Vox Humana Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 On another thread someone was asking about the specification of this organ, so here it is, taken from the programme of Carlo Curley's opening recital this January. Plymouth, Devon: St Peter, Wyndham Square (John Compton 1958; Michael Farley 2007) Great E Sub Diapason 16 G First Diapason 8 E Second Diapason 8 B Stopped Diapason 8 [recte rank K?] D Salicional 8 E Principal 4 B Flute 4 [recte rank K?] E Twelfth 22/3 E Fifteenth 2 E/G Mixture III J Tuba 8 Swell to Great Choir to Great Gt & Ped Combs Coupled Generals on Toes Swell A Contra Violone 16 B Harmonic Flute 8 A Viola 8 L Voix Celeste A Octave Viola 4 B Harmonic Flute 4 B Nazard 22/3 H Fifteenth 2 B Piccolo 2 A Cymbale IV G Mixture III C Trombone 16 C Trumpet 8 F Oboe 8 C Clarion 4 Tremulant Octave Sub Octave Choir D Contra Salicional 16 E Second Diapason 8 B Harmonic Flute 8 D Salicional 8 B Harmonic Flute 4 D Salicet 4 D Salicetina 2 D Acuta II C Trumpet 8 F Oboe 8 C Clarion 4 J Tuba 8 Octave Sub Octave Great to Choir Swell to Choir Pedal B Sub Bass 32 [Compton polyphone] E Open Bass 16 [lowest 12 diaphones] B Sub Bass 16 G Principal 8 D Echo Bass 8 B Flute 8 E Quint 51/3 G Fifteenth 4 B Flute 4 E Mixture II C Trombone 16 J Clarion 8 C Trumpet 8 Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Swell to Pedal 4 Choir to Pedal Accessories 8 general thumb pistons 6 thumb pistons to Great 6 thumb pistons to Swell 6 thumb pistons to Choir 8 toe pistons to Pedal Reversible thumb pistons to all unison couplers and Trombone Reversible toe pistons: Great to Pedal; Swell to Pedal; Trombone Balanced Swell pedal The pipework is housed in a stainless steel clad cylinder suspended in the west gallery beneath the church tower. A new, detached console has been provided, manufactured by Renatus of Bideford to a design by the church architects Harris McMillan. The woodwork is maple with stainless steel stop jambs and stop knobs; the stop knobs have black lettering (but red for all couplers except the Swell to Pedal 4). The organ bench is adjustable for height hydraulically and can be moved backwards and forwards. The console is suspended within a stainless steel frame on wheels. The Great Organ pipework is now unenclosed. The Tuba is the former Choir Tromba from Marlborough College Chapel, Wiltshire. Some photos are here http://picasaweb.google.com/ColinRenatus10...orMichaelFarley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazman Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 The extensions look less "artistic" than the Compton norm, i.e. Compton might normally have done 8' and 2', or 16' and 4', but not 16', 8', 4' and 2'. The Great Diapason chorus and the Swell Flute chorus look especially over-extended, as does the Choir's Salicional chorus, although this is less important. Does it work as a musical instrument, Vox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazman Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 (but red for all couplers except the Swell to Pedal 4). Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 The extensions look less "artistic" than the Compton norm, i.e. Compton might normally have done 8' and 2', or 16' and 4', but not 16', 8', 4' and 2'. The Great Diapason chorus and the Swell Flute chorus look especially over-extended, as does the Choir's Salicional chorus, although this is less important. It is interesting to compare it with the previous specification: http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N10585 Does it work as a musical instrument, Vox? I think so. Carlo certainly teased a lot of nice sounds out of it. The individual ranks are all very pleasurable, even the new Tuba (as you know, I'm not a fan of Tubas, but this one has a lot of life; it's a bit loud, though). However, it would certainly be possible for the naive to get themselves into trouble - for example, if they did not realise that the flutes on the Choir and Swell use exactly the same pipes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vox Humana Posted March 2, 2008 Author Share Posted March 2, 2008 Why? Search me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazman Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 It is interesting to compare it with the previous specification: http://npor.emma.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch...ec_index=N10585 Although that's not terribly informative about the extensions. It just seems very over-extended to me. However, the proof of the pudding as they say..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazman Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 I'm not a fan of Tubas, but this one has a lot of life; it's a bit loud, though They tend not to be the quietest of stops, Vox! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonathan Lane Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Whilst I think the organ 'case' itself is very effective and matches the style of the church decoration, I cannot say I'm that enamoured with the design of the console, although perhaps I am too much of a traditionalist. To my mind, I would rather be comfortable in something a little more conventional than have something to continue the theme of the church, and feel really exposed, which I suspect would be the case. Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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