The following article and photograph are reproduced from 'The Organ' quarterly (London), October 1925.

A MODERN CHAMBER ORGAN
by Herbert Snow

In many houses situated in various parts of the country there can be seen what is termed "a chamber organ;" some of the instruments varying in size from the small practice organ to the large and modern type, built regardless of cost, where economy of space need not be considered. No doubt most lovers of the organ would be proud if they could draw up a chamber organ specification just to suit their own particular ideas and whims. Fundamental factors, however, demand serious attention, the two most vital being cost and space. After all we, in these days, expect the most for our money, sometimes no doubt to the detriment of the quality of the finished article we purchase. Such a fallacy can prove no more disastrous than with the organ. We will leave the cost therefore severely alone, as the primary purport of this article is to describe the unique two manual organ erected in the music-room at the residence of Mr. H. Ravenscroft Richards, Harborne, Birmingham. This instrument, which is divided into three sections, contains - when complete - sixty-five stops and is installed as follows: a small room measuring only 17ft. long by 13ft. wide and 9ft. 6in. high, houses the major portions, the rest of the pipe work and feeders being placed in a cellar (which is anything but ideal as far as conditions go) immediately beneath the main organ, the blowing apparatus and electric motor being fixed in a coach-house adjoining. Incredible as it may appear that such a project could be successfully carried through, the writer recently visited Harborne and was agreeably surprised to find the builder's skill had surmounted the difficult task, which had covered an experimental period of fifteen to twenty years.

Consider, for one moment, that the total height of this organ room is just, and only just, 9ft. 6in.; in fact, the longest pipe of the diapason phonon (with low cut mouth) has just sufficient standing room, without being mitred. Two swell boxes had to be accommodated; space allowed for the action work; ample speaking room for all the pipe work; the chorus reeds; full scale diapasons and pedal pipes making a big demand in this direction; yet, with all disadvantages, it is only right to record that whatever space economies have been wrought, nothing seems to have impaired the tonal results in any way. Prior to dealing with what has been accomplished in this latter direction, we will give the complete specification of this instrument, as it stands to-day:-

GREAT
             major
    16       Double Diapason
     8       Diapason Phonon
     8       Gemshorn or Erzahler
     8       Corno Flute
     4       Principal
     4       Wald Flöte
    16       Contra Hautbois d'Amour
     8       Posaune
     4       Labial Trumpet
             minor
     8       Diapason Profunda
     8       Viole d'Amour
     4       Octave
     8       'Cello Oboe                       flue
 
CHOIR
    16       Rohr Bourdon
     8       Melodic Diapason
     8       Violin Diapason
     8       Hohl Flöte
     8       Viola Pomposa
     4       Fugara
     4       Harmonic Flute
     8       Musette
 
ECHO & ORCHESTRAL
     8       Dolcan
     8       Muted Viol
     8       Viol d'Orchestre
     4       Flute d'Amour
    16       Baryton
     8       Closed Horn
     8       Cor Anglais
 
SWELL
             major
     8       Claribel
     4       Violin Principal or Gemshorn
     4       Flauto Amabile
    16       Saxophone                       flue
     8       Oboe
             Vibrato
             minor
     8       Gedact or Flauto Cantabile
     8       Aeoline
     8       Violin                          sharp
     4       Salicet
             Vibrato
 
SOLO
     8       Quintadena
     8       Keraulophon
     8       Vox Humana
     8       Tuba                            flue
             Vibrato
 
AETHERIAL
    16       Viol Aetheria
     8       Stopped Diapason
     4       Philomela
     1       Carillon
     8       Orchestral Oboe
 
PEDAL
    16       Bourdon
     8       Bass Flute
             solo
    32       Double Bass
    16       String Bass    
     8       Bass Viol     
    16       Euphone
    16       Dulzian
     8       Bassoon
     4       Labial Oboe                     flue
 
Swell major & minor, Solo and Aetherial are played from the upper manual.
Great major & minor, Choir, Echo & Orchestral are played from the lower manual.
 
Couplers: Upper to Lower, Upper to Pedal, Lower to Pedal, 
          Swell and Solo sub8ve, Choir and Echo octave.
On/off pistons to: Great major, Great reeds, Choir, Choir reeds, Echo, Orchestral, 
                   Swell major, Solo, Aetherial, Solo Pedal.

