Organ designed by F.J. Livesey
Built by Willis 1899
JULIAN RHODES' DREAM ORGANS
The organ at St. Bees was close to Dixon's heart for all his adult life. As a young man he had a hand in its genesis; at one point he was acting organist; as churchwarden he was responsible for its maintenance. Its unusual and effective tonal design formed the springboard for many of the characteristics of his own schemes.St. Bees Priory was a medieval monastic foundation, and the church was 'restored' in the 1850s by Butterfield. The first organ was built by Hill in the 1860s, and was in due course perceived to be inadequate. Kenneth Shenton continues the story:
With the arrival of the new vicar, the Revd J A Alexander in 1896, invitations to tender against an outline specification were issued to the leading organ builders of the day. From the replies, the committee whittled the prospective builders down to a short list of two:- T C Lewis & Co and Henry Willis.Here is Livesey's original stoplist:Two members of that committee, both local men, were to play a considerable role in the choice of an organ builder. Francis Livesey, Organist of the Priory from 1887, was educated at Hereford Cathedral School and St John's College, Cambridge and was appointed Assistant Organist at Hereford Cathedral before returning to St Bees. Slightly younger was George Dixon, born in 1870 and educated at Bradfield College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he read Chemistry.
While an undergraduate, Dixon had been taken by Livesey to St George's Hall, Liverpool, to hear the Willis organ played by W T Best. As well as Best's magnificent playing, the reed work generally and the 22 inch tubas in particular so impressed them that they were determined to have a Willis organ in the Priory. So determined, in fact, that they offered to pay jointly for the addition of a third manual to the proposed instrument if the contract was given to Willis.
GREAT 16 Double Open Diapason 8 Open Diapason - (empty slide: prepared for Geigen Principal 8) 8 Stopped Diapason (wood) 8 Hohl Flöte (wood, open throughout) 4 Principal 4 Wald Flöte (wood, open throughout) 2 2/3 Twelfth 2 Fifteenth III Cornet 17.19.22 8 Tromba 4 Clarion SWELL - (empty slide: prepared for Lieblich Bordun 16) - (empty slide: prepared for Lieblich Gedeckt 8) 8 Open Diapason 4 Gemshorn 2 Flageolet III Mixture 12.19.22 8 Vox Humana Tremulant 8 Oboe 16 Contra Posaune 8 Cornopean 4 Clarion SOLO & ECHO (enclosed) 16 Contra Salicional (1-12 stopped wood) 8 Viole d'Amour 8 Voix Célestes (tc) 8 Claribel Flute (wood, 1-12 stopped) 4 Concert Flute (harmonic) 2 Harmonic Piccolo 8 Orchestral Clarinet - (empty slide: prepared for Orchestral Oboe 8) Tremulant 8 Tuba Mirabilis (harmonic, unenclosed) PEDAL - (empty slide: prepared for Double Open Diapason (wood) 32, extension) 16 Open Diapason (wood) - (empty slide: prepared for Open Diapason (metal)) 16 Bourdon (wood) 8 Octave (wood, extension) 8 Bass Flute (extension) 16 Ophicleide - (empty slide: prepared for Tromba 8) Couplers: 6 unison couplers plus Solo 8ve, Solo sub8ve to Great Combination couplers: Pedal and accompaniment to Solo pistons Pedal to Great pistons Pedal to Swell pistons Great pistons to combination pedals Swell pistons to combination pedals Combination pistons: 5 each to Great, Swell, Solo Combination pedals: 6 to Pedal 3 pistons to Pedal couplers Lever swell pedals to Swell and Solo, which can be checked pneumatically in any position they are left. Wind pressures: Pedal - flues 3in., reed 15in. Solo - 3 1/2in., tuba 15in. Great - flues 3 1/2in., reeds 7in. Swell - flues & vox 3 1/2in., oboe & chorus reeds 7in. Compass: 58/30.
Reginald Whitworth commented:
This was the first of the remarkable trio of West Cumberland organs which have aroused such long continued interest and are so aptly described by Dr. Lowery as the "three graces." The other two are at St. Nicholas and St. James's, Whitehaven, built in 1904 and 1909, respectively.George Dixon continues the story in an essay written in 1932:When the organ was ready for opening it was noticed that there was no name-plate. On Willis's attention being drawn to this he characteristically replied: "What do you want a name-plate for? Everyone will know it is a Willis organ." After further argument the old man said: "Very well, I will have one put on, but it is quite unnecessary."
