St Luke's Anglican Church
cnr Herries & Ruthven Streets, Toowoomba
Norman & Beard 1907 (2/22 electric)
From Simon Pierce's web site:
Although the Norwich firm of Norman and Beard was founded in 1868, their first Australian order was not delivered until 1894. The installation of the organ in Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Newcastle, sparked a spate of orders throughout Australasia; nevertheless, only St. Luke's in Toowoomba, and St. John's Anglican Cathedral remain as Queensland examples.
In 1907, the organ was delivered to local builders Whitehouse Bros. for installation in the unfinished St. Luke's church within the first bay of the Nave pillars, where it remained until the extension of the Sanctuary and Transepts. It was then sited on a platform above the Choir, at which time (in 1960) the action was electrified and opportunity taken to provide extra pedal stops by extension (Acoustic Bass and Quint.)
The rebuild by WJ Simon Pierce in 1995 included replacement of all worn parts, resealing of all windchests and ducting, as well as the relocation of the errant Pedal pipes which had been placed behind the Sanctuary arch.
The Trumpet stop was given by the late Dora Jackson, a longtime resident of Toowoomba.
From a pamphlet supplied by the church's organist, Dr Phillip Gearing (Dec 2008):
The 1907 Norman & Beard pipe organ at St Luke’s Toowoomba is widely and highly acclaimed. Although only of moderate size, it is extremely versatile and gives the impression of being considerably larger than it is. Francis Jackson, sometime organist of York Minster in the UK, expressed the opinion it was an example of English romantic voicing at its best, and the legendary Dr A.E. Floyd, sometime organist of St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne, described it as “the finest two-manual organ on which I have ever laid my hands”.
On Thursday 17 October 1907, the eve of the Feast of St Luke, the organ was dedicated at a Festival Evensong Service at which the Archdeacon of the Downs preached and Stanley Hobson, the parish organist, played the new instrument for the first time. A recital was presented the next evening by George Sampson, the organist and choirmaster of St John’s Cathedral in Brisbane.
The original action was tubular pneumatic (Norman & Beard were famed for the response and repetition of their action), and the swell box shutters were operated mechanically by means of a lever pedal. The bellows were blown by hand from the southern side of the organ, although by the 1950s a three horse-power electric motor had been installed, supplying wind from outside the building. This is the motor still in use. Foot operated combination levers were available, three for each manual. Internal woodwork was of sugar pine while the exterior woodwork was of red cedar.
The extensions to the church in 1959 necessitated the removal of the organ to another position. This was effected in 1960 by Mr Jarrott of Brisbane, who electrified the action and made some small alterations at the same time. Mr Jarrott also made the detached console which forms the basis of the console presently in use. The original console was discarded, although the keyboards survive as part of the instrument built at Baillie Henderson Hospital in Toowoomba; part of the old cedar casework was used to construct a cupboard which presently stands in the ambulatory behind the high altar.
The organ was raised and placed on supporting brackets to the south of the new chancel, the original layout of the organ being largely preserved. The pedal department was enlarged by the addition of an Acoustic Bass 32’, a Quint 10-2/3 (acoustic), and a Principal 8’ by extension from the Open Diapason 16’. The manual compass was increased from 58 to 61 notes, and some extra couplers were added. The Pedal couplers were originally mechanical, whilst the remaining original couplers were pneumatic. The original nomenclature used the word Octave rather than Super.
By the early 1990s the organ needed repair, and in 1995 W.J. Simon Pierce of Brisbane carried out a major restoration which was funded by a special appeal following the heritage listing of the organ. The Swell and Great soundboards were turned 90 degrees in the chamber and the direction of the swell shutters reversed to allow the instrument to speak into the nave. The pedal pipes in the sanctuary were returned to the organ chamber and adjusted to project better into the building. All the soundboards were stripped, repaired, flooded and assembled and the action completely refurbished. All pipework was cleaned, regulated and voiced, and the wind pressures were lowered by means of the new break-down bellows, allowing the original “voice” of the instrument to be heard once more. A new Swell machine was made for the swell shutters. Keyboards of 58 notes were incorporated into the console which was adjusted for better comfort of the organist: it was turned to face across the chancel and made lower to allow visual contact with the choir; angled stop jambs were fitted, and the (original) stops placed nearer together; a new adjustable organ bench was made, donated in memory of the original organist, Stanley Hobson, by his grandchildren. A new trumpet stop based on other Norman & Beard trumpet stops, made possible by a donation from Dora Jackson, was installed on the Great.
This work has ensured the continuing contribution of this important historic instrument to the musical life of St Luke’s Church, the city of Toowoomba and beyond.
A CD recording of the instrument, Celebrate, was made and released in 2007 by Phillip Gearing.
The centenary of the organ was celebrated in October 2007 with a series of three organ recitals, given by internationally acclaimed Australian organist Christopher Wrench (13 October), St Luke’s Director of Music Phillip Gearing (17 October), and Director of Music at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane (21 October).
Sources
Brightman, Max (nd), May I Show You Around? A Guide to St Luke’s Church, Toowoomba.
Brightman, Max (1995), The Organ and Organists of St Luke’s Anglican Church Toowoomba. Toowoomba, St Peter’s Press.
Gearing, Phillip (1993). “The Organ of St Luke’s Anglican Church, Toowoomba: An Historical Account, 1907-93”. OHTA News, Vol 17 No 3, pp. 19-21.
Rushworth, Graeme D. (1988). Historic Organs of New South Wales: The Instruments, Their Makers and Players, 1791-1940. Sydney, Hale & Ironmonger.
Personal interviews with Bert Jarrott and Walter Noller (30 June 1992), and Les Rub (1 July 1992).
The specification is:
GREAT |
8 8 8 8 4 4 8 8 16 8 8 8 8 4 III 8 8 32 16 16 8 8 |
New 1995 A A |
Balanced swell pedal
3 combination thumb pistons Great, Swell & Pedal
3 reversible toe studs – Swell to Great, Swell to Pedal, Great to Pedal
1 reversible toe stud – Tutti
Full Organ ("Tutti" reversible toe piston)
Compass 58/30
|
||
 |
 |
|
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
Photos: Phillip Gearing (Dec 2008)