 WESTMINSTER ABBEY |
| Much has already been written elsewhere about the various incarnations of the Westminster Abbey organ, so nothing new can be said here. Indeed, the purpose of this page is not to look at something new but, rather, at something old; the Celestial organ. This was donated, in 1895, by Mr. A. D. Clarke in memory of his wife, Edith, who had passed away in 1891. It was built (like the main portion of the organ, which dated from 1884) by the firm of Hill & Son, and its stops housed in a swell box situated in the south transept (specifically, at the south end of its western triforium - i.e. directly above Handel's tomb). Somewhat bizarrely, in front of the box's shutters is a curtain rail where a thick drape was once hung, presumably to make the department even more "Celestial"! The stop controls were accommodated, rather crudely, on a box added to the top of the console's left jamb. |
 |
Group 'A' (accomp.)
Double Dulciana Bass 16
Double Dulciana Treble 16
Flauto Traverso 8
Viola da Gamba 8
Voix Celeste 8
Lieblich Gedeckt 8
Hohl Flute 8
Dulciana Cornet VI
|
Group 'B' (solo)
Suabe Flute 4
Flageolet 2
Glockenspiel III
Cor de Nuit 8
Harmonic Oboe 8
Harmonic Trumpet 8
Musette 8
Vox Humana 8
Gongs (brass, 36 notes)
|
Couplers, etc.
Tremulant
Celestial A to Manual 5
Celestial B to Manual 5
Celestial A to Manual 4
Celestial B to Manual 4
Celestial Octave, Manual 5
Celestial Sub Octave, Manual 5
Celestial Octave, Manual 4
Celestial Sub Octave, Manual 4
Celestial to Pedal
|
| As the stop list shows, the Celestial organ was a collection of gentle, mainly quiet stops that, reputedly, were quite enchanting. One visitor recalled how, in the musical pre-amble to evensong, the organist was playing large and long chords on the celestes together with the Gongs. At the start of each chord, only the percussive Gongs were detected by the ear but, as they faded away, the undulations of the celestes gradually came to the fore. It certainly does sound enchanting! |
| The Celestial organ was retained when the instrument was rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison in 1937 but, in the process, it was renamed "Echo" - a change that, arguably, detracted somewhat from its original purpose (tonally, it could be "Echo" or "Celestial" - but, as a gift in memory of a departed soul destined for the heavens, it was definitely intended to be "Celestial"). On the new console - which was, quite possibly, one of the most sumptuous ever built in the U.K. - the Echo organ was controlled by stop-keys located above the fourth manual. |
| However, the stops were not connected, so the department fell silent. Since then, the main portion of the instrument has undergone quite a number of changes, including the revoicing of some stops and the addition of others. In fairly recent years, it has been provided with a fifth manual and a Bombarde department. After almost 70 years of silence, one wonders if the Celestial organ will ever be heard again? |
|
