CaAGC St Mary's Johannesburg

Specifications

Gallery

History

The first organ, placed in the pro Cathedral, was a P/III Brindley & Foster, which was built in 1894 (1894 Spec). The organ was removed to the Parish Hall in 1905.

The second organ for St Mary's Cathedral was bought from Messrs. Rushworth & Dreaper of Liverpool in 1929, and was installed in June of that year. The installation was done by AF Tomkins of Cooper, Gill & Tomkins. Since its installation Cooper, Gill have cared for the instrument, and today the Cathedral can boast with an instrument that is of supreme quality. It is possibly the only one in the country, apart from St. Michael's Observatory, that can be can be held up as an example of how to treat an instrument's historical value (despite the work done in 1969) sympathetically. It was originally a P/III 51 Stop organ that has been enlarged over the years to a P/IV 97 Stop instrument. The work over the last ten years particulary has been undertaken to the highest standards by Cooper, Gill & Tomkins under the direction of the Organist, Mr Sydney Place. Throughout the activities the original instrument has been left relatively untouched, so anyone wishing to hear it as it was in 1929 need only leave out the additions in registration.

The original Rushworth & Dreaper Organ consisted of Pedal, Great, Swell and Solo/Choir. The Solo contained two stops which were located above the Cantori side Choir Stalls on the screen separating the Chancel from the All Souls' Chapel. The case was designed by the Cathedral Architect, Mr FLH Fleming, and was constructed in Johannesburg by Messrs. Rutherfords. The specification was drawn up by the Cathedral Organist, Mr John Connell, shortly after his appointment (1929 Spec).

The Choir Manual was added in 1969. It was also enlarged with a new Krummhorn, Stopped Diapason (from the Great) and Lieblich Bourdon (from the Swell). The rest of the division was extended from these stops. The Swell got a "poor quality Cymbal Mixture". The Great Mixture 17^th was replaced by a 29^th, which was moved to the Solo as a Tierce. The Swell Salicional was moved to the Great, and replaced with one of the Solo Celeste II's ranks. A Reed unit was added to serve the Great and Pedal. The original console was replaced. At this point the organ had 3 450 pipes (1969 Spec).

In 1987 more work was carried out. The reed unit installed in 1969 was altered to become the Great 16' & 4' Reeds, while a new 8' from Rushworth & Dreaper was added. The Pedal Mixture IV and Principal 8', originally from the Rushworth & Dreaper in the College Street Baptist Church in Northampton, were added. Three years later FJ Rodgers supplied the 32' extention to the Ophicleide, and in 1992 the Choir Rohr Flute, Koppel Flute, Twelfth, Nazard, Fifteenth, Piccolo, Sharp Mixture, Tierce and Larigot, and the Swell Mixture III. The Lieblich Bourdon and Stopped Diapason were returned to their original places. A Willis Vox Humana was added to the Swell, and the Choir Cymbal was put on the Great as the Sharp Mixture. The mobile console and rewiring was carried out in 1995.

Today the St. Mary's is the second largest Church Organ in the country (the largest being in the Groote Kerk), and the fourth largest overall. The work done over the past few years have completed the instrument tonally. The Choir is similar to a French Poitive, and the Swell is capable of interpreting most of the French Romantic repertoire (1999 Spec).

Technical

Saint Mary's is the only Church in South Africa to boast two consoles for its organ. The first (original) console sits to the left of the case (when facing it) above the Choir Stalls on the Decani side of the Chancel. Opposite it (on the Cantori side of the Chancel) is the much enlarged Choir Division, also above the Stalls. This division now fills two arches of the screen, and does duty as a complete instrument for the services held in the All Souls Chapel. The second console (dubbed the "Armada") is identical to the main one, but can be played from almost any position on the Cathedral floor. Connected by a coaxial cable which can be plugged into various points around the Nave it is possible to emulate Robert Hope-Jones' trick of sitting outside the West End of Winchester Cathedral while playing the Organ!