The Organ


   Original Order Specifications:

    Original Order: placed January 1, 1890

    Received from Henry Saunders, Esq.,
    39 Johnson Street,
    Victoria, B.C.

    An order to build an organ for St. John’s Church, Victoria, British Columba.
    To be completed end of March, 1891.
    Quote a correspondent T.R. Myers – 24 May, 1954.


- The case of best selected pitch pine varnished.
- The front pipes to be of strong zinc and illuminated in gold and colours.
- The organ to be built of the best possible materials throughout and of first class workmanship.
- The voicing to be carefully executed and carried out in an artistic manner, great care being exercised to give each stop its true character of tone.
- The drawstop knobs to be of rosewood with engraved ivory shields.
- The drawstop knobs and jambs to be placed at an angle of 45 degrees.
- The bellows to have double feeders, inverted ribs double leathered and to be of ample dimensions.
- Arrangements to be as per resolutions passed by the Collage of Organists.

The metal pipes to contain 35% of refined English Tin and to be well made the Diapason being especially heavy so as to produce a rich, round mellow tone of true Diapason character. The spotted metal pipes to contain 50% of refined English Tin and to be well made. The Swell Box to be made of double boards 2” thick and to be lined with cardboard. The organ to be completed in our works and carefully packed in cases, those containing the most delicate parts to be lined with zinc and delivered F.O.B. Liverpool, for the sum of Six Hundred Pounds.

£600.
£30 Trumpet
Less 10%
£567. nett.                                                                                                 P. Conacher & Co. Limited.


GREAT ORGAN
1. Double Open Diapason (12 closed wood) Metal 16 ft. 56 pipes
2. Large Open Diapason Metal 8 ft. 56 pipes
3. Small Open Diapason Metal 8 ft. 56 pipes
4. Stopped Diapason Wood 8 ft. 56 pipes
5. Octave Metal 4 ft. 56 pipes
6. Harmonic Flute Metal 4 ft. 56 pipes
7. Octave Quintette Spotted Metal 2 1/2 ft. 56 pipes
8. Super Octave Spotted Metal 2 ft. 56 pipes
9. Trumpet Spotted Metal 8 ft. 56 pipes


SWELL ORGAN
10. Violin Diapason Metal & Wood 8 ft. 56 pipes
11. Hohl Flute Metal & Wood 8 ft. 56 pipes
12. Vox Angelica (7 closed wood) Spotted Metal 8 ft. 56 pipes
13. Voix Celeste (undulate with #12) Spotted Metal 8 ft. 44 pipes
14. Octave Metal 4 ft. 56 pipes
15. Harmonic Piccolo Spotted Metal 2 ft. 56 pipes
16. Cornopean Spotted Metal 8 ft. 56 pipes
17. Oboe Spotted Metal 8 ft. 56 pipes


CHOIR ORGAN
18. Dulciana Metal 8 ft. 56 pipes
19. Lieblich Gedeckt Wood 8 ft. 56 pipes
20. Clear Flute Wood 4 ft. 56 pipes
21. Flageolet Wood 2 ft. 56 pipes
22. Clarionet Spotted Metal 8 ft. 56 pipes


PEDAL ORGAN
23. Open Diapason Wood 16 ft. 30 pipes
24. Bourdon Wood 16 ft. 30 pipes


COUPLERS
25. Swell to Great
26. Swell to Pedal
27. Swell to Choir
28. Choir to Pedal
29. Great to Pedal



  Timeline:

- From the Victoria Daily Colonist, Tuesday June 10, 1890:
ORDERED A NEW ORGAN: It has been decided by the congregation of St. John's to add to the many attractions of this pretty church, a new and powerful pipe organ, the order for which has already been sent to England. Nothing unforseen occuring to delay the arrival of the instrument, it will be here and in it's place within six weeks time and undoubtedly the finest instrument of the kind in Western Canada.

- From the Victoria Daily Colonist, Wednesday, June 18, 1890:
ST. JOHN'S ORGAN: A few days ago it was somewhat prematurely stated that a splendid new organ had beern ordered from England for St. John's Church. What is being done in this direction is to provide ways and means to procure an organ which is expected to cost about $4000 and be the finest instrument in British Columbia. A subscription list toward the purchase of the organ will be opened in a few days, and it is hoped that liberal donations will quickly be handed in.

