Sydney Opera House
Concert Hall Grand Organ

Ronald Sharp 1979, 5m., 131 sp. st., mechanical and electric

Historical and Technical Documentation by Mark Fisher
© Mark Fisher 2004; OHTA 2005, 2009 (last updated January 2009)

 

The Grand Organ was designed and built, during the period 1969 to 1979, by the Sydney organ-builder Ronald Sharp, assisted by Mark Fisher, Myk Fairhurst and Raymond Bridge, his personal staff.  During the final 17 months of construction, four members of the Austrian organ-building firm of Gregor Hradetzky, were on site, also working under Sharp’s supervision and specification, to assist with the work.

 

Sharp’s organ-building career began in 1960, when he was commissioned to build a new choir organ for Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral. In 1964 he then employed Raymond Bridge, a cabinet-maker, together with Mark Fisher who, like Sharp, was a self-taught organbuilder. The new organ at Knox Grammar School in 1966 was the first product of this team and the instrument won the admiration of English organist Peter Hurford, who recorded for Decca on both the Knox organ and the new organ, also by Sharp, for Wollongong Town Hall.

 

Hurford was invited to become consultant for the Opera House organ; and his admiration of Sharp’s work, which by then had attracted worldwide acclaim, led him to recommend Ronald Sharp to the New South Wales Government Organ Committee to be the builder of the Concert Hall organ.

 

Many people doubted that such a huge pipe organ, as proposed by Sharp, particularly one using mechanical key action, could be built by him - or anybody. Controversy raged throughout the construction years, until finally Sharp’s magnum opus was completed at a cost of 1.2 million dollars, under the supervision of the NSW Department of Public Works, which was also responsible for supervising the construction of the Sydney Opera House. The Department handed over the completed instrument to the Opera House Trust on 30 May 1979 and the opening recital was on 7 June 1979.

 

The Concert Hall Grand Organ is still believed to be the largest mechanical-action organ in the world.  It is 16 metres high, 13 metres wide, a total of 8 metres deep and weighs 37.5 tonnes. The four largest pipes of the Prinzipal 32’ hang on the rear wall and weigh an additional 6 tonnes. The organ is built on a cantilevered steel platform, overlaid with a 100mm thick floor of laminated brush-box timber and it is all contained in a shell-like concrete chamber. The underside of the platform carries the white birch plywood ceiling above the choir gallery.

 

In April 1994 Mark Fisher, who shared a major role in the design and building of the organ, and who left Ronald Sharp at the end of 1981 to commence his own business, was invited by the Opera House Trust to return to the organ, to take control of its ongoing maintenance and tuning. During that time, gradual refurbishment of some sections of the organ has been carried out together with other work, all carefully maintaining the philosophy of the builder.

 

In July 2001, the organ was shut down, while its original electronic control system was replaced, with a more comprehensive system. During this changeover, the stop jambs, name board, thumb and toe piston rails were rebuilt with other new sections of the console added, together with a performer’s consolette, in order to accommodate discretely the many new controls. The organ was re-opened in April 2002 by Olivier Latry and has since been in regular use, though not often heard in solo organ recitals.

 

The organ contains six departments: Pedal, Rückpositiv, Hauptwerk, Oberwerk, Brustwerk and Kronwerk.  There are 131 speaking stops, 201 ranks and 10, 244 pipes. The façade contains 109 burnished tin pipes and 24 bronze bells. The largest and smallest pipes have speaking lengths of 9.7 metres and 6mm. The organ’s wind supply is generated by nine blowers situated throughout the organ.

 

The attached five manual and pedal drawstop console contains 172 stop knobs (of various types), 107 thumb pistons, 43 toe pistons, 12 midi pistons, three swell pedals and an infinite speed and gradation crescendo pedal. There are two closed circuit TV screens, together with various communication aids to the stage, stage manager and hall.

 

The organ has mechanical key action, electrical stop action, mechanical and electrical couplers and a Solid State Logic CFM300 piston capture system. It is also fitted with a performance recording and playback facility for the performers use in evaluating registration; and for organ demonstrations, where the playback unit can be operated from three locations within the Concert Hall.

