Pipe Organ

The first organ at St James’ was by John Gray of London and was installed in 1827. It was rebuilt and moved around the church many times during the 19th century, mostly by the Sydney organ builder William Davidson. In 1901 it was moved from the south side of the church in the present-day Chapel of the Holy Spirit, to its present position on either side of the choir stalls, and the action (the connections from the keyboards to the pipes) was changed from mechanical to tubular-pneumatic (operating on air in a vacuum).

By this stage, the vast majority of the organ’s material was still by Davidson, despite claims that the organ contained pipework from the 1827 instrument. Considerable alterations were made to the organ throughout the 20th century, with a significant amount of the pipework being replaced.

Finally, in 1971 the organ was extensively rebuilt and ‘modernised’ by Hill Norman and Beard (Australia) Pty Ltd. The action was converted to electric (with a combination of electro-pneumatic and direct electric operation), soundboards were significantly altered, pipework was entirely re-voiced, and a new large console built. A significant number of stops was also added at this time, including an entirely new ‘floating’ Positive division of 9 stops, a short-compass Trompette Militaire stop on the Choir division, and many other tonal alterations typical of the period, with the then new instrument totalling 67 stops.

The present organ has now given over 45 years of excellent service, with almost legendary reliability, but the mechanical aspects of the instrument are starting to fail. Some problems are obvious to the congregation: for instance, the wheezing from the organ during Lent 2017, caused by perished leather on the bellows (the reservoirs of pressurised air which make the pipes speak), and the absence of colourful stops such as Clarinet or Trompette militaire (because the corresponding bellows have had to be disconnected owing to holes in the leather, and notes which stick because of mechanical or electrical failings). Some problems have to be hidden by the ingenuity of the organist (working around missing notes and unpleasant sounds which are result of mechanical or electrical failure or poor construction of pipes). Whilst the organ in its 1971 format was reasonably successful mechanically, it was never regarded highly among musicians for its tonal quality. Even the earliest 19th century pipework was known to have been of indifferent quality, and subsequent replacements have had only limited success. While the 1971 work rationalised and improved some tonal aspects, it left the church with an instrument which has never entirely fulfilled its purpose, and with the passing of time, the Neo Classical tonal additions were of course recognised as inappropriate and incongruous.

Whilst giving good mechanical service, there are also some very basic design and construction issues in the organ, not just from 1971. These include the main slider soundboards (c.1901) which, despite their rebuilding, still show clear evidence of inferior construction and inadequate operation, presumably dating from their earliest days. Visually, whilst the organ may have possessed some quaint qualities when moved to its present position, the casework remained incomplete until 1971, at which stage it was ‘completed’ by the addition of modern pierced metal screens at the East end of each side, of lamentable quality and appearance. Further, the expanded specification meant than not all interior pipes could be properly masked by the casework, and these can be seen protruding from many perspectives in the Church. In addition, the 1901 spotted metal 8’ façade pipes are of poor quality and have not aged well.
Over the last 26 years various organ builders passing through Sydney have informally examined the organ in varying levels of detail according to time available. All have agreed that an essentially new instrument is required, but some of the existing stops can be retained (both for musical and sentimental reasons).

We look forward to preserving St James’ reputation of fine music-making with the replacement and restoration of the organ.

Adapted by Alistair Nelson (Organist, St James’ Church) from a document dating from 2015 written by Organ Builder, Peter Jewkes, who was also Assistant Organist and Choirmaster at St James’ from 1985 to 1994.

The new St James’ Church Organ – ambitious and visionary

The St James’ Music Foundation has opened an appeal to raise funds to support the restoration and replacement of the St James’ Church Organ.

This project is both ambitious and visionary. Ambitious, because it will cost up to $4 million to be successfully completed. Visionary, because a new organ will provide an exciting new instrument for the Sydney community. The new St James’ organ will rank as the third largest in Sydney after those in the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Town Hall.

The installation of the new organ forms part of St James’ Bicentennial celebrations, 2019-2024. In 1819 the foundation stone was laid for the now historic building commissioned by then Governor Macquarie and designed by convict-architect Francis Greenway. St James’ was consecrated in 1824, and is the oldest church in continuous use in Sydney. The new organ is a key project to celebrate this significant milestone.

Work is now in progress to install a new instrument by the end of 2020, to be built by a globally leading organ-builder, Dobson Pipe Organ Builders Ltd, of the USA.

The current organ has simply come to the end of its performing life. The most recent of a series of reviews over the last 30 years on the state of music program and resourcing was conducted in 2013. This review looked at the current state of administration, musicians, activities and plant required to sustain and grow the music ministry. It also noted that the pipe organ is an integral part of the music program and needed to be upgraded to meet future expectations of the church in the City of Sydney and for the growth of the music program. The current St James organ is simply not adequate to support the vision to lead into the next 200 years.

There’s a practical consideration, too. The ongoing deterioration of the current organ is incurring high maintenance costs. These have increased over the last decade by almost 65%.

Exciting Opportunities

A new instrument will open up many extraordinary opportunities.

• It will be an instrument for Sydney
It will attract world-renowned artists and be used in concert and recital programs for the Sydney community.

• It will boost the Arts offering of the city
It is estimated that currently approximately 10,000 people per annum attend current St James Music events and concerts (excluding service attendance). The new organ will be a platform to support the expansion of the St James’ Church Music Program to reach an even wider audience.

• It will become a resource for music education
St James’ Church already employs an Organist and funds an Organ Scholar, an up and coming student. A new organ will give impetus to increase St James’ Church involvement in music education, and support the planning for an Academy of St James, supported by The St James’ Education Foundation.

• It will be a resource for religious music
The new instrument will musically enrich services, including the popular Summer Orchestral Mass series, the celebration of major festivals at Christmas and Easter as well as the many funerals and weddings held at St James’ Church each year.

How you can help

You can become a part of the history of St James’, and a supporter of this new cultural and artistic project for Sydney. Please consider giving to the Appeal, by donating to The St James’ Music Foundation.

Donations of $2.00 or more to The St James' Music Foundation are tax deductible.

Robert Marriott
Chair
The St James’ Music Foundation
Organ Replacement & Restoration Committee

Pipe Organ

The Current Organ at St James' Church

Marko Sever and Sarah Kim

The New Organ at St James' Church