(There are discrepancies in the stop-names between those visible on the photograph and those printed in Herbert Snow's stoplist. Alternatives are included above - j.r.)

The only stop in this organ not enclosed is the diapason phonon on the great organ. It is questionable whether in this country there can be found a similar example where every manual stop can be used for solo purposes. Even the 4ft. principal is of such character of tone as to make a delightful solo register. It may be of interest to record that the wind pressure adopted is only 3 1/2in. Those who are interested in low pressure voicing would do well to hear this instrument, and so realise to the full what has been accomplished in this direction. Throughout the entire scheme, only the bass flute is treated on the extension plan, that stop being borrowed from the pedal bourdon.

One of the first questions the writer put to the owner of this interesting organ related to the absence of mixtures. Naturally, it made one rather suspicious as to whether the organ would sound stodgy and unbalanced, but the aggrieved air was somewhat cleared upon my hearing the results obtained by adding the carillon 1ft. to the complete ensemble, but I feel confident that the inclusion of a dulciana mixture would enhance the store of tonal variety, particularly in such an organ as this, where there is plenty of string tone available.

We will now devote some little attention to individual stops. The small open (melodic) diapason is of the devotional type, not strident or harsh, although of the violin-diapason family. No. 2 is much fuller and rounder in tone, while the larger opens which appealed to the writer most of all had the right ring with them; they are of superb quality and worthy examples of the true diapason family.

In place of the cor anglais in the echo organ we found an orchestral oboe; this and the other solo and chorus reeds are evenly voiced specimens, the latter being not too fiery and entirely free from blatancy. The voicing of the labial trumpet, tuba, 'cello oboe and saxophone, the latter resembling greatly a double clarinet, must have been a difficult matter, the pipes speaking into so small an open space. To single out any particular reed is difficult, but to my mind the closed horn and tuba stand in a class all to themselves.

The orchestral oboe is a splendid imitation of the orchestral instrument. The tonal quality of the musette is unique, each pipe sounding two distinct notes (particularly noticeable in the middle register), the effect being very quaint. There are three types of clarinet tone, - i.e., (1) saxophone; (2) cornoflute and orchestral oboe in combination; (3) vox humana and quintatön combined. The saxophone or bass clarinet is smooth in tone. The cornoflute and orchestral oboe together give a clarinet which is the nearest of the three to the orchestral instrument, having a distinct woody quality.

The harmonic flute (metal), cornoflute (inverted mouth), flauto cantabile, claribel, and the carillon (1ft.) are delightful examples of the flute family. Either individually or as tone-builders they are equally successful. One cannot refrain from drawing attention to the liquid tone of the claribel, an excellent stop for the swell organ or for solo uses.

The muted violin, viole d'orchestre, viola pomposa, aeoline, and gemshorn, constitute a small string orchestra. The aeoline and violin will make many friends. If these qualities of the string family "come through" as successfully when used in a large concert hall as they do in Mr. Richards's room, then we shall hear more of the builders, - Messrs. Conacher, Sheffield & Co., of Birmingham.

Although not so prominent, perhaps, as some other sections of the instrument already referred to, the pedal organ is (remembering that all the pipes are enclosed) fairly well balanced. The large scale bourdon is just the correct tone for music-room accompanimental purposes. The most peculiar little stop I have ever come across is the string bass 16ft. in the pedal organ. Not over strong in tone, it is very small in bulk. Upon examining the bottom C pipe, I found it measured just 4 1/2in. in length, the width and depth 1 3/4in. The tone was 'cello-like and very imitative. Other stops, except two other pedal stops belonging to the same family as the string bass, are of the usual pedal organ class and do not call for special reference. The 32ft. double bass I was not able to hear, as on the occasion of my visit it was not in the organ, having been taken out for experimental purposes.

As the specification indicates, couplers and pistons are plentiful, and before concluding this survey, it may be desirable to refer to some of the many and varied combinations available at the will of the performer. It is only possible here to record one or two that particularly interested the writer.

