During the 1830s and 40s the English organ underwent one of the most revolutionary periods in its history. This has been fully described in Nicholas Thistlethwaite's 'The Making of the Victorian Organ' (Cambridge, 1990), to which the reader is referred.

Henry John Gauntlett (1805-1876) was a lawyer by profession and also a respected organist. A friend of Mendelssohn, he was known as "the Pedallist of London". Thistlethwaite summarised his contribution to the development of the organ as follows:

For a few crucial years in the early-1840s he supplied the imagination and the driving force needed to supplant the inherited models with something radically different. By insisting on C-compasses, developing the Pedal division, extending the principal manual choruses, greatly expanding the expressive powers of the instrument, deploying a wide selection of novel flutes, strings, and reeds, and experimenting with wind pressures, Gauntlett (in collaboration chiefly with Hill) may be said to have delineated the principal features of the mature Victorian organ.

Pending a fuller collection of Gauntlett's stoplists, here are four examples which illustrate the characteristic features of his style.

First, the organ at the church of St. Olave, London Bridge. The work was given in 1844 to Henry Lincoln, who proved unable to finish it; it was completed in 1846 by William Hill.

GREAT
    32       Manual Untersatz, or Sub Bourdon    stopped wood & open metal
    16       Manual Bourdon and )           stopped wood (1-12 ?)
    16       Manual Tenoroon    )           open metal (13-top ?)
     8       Open Unison
     8       Viol di Gamba
     8       Salicional
     8       Claribel-flute                 wood
     8       Closed flute                   stopped wood
     8       Unison Bass                    stopped wood
    5 1/3    Diapente
     4       Octave
     4       Wald-flute                     wood
    3 1/5    Decima
    2 2/3    Duodecima
     2       Quinta-decima
     2       Piffero                        wood
    1 3/5    Decima-septima
    1 1/3    Quinta-decima
     -       Larigot & Sedecima  (19.22 ?)
     -       Octave-settima & Glockenspiel  (21.24 ?)
     -       Sesqui-altera  (17.19.22 ?)
     -       Fourniture
     8       Musete (sic) & Chalumeau
     8       Cornoflute                     a reed with wooden resonators
     8       Corno-par-premier-force
     4       Clarion
     2       Octave-clarion
 
SWELL
    16       Tenoroon                       stopped wood & open metal
     8       Open Unison
     8       Closed Flute                   wood
     4       Octave
     4       Suabe Flute                    wood
    2 2/3    Quinta-decima
     2       Sedecima
     1       Flageolet 
     8       Corno du Chant
     8       Hautbois
 
PEDAL
    32       Pedal Untersatz                stopped wood
    16       Contra Bass or Principal       open wood
    16       Grand Trombone

The compass of the Great organ was C to f3, 4 1/2 octaves; Swell organ c to f3, 3 1/2 octaves; Pedal organ C to d1, just over 2 octaves.

This stoplist was published in a pamphlet by Gaunlett in 1846, reproduced in Thistlethwaite's book. It includes scant information about the pitches, and none about the mixture compositions. My suggestions are placed in brackets in the above stoplist.

This is an example of Gauntlett's 'protestant' organ. Its ambitious Great division was designed to accompany hymn and psalm singing by a large congregation. The 'Cor-par-premier-force' was a powerful posaune; the 'Corno du Chant' was perhaps meant to be like that "upon a weight of six inches in the noble organ of the mechanic's institute Liverpool, which in beauty and purity of tone is a powerful rival to the celebrated corno anglais of those clever artists, the Messrs. Cavaille Coll of Paris." It included the first manual 32ft. in Britain as well as the first seventh-sounding rank, "the note Col. Thompson designated as the anomalous harmonic". Gauntlett was satisfied that "In breadth and grandness of tone there is no parochial organ in England to equal it" (quotes from Gauntlett's pamphlet, 1846).

