Organ designed by George Dixon
Built by Norman & Beard 1909
JULIAN RHODES' DREAM ORGANS
II GREAT 16 Rohr Bordun wood & metal 8 Open Diapason 8 Geigen 8 Claribel Flute wood; closed bass 4 Principal 2 2/3 Twelfth 2 Fifteenth III SWELL (soundboard with extra treble octave, 70 notes) 8 Horn Diapason wood & metal 8 Lieblich Gedeckt* wood & metal 4 Geigen Principal* 2 Gemshorn III Mixture 12*.19.22 16 Corno di Bassetto 8 Trumpet Tremulant (also acting on Orchestral) I ORCHESTRAL (enclosed) 16 Quintatön* 8 Hohl Flöte wood; open throughout 4 Concert Flute* harmonic metal 8 Viole d'Orchestre 8 Viole Célestes* full-compass BOMBARDE (floating) 8 Harmonic Tromba 4 Octave Tromba extension PEDAL 16 Open Wood 16 Subbass Great 16ft. 8 Octave Wood 20 from Open Wood 8 Flute Great 16ft. 16 Trombone Couplers: Orchestral to Pedal, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal, Orchestral 8ve, Bombarde to Orchestral, Swell to Orchestral, Bombarde to Great, Orchestral to Great, Swell to Great, Swell 8ve, Swell 8ves alone. Combination pedals: 4 to Great, Bombarde, Pedal and couplers; 4 to Swell and couplers. Reversible pedals to: Great to Pedal, Tremulant. Balanced pedals to Swell, Orchestral. Compass: 58/30. Wind pressures: Great - 3 1/2in. Swell, Orchestral, Bombarde - 7in. Pedal - flues 3 1/2 and 4 1/2in., reed 8in.In 1929 Dixon wrote of this scheme:
The idea of obtaining the maximum variety and effect from the minimum number of stops is no new one, and, as is well known, it is always more difficult to design a small instrument than a large one, particularly when grandeur of effect and reasonable completeness throughout are especially aimed at. The number of stops which could be inserted was comparatively small: it was therefore necessary to exclude every register which did not in some way or other tend to build up the general ensemble, and to ensure that each individual stop should possess its own distinctive tonal character. Except in the case of the viole céleste, this principle was strictly adhered to. It was then quite exceptional to make the only double in the swell a reed, and the trombas playable independently from two manuals. The former was a special point in Best's design for the two manual Willis at Wallasey Parish Church in 1861, though a yet earlier example by Holdich has been quoted by that eminent archaeologist of the organ, the Rev. Andrew Freeman. The latter appeared at least as early as 1886 in the Lewis instrument for the People's Palace, Mile End Road. Both these features in some form or other have now become almost commonplace. The method of employing a separate bombarde department was afterwards used at Wallasey in the last reconstruction (designed by Dixon - j.r.) and more recently in Dr. Darke's organ at St. Michael, Cornhill. Now-a-days such a department would be coupled to each keyboard by unison and octave couplers, thus providing free registration and combinational control of tromba or octave tromba on both manuals. Common honesty demands, however, that it should be made absolutely clear that there is only one rank of pipes and that all four stops are really borrowed from each other.The asterisked registers were prepared-for only. In 1927 the following additions were made:The introduction of an independent pedal reed in so small a scheme is, alas, a rarity. Unfortunately, all three manual doubles are of the covered type. Had space and funds permitted, an open 16ft. of some kind - borrowed, of course, on the pedal - would have been inserted on the great, together with a compound stop. The borrowing of manual doubles on the pedal - to which post-war designers have taken so kindly - was however a conspicuous feature in nearly all Messrs. Harrison's pre-war schemes and owes its inception to Thomas Casson in the eighties.
The great claribel and the orchestral hohl flöte are worthy of note. The middle and lower portions of the former are kept down for accompanimental purposes; while the latter, with its mouth on the wide side, though enclosed, is a prominent solo stop. A few words may be said about the 16ft. corno di bassetto. While it is smooth enough to blend well and has sufficient body to serve as a foundation double in a medium sized swell (which the oboe has not), it also answers the purpose of an orchestral double reed, and by octave duplication as an ordinary solo clarinet 8ft. (of complete compass), which would otherwise be absent from the scheme. One of the combinations draws the "corno di bassetto 16ft." and "octaves alone". The trumpet, voiced after the french school with open parallel shallots, is brilliant and incisive, but refined in quality. It presents a fine contrast to the smooth toned trombas of the bombard. The swell octave coupler is effective to the top note of the keyboard, and its value in consequence is greatly enhanced. The suboctave coupler was rigidly excluded, but 16ft. registers have been freely introduced throughout the scheme, thereby securing ample dignity. There are no mutations or chorus on the orchestral; but, except in quite large instruments, such stops on the third manual were then unthought of in this country.
Taken as a whole, in spite of its enforced limitation to twenty-six speaking registers, and apart altogether from the dignity, brilliance and grandeur of its general effect, let anyone carefully consider what variety of resources are available in such an instrument. It is possible, for example, to play the tune of a Bach chorale as a pedal solo on an unenclosed reed in 4ft. pitch with the accompaniment on the great organ flue work. This cannot always be accomplished on organs double the size.
Swell - 15th added to Mixture instead of planned 12th. Gemshorn 4ft. inserted instead of Geigen Principal 4ft. Echo Gamba 8ft. inserted instead of Gemshorn 2ft.In each case these alterations to Dixon's scheme produced a more conventional, less complete, less colourul result.
Orchestral - Oboe 8ft. inserted instead of Quintatön 16ft. Viole Célestes 8ft. added, but to tc only.
In 1943 Reginald Whitworth noted:
Internally the organ is compact, but in no way crowded. The great fluework stands behind the front, with the heavy pressure bombarde and pedal reeds immediately behind. In rear of this is the swell organ, the orchestral organ (in its own swell box) standing above it. At the back of the organ stands the pedal open wood, below which are the two hydraulic engines.It is interesting to note that Dixon's original scheme was for a two-manual instrument, as follows:
II GREAT 16 Rohr Gedeckt wood & metal 8 Open Diapason 8 Geigen 8 Claribel Flute wood; closed bass 4 Principal 2 2/3 Twelfth 2 Fifteenth 8 Harmonic Tromba 4 Octave Tromba extension III SWELL (soundboard with extra treble octave, 70 notes) 8 Open Diapason wood & metal, leathered 8 Viole Sourdine 4 Lieblich Flute III Mixture 15.19.22 16 Corno di Bassetto 8 Oboe 8 Trumpet Tremulant PEDAL 16 Open Diapason wood 16 Subbass Great 16ft. 8 Octave 20 from Open Wood 8 Flute Great 16ft. 16 Trombone extension Great Harmonic Tromba Couplers: Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal, Swell to Great, Reeds on Swell, Swell 8ve, Swell 8ves alone. Combination pedals: 4 to Great and Pedal, 4 to Swell. Reversible pedals to: Great to Pedal. Balanced pedal to Swell. Swell to Great coupler duplicated on each jamb. Compass: 58/30. Wind pressures: Action, Pedal reed, Great reeds, all Swell - 7in. Great and Pedal flues - 3 1/2in.SOURCE
Stoplist from 'Modern Organ Design' by George Dixon in 'The Organ' quarterly, October 1929; and 'The Organ in St. James's Church, Whitehaven' by Reginald Whitworth, in 'The Organ' quarterly, January 1943.