      (l) Violin (which is tuned sharp) with aeoline, also the viol d'orchestre for solo work. Salicet and flauto cantabile for accompaniment, together with pedal bourdon (uncoupled). The effect of this combination was simply exhilarating.
      (2) Using tuba as a solo stop (box closed) with diapason profunda for accompaniment, and the bourdon and string bass for pedal passages. On paper this registration may appear ridiculous, when heard, however, a different opinion is soon formed.
      (3) Claribel for solo effect, muted viol (box closed) with tremulant providing the counterpart, together with viol bass and bourdon on pedals.

One could record many more illustrations as to what can be produced, from the diapasons to the aetherial celestes, but space does not permit more than the above references. We surmise, after making a careful survey of this English chamber organ, that we can in this country hold our own in the production of an expressive and useful instrument, such as the one described, which reflects infinite credit on its designer and builder alike.

finis

So much for Ravenscroft Richards' remarkable organ. Apart from noting that the stoplist reflects the most extreme pendulum-swing in taste towards beautiful individual tones rather than coherent choruses, it is difficult to decide whether Richards' eccentricity is tinged with genius or foolishness. As a performer I would relish the opportunity to have the Harborne organ to myself for a few days; I suspect that I might be pleasantly surprised at what was possible. In any case, schemes such as this have the very important quality of making the player really think about his approach to registration. Habitual patterns of thought must be abandoned, and it is just when stereotypical approaches prove ineffective that original, creative and useful ideas have the opportunity to emerge.

The same combination of Ravenscroft Richards as designer and Conacher Sheffield as builder resulted in an organ for the Palace/Ritz Cinema at Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire. It was inaugurated in 1922, and had the following stoplist, taken from "Spotlight on Nottingham" by Roy Bingham, in 'Theatre Organ Review', vol. 22 Nos. 87-88, Sept-Dec 1971.

PEDAL
    16       Bourdon
     8       Bass Flute
             Drum
 
GREAT
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Muted Cello
     4       Gedact
     2       Piccolo
     8       Clarinet
             Tremulant
 
SOLO
    16       Corno Flute
     8       Viol d'Orchestre
     8       Aeoline
     8       Oboe
     8       Vox Humana
             Tremulant
             Tubular Chimes
 
Couplers:  Great to Pedal, Solo to Pedal, Solo to Great, Solo 8ve & sub8ve.

In Musical Opinion, March 1923, the stoplist of a planned enlargement was published:

GREAT
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Erzahler
     4       Gedackt
     2       Piccolo
     8       Clarionette                 sic
 
SOLO
     8       Cornoflute                  8ft. sic
     8       Viol d'Orchestre
     8       Aeoline
     4       Echo Gemshorn
     8       Oboe
             Chimes
             Vibrato
 
ORCHESTRAL
     8       Claribel
     4       Concert Flute
    16       Bassoon
     8       Oboe
     8       Vox Humana
             Carillons
             Tremulant
 
PEDAL
    16       Orchestral Bass
    16       Bourdon
     8       String Bass
     8       Bass Flute
    16       Bassoon
             Drum

The similarities to Ravenscroft Richards' residence organ are clear. The organ was removed from the cinema in 1929 and installed in Broomhill Methodist Church, Bulwell, Nottingham, to a slightly altered stoplist.

Other Conacher Sheffield organs of the same period abound in unusual tonal structures and stop-names. On both these fronts they faced strong competition from Brindley & Foster of Sheffield; what are we to make of the following stoplist, the 1925 Brindley & Foster organ at St. Mary, Walkley, Sheffield?

GREAT
    8       Principale
    8       Violin Diapason
    8       Flute d'Eglise
    8       Dolce
    4       Octave
    4       Principal
    4       Flauto Amabile
 
SWELL
    8       Stentorphone
    8       Tibia Mirabilis
    8       Viol
    8       Salcional
    8       Unda Maris
    4       Violina
    4       Flute
    8       Corno Muto
    8       Oboe
            Tremulant
 
PEDAL
   32       Infra Bass
   16       Open Bass
   16       Sub Bass
    8       Flute Bass
 
Couplers: Swell 8ve & sub8ve; Swell to Great, Swell to Pedal, Great to Pedal.
Characteristic Brindley and Foster playing aids.
West-gallery location.  Drawstops in two horizontal rows over Swell keys.

