JULIAN RHODES' DREAM ORGANS
The contract was placed with the Willis firm in June 1912, and the following stoplist was published. Henry Willis III claimed that it was his own design (The Rotunda, September 1925) and Harry Goss-Custard, the cathedral organist, confirmed that the scheme was "drawn up by. Mr. Henry Willis in 1911" (The Rotunda, September 1926). Bicknell, however, notes the involvement of the donor's nephew and Henry Willis II. By the time the organ was installed between 1923 and 1926, a sufficient number of alterations had been made to make the contract stoplist interesting in its own right.
There was to be no extension or duplexing in the contract scheme.PEDAL 32 Double Open Diapason, wood 32 Double Open Diapason, metal 32 Contra Violone, metal 21 1/3 Double Quint, wood 16 Open Diapason No.1, wood 16 Open Diapason No.2, wood 16 Open Diapason No.3, wood 16 Open Diapason, metal 16 Contra Basso, metal 16 Geigen, metal* 16 Dolce, metal 16 Violone, metal* 16 Bourdon, wood 16 Quintaton, metal* 10 2/3 Quint, wood 8 Octave, wood 8 Principal, metal 8 Violoncello, metal* 8 Flute, metal 8 Quintadena, metal* 5 1/3 Twelfth, metal 4 Fifteenth, metal III Mixture 17.19.22 V Fourniture 19.21.22.26.29 32 Contra Trombone 32 Contra Ophicleide* 16 Trombone 16 Bombardon 16 Ophicleide* 16 Fagotto* 8 Octave Trombone 8 Octave Bassoon* 4 Clarion Asterisked registers placed in a separate swell box. Wind pressures: 6, 7, 10, 15 & 25 in.
Differences in the organ as built include: 15 stops provided by extension or duplexing (evidently owing to rising costs); addition of 64ft. Resultant Bass; elimination of one 16ft. open wood and the quintadenas; some re-disposition and renaming of the flutes (including a new 4ft. Flûte Triangulaire) and the reeds. The Fourniture was re-cast as 15.19.22.26.29.
Apart from details of nomenclature, the only change in the organ as built was the replacement of the 2ft. Flageolet by the 2ft. Lieblich Piccolo ousted from Swell.CHOIR unenclosed: 16 Contra Dulciana 8 Open Diapason 8 Rohr Flute 8 Dulciana 4 Flute Ouverte 4 Dulcet 2 Dulcina enclosed: 16 Contra Gamba 8 Violin Diapason 8 Claribel Flute 8 Unda Maris (to FF) 8 Gamba 4 Suabe Flute 4 Gambette 2 Flageolet V Dulciana Mixture 10.12.17.19.22 16 Bass Clarinet 16 Baryton (Double Vox Humana) 8 Corno di Bassetto 8 Cor Anglais 8 Vox Humana 8 Trumpet (orchestral) 4 Clarion Wind pressures: 4in., trumpet & clarion 7in.
Differences in the organ as built include: elimination of one 8ft. Open Diapason and one 8ft. Tibia; addition of 32ft. Contra Violone, 4ft. Octave No. 2 and 3 1/5ft. Tenth. A 2ft. Super Octave replaced the 2ft. Harmonic Piccolo. The Mixture was re-cast as 12.17.19.21.22; the Sesquialtera was re-cast as 19.22.24.26.29 and renamed Fourniture.GREAT 16 Double Open Diapason 16 Contra Tibia 16 Bourdon 10 2/3 Double Quint 8 Open Diapason No.1 8 Open Diapason No.2 8 Open Diapason No.3 8 Open Diapason No.4 8 Open Diapason No.5 8 Open Diapason No.6 8 Tibia Major 8 Tibia Minor 8 Doppel Flöte 8 Stopped Diapason 5 1/3 Quint 4 Octave Diapason 4 Principal 4 Flute Harmonique 4 Flute Couverte 2 2/3 Twelfth 2 Fifteenth 2 Piccolo Harmonique V Mixture 10.12.17.19.22 V Sesquialtera 19.21.22.26.29 16 Double Trumpet 8 Trompette Harmonique 8 Trumpet 4 Clarion Solo Trombas on Great Wind pressures: 5, 10 & 15in.
Differences in the organ as built include: elimination of one 8ft. Open Diapason, 2ft. Lieblich Piccolo (it was transferred to Choir) and Lieblich Mixture; addition of 8ft. Krummhorn and independent stopped metal mutations at 2 2/3ft. and 1 3/5ft. Flute mutations were largely omitted from the draft scheme; unfortunately, there was now no 2ft. flute to complete the cornet family. The Lieblich Mixture was replaced by Mixture 15.19.22.26.29, and the Full Mixture was re-cast as 10.12.17.19.22 (as per the former Great Mixture) and renamed Sesquialtera.SWELL 16 Contra Geigen 16 Contra Salicional 16 Lieblich Bordun 8 Open Diapason No.1 8 Open Diapason No.2 8 Geigen 8 Tibia 8 Flauto Traverso 8 Wald Flöte 8 Lieblich Gedackt 8 Echo Gamba 8 Salicional 8 Vox Angelica (to FF) 4 Octave 4 Geigen Principal 4 Salicet 4 Lieblich Flöte 2 Doublette 2 Lieblich Piccolo III Lieblich Mixture 17.19.22 V Full Mixture 12.17.19.21.22 16 Contra Hautboy 8 Hautboy 16 Wald Horn 8 Cornopean 4 Clarion 16 Double Trumpet 8 Trompette Harmonique 4 Clarion Wind pressures: 5, 7, 10 & 15in.