Eleven months later the new organ was in the process of installation

- From the Victoria Daily Colonist, Friday May 22, 1891:
ST. JOHN'S NEW ORGAN: The Finest Church Instrument on the Coast North of San Francisco to be played Sunday. Brief description of stops and mechanism -- An Organ Capable of Producing Grand Music.
St. John's Church, for the past week or more, has been given over to the organ builders, and the interior of the sacred edifice bears, just now, the appearance of a large and busy workshop. The labors of Messrs. Goodwin & Co. (Goodwin & Co. was Victoria's very own piano manufacturer) and their staff, are however drawing near a close, and by Sunday the new organ, the finest on the coast north of San Francisco, will take its part in the services.
The new organ, of which a fair idea can now be gained, is a handsome as well as excellent musical instrument, a lasting monument to the enterprise of the congregation, and to the thorough manner in which the builders - the old Huddersfield firm of Peter Conacher & Co., have performed their work. Its cost, including $800 duty, was a little more than $4600, exclusive of the water motor by which the bellows will be operated. The order was placed some five or six months ago, and the instrument was carefully constructed, of the very best materials, upon the specifications given hereunder. Four complete instruments are contained in the one: great organ, swell organ, choir organ and pedal organ. CC to F, 56 notes (on the manuals), the entire organ containing three rows of keys and a pedal organ of two stops, compass CC to G, 30 notes (sic). Organists will appreciate the adaptability of the instrument by glancing over the details. St. John's new organ has a front and side of harmonious design and chaste appearance ... Mr. Hookway will preside at it in future, playing for the first time on Sunday, when only a portion of the organ will be used. The work of tuning, etc.. will be completed in another week or ten days, and a grand recital will be given on tne evenings of June 2nd and 3rd, on which occasion Charles Harriss the noted composer and organist, of Montreal, will play, and several solos will be sung by Master Frederick Williams, the famous boy soprano, of London, whose appearance is by express permission of the Vicar Choral of Westminster Abbey.

- From the Victoria Daily Colonist, May 27, 1891:
GRAND ORGAN RECITAL at St. John's Church by Mr. C.A.E. Harriss, Organist of Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal, assisted by the famous boy soprano, Master Fred Williams, from Westminster Abbey, London, England on Monday and Tuesday, June 1 and 2 at 8 o'clock, sharp. Admission: (by Ticket only) 75 cents.

- From the Victoria Daily Colonist, June 3, 1891:
The recital possessed unusual interest. Aside from the fame and reputation of the two distinguished artists who participated, it was the first opportunity that the congregation of St. John's and the people of Victoria have had to listen to the full splendour and rare qualities of the magnificant new organ that has but recently been placed in the church. Touched, as it was, by a master hand... the great instrument poured out in richest grandeur, music such as has never been heard on Vancouver Island. Under the skillfil and delicate manipulation of Mr. Harriss, the full strength of the grand organ was developed, and its strains reverberated through the church in the softest harmony. The most difficult compositions of the great masters were rendered during the evening, only possible on an instrument of this character.
Organ and organist were both unequalled, and the large audience that completely filled the building were the recipients of a musical entertainment such as is seldom listened to, and the congregation of St. John's can feel the assurance that it possesses one of the finest great organs in the world.
Master Frederick Williams, the boy soprano, is a lad of but 10 years, but his remarkable voice gave evidence of, not only careful training, but a rare and wonderful natural gift. His notes are remarkably clear and flute-like and as perfect in the difficult upper registers as in the ordinary passages.
(He sang two numbers, "With Verdure Clad" (Haydn) and "the Children's Home (Cowen).) The child is a remarkable musical prodigy, and the large audience enjoyed his two numbers immensely, although forbidden to applaud by a polite request attached to the programme.
The programme for the second concert or June 2 included Overture to "Samson" (Handel); "Funeral March" (Chopin); air "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" (Handel) by Frederick Williams; "Triumphal March" (Harris); "Andante From C major Symphony" (Beethoven); air "Angels Ever Bright And Fair" (Handel) by Frederick Williams; "Grand Offertoire in D minor" (Batiste); "Wedding March" (Mendelssohn) By Mr. C.A.E. Harriss.

*** In 1912, the Parish of St. Paul’s Esquimalt, bought the unique pipe organ from St. John the Divine Church when they decided to build in another location.



September 2006, Few changes have been made to this unique heritage organ:
Great Organ - #7 Quint, 2 2/3 ft.
Great Organ - #9 Scharff III, 1 1/3 ft.
Swell Organ - #10 Sesquialtera II.
Choir Organ - #18 Quint, 2 2/3 ft.
Choir Organ - #21 Principal.


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Revised: August 05, 2007 .