I played this organ in 1991, and quickly found that, for all its terminological exotica, it is in fact a perfectly normal church organ in tone. 'Flute d'Eglise' is a hohl flute; 'Stentorphone' is an open diapason; 'Tibia Mirabilis' is a gedackt; 'Corno Muto' is a cornopean. And what a contrast between this unison-based organ and the chorus-based instrument which it replaced, built by the little-known Fenton G. Heald of Sheffield in 1878, which had a synoptic stoplist of:

     GREAT:   8.8.8.4.4.3.2
     SWELL:   16.8.8.4.2.III.8.8.4
     PEDAL:   16.8

But I digress.

Here is an example of a Conacher Sheffield church organ, an instrument rebuilt by them in about 1920 at St. Benedict, Hob Moor Lane, Birmingham. It is more conventional than the Harborne residence organ, but still pleasantly idiosyncratic:

GREAT
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Diapason Cantabile
     8       Hohl Flute
     4       Principal
 
SWELL
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Stopped Diapason
     8       Violin
     4       Gambette
     2       Flageolet
     8       Oboe
             Tremulant
 
CHOIR
     8       Viola Diapason
     8       Echo Gamba
     8       Echo Dulciana
     8       Vox Angelica
     8       Lieblich Gedact
     4       Flute d'Amour
     2       Lieblich Piccolo
     8       Clarionette
 
PEDAL
    16       Bourdon
    16       Sub Bass
     8       Flute Bass
 
Couplers: Swell 8ve, Swell to Great, Swell sub8ve to Great, Choir to Great, Great 8ve,
          Swell to Pedal, Great to Pedal, Choir to Pedal
Four composition pedals; 15 (unspecified) pistons under the Choir manual.

This stoplist is from the Charles Drane notebooks, formerly in the Organ Club Library. London.

The largest church organ built by Conacher Sheffield appears to have been that at St. Catherine of Siena, Horsefair, Birmingham. It had three manuals and 49 stops, with a comprehensive Choir/Solo division and a plethora of unusual registers. The stoplist, taken from 'Musical Opinion' for December 1921, was as follows:

GREAT
    16       Rohr Bourdon
     8       Diapason Fondamentale
     8       Open Diapason
     8       Corno di Caccia    [presumably a Keraulophon; Audsley's term for this stop]
     8       Claribel
     8       Dolce
     4       Octave
     4       Concert Flute
    II       Rausch Quint  12.15
    16       Double Tromba             Solo
     8       Tromba                    Solo
     4       Clarion                   Solo
 
SWELL
     8       Melodic Diapason
     8       Flauto Cantabile
     8       Viole d'Orchestre
     8       Violes Celestes
     4       Gemshorn
     4       Zauberflöte
    III      Mixture
    16       Contra Hautboy
     8       Trumpet
     8       Oboe
     4       Clarion
             Vibrato
 
CHOIR & SOLO
     8       Diapason Cantabile
     8       Stopped Diapason
     8       Viola Pomposa
     8       Salicional
     8       Unda Maris
     4       Octave
     4       Flauto Amabile
             Vibrato
             Solo
    16       Contra Viole
     8       Viol Aetheria
     8       Quintaton
     2       Lieblich Piccolo
    16       Saxophone
     8       Vox Humana
     8       Tromba
             Vibrato
 
PEDAL
    32       Contra Bass
    32       Resultant Bass
    16       Double Open Diapason
    16       Violone
    16       Bourdon
    16       Echo Bass
     8       Principal
     8       Cello
     8       Flute Bass
    16       Double Tromba                Solo
    16       Saxophone                    Solo
     8       Tromba                       Solo
 
Full complement of unison & 8ve couplers.
Thumb pistons include: Swell reeds on/off; Great reeds on/off.
Balanced pedals to Swell, Choir/Solo.

Note that the Great and Pedal reeds were entirely derived from those on Solo, and therefore enclosed in the Choir/Solo box. In 1949 the organ was rebuilt by Compton and the number of speaking stops increased to 68. The stoplist was brought into line with Compton practice, and a 'plainsong' section added. The Great division now had a double open, three unison diapasons and two principals, but still nothing above the 15th. The Compton stoplist may be seen in the NPOR database here.

SOURCES
I am grateful to Ian McIver for information about the Long Eaton organ.