Click here to download a pdf copy (2MB) of the 1929 Melbourne Town Hall brochure
The original Town Hall buildings were designed by Melbourne architects Reed & Barnes. The foundation stone was laid in 1867 by Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, son of Queen Victoria, and the building opened on 9 August 1870.
The present hall was constructed, in art-deco style, between 1926 and 1927 to the designs of Melbourne architects Stephenson & Meldrum, following the destruction of the original auditorium by fire in 1925. The largest civic hall in the country in cubic area, it is much wider than its predecessor, an additional allotment to the north being taken over for the purpose. The interior was redecorated in the original muted paint colours in the 1990s.
Tenders were invited from around the world for the construction of a new grand organ: Hill, Norman & Beard and Henry Willis & Sons were the two main contenders. The tender of Hill, Norman & Beard for £31,483/19/7d for their job no 2650 was accepted by the Council and work proceeded apace both in the builder's York Road factory in London and in their new factory at Clifton Hill, Melbourne. The elaborately carved casework, in Queensland maple, and incorporating huge bronze grilles and zinc pipes veneered in spotted metal, was designed by the architects of the hall. The opening recital was given by Dr W.G.Price, city organist, on 3 July 1929.
The instrument remained substantially unaltered, retaining its original mechanism and pipework, until being replaced by the Schantz instrument in 1999-2000. It was of international significance as the second largest new organ (after Liverpool Cathedral) constructed in the British Empire during the inter-war period, and was believed to be the largest essentially intact concert organ of the period outside the American continent. It was an instrument of heroic scale and substance, with many harmonic and overlength pipe formations, enormously thick pipe walls, spacious windchests, extended octaves to many ranks, and wide access stair and walk ways throughout the organ. Apart from the majority of the pipework and the casework, almost everything from the 1929 organ has been discarded, with a new internal layout and massive additions.
Click here to download a pdf copy (2MB) of the 1929 Melbourne Town Hall brochure
MELBOURNE TOWN HALL
William Hill & Son and Norman & Beard Ltd London & Melbourne 1929 (job number 2650)
(for a more detailed specification please see pdf link above)
| GREAT ORGAN Unenclosed Tibia Profunda Double Open Diapason Diapason Phonon Open Diapason I Tibia Plena Octave Diapason Octave Coupler |
16 16 8 8 8 4 |
A B A |
||
| Enclosed Open Diapason II Gamba Major Hohl Flöte Principal Wald Flöte Stopped Quint Fifteenth Tierce Grand Fourniture Contra Trombone Trombone Tromba Harmonic Trumpet Clarion Sub Oct Swell to Great Swell to Great Octave Swell to Great Sub Oct Choir to Great Choir to Great Sub Oct Solo to Great Solo to Great Octave Solo to Great Orchestral to Great * |
8 8 8 4 4 3 2 1-3/5 VI-VII rks 32 16 8 8 4 |
D |
[shutters removed 1960s] open bass 12.15.17.19.b21.22 C rearranged 1960s 1-12 ½ length: in storage 1960s- |
|
| SWELL ORGAN Violone Diapason Phonon Geigen Principal Cor de Nuit Aeoline Vox Angelica FF * Octave Gamba Harmonic Flute Harmonic Quint Salicetina Mixture Oboe Vox Humana Tremulant Double Trumpet Horn Orchestral Trumpet Clarion Sub Octave Unison Off Octave Solo to Swell Orchestral to Swell * |