The organ in Christ Church, Newgate Street, London had been rebuilt by William Hill in 1838 with 38 stops on three manuals. In 1840 Hill published a circular (partially reproduced in Thistlethwaite's book) proposing the further enlargement of the organ, this time to 61 stops on four manuals. The scheme had been drawn up in collaboration with Gauntlett; it came to nothing.

GREAT    
    16       Bourdon and Tenoroon Diapason
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Viol di Gamba
     8       Stopped Diapason
    5 1/3    Quint
     4       Principal
     4       Principal
     4       Wald-flute
     2       Fifteenth
     2       Piccolo
    1 3/5    Tierce
    1 1/3    Larigot
    II       Doublette
     V       Larigot Mixture
     V       Tierce Mixture
     V       Cornet de Cinque
     V       Furniture de Cinque
    16       Contra-fagotto and Tenoroon Trumpet
     8       Trombone
     4       Clarion
     2       Octave Clarion
 
CHOIR
    16       Sub-Bass
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason
     8       Dulciana
     8       Claribel-flute	 
     4       Principal
     4       Oboe-flute
     4       Stopped-flute
    2 2/3    Twelfth
     2       Fifteenth
    III      Sesquialtera
    II       Mixture
     V       Echo Dulciana Cornet
     8       Cornopean
     8       Cromorne
    (8?)     Swiss Cromorne Flute
 
SWELL
   16       Bourdon and Tenoroon Dulciana
    8       Open Diapason
    8       Stopped Diapason
    4       Principal
    4       Flageolet
    2       Fifteenth
    V       Mixture
    8       Oboe
    8       Tromba
    8       Corno
    4       Clarion
 
SOLO (prepared for)
    8       Grand Ophicleide
            Oeolophon                  (?)
 
PEDAL
   16       Open Diapason, large (wood)
   16       Open Diapason, small (wood)
   16       Open Diapason, Montre (metal)
   16       Bourdon
    8       Principal
    4       Fifteenth
    V       Tierce Mixture
    V       Larigot Mixture
   16       Contra-posaune
    8       Posaune
 
8 couplers

In 1840, Gauntlett and Hill had published a proposal design for an unspecified London auditorium. It was intended to replace a much smaller instrument by Elliott in the same building, but the plan was still-born. The stoplist was given in an article by B.B. Edmonds in 'The Organ' quarterly, January 1955. This scheme is even more interesting and comprehensive than the previous one. Note the reed choruses on Great and Swell, the 32ft. Great and Pedal stops, the mutations of the 16ft. series and the fully developed Pedal choruses.

GREAT
    32       Double Bourdon
    16       Bourdon and Tenoroon Open
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason
    5 1/3    Quint
     4       Octave
     4       Wald Flute
    3 1/5    Decima
    2 2/3    Duodecima
     2       Superoctave
     2       Piccolo
     -       Doublette
     -       Mixture
     -       Sesquialtera
     -       Cymballe
    16       Contra Shawm
     8       Unison Grand Posaune
     8       Sharp Trumpet
     4       Clarion
    2 2/3    Nazard
     2       Super Clarion
     -       Psaltery
 
SWELL
    16       Bourdon and Tenoroon Dulciana
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason
     8       Echo Dulciana
    5 1/3    Quint
     4       Octave
     4       Concert Flute
    2 2/3    Duodecima
     2       Superoctave
     2       Flageolet
     -       Sesquialtera
     -       Furniture
    16       Contra Fagotto
     8       Cornopean
     8       Tromba
     8       Fagotto
     8       Wald Cromorne
     4       Clarion
     2       Super Clarion
     -       Dulcimer
 
CHOIR
    16       Bourdon
     8       Rohr Flute
     8       Claribel Flute
     8       Oboe Flute
     8       Viol di Gamba
     8       Dulciana
     4       Octave
     4       Suabe Flute
     4       Celestina
     2       Metal Piccolo
    16       Contra Serpent
     8       Corno di Bassetto
     8       Oboe
     8       Cromorne
 
SOLO
     8       Ophicleide
 
PEDAL
    32       Bourdon
    16       Metal Principal
    16       Wood Principal
    16       Bourdon
     8       Octave
     8       Stopped Flute
    5 1/3    Quint
     4       Superoctave
    VI       Mixture
    16       Bombarde
     8       Sackbut
     4       Cornetto

The accessories were to include a sforzando pedal, coupling both Swell and Great to Choir.

