bordone                 from Risposte
     8       Basso                   extension Contrabasso 16ft.
    16       Trombone                extension Risposte Tromba 8ft.?
 
 
NORTH SANCTUARY - GOSPEL ORGAN
 
I CORALE (unenclosed)
     8       Legno                   wood principal
     8       Dolce                   open throughout
     4       8a di Legno
     4       Flauto Cuspida          metal koppel flute
     2       15a di Legno
    1 3/5    17a
    II       22a + 26a
    16       Tromboncini             regal, chamade
     8       Bassetti
             Vibratore
 
PEDALE
    32       Quintatono             independent
    16       Subbasso
     8       Flauto Stoppo          stopped metal
 
 
SOUTH SANCTUARY - EPISTLE ORGAN
 
II GRAND'ORGANO (unenclosed)
    16       Salicionale            open throughout
     8       Principale
     8       Corno di Notte         metal, wide scale
     4       8a
     4       Flauto Corista         stopped wood
     2       15a
    IV       Ripieno 19
     8       Chiarina               trumpet, chamade, not too loud
             Vibratore
 
III ESPRESSIVO (enclosed)
     8       Flauto d'Amore         wood, open throughout
     8       Gamba Conico           open throughout
     8       Ondamar                beating flat; to GG
     4       Fugari                 
    III      Cornetto 12
    16       Fagotto
     8       Corno da Caccia        rustic oboe
     8       Voce Umana             reed!
             Vibratore
 
PEDALE
    16       Principale             metal
    16       Salicionale            from Grand'Organo
     8       8a
     8       Corno di Camoscio      gemshorn
     4       15a
    II       19a + 22a
    32       Sordone                half-length
    16       Bombarda
 
 
Risposte: Gran'Ripieno IV
 
 CC                15  17 19 22
 f0         8      15  17  19
 d2      5  8  10  15
 d3   1  5  8  10
 
Corale: 22a +26a II
 
 CC               22  26
 a0           19  22
 g2       15  19
 e3   12  15
 
Grand'Organo: Ripieno IV
 
 CC                 19  22  26 29
 c0             15  19  22  26
 c1         12  15  19  22
 c2      8  12  15  19
 c3   5  8  12  15
 
Espressivo: Cornetto III
 
 CC       12  15  17
 e3   10  12  15
 
 
(January 2000)

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