SYDNEY TOWN HALL

 


The foundation stone of the first section of the Town Hall was laid on 4 April 1868 by Prince Albert, Duke of Edinburgh and comprised the current vestibule (the original Town Hall) and civic offices.  Designed by architects Wilson, Bell & Bond, this was completed in 1869.  In 1879 the City Architect Thomas Sapsford prepared plans for the completion of the building, including the Centennial Hall, all of which was opened on 27 November 1889.  The clock tower had earlier been completed in 1881 and the clock and chimes installed in 1884-1885.  Built in sandstone in an Italian Renaissance style, the building incorporates a wealth of carved detail, mosaic pavements, elaborate plasterwork, stencilling, joinery, and etched and stained glass.  The whole complex has, in recent years, been carefully restored under the direction of heritage architect Howard Tanner, and the building was re-opened on 20 February 1992 by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.  This massive undertaking involved the reinstatement of the splendid original decorative schemes, as well as reproductions of the wrought iron 'electroliers', that once graced the interior.

 

Upon completion, this was the grandest and most impressive civic complex in the British Empire and included the Centennial Hall, the largest of its kind.  The hall incorporates a massive ceiling in moulded zinc manufactured by the Sydney firm of Wunderlich, stained glass windows depicting Australian flora and a floor of Tasmanian blackwood and tallowwood.  The faux marble pillars were part of the original plans but only realised in the 1991 restoration.  The Hill & Son grand organ is the focal point of the hall and located in a massive elliptical cove. [1]

 


The history of the Town Hall organ has been very well documented and so will not be covered extensively here. [2]   Built between 1886 and 1889 by Hill & Son, of London (and not provided with a job number), the instrument was instantly famous for then being the world’s largest organ and for the novelty of its full-length 64-foot Contra Trombone stop.  It remains the world’s largest organ without any electric action components and is of international significance as representing the pinnacle of British achievement in the Victorian era, even though its conservative design was the subject of debate at the time. [3]   It is easily the best-known of all Australian organs and is the source of admiration around the world, not only for the immensity and opulence of its tone and for its magnificent case, but also for its high level of originality and the quality of the restoration work.

 

Although the organ is considered substantially original in condition, several changes have been made over the years.  The most significant of these was the lowering of the pitch to concert standard by S.T. Noad in 1939, this change being most noticeable in the reed stops, which are coarser in tone colour as a result.  A comprehensive restoration was undertaken over ten years from 1972 by Roger H. Pogson Pty Ltd and many of the minor changes (such as the swapping of ranks between Swell and Choir) were reversed.  Other changes retained to the present are the balanced swell pedals (the provision of which necessitated the removal of four composition pedals for the Great), the concave/radiating pedalboard, the transposition of Swell Piccolo from 2’ to 1’, the addition of the high-pitched Carillon bells to the Solo, the enclosure of the Solo orchestral reeds and the enclosure of the entire Choir division (originally only the reeds were enclosed). [4]   During the work carried out by Roger Pogson some alterations were made to the pneumatic action operating the Choir division and the console timbers (originally in fumed oak) were lightened during repolishing.

 


Click here for more pictures

Live recordings can be downloaded as an mp3 file by clicking on the links below.

"Prelude (3.2MB), Fugue (5.7MB) and Postlude" (5.6MB), "Prelude in C" (3MB) by Bruckner, played by Mark Quarmby

Demonstration of the 64' Contra Trombone played by Michael Dudman

Click here for a schedule of this year's Town Hall Organ recitals




 Hill & Son 1886-89 (5/127 tubular-pneumatic/Barker lever)


 

 GREAT

 Contra Bourdon

32

TC

 Double Open Diapason

16

 

 Bourdon

16

 

 Open Diapason I

8

+

 Open Diapason II

8

 

 Open Diapason III

8

 

 Open Diapason IV

8

 

 Harmonic Flute

8

 

 Viola

8

+

 Spitz Flöte

8

 

 Gamba

8

 

 Hohl Flöte

8

^

 Rohr Flöte

8

^

 Quint

6

 

