York Minster

Lunchtime Organ Recitals

The next series of Organ Recitals will take place on Fridays at 1.10 p.m. on the following dates:

15th February David Stevens, Organ Scholar, Guildford Cathedral

22nd February Gareth Perkins, Paignton Parish Church

29th February Tom Winpenny, Assistant Sub-Organist, St Paul's Cathedral

7th March William Saunders, Framlingham College

14th March Norman Rimmer, Holy Trinity, Llandudno.

Admission Free.

Each recital lasts approximately 35 minutes.

The Organ of York Minster

It is virtually certain that the organ in York Minster by Robert Dallam (1634) survived beyond the Restoration and into the eighteenth century. Some of it may even have been used in the rebuilds by Green and Blyth (1803) and Ward (1823). Nothing of these organs survived the fire of 1829, however, although the new instrument by Elliott and Hill, completed by 1834, was by all accounts extraordinary. The design of this monstrous organ, said to have been wasteful and ineffective, involved the duplication of many stops of 16, 8 and 4-foot pitch. It was described as impossibly heavy to play, and was tonally misconceived. As a result frequent alterations were carried out during the years that followed. Ward of York attempted improvements in 1837, and Forster and Andrews were engaged to effect various tonal modifications in 1850, but it was E. G. Monk, Organist of the Minster from 1859 to 1883, who finally solved the problems. For the rebuild of 1863, Monk chose William Hill, who replaced the gargantuan horror with an instrument of balanced musical character. A considerable number of pipes by Hill remain in the Minster organ today, but a perfectly-preserved example of Hill’s work in an identical style (1868) is to be found at Brinkburn Priory, Northumberland.

The mechanics of Hill’s organ had become unserviceable by 1903, the year when J.W. Walker & Son began an extensive rebuild. Their instrument remained the core of the Minster organ throughout the twentieth century, but initially its comparatively feeble effect in the Nave caused Sir Edward Bairstow to seek more powerful voices on the West-facing side of the case. Harrison & Harrison added the Tuba Mirabilis stop between 1916 and 1917, and provided a much stronger Great division in their rebuild of 1928-30. In seeking further tonal adjustments Dr. Francis Jackson reverted to J.W. Walker & Sons for the rebuild of 1959-60. It was the 1863 Hill organ, however, that led to some of the alterations made by Geoffrey Coffin in the most recent rebuild of 1993. A new Bombarde was also added, en chamade (pointing into the Choir), a Solo Céleste, and a Great Sesquialtera and Cornet. The mixtures were remodelled and a new pedal chorus, Hill-style, on its own soundboard within the screen, now integrates with the rest of the organ. The result provides a more versatile and brighter sound than before, both cohesive and eclectic, permitting the playing of much of the organ repertoire, as well as retaining the expressive, colourful voices necessary for the accompaniment of the English cathedral repertoire.

JSW 2.12.07

Specification of the York Minster Organ

Under Useful Documents a downloadable document of the Specification of the Organ has been placed. For complete details, consult The Organs of York Minster by Geoffrey Coffin, Philip Moore and John Scott Whiteley, published by The Dean and Chapter of York in 1997. This interesting book of 44 pages is available in the Minster Shop, price £5.00.