Stephen D. Smith's www.organrecitals.com Est. January, 2004
WESTMINSTER CATHEDRAL
Proposal by Harrison & Harrison
Swell (enclosed)
Clarion 4
Horn Quint 51/3
Trumpet 8
Horn 8
Double Horn 16
Mixture IV
Super Octave Gamba 2
Twelfth 22/3
Gedeckt Flute 4
Octave Gamba 4
Principal 4
Voix Celeste 8
Gamba 8
Gedeckt 8
Open Diapason II 8
Open Diapason I 8
Rohr Gedeckt 16
Contra Gamba 16

 Echo (On Swell manual,
enclosed in its own swell box)
Tremulant
 Vox Humana 8
Cor Anglais 8
Octave Oboe 4
Oboe 8
Contra Oboe 16
Glockenspeil VII
Harmonic Piccolo 2
Salicet 4
Quintadena 4
Flauto Dolce 4
Viole d'Amour 8
Salicional 8
Quintaton 8
Unda Maris 8
Flute d'Amour 8
Quintaton 16
 Orchestral & Tuba (enclosed)
Octave Tuba 4 (unenclosed)
Tuba Mirabilis 8 (unenclosed)
Contra Tuba 16 (unenclosed)
Tromba 8
Contra Tromba 16
Tremulant
 Corna Musa 8
Orchestral Oboe 8
Clarinet 8
Bassoon 16
Concert Piccolo 2
Concert Flute 4
Harmonic Flute 8
Double Concert Flute 16
Cornet des Violes III
Viole Octaviante 4
Viole Sourdine 8
Viole Celeste 8
Viole d'Orchestre 8
Violoncello 8
Violone 16
Pedal (enclosed)
Bassoon 8
Fagotto 16
Trombone 16
Contra Fagotto 32
Violoncello 8
Stopped Quint 102/3
Dulciana 16
Open Wood 16

Pedal (unenclosed)
Clarion 4
Trombone Twelfth 51/3
Tromba 8
Trombone Quint 102/3
Ophicleide 16
Contra Bombard 32
Sesquialtera V
Super Octave 4
Flute 8
Principal 8
Octave 8
Open Quint 102/3
Sub Bass 16
Contra Basso 16 (Orch.)
Open Diapason 16
Open Wood 16
Double Stopped Quint 211/3
Double Open Metal 32
Double Open Wood 32
Acoustic Bass 64
 Choir (enclosed)
Clarion 4
Cornopean 8
Corno di Bassetto 16
Dulciana Mixture III
Lieblich Piccolo 2
Gemshorn Fifteenth 2
Dulcet Twelfth 22/3
Lieblich Flute 4
Flauto Traverso 4
Genshorn 4
Lieblich Quint 51/3
Lieblich Gedeckt 8
Flauto Traverso 8
Spitz Flote 8
Dulciana 8
Geigen 8
Contra Spitz Flote 16

Positiv (On Choir manual)
Rohr Flote 8
Suabe Flote 8
Viola d'Gamba 8
Dolcan 8
Open Diapason 8
 Great
Clarion 4
Harmonic Trumpet 8
Posaune 8
Double Trumpet 16
Mixture VI
Harmonics IV
Geigen Fifteenth 2
Super Octave 2
Octave Quint 22/3
Tenth 31/3
Wald Flote 4
Geigen Principal 4
Principal 4
Octave 4
Spitz Quint 51/3
Stopped Diapason 8
Geigen 8
Open Diapason IV 8
Open Diapason III 8
Open Diapason II 8
Open Diapason I 8
Double Stopped Quint 102/3
Double Claribel Flute 16
Contra Geigen 16
Double Open Diapason 16
Contra Violone 32
Composition of mixtures
Orchestral: Cornet des Violes 10-12-15. Swell: Mixture 15-17-19-22.
Echo: Glockenspeil 15-19-22-26-29-33-36 (breaking every octave).
Great: Mixture 12-15-19-22-26-29, Harmonics 17-19-21-22.
Choir: Dulciana Mixture 15-19-22. Pedal: Sesquialtera 12-15-17-19-22.
See the original stop list proposed by Henry Willis & Sons
See the stop list of the instrument as built
The proposals state that the Great organ's Open Diapason IV and Stopped Diapason were to be made of open wood and stopped wood respectively. The Swell's Open Diapason I was to have leathered lips and the Choir's Suabe Flute was to be of triangular construction. Also on the Choir, the 4-foot Flauto Traverso was to be a metal rank, while its 8-foot counterpart was to made of wood - and cylindrical in shape! All celestes were to be tuned sharp, except for the Unda Maris. The Corna Musa is shown as being "very loud". 73-note chests were planned for all stops on the Swell, Echo, and Orchestral (except for the three tubas). This scheme, had it been realized, would have had just over 8,900 pipes - that's more than twice the size of the present instrument!
This proposed organ was to be sited not at the west end but at the east end, in the galleries above the sanctury. This was the architect's intended location for the instrument. In the Harrison proposal, the Great, Swell, Orchestral/Tuba, and unenclosed Pedal were to be accommodated in these galleries, while the Choir, Positiv, Echo, and enclosed Pedal departments would have been located on the floor of the apse - together with the console - to provide a comprehensive instrument for accompanying the choir. The Lewis organ already in the apse would have been discarded.
It is perhaps surprising that Harrison & Harrison did not get the contract, as the company had almost a monopoly on cathedral organs in the U.K., while Willis instruments predominated in secular buildings, such as town halls, etc. However, the proposal to do away with Lewis's apse organ would not have endeared John Courage, the cathedral's organ advisor, to the scheme, because he was in charge of the Lewis firm when the apse organ was built and it was, therefore, his instrument. Also, the typically Arthur Harrison/George Dixon stop list would have been quite alien to Courage's thinking on organ design. Finally, the Willis proposal was actually submitted by the firm of Henry Willis & Sons and Lewis & Company Limited - as Courage had sold his Lewis shares to Willis. Therefore, it was quite likely the contract would go to the firm that was, hopefully, carrying on some of the Lewis tradition. "Quality, rather than quantity" may have been how Courage viewed the choice.
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