 Principal

4

 

 Octave

4

 

 Gemshorn

4

 

 Harmonic Flute

4

+

 Twelfth

3

 

 Fifteenth

2

 

 Mixture

3 Rks

 

 Cymbel

4 Rks

+

 Sharp Mixture

4 Rks

 

 Furniture

5 Rks

+

 Contra Posaune

16

 

 Posaune
8
 Trumpet
8
 Clarion
4

 

 

 

 SWELL

 Double Open Diapason

16

 

 Bourdon

16

 

 Open Diapason

8

 

 Hohl Flöte

8

^

 Viola da Gamba

8

 

 Salicional

8

 

 Dulciana

8

 

 Vox Angelica

8

 

 Octave

4

 

 Rohr Flöte

4

^

 Harmonic Flute

4

 

 Gemshorn

4

 

 Twelfth

3

 

 Fifteenth

2

 

 Piccolo

1

*

 Mixture

4 Rks

 

 Furniture

5 Rks

 

 Trombone

16

 

 Bassoon

16

 Trumpet

8

 

 Cornopean

8

 

 Horn

8

 

 Oboe

8

 

 Clarion

4

 

 

 

 

 CHOIR (enclosed)

 Contra Dulciana

16

 

 Open Diapason

8

 

 Hohl Flöte

8

^

 Lieblich Gedackt

8

 

 Flauto Traverso

8

 

 Gamba

8

 

 Dulciana

8

 

 Octave

4

 

 Violino

4

 

 Celestina

4

~

 Lieblich Flöte

4

 

 Twelfth

3

 

 Fifteenth

2

 

 Dulcet

2

 

 Dulciana Mixture

3 Rks

 

 Bassoon

16

 

 Oboe

8

 

 Clarinet

8

 

 Vox Humana

8

 

 Octave Oboe

4

 

 

 

 

 

 SOLO (small reeds enclosed)

 Bourdon

16

 Open Diapason

8

 Violin Diapason

8

 Doppel Flöte

8

 Flauto Traverso

8

 Stopped Diapason

8

 Viola

8

 Octave

4

 Harmonic Flute

4

 Flauto Traverso

4

 Harmonic Piccolo

2

 Contra Fagotto

16

 Harmonic Trumpet

8

 Corno di Bassetto

8

 Orchestral Oboe

8

 Cor Anglais

8

 Octave Oboe

4

 Contra Tuba

16

 Tuba

8

 Tuba Clarion

4

 Carillon Bells

2

 

 

 

 

 

ECHO

(enclosed and non-expressive)

 

 Lieblich Gedackt

8

 Viol d'Amour

8

 Unda Maris II

8

 Viol d'Amour

4

 Flageolet

2

 Glockenspiel

4 Rks

 Echo Dul. Cornet

4 Rks

 Basset Horn

8

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PEDAL

 

 Double Open Diapason Metal

32

 Double Open Diapason Wood

32

 Contra Bourdon

32

 Open Diapason Metal

16

 Open Diapason Wood

16

 Bourdon

16

 Violone

16

 Gamba

16

 Dulciana

16

 Quint

12

 Octave

8

 Prestant

8

 Bass Flute

8

 Violoncello

8

 Twelfth

6

 Fifteenth

4

 Mixture

4 Rks

 Mixture

3 Rks

 Mixture

2 Rks

 Contra Trombone

64

 Contra Posaune

32

 Posaune

16

 Trombone

16

 Bassoon

16

 Trumpet

8

 Clarion

4

 

 

 

 



 COUPLERS

 Great to Pedal

 Swell to Pedal

 Choir to Pedal

 Solo to Pedal

 Swell to Great #

 Swell Super Octave [to Great] #

 Swell Sub Octave [to Great] #

 Solo to Great #

 Solo Octave

 Choir to Great #

 Swell to Choir

 Solo to Choir

 Echo to Swell

 Pedal to Great Pistons

 

 Tremulant to Swell (toe lever)

 Tremulant to Choir and Solo (toe lever)

 

 Tubular pneumatic key, stop and
 combination action (vacuum for stops).