The instrument stands in the spacious and lofty south transept and has a 16ft. front of polished and varnished zinc pipes, the basses of the great double and open diapasons, facing north. The console is on the same side, slightly elevated above the choir seats. The opening recital was given by the late Mr. (eventually Dr.) T.H. Collinson of St. Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh, on May 16th, 1899. Though it contained but thirty-two registers, and the ophicleide spoke on 7in. wind, it was then in every respect far in advance of anything in the Carlisle diocese. The old Willis instruments at the Cathedral and Kendal Parish Church had not been modernised, and the famous Harrison organ at St. Nicholas, Whitehaven [designed by Dixon - j.r.] was not even contemplated. If the St. Bees organ had not been in existence it is more than doubtful whether the Whitehaven instrument would have been built on such a grand scale in 1904. The former, alone in the diocese, possessed a full-blown tuba, and possibly, except the cathedral, the only example of a l6ft. pedal reed; while the stop control at that time was probably the most advanced and complete of any church organ in the county.Reginald Whitworth commented:About 1902 some dirt got into the tuba, which was returned to the builders and partially revoiced. In 1906, Messrs. Harrison made the following additions and alterations. The lowest thirty pipes of the great double were placed on separate soundboards, and this most useful stop was thus made available on the pedal. The cornet 17 19 22 was inserted, and the great reeds provided with harmonic trebles. A combination for pedal solo effects was added, and a few minor alterations made in the stop control. The ophicleide, which had always been wanting in effect, was revoiced on 15in. wind, the brass-weight loading of the tongues being retained. The clarinet, formerly the least satisfactory reed in the organ, was revoiced with the open tubes as before. The twelfth, then little more than a salicional, was rescaled two pipes larger, the slots removed, and revoiced so as to give fuller tone. The tuba was carefully regulated.
Till 1908, the instrument stood without a case, but in that year the front pipes were moved forward 1ft. to improve the appearance, and the richly carved oak front provided. It was designed and executed by the late Ralph Hedley of Newcastle, and is one of the finest examples of modern case work.
Except for regular tuning, the organ remained untouched till the beginning of this year, when the advent of electric supply to the district enabled the hydraulic engines and the feeders to be replaced by a " Discus" compound blower, operated by a 5 h.p. A.C. motor. The original blowing plant, which had never been adequate, was costly to run and maintain: now, for the first time, an abundant supply of steady wind at an economical rate became available. Electric light was also introduced into the church, and installed throughout the organ.
In May last the instrument was taken down, nominally for cleaning - which after thirty-two years was long overdue - but actually a very complete overhaul, which the lapse of time had also rendered necessary, was undertaken. As a matter of fact a literal "restoration" was carried out on most conservative lines. The original tubular-pneumatics were retained, all the motors being releathered. Though by no means quiet, the key action is magnificently efficient, even when judged by the most modern standards. Both sets of pallets on the front great soundboard were releathered and felted, by which means a considerable diminution in the noise was effected. The adjustable combinations, which were the first that Willis ever made for a church and are identical with those at Lincoln Cathedral (and formerly at St. Paul's) were effectually restored. One cannot of course expect 1931 results from 1899 mechanism, but the pistons now work well and are reasonably prompt. After the pipe-work of any organ has been cleaned and replaced, it is most essential that it should be properly regulated. The flue stops in this respect have been carefully attended to, but the greatest improvement has been made in the reeds. It is worthy of note that most of the brasses and tongues looked as bright and fresh as they did thirty-two years ago, so that little required to be done except minute regulation. The great reeds, however, had latterly become unusable, and on these much of the work was concentrated. Save for a slight lengthening of the tubes in the bass of the oboe, no alterations were made, the reed voicer's skill being directed entirely to recovering the tone quality at which Willis had aimed, and to this end neither time nor trouble was spared. Closed shallots are used throughout and the apertures are rounded at the base. Lastly, since the overhaul, five pipes extending the 32ft. open from 16ft. C to G 21 1/3ft. have been added. Though their wind is fed from the main reservoir at 4 1/2in., they match their elder brothers admirably, and are a most important and effective addition.