 

An electronic upgrade, held over from 2002, was completed in October 2008 by Adrian Wadey of Solid State Organ Systems (UK).[1]

 

Ronald Sharp 1979 (5/131 mechanical and electric)

59* 45 58 57 44 43 42 56 41 55 54 40 39 53 38 52 37 36 51 50 49 48 47 46 35 34 33 32 31 60 138 139 153 154 137 152 151 150 136 149 148 135 147 134 133 132 131 130 129 128 146 142 145 127 143 144 141 140 114 113 112 125 126 124 111 123 122 121 110 109 108 107 106 120 119 118 117 105 116 115 91 92 104 103 90 102 101 89 100 88 99 87 98 86 85 84 97 96 83 95 94 170 171 172 93 29 28 27 26 15 14 25 24 13 12 23 22 11 21 20 19 10 9 18 17 16 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 30 65 64 63 75 62 74 73 61 76

HAUPTWERK C1 - c61 Prinzipal Gedackt Oktav Gamba Querflöte Holzflöte Rohrflöte   Quint Grossnasat Oktav Gamba Spitzflöte Grossterz Quint Nasat Oktav Hohlflöte Terz Piffaro Terzian Kornett Mixtur Mixtur Scharff Zimbel Kornett Trompete   Trompete     Trompete Glocken Tremulant RÜCKPOSITIV C1 - c61 Prinzipal Fiffaro Gedackt Quintadena Oktav Nachthorn Rohrflöte Nasat Oktav Spitzflöte   Terz  Quint  Sifflöte   Oktav  Quint  Oktav Quint Oktav     Quint    Oktav       Sesquialtera Ophicleide   Rankett    Ophicleide   Trompete   Dulzian     Glocken Tremulant OBERWERK C1 - c61  Holzprinzipal    Quintatön  Prinzipal    Salizional  Schwebung  Spillflöte Oktav Salizional Waldflöte Querflöte   Rauschpfeife    Terzian        Mixtur Scharff Terz Zimbel Septimen Kornett Kopftrompete  Trompete Oboe Vox Humana   Schalmei Tremulant BRUSTWERK C1 - c61 Gemshorn Unda Maris Offenflöte Gedackt Prinzipal Quintadena Nasat Flachflöte Terz Quint Septime Schwiegel None Glöckleinton Scharff Zimbel Musette Krummhorn Regal Trompetenregal Glocken Glockenspiel Glockenspiel Reiterate Kuckuckflöte Tremulant PEDAL C1 - g32 Prinzipal Holzprinzipal   Oktav    Violonbass Subbass   Rohrquint  Oktav      Violon   Gedackt  Grossterz Quint      Oktav  Blockflöte Terz         Quint           Septime  Nachthorn         Bauernflöte   Rauschpfeife   Mixtur         Scharff     Posaune  Posaune   Fagott Trompete  Dulzian Trompete Singend Kornett Glocken Tremulant KRONWERK C1 - c61 Kornett Trompete Feldtrompete Vox Humana Helltrompete Ophicleide Ophicleide Glocken Tremulant

16 16 8 8 8 8 8 5-1/3 5-1/3 4 4 4 3-1/5 2-2/3 2-2/3 2 2 1-3/5 IV-VI II VI VI V IV VI 16 8 4 2 8 8 8 8 4 4 4 2-2/3 2 2 1-3/5 1-1/3 1-1/3 1 2/3 1/2 1/3 1/4 1/6 1/8 II 16 16 8 8 8 1 16 16 8 8 8 8 4 4 4 2 II II V-VII IV III V 16 8 8 8 4 8 8 8 8 4 4 2-2/3 2 1-3/5 1-1/3 1-1/7 1 8/9 II II I 16 8 8 4 2/3 32 16 16 16 16 10-2/3 8 8 8 6-2/5 5-1/3 4 4 3-1/5 2-2/3 2-2/7 2 1 III V VII 32 16 16 8 8 4 2 4+2 VIII-XII 16 8 8 4 16 8 2

 

ANCILLARIES

173    Kuckuck

174    Nachtigäll

175    Zymbelstern

176    Tympanon

 

