Wellington Cathedral New Zealand

[David Pinnegar]

Hi!

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be able to buy from a stall selling items in aid of the Alexandra Palace Organ Restoration appeal a disc of music promoted by Priory Records http://www.prioryrecords.co.uk/ in a series of Great Australasian Organs recorded on the instrument at Wellington Cathedral - http://wellingtoncathedral.org.nz/index.php/Organs

The instrument originated as a TC Lewis and has been rebuilt essentially without case in rather a strikingly naked style and sounds extremely fine.

Whilst looking at the priory website, http://www.prioryrecords.co.uk/item.php?code=PRCD1067 Historic Organs of Malta and Gozo looks interesting - and most of them will be maintained by our forum member Robert Buhagiar www.robertbuhagiar.com and http://www.prioryrecords.co.uk/item.php?code=PRCD1032 The Organs of the Canary Islands. I wonder if the organ on which the Fugue in F minor  by Charles Burney was tuned to unequal temperament as it should have been for such a piece?

The Wellington Cathedral CD is a bargain price at £4.99 http://www.prioryrecords.co.uk/item.php?code=PRCD775 and I am salivating over http://www.prioryrecords.co.uk/item.php?code=PRCD515 The Hill Organ of Sydney Town Hall

I'm hoping that Ruth Chambers campaigning for Ally Pally will be able to make available some of these discs through the forum through her to take advantage of Priory Records' very generous donation to the appeal of discs for sale.

The stop list of Wellington is below.

Best wishes

David P

Pedal Organ

    Sub Bourdon 32'
    Open Wood 16'
    Open Metal 16'
    Sub Bass 16'
    Echo Bass 16'
    Octave 8'
    Bass Flute 8'
    Fifteenth 4'
    Octave Flute 4'
    Open Flute 2'
    Mixture IV
    Contra Bombarde 32'
    Bombarde 16'
    Fagotto 16'
    Octave Bombarde 8'
    Schalmey 4'

    Positive to Pedal
    Great to Pedal
    Swell to Pedal
    Solo to Pedal

Swell Organ

    Lieblich Bourdon 16'
    Geigen Principal 8'
    Liebliech Gedackt 8'
    Viol di Gamba 8'
    Voix Celeste 8'
    Principal 4'
    Lieblich Flute 4'
    Fifteenth 2'
    Nineteenth 1 1/3'
    Mixute III
    Fagotto 16'
    Trompette 8'
    Hautboy 8'
    Clarion 4'
    Tremulant
    Sub Octave
    Octave
    Unison Off

Great Organ

    Double Diapason 16'
    Open Diapason I 8'
    Open Diapason II 8'
    Principal 8'
    Stopped Diapason 8'
    Octave 4'
    Nason Flute 4'
    Twelfth 2 2/3
    Fifteenth 2'
    Seventeenth 1 3/5'
    Mixture IV
    Trumpet 8'
    Clarion 4'

    Swell to Great
    Positive to Great
    Solo to Great
    Gt and Ped Pistons Coupled

Solo Organ

    Dulciana 8'
    Claribel 8'
    Wald Flute 4'
    Nazard 2 2/3'
    Piccolo 2'
    Tierce 1 3/5'
    Larigot 1 1/3'
    Flageolet 1'
    Clarinet 8'
    Gallery Trumpet 8'
    Trompette en Chamade 8'
    Tremulant
    Sub Octave
    Octave
    Unison Off
    Great Reeds of Solo

Positive Organ

    Gedackt 8'
    Roh Flute 4'
    Principal 2'
    Quint 1 1/3'
    Octave 1'
    Cimbel III
    Cromorne 8'
    Trompette en Chamade 8'

    Solo to Positive
    Swell to Positive

[AnOrganCornucopia]

This reminds me, there's another Lewis (much more original than this one) in the amazing William Butterfield-designed cathedral in Melbourne: 4m, 48ss if I recall correctly. Said to be very much like the bigger one at Southwark, helped along its way by a much less buried position: H&H restored it just before they did Southwark (and its originality helped inform their reversal of the 1950s tonal changes at Southwark). There are quite a few recordings of the Melbourne one on YouTube.