The balance can be easily realised at the console. From the opposite transept the louder combinations sound most imposing but are never oppressive. Heard in the nave the organ is certainly not too much for the church. Some of the fine effect is undoubtedly due to the height of the chancel. Like nearly all Willis's instruments, the lay-out is admirable. Every pipe has ample speaking room and can be easily reached for tuning purposes. The great has two soundboards. The stops are arranged in the following order from the front: double, open, flute 4ft., fifteenth, cornet, tromba, clarion. Back soundboard: geigen (spare), flute 8ft., principal, twelfth and stopped diapason. The swell stands behind at a slightly lower level and has also two soundboards. Front (7in. wind): clarion, cornopean, contra posaune and oboe. Back: vox humana, mixture, flageolet, gemshorn, lieblich (spare), open, bourdon (spare). The solo box stands above the swell, and both have horizontal shutters opening upwards. The former contains (on 3 1/2in. wind) the two orchestral reeds (one spare) and all the solo flue work. The tuba (on 15 in. wind) is mounted on a separate sound board in front of the box above the great. The pedal is divided, half on each side, and the pipes of the 32ft open stand against the back wall of the transept.
Before discussing the various departments in detail, a few remarks of a more general character may not be out of place. Willis's organs have been criticised on three grounds: (a) the quality of the diapason work; (b) the predominance of the great chorus reeds over the flue work; and (c) the lack of variety. It must be admitted that in occasional examples of his middle period the diapason quality was not always quite happy and that some times the great chorus reeds overwhelmed the flue work. In his latter days, however, both these traits were considerably modified. Though all the larger metal flue pipes in the St. Bees organ are slotted, the horny quality, with which this is usually associated, is absent. Competent critics have even gone so far as to declare that the diapason work here is the most beautiful of Willis's known to them, the reason being that the wind pressure is low and the tone natural and unforced. The trebles have all the characteristic liveliness which at that time no one but the builder seemed to obtain. There is, however, no great amount of variety. The swell and great opens, the double, salicional and even the dulciana (celeste) ranks are simply larger and smaller editions of each other. The three open wood flutes, too, are similar. To the tone quality of the flue work generally, it would be difficult to take exception; and, as is nearly always the case with Willis, everything blends into one harmonious whole, - a most vital point.
Let us now consider the various departments in fuller detail.
The Pedal - The bourdon shows some twelfth, though it is not unduly obtrusive. The stoppers of the flute have long handles, which are pierced. The pipes of the open wood, except the lowest four, were made by W. Allen for Lincoln Cathedral in 1828 and have oak mouths. The scale at bottom C is 16in. by 12 1/2in. and the tone is weighty. The original wind pressure of 3in. has been retained. The new pipes of the 32ft. open have already been referred to. The ophicleide is now most imposing: the upper range is somewhat free in contrast to the bass of the tuba.
The Solo - The enclosed portion is not very effective in the church, and, with the exception of the viole, céleste, and orchestral reeds, might have been more successful in the open. The salicional makes a beautiful double. The viole, which is bearded and slotted, is really a gamba, but exhibits quite a touch of modernity, though Thynne's viols had not come into common use. The céleste rank is a dulciana, and might well give place to one of that character, though some charming effects are possible in combination with the claribel flute or 16ft. salicional. The claribel (open to tenor C) is not prominent, but the beauty is typical of Willis. The 4ft. metal flute is not unduly piquant and the piccolo is similar. The clarinet approaches the orchestral instrument in smoothness. The tuba on 15 in. wind is superb either as a solo stop or in chords: it is brilliant, and blends admirably when coupled. The result is all the more remarkable as the scale is small compared with modern standards. The harmonics begin at tenor F sharp.
