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The organ in St Augustines was built in 1886 by William Hill. It was originally ordered by the YMCA for the concert hall in its building in Pitt Street. In 1907 it was moved to St Carthage's Cathedral, Lismore, and then in 1912 was moved to St Augustine's Balmain. The organ sits high up in the west galley, and speaks down the nave into a lively acoustic. |
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The pipe organ viewed from mid church, with a portrait of the Rev Archpriest John
Joseph Therry, the founder of Australian Catholicism who died while Parish
Priest of St Augustine's. |
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The beautiful stenciling on the show pipes erupt in a blaze of colour when
the sun shines. Only a small number of William Hill organs in original
condition survive in Australia. This famous English organ maker exported
organs all around the world including the one in Sydney Town Hall.
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A detail of the stenciling. Perhaps the only organ in Australia to be
decorated with the lotus blossom and other Egyptian motifs. The late 19th
century saw a craze in all things from ancient Egypt which William Hill and
Son extended to their organ decorations!
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The organ has three manuals (top called swell, middle called great, and lower called choir) and a full pedal board. The comprehensive music ministry is supported by four
organists and a large choir. The
excellent acoustics of the church make it a favoured place for concerts and
recordings. It is the home of the Sydney Chamber Players who give several
concerts a year here.
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There are 21 stops on the organ, and six couplers.
The mechanism is mechanical action.
The organ contains 1,212 pipes. |
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A sneak view inside the organ - behind the show pipes a world of
hundreds of pipes, some pure, others rare wood, all dating from 1886. The organ
can give a blaze of colour and copy instruments of the orchestra. We
see wooden pipes to give a flute-like sound and metal ones to give a
foundation effect. The pipes in this photo are for the middle keyboard. |
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These are some of the pipes for the bottom keyboard. You can see curved pipes which are are the clarinet stop, and the rows of little
pipes give a high pitched brilliance.
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These are some of the pipes from the top keyboard. The cone shaped pipes are from the trumpet stop, and these are the loudest on the organ. |