16 8 8 8 8 8 4 4 3 2 III rks 8 8 16 8 8 4 |
E |
(73 note chests) 15.19.22 |
|
| CHOIR ORGAN Contra Salicional Horn Diapason Lieblich Gedeckt Corno Flute Lieblich Flöte Echo Viola Piccolo Dulciana Cornet Closed Horn Tremulant Sub Octave Unison Off Octave Swell to Choir Swell Octave to Choir Solo to Choir Great Reeds to Choir Orchestral to Choir * |
16 8 8 8 4 4 2 III rks 8 |
F |
enclosed [shutters removed 1960s] 12.15.17 later reduced to Twelfth 3 |
|
| SOLO ORGAN Quintaton Violoncello Salicional Harmonic Claribel Concert Flute Harmonic Harmonic Piccolo Schalmei Clarinet Orchestral Oboe Tremulant Tuba Tuba Tuba Tuba Sonora Glockenspiel Carillon Carillon Mute Sub Octave Unison Off Octave Orchestral to Solo * |
16 8 8 8 4 2 16 8 8 16 8 4 8 2 |
G H H H |
enclosed except Tuba Sonora (73 note chests) open bass [originally Flute Celeste 8] large-scale Clarinet with bells 2 ranks in treble Steel bars TF to C 20 notes Tubular bells A to E 20 notes |
|
| ORCHESTRAL STRING Contra Viola Tibia Clausa Viol d'Orchestre String Celeste II Octave Viola Tiercina Quint Viola Violette Tremulant * Sub Octave Unison Off Octave |
16 8 8 8 4 3-1/5 3 2 |
I |
enclosed in Solo box: floating division |
|
| ECHO ORGAN Section I Lieblich Gedeckt Lieblich Gedeckt Lieblich Flöte Geigen Principal Viola Tibia Mollis Musette Vox Mystica Tremulant Sub Octave Unison Off Octave |
16 8 4 8 4 4 8 8 |
J J |
enclosed and placed at rear of hall behind grille: dismantled and stored 1960s (acting on both sections) |
|
| Section II Viole Sourdine Voix Celestes Zauber Flöte Unda Maris Harmonia Aetheria 1 Post Horn Harp Sub Octave Unison Off Octave |
8 8 8 8 1IV rks 8 |
TC TC |
harmonic stopped pipes harmonic stopped pipes 10.12.b14.15 49 bars and resonators G to C |
|
| PEDAL ORGAN Tibia Profunda Double Open Diapason Great Bass Tibia Profunda Open Diapason Contra Bass Violone String Bass Bourdon Contra Salicional Quint Flute Major Principal Cello Stopped Flute Super Octave Grand Fourniture Diaphone Diaphone Tuba Trombone Schalmei Tuba Bass Drum Tap and Roll * Side Drum Tap and Roll * Great to Pedal * Swell to Pedal * Choir to Pedal * Solo to Pedal * Pedal Off |
32 32 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 10-2/3 8 8 8 8 4 VI 32 16 16 16 16 8 |
A K L A K B E I M F M L K E M K N N H D G H |
wood wood/metal wood metal part C, bottom octave on slider chest metal 26" diameter 18" diameter 10" diameter 8½" diameter rolls by second touch rolls by second touch |
|
| ECHO PEDAL Violone Bourdon Flute Bass |
16 16 8 |
J J |
derived; synthetic |
The Orchestral and Echo divisions couple through to the Pedal Organ when transferred to the relevant manual and the pedal coupler for that manual is drawn
Stops marked with an asterisk (*) operated by rocking tablets
WIND PRESSURES
Great Organ fluework 6 – 10 inches
Great Organ reeds 12 inches
Swell Organ fluework and light reeds 6 inches
Swell Organ chorus reeds and Diapason Phonon 10 inches
Choir Organ 5 inches
Solo Organ 7 inches
Solo Organ Tubas 20 inches
Orchestral Organ 6 inches
Pedal Organ fluework 4 – 6 inches
Pedal Organ Diaphones 20 inches
Compass: 61/32
Balanced swell pedals to: Great second division and Choir; Swell; Solo and Orchestra; Echo
Balanced crescendo pedal
Specification derived from examination of photographs of the stop jambs, the Hill, Norman & Beard pamphlet and an article by Herbert Snow in The Organ July 1929.
Photos: Simon Colvin