The Great - The beauty of the diapason work has been previously commented upon. The scales, &c., at 2ft. C are as follows :-
Scale Width - Mouths - Height Double 1 3/4in. 1 1/4in. 3/8in. Open 2 1/4in. 1 1/2in. 1/2in. Principal 1 3/4in. 1 1/4in. 3/8in. 15th 1 5/8in. 1in. 3/8in.The stopped diapason to tenor C was made by Willis for his first cathedral organ at Gloucester in 1847 and taken out in 1898 to make room for a claribel. The old wooden pipes have holes in their stoppers and the bass was new in 1899. The hohl flote (open throughout) is only a little more powerful than the stopped diapason and the solo claribel which it closely resembles. The open wood 4ft. flute is considerably more so, though its relative prominence may be due to its forward position on the soundboard. It is not ordinarily used in the ensemble. The fifteenth combination has a pleasant bell-like quality, the full toned twelfth blending admirably with the bright 2ft. rank. The cornet deserves notice. The composition is:-
C to F, 42 notes 17 19 22 F sharp to D, 9 notes 8 17 19 D sharp to A, 7 notes 5 8 10It is similar to the well known harmonics at St. Nicholas, Whitehaven, with the sevenths omitted, but it is of course scaled to suit the parent diapason work, and forms a complete contrast to the quint mixture on the swell, the tierce imparting almost the effect of a reed when the cornet is added. The two chorus reeds give that éclat to the full great which is typical of Willis, and the blend is so fine as to disarm the criticism that the flue work is overshadowed. Unlike Lincoln, where there is a double reed in addition, the tout ensemble bears no resemblance to the full swell with the box open. The top twenty-two notes of the tromba are harmonic. In the clarion the top sixteen are flues and the next eighteen harmonic. The breaks are cleverly concealed. In contrast to the swell reeds, those on the great sound almost like miniature tubas.
The Swell - The open diapason, gemshorn, and flageolet (the two latter being merely fancy names) are smaller editions of their great counterparts, the details at 2ft. C are:-
Scale Width - Mouths - Height Open 2in. 1 3/8in. 3/8in. Gemshorn 1 5/8in. 1in. 3/8in. Flageolet 1 1/2in. 7/8in. 3/8in.The composition of the mixture, one of Willis's most beautiful creations, is:
C to B, 24 notes 12 19 22 C to F, 18 notes 12 15 19 F sharp to A, 16 notes 8 12 15The vox humana is unobjectionable. The oboe, for convenience, was placed on the heavy pressure soundboard, but this fact is scarcely betrayed by the tone. Willis declared the contra posaune to be the finest double reed on 7in. wind that had ever been turned out of his works. It is probably still the gem of the organ, but now that all the reed work has been brought up to such a high standard of finish, its pre-eminence is less marked, and the honour might possibly be shared with the tuba. The cornopean and clarion are almost equally fine, and the single length trebles have an advantage in forming a contrast to the harmonic reeds of the great. They are somewhat more fiery. Like the great, the sixteen top notes of the clarion are composed of flue pipes. As swell chorus reeds this family is ideal.
Now we come to the most remarkable feature of the whole organ. The full swell piston draws contra posaune 16ft., cornopean 8ft., clarion 4ft., flageolet 2ft., and mixture 12 19 22: but five speaking stops, and there are no couplers. This wonderful full swell effect has deceived many, yet it scarcely could be improved upon. The oboe, when drawn, cannot be heard unless it be out of tune, and the addition of the open and gemshorn is inappreciable. The thrill is, of course, due to the splendour of the reeds, and the admirable blend of the mixture: a result which the builder knew so well how to obtain.
Naturally the question will be asked: Could the instrument be improved? It would, of course, be possible to revoice the enclosed solo on a higher wind pressure; but that might result in "spoiling the horn and not making a spoon." There are, however, five spare slides. A Schulze type of large open could be inserted in the great with a similar principal as a substitute for the not indispensable flute 4ft. While this might give a better ratio of diapason tone to chorus reeds, there would be a danger of dwarfing the double and chorus, not to mention the tuba and pedal. Willis clearly envisaged the proportions of his organ as a whole. In the swell, the following changes might be advantageous, as they need not affect either the tonal balance or the ensemble. A harmonic flute 8ft., purely for solo purposes, could be substituted for the oboe, as this is the only place where heavy wind is available; and there is no solo flute in the organ. The oboe might then be revoiced on a light wind and placed, as a 16ft. stop with a new bass, in the bourdon slide. The department would contain two 16ft. reeds, as at St. Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. In this way, smaller full swell combinations would be possible, for which the conventional bourdon as a double is ineffective. The 8ft. metal lieblich, already prepared for, is a desideratum. But, after all, taking the instrument as it now stands, except from the point of variety, it would be difficult to find a more effective organ containing only thirty-five speaking registers.