 Mechanical action with pneumatic-lever
 assistance for Great and couplers
 marked #  

 

 Compass 61/30

 

 

 

 Pistons (internally adjustable):

 3 to Echo

 7 to Solo

 8 to Swell

 8 to Great

 7 to Choir

 6 to Pedal (toe levers)

 

 Balanced swell pedals for Choir, Solo   

 orchestral reeds and Swell

 

 No. of pipes = 8,756

 

Pitch a1 = 440Hz




 

Wind pressures:

Great:

Flues 90mm (3 ½”)

Reeds  128mm (5”)

Swell:                                 

Flues 90 mm  (3 ½”)

Reeds 128 mm (5”)

Choir:

Flues & Reeds 70mm (2 ¾”)

Solo:

Flues 78mm  (3”)

Orchestral reeds 128 mm (5”)

Tubas 256mm (10”)

Echo:

Flues and reeds 58mm (2 ¼”)

Pedal:

Flues 82mm (3 ¼”)

Reeds 115 mm (4 ½”)

 

 

+ On 128mm (5”) wind

 

* Originally at 2’ pitch

 

¶ On 90mm (3 ½”) wind

§ Metal bars from A#2

^ German nomenclature (the use of the umlaut) has not been correctly engraved on these stops (viz. Röhr Flöte and

Höhl Flöte)

~ “Celestina” appears on the stopknob although “Celestino” appears in several published specifications of the organ.

 



 

Mixture Compositions:

Pedal Mixture 4 Rks: 10.12.15.19

Pedal Mixture 2 Rks: 19.22

Pedal Mixture 3 Rks: 10.12.15

 

 

Great Mixture 3Rks:

C - f# 0 :  17.19.22

a0 - a1 :     15.19.22

a#1 - c4 :   8.12.15

 

 

Great Cymbel 4 Rks:

C - c0 :    19.22.26.29

c#0 - c1 :  15.19.22.26

c#1- c2 :    12.15.19.22

c#2- c4 :     5.8.12.15

 

 

Great Sharp Mixture 4 Rks

c - f#0 :     19.22.24.29

g0 - c2 :     15.17.19.22

c#2 - c4 :    8.12.15.17

 

 

Great Furniture 5 Rks

C - c0 :        17.19.22.26.29

c#0 - c1 :     15.17.19.22.26

c#1 - c2 :    12.15.17.19.22

c#2 - c4 :    1.5.8.12.15

 

 

Swell Mixture 4 Rks

C - c0 :     19.22.26.29

c#0 - c1 :  15.19.22.26

c#1 - c2 :    12.15.19.22

c#2 - c4 :   5.8.12.15

 

 

Swell Furniture 5 Rks

C - c1 :     17.19.22.26.29

c#1 - c2 :    15.17.19.22.26

c#2 - c4 :   5.8.12.15.17

 

 

Choir Dulciana Mixture 3 Rks

C - g 0 :    17.19.22

a#0 - a#1 :  15.19.22

b1 - c4 :    8.12.15

 

 

Echo Dulciana Cornet 4Rks

C - c4 :     1.8.12.15

 

 

Glockenspiel 4 Rks

c0 - c4 :     1.12.15.17

 


 

 


[1] Visitor’s Guide to Sydney Town Hall. Sydney: Sydney City Council, c.1995.

 

[2] A complete history of the construction and musical use of the Town Hall organ was written in 1999 by OHTA Patron, Robert Ampt, who has been City Organist since 1977.  The volume comprises 208 pages and is copiously illustrated, including numerous colour plates.  (Robert Ampt, The Sydney Town Hall Organ: William Hill and Son’s Magnum Opus [Woodford, NSW: Birralee Publishing, 1999].  The specification also originates from this source).

 

[3]  See for example: George A. Audsley, The Art of Organ Building (New York: Dover Publications, 1965, reprint of Dodd, Mead and Co. edition of 1905), 723-24.

 

[4] Ampt, 180.

© OHTA 2005