The Organ
The
core of the present Winchester Cathedral Organ consists of pipe-work from
the monumental organ built by Henry Willis for the Great Exhibition at
Hyde Park in 1851. This was the first large organ wholly built by Willis,
and with 70 stops it was also the largest at the Exhibition. It created
considerable interest including a private visit by Queen Victoria to hear
the instrument. Also present at the Exhibition was Winchester Cathedral's
organist Samuel Sebastian Wesley who befriended and collaborated with
the young organbuilder in 1854. At Wesley's instigation, the organ was
installed at Winchester in a reduced but improved form as a four-manual
instrument of 49 stops with the then unique features of thumb pistons
and a radiating and concave pedal board - believed to have been the first
cathedral organ in the world to have such features - and fully developed
choruses and mixtures both on the manuals and the pedal organ. Queen Victoria
maintained her interest, and she and Prince Albert were among the subscribers
to the new instrument. John Stainer was one of the choristers at the inaugural
service, and in his early years this instrument was well known to Hubert
Parry. In a real sense the Winchester organ was a prototype for numerous
other cathedral organs built by Henry Willis in his long career of almost
60 years in which his firm built over 2000 organs.
After long service at Winchester the organ was rebuilt and enlarged by
Willis in 1897 with some tonal alterations reflecting his developed house
style and changed public taste. However, the instrument has always retained
a strongly classical foundation. A further considerable enlargement by
the firm of Hele took place in 1905. Of their additions the pedal bombardes
(no's 12 and 13) and one stop on the swell organ (no 56) remain.
Harrison & Harrison took over the care of the organ and undertook
a major rebuilding in 1938 when the instrument acquired a more romantic
bias, although preserving the historic material from the Great Exhibition
organ. Almost 50 years later from 1986 to 1988 they completely reconstructed
the instrument in its present form of 79 stops, incorporating a new dual-purpose
Nave division and a largely new Choir organ. The pedal organ was given
greater versatility and clarity with new and completely independent choruses.
The original Willis work returned to its due prominence in the instrument
by reversing some of the changes made in 1905 and 1938.
There is virtually no extension or "borrowing" of stops in the
present organ. The detached console has 108 draw stops and comprehensive
playing aids. This is one of the most versatile cathedral organs capable
of doing justice to the music of all schools of music for the instrument,
as the present series of recitals will demonstrate by including the classical
masterworks of J. S. Bach and the monumental 19th and 2Oth Century romantic
works composed in homage to his name.
Rowland Wateridge - from the 1999 Organ Recital Brochure
