St Luke's Anglican Church,
cnr Ourimbah Road and Heydon Street, Mosman
Previous Organ: J.P. Eagles 1963 (2/13 electro-magnetic)
Present Organ: 1905 Geo. Fincham & Son organ from St Philip's Presbyterian Church, Newcastle
Rebuilt and extended 2013 John Parker
(3/38 electro-pneumatic)
Photo: John Parker (2013)
From the St Luke's Anglican Church, Mosman website http://www.mosman.anglican.asn.au/Music/organ.htm
St. Luke's first organ was an "American Organ" (a harmonium) which was used in the Bond Street Church and then moved to the Heydon Street Church when it was built in 1909.
The second organ was built by Nicholson and Lord of Walsall, Staffordshire, England in 1913 and dedicated on 17th May 1914. This instrument was destroyed by a fire on 18th August 1935. The fire probably began in the electric motor of the organ in the basement and although the church was not badly damaged, the organ was completely destroyed.
Later in 1935 the third organ was purchased from K. M. Lavers of Melbourne and dedicated on 15th December that year. It was larger than the previous one and had an electric action. As early as 1939 this organ was having problems. C. W. Leggo reported that year that "Apart from the metal pipes and the pedal pipes there is nothing about the instrument to suggest stability or reliability. The flimsy nature of the stop key in the console is but one example of bad design and poor workmanship" and he goes on to recommend total reconstruction. This, however, was not undertaken, and various repairs were made from time to time.
[The organ at St Luke's Anglican Church, Mosman built by Keith M. Lavers and installed in 1935 was the instrument opened in 1927 at St Aloysius' Catholic Church, Caulfield by Horace Weber. Information from Robert W. Elliston August 2008.]
The stop list for the K M Lavers organ in 1957, as noted by Geoff Lloyd, was:
| GREAT Claribel Sub Open Diap's'n Claribel Dulciana Princ'p'l Flute Twelfth Fifteenth Swell Sub to Great Swell to Great Super Oct. Great Swell Super to Great SWELL Open Diap's'n Viol d'Orchestre Celeste Gedackt Princ'p'l Harmonic Piccolo Closed Horn Clarinet Swell Sub Swell Super Tremulant PEDAL Violone Bourdon Violoncello Bass Flute Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal |
16 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 8 8 8 8 4 2 8 8 16 16 8 8 |
61/30 compass.
There were 5 thumb pistons to each of Great and Swell.
Balanced Swell pedal (six stages?).
Ventils switches at the console:
1. -,
2. Violone, Bourdon,
3. Claribel Rank,
4. Swell Basses,
5. Great Slides,
6. Swell Slides.
The Claribel rank provided Claribel Sub (TC), Claribel and Flute.
Twelfth was derived from Fifteenth.
Gedackt was manufactured from rolled paper or cardboard.
Violone and its octave, Violoncello, possessed quite a loud tone.
When the present St. Luke's was opened in 1958, it was felt that the cost of moving the organ was beyond the resources of the parish at the time. Hence an electronic organ was in use for several years. Finally in 1963 J. P. Eagles was contracted to rebuild the organ in the new church. Some of the pipe-work from the old instrument was incorporated in the rebuilt organ but much was new, and this was in use by late 1963.
This rebuilding continued to give trouble, and by 1984 it was clear that something needed to be done. A contract was signed with the firm of Brown and Arkley, Sydney organ builders, to rebuild the organ using the existing pipes and console but with a new action and some new ranks. This project was largely underwritten by Mrs. Margaret Holmes as a memorial to her husband, Dr. T. A. G. Holmes. This instrument was dedicated on 20th April 1986.
[Based on notes compiled by Leslie Jillett (in 1979), and Dulcie Holland and Keith Salt (in 1997) in the Parish Archives.]
The specification is:
| Great Open Diapason Hohl Flute Dulciana Principal Fifteenth Swell Gedact Salicional Gemshorn Mixture Horn Tremulant Pedal Open Diapason Bourdon Principal Bass Flute Choral Bass |
8 8 8 4 2 8 8 4 III 8 16 16 8 8 4 |
(actually Violone) |
Couplers
Swell to Great
Swell to Ped
Great to Ped
Swell Super Octave to Great
Swell Sub-Octave to Great
Swell Super Octave
Swell Sub-Octave
Action: electric action (electro-magnetic)
In 2006, the parish bought the 1905 Geo. Fincham & Son organ from St Philip's Presbyterian Church, Newcastle, with plans for rebuilding and enlarging it for St Luke's.
Photos: Mark Quarmby (July 2008)
Restored and extended Fincham organ
Photo: John Parker (2013)
The following material, provided by Dr Greg Cunningham, is taken from the History of the Organs of St Luke's, Mosman, written by Denise Thomas AM, and prepared for the Service of Dedication for the restored and extended Fincham organ on 14th July, 2013:
The specification is:
| Great Open Diapason Claribel Flute Loud Gamba Principal Clear Flute Twelfth Fifteenth Mixture 19.22.26. Trumpet Swell Echo Bourdon Open Diapason Stopped Diapason Gamba Voix Celeste Octave Flute Fifteenth Full Mixture 12.15.19. Bassoon Horn Oboe Choir Violin Diapason Gedackt Unda Maris Dulciana Harmonic Flute Piccolo Clarinet Harmonic Trumpet Pedal Resultant Bass Open Diapason Bourdon Octave Bass Flute Choral Bass Trombone Bassoon Trumpet |
8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 III 8 16 8 8 8 8 4 4 2 III 16 8 8 8 8 8 8 4 2 8 8 32 16 16 8 8 4 16 16 8 |
56 pipes metal 56 pipes wood 56 pipes metal 56 pipes metal 56 pipes wood 56 pipes metal (additions - Palmer) 56 pipes metal 168 pipes metal (additions - Palmer) 56 pipes metal (addition - Austin) 56 pipes wood 56 pipes wood and metal 56 pipes wood 56 pipes wood and metal 56 pipes metal 56 pipes metal 56 pipes wood and metal (addition) 56 pipes metal (addition - old St Luke's) 168 pipes metal (addition - Palmer) 56 pipes metal (old St Luke's Horn + 16' octave) 56 pipes metal 56 pipes metal 56 pipes wood and metal 56 pipes wood 44 pipes metal (addition - Wm Hill) 56 pipes metal 56 pipes metal (harmonic from middle C) 56 pipes wood (addition - Fincham 1906) 56 pipes metal (addition - Palmer) 56 pipes metal (addition - Austin) (derived Open and Bourdon) 54 pipes wood and metal 42 pipes wood (from Open) (from Bourdon) (from Open) 12 notes metal (rest from Great Trumpet) (from Swell) (from Great Trumpet) |
Couplers
Swell to Great
Swell to Choir
Choir to Great
Swell Sub octave
Swell Unison Off
Swell Octave
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Choir Sub Octave
Choir Unison Off
Choir Octave
Tremulants
Great
Swell
Choir
Photo: John Parker (2013)