The only change in the organ as built was the elimination of the Diapason Stentor; Stephen Bicknell wrote: "experiments led Henry III to the conclusion that it was impossible to produce true diapason tone of great power - the results were too fluty."SOLO unenclosed: 8 Diapason Stentor 16 Contra Hohl Flöte 8 Hohl Flöte 4 Octave Hohl Flöte enclosed: 16 Contra Viole 8 Viol de Gambe 8 Viol d'Orchestre 8 Viole Celeste (to FF) 4 Octave Viole 2 Violette III Cornet de Violes 10.12.15 8 Flute Harmonique 4 Concert Flute 2 Piccolo Harmonique 16 Cor Anglais 8 Clarinet (orchestral) 8 Oboe (orchestral) 8 Bassoon (orchestral) 8 French Horn (orchestral) 16 Contra Tromba 8 Tromba 8 Tromba Real 4 Tromba Clarion Wind pressures: 7 & 20in.
In the organ as built the Bombardons were eliminated and replaced by Grand Chorus 10 ranks, 16'.8'.5.8.12.15.19.22.26.29.CLAVIER DES BOMBARDES (TUBA ORGAN - 5th manual) 8 Bombardon 4 Octave Bombardon 16 Contra Tuba 8 Tuba Mirabilis 4 Tuba Clarion 8 Tuba Magna Wind pressures: 30in.; Tuba Magna 50in.
This division was prepared for at the 1923 console, but never built. Henry Willis III later implied that it had been included merely to conform to the wishes of the organ's donor.ECHO (5th manual) 16 Quintaton 8 Echo Diapason 8 Cor de Nuit 8 Flauto Amabile 8 Muted Viole 8 Aeoline Celeste (to FF) 4 Celestina 4 Fernflöte 2 2/3 Rohr Nasat 2 Flautina III Harmonica Aetheria 10.12.15 (flute mixture) 16 Chalumeau 8 Cor Harmonique 8 Trompette 8 Musette 8 Voix Humaine 8 Hautbois d'Amour 4 Hautbois Octaviante Carillon (gongs) ECHO PEDAL: 16 Salicional 16 Echo Bass 8 Fugara 16 Dulzian
The contract scheme had 166 stops; the organ as built had 169 (including the prepared-for Echo).
By 1939 the nave and west-end of the cathedral were nearing completion. A second console was commissioned, to stand at floor-level in the 'central space'. On this console three additional sections were prepared for; they were never installed.By now it had been decided that the prepared-for Echo division would not be built. Instead, a reduced and modified selection of stops was planned for installation in the central tower. This section was built in Willis's London works, but destroyed in air raids in 1941.
Three divisions were planned for choral accompaniment in the cathedral's central space.CORONA 16 Quintaten 8 Flauto Amabile 8 Muted Viole 8 Vox Aetheria 4 Celestina 2 2/3 Rohr Nasat 2 Flautino 1 3/5 Tierce 1 Sifflöte PEDAL: 16 Quintaten (man) 16 Dulzian
Four divisions were planned for the west end of the building, to be placed on the 'flying bridge' which separates the second transpet from the nave. This would have assisted the accompaniment of congregational singing in the vast building.CENTRAL SPACE CHOIR 8 Principal 8 Koppel Flöte 8 Sylvestrina 4 Spitz Flöte 2 Flageolet II Quartane 12.15 ( in Sumner; in the Willis booklet, Sesquialtera 12.17) CENTRAL SPACE SWELL 8 Fugara 8 Cor de Nuit 8 Aeolian 4 Ottava 4 Vienna Flute III Mixture 15.19.22 8 Posaune CENTRAL SPACE PEDAL 16 Gedackt-Pommer 8 Flute (ext.) 16 Posaune (Swell ext.)
Finally, in 1955 a hypothetical stoplist by Henry Willis III for a new unenclosed choir section (to replace the existing stops) was published. Since that date, the unenclosed choir stops have been modified at least twice, but never to so complete a scheme.WEST GREAT 16 Lieblich Bourdon 8 Major Diapason 8 Minor Diapason 8 Flute Ouverte 8 Pianissimo 4 Octave 4 Principal II Quartane 12.15 III Mixture 17.19.22 WEST SWELL 8 Open Diapason 8 Flûte à Cheminée 8 Aeoline 8 Voix Célestes 4 Gemshorn III Cornet 12.15.17 IV Ripieno 12.15.19.22 16 Double Horn 8 Trumpet 8 Flugel Horn 4 Clarion WEST BOMBARDE 8 Trompette Militaire WEST PEDAL 32 Sub Bass (resultant) 16 Open Diapason 16 Major Bourdon 16 Lieblich Bourdon (Great) 8 Octave Diapason (ext.) 8 Bass Flute (ext.) III Cornet 12.15.17 16 Trombone 16 Horn (Swell)
SOURCES16 Quintade 8 Principal 8 Rohrflöte 8 Kleingedackt 4 Octav 4 Spill Flöte 2 2/3 Nasard 2 Block Flöte 1 3/5 Terz 1 1/3 Larigot 1 Spiel Flöte V Mixture 15.19.22.26.29 III Cymbal 31.33.36 16 Rankett 8 Posaune
The 1912 stoplist was published in 'The Recent Revolution in Organ Building' by George Miller (New York, 1913).
The genesis of the scheme is discussed in 'The History of the English Organ' by Stephen Bicknell (Cambridge, 1996).
The stoplist of the organ as built is given in Bicknell; also in 'Liverpool Cathedral: The Organ', a booklet by Henry Willis & Sons Ltd. (London, 1926; reprinted 1937; re-issued 1950).
The 1939 proposals were detailed in the Willis booklet and in W.L. Sumner's book 'The Organ' (London, 1952).
The hypothetical stoplist for the modification of the unenclosed Choir division was published in an article by W.L. Sumner in 'The Organ' quarterly, April 1955.