Glocken-Zymbelstern

Bronze hand bells

Tympanon

Soft bass drum roll

 

 

COUPLERS

Drawstops

72      Oberwerk to Rückpositiv

70      Rückpositiv to Hauptwerk

69      Oberwerk to Hauptwerk

68      Brustwerk to Hauptwerk

67      Kronwerk to Hauptwerk

71      Kronwerk to Rückpositiv

66      Brustwerk to Oberwerk

82      Rückpositiv to Pedal

81      Hauptwerk to Pedal

80      Oberwerk to Pedal

79      Brustwerk to Pedal

77      Kronwerk to Pedal 4

78      Kronwerk to Pedal

 

 

COUPLERS

Rocking tablets

155    Rückpositiv to Rückpositiv 16

156    Rückpositiv to Rückpositiv 4

157    Oberwerk to Oberwerk 16

158    Oberwerk to Oberwerk 4

159    Brustwerk to Brustwerk 16

160    Brustwerk to Brustwerk 4

161    Kronwerk to Kronwerk 16

162    Kronwerk to Kronwerk 4

163    Rückpositiv to Hauptwerk 16

164    Rückpositiv to Hauptwerk 4

165    Oberwerk to Hauptwerk 16

166    Oberwerk to Hauptwerk 4

167    Kronwerk to Hauptwerk 16

168    Kronwerk to Hauptwerk 4

169    Hauptwerk and Pedal Pistons

 

 

 

ADJUSTABLE PISTONS

General Pistons

15      Generals duplicated by toe studs

Departmental Pistons

10      Rückpositiv

10      Hauptwerk

10      Oberwerk

10      Brustwerk

10      Kronwerk

9        Pedal duplicated by toe studs

 

Reversible Pistons
(duplicated by toe studs)

Oberwerk to Rückpositiv

Rückpositiv to Hauptwerk

Oberwerk to Hauptwerk

Brustwerk to Hauptwerk

Kronwerk to Hauptwerk   

Kronwerk to Rückpositiv

Brustwerk to Oberwerk

Rückpositiv to Pedal

Hauptwerk to Pedal

Oberwerk to Pedal

Brustwerk to Pedal

Kronwerk to Pedal  4

Kronwerk to Pedal

 

 

 

ACCESSORIES

100 levels of memory available for each piston

A piston sequencer is fitted to the capture system

Programmable crescendo pedal

4 (3 adjustable) crescendos for each memory

1 tutti piston programmable for each memory level

2 channels of MIDI per department

The scope of any department, general  or reversible pistons is alterable

Tremulant speed and depth controls

Glocken-Zymbelstern speed and key controls

 

 

 

ACTION

mechanical key action

electrical stop action        

Couplers 79-82, 66 - mechanical

Couplers 67-72, 77, 78,155-169  - electrical

S.S.L. CFM 300 capture system

electric action to percussions and playback

wind supply is by nine Ventus blowers

 

 

 

SUMMARY OF PIPES AND STOPS

131 speaking stops

201 pipe ranks

10, 244 pipes

Front pipes 95% tin

 

 

 

RECORDING AND PLAYBACK

The Organ is fitted with a performance recording and playback facility for the performer's use in evaluating registration; and for organ demonstrations, where the playback unit can be operated from three locations within the Concert Hall.

 

 

 

CONSOLE

Five manual and pedal drawstop console

Concave-radiating pedal board

Adjustable bench and music desk

Oberwerk main and echo swell pedals

Brustwerk swell pedal

Infinite speed and gradation crescendo pedal

172 stops

107 Thumb pistons

43 toe pistons

12 MIDI pistons

2 Closed Circuit TV screens (front view of stage and close up view of conductor)

Speaker – to organist from stage

Telephone – organist / stage manager

Microphone – organist to PA system

Performance cueing lights (Ready/Not ready & Stand-by/Go)

 

 

*Numbers refer to those shown on the drawstops

 

 

Published by Mark Fisher

Pipe Organ Reconstructions Pty Ltd

June 2004

 

[1] 'Off the Chest,' The Sydney Organ Journal, vol. 40, no. 1 (Summer 2008-09), p. 37.