Hill had built a well-known organ at Birmingham Town Hall in 1834. It was a pioneering instrument, a curious mixture of the epoch-making and the downright ineffective. In 1842 he published a proposal for a rebuild; it was carried out on a reduced scale the following year. The Great and Pedal were remodelled in accordance with this scheme, but the rest of the instrument was less ambitious.

The influence of Gauntlett is everywhere evident in the stoplist. Note the swell upperwork and the choir reed mutations; coupled through to Great, a very complete Grand Choeur would have resulted. The Pedal 32ft. reed was the first in the country; the Unda Maris would also have been a first. The profusion of woodwind-reeds and the extraordinary Echo division are also impressive.

Here is the 1842 proposal, reproduced from an article by B.B. Edmonds in 'The Organ' quarterly, January 1958.

GREAT
    16       Double Diapason
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason
    5 1/3    Quint
     4       Principal
     4       Principal
    2 2/3    Twelfth
     2       Fifteenth
    II       Doublette
    III      Mixture
     V       Sesquialtera
     V       Fourniture
    16       Double Trumpet
     8       Posaune
     4       Clarion
     2       Octave Clarion
 
SWELL
    16       Double Dulciana
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason
     4       Principal
     4       Harmonica
    2 2/3    Twelfth
     2       Fifteenth
     2       Flageolet
    III      Echo Cornet
    1 3/5    Tierce
    1 1/3    Larigot
     1       Octave Fifteenth
    2/3      Twentysixth
    1/2      Twentyninth
    16       Double Trumpet
     8       Horn
     8       Oboe
     4       Clarion
     -       Carillon (bells)
     8       Grand Ophicleide
 
CHOIR
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason
     8       Dulciana
     4       Principal
     4       Wald Flute
    3 1/5    Tenth
    2 2/3    Twelfth
     2       Fifteenth
     2       Piccolo
    II       Doublette
    III      Sesquialtera
     8       Krummhorn
     8       Oboe
     8       Trumpet
    2 2/3    Twelfth Trumpet
    1 3/5    Tierce Trumpet
 
SOLO
     8       Stopped Diapason
     8       Dulciana
     8       Claribel
     8       Oboe Flute Unison
     8       Viol de Gamba
     4       Suabe Flute
     2       Piccolo
    16       Double Bassoon
     8       Cornopean
     8       Cremona
     8       Clarionet
     8       Vox Humana
 

ECHO (from tenor C upwards; enclosed)
    32       Double Double Stopped Diapason
    16       Double Open Diapason
     8       Holed Flute
     8       Viol di Gamba
     4       Suabe Flute
     2       Flageolet
     1       Sidema Fife
     -       Cymballe
    16       Double Wald Fagotto
    16       Double Corno di Bassetto
     8       Corno Flute (a reed stop)
     8       Vox Humana
     8       Tromba di Bataille
     4       Clarion
     2       Octave Clarion
     8       Unda Maris (undulating)
     -       Glockenspiel (bells)
             Tremblent
 
PEDAL
    32       Open Diapason (wood)
    32       Open Diapason (metal)
    16       Open Diapason (wood)
    16       Open Diapason (metal)
    16       Open Diapason (metal)
    16       Bourdon
     8       Principal
    5 1/3    Twelfth
     4       Fifteenth
    III      Mixture
     V       Sesquialtera
    32       Trombone
    16       Posaune
     8       Trumpet
     4       Clarion

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