From time to time statements have been made as to Willis's instruments being spoilt by injudicious restoration. Doubtless there are one or two isolated examples where reeds have been impaired by unskilful treatment, and such characteristics as brilliant trebles and chorus have been so modified as to render his work unrecognisable. Here, at any rate, everything was directed towards restoring what the original builder had in view, and within these limits to making the instrument as fine as possible. The result has been to make it even finer than ever it was before. It has been well said of the Salisbury Cathedral organ that, taken as a whole, "it is a thing of rare beauty, and most unmistakably an instrument of music." This is at least as true with regard to St. Bees. Like Schulze's Hindley organ, the Willis instrument in the Priory Church will go down to history as the last great work of a great artist.
(Dixon's footnote:
By the way, the "legend" about the violone [at Salisbury] being on 2in. wind pressure has probably more than a substratum of truth. In the sister organ at Durham Cathedral, which was built at the same time, this stop was and is still on 1 1/2in. wind only. It is now more appropriately named dulciana, though possibly salicional would be even more accurate.)
It was originally intended to have an independent metal open diapason 16ft. on the pedal... but Allen's rescaled open wood proved so effective that this was not needed for power. It was, however, very desirable to have a stop intermediate between the bourdon and open wood and it was decided that the lovely bass of the great double open would exactly meet this need. The lowest thirty pipes were accordingly placed on separate chests and borrowed, thus forming a very beautiful pedal stop.This 12-note extension was installed in 1949 as the gift of George Dixon....it was found that the ophicleide... was ample for the full great, and that the prepared for 8ft. reed was unnecessary... It was therefore proposed to extend the splendid ophicleide down to 32ft. pitch instead...
Here is the stoplist of the organ as it stands today. It will be noted that Dixon had modified his proposed additions to the instrument since the above essay was written; most still remain 'prepared for'. The nomenclature of a few stops has also been changed slightly.
GREAT 16 Double Open Diapason 8 Open Diapason - (empty slide: prepared for Geigen 8) 8 Stopped Diapason (wood) 8 Hohl Flöte (wood, open throughout) 4 Principal 4 Wald Flöte (wood, open throughout) 2 2/3 Twelfth 2 Fifteenth III Cornet 17.19.22 8 Tromba 4 Clarion SWELL - (empty slide: prepared for Lieblich Gedeckt 8) 8 Open Diapason 4 Gemshorn 2 Flageolet III Mixture 12.19.22 - (empty slide: prepared for Sharp Mixture 26.29) - (empty slide: prepared for Double Bassoon 16) Tremulant 8 Oboe 16 Contra Posaune 8 Cornopean 4 Clarion SOLO (enclosed) 16 Double Salicional (1-12 stopped wood) 8 Viole d'Amour 8 Voix Célestes (tc) 8 Claribel Flute (wood, 1-12 stopped) 4 Concert Flute (harmonic) 2 Harmonic Piccolo 8 Orchestral Clarinet 8 Vox Humana Tremulant 8 Tuba Mirabilis (harmonic, unenclosed) PEDAL 32 Double Open Bass (to GGGG, extension Open Bass 16) 16 Open Bass (wood) 16 Open Diapason (Great 16) 16 Bourdon (wood) 8 Octave (wood, extension) 8 Flute (extension) 32 Double Ophicleide (extension) 16 Ophicleide Couplers: 6 unison couplers plus Solo 8ve, Solo sub8ve to Great Combination couplers: Pedal and accompaniment to Solo pistons Pedal to Great pistons Pedal to Swell pistons Great pistons to combination pedals Swell pistons to combination pedals Combination pistons: 5 each to Great, Swell, Solo Combination pedals: 6 to Pedal 3 pistons to Pedal couplers Reversible pedals for Solo to Great, Swell to Great Lever swell pedals to Swell and Solo, which can be checked pneumatically in any position they are left. Compass: 58/30.
See also Cecil Clutton's 1946 tonal assessment of the organ.Photographs of the organ are available at the NPOR: the case and the console.
SOURCES
Original and modern stoplists in 'The Golden Jubilee of a Celebrated Organ' by Reginald Whitworth, 'The Organ' quarterly, October 1949.
Dixon's commentary from 'St. Bees Priory Church and its Organs' in 'The Organ' quarterly, January 1932.
'St Bees Priory - A Centenary Tribute' by Kenneth Shenton, 'Organists' Review', August 1999.