Hill, Norman & Beard Pipe Organ
Scotch College, Morrison Street,, HAWTHORN VIC 3122 - Property No B7223
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Statement of Significance
How is it significant? The organ is significant for historic and aesthetic reasons at a national level
Why is it significant? The pipe organ at the Memorial Hall, Scotch College, Hawthorn is significant for the following reasons:
. It retains its original tonal scheme of 1930
. It is only one of two major examples of its builder's work in Australia that has not been altered in character and is nationally significant as a large English organ of the period that has not been compromised by tonal changes
. With the loss of the contemporaneous HN&B organ at Melbourne Town Hall (removal of original chests, alteration of layout and incorporation of many additional ranks of pipework), it is now the most significant example of its builder's work in Victoria
. No additions to the initial tonal scheme have been made
. It is a major example of a romantic organ of the period with a wide tonal range
. It shows lavish use of materials and a high level of craftsmanship in its construction
. It incorporates unusual examples of pipe construction, particularly the Corno Dolce, Zauber Flute, flared Clarinet, tapered Harmonic Flute and Dulciana Mixture.
. It includes open wooden flue pipes of 32ft pitch, the only examples in an Australian school and only to be found in two other organs in Victoria (Melbourne Town Hall and Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo): the Scotch examples moreover are visible
. It is the largest organ installed in any Australian school
. It is tonally of outstanding quality and speaks into a resonant acoustic
Classified: 18/05/2004
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Hill, Norman & Beard Pipe Organ - Physical Description 1
A three-manual organ of 50 speaking stops (45 ranks, 2,638 pipes), 12 couplers, electro-pneumatic action, with a detached drawstop console. The instrument includes a broad palette of unison romantic colours and has a colossal dynamic range; it incorporates several ranks that are currently unique in the local context: Zauber Flute [harmonic stopped flute] and Corno Dolce, both specialities of the Norman & Beard firm. The manual pipework (apart from the Great Phonon Diapason and Tromba, and offset basses) is placed on five massive slider chests with mahogany upperboards. The pipework overall is of generous scale and substance and is blown on wind pressures ranging from 4 to 12 inches. The incorporation of a Double Open Diapason 32ft is a rare feature. There are five unison diapason ranks on the manual divisions and the pedal division has four full-length 16ft flue stops together with two reeds.
Hill, Norman & Beard Pipe Organ - Intactness
INTACTNESS:
All of the original pipework survives, except for the basses of the pedal Violone, Great Double Open Diapason 16ft, Phonon Diapason 8ft and Open Diapason I 8ft, which have been reconstructed to the original scales in zinc to form the present facade pipes. The original pipes, which were unsuitable in appearance and not designed for display, have been retained by South Island Organ Company. The original Pedal Violoncello 8ft, accommodated within the original swell box, could not be accommodated owing to space constraints and the present stop is an extension of the Violone 16ft. The majority of the original windchests survive and have had their actions fully upgraded to electro-pneumatic transmission. The slider chests operate from a triple-stage exhaust pneumatic design that provides excellent attack and repetition while the original stop actions (of Hill pattern, with large external pneumatic motors) survive. The original swell fronts and building frames (modified), survive as do all of the original wind reservoirs, wind regulators and much of the original wind trunking. The current layout is entirely new, to suit the space available within the hall. The present casework, made by DNG Restorations, of Abbotsford, and designed by Garry Martin Associates, of Hawthorn, is entirely new. At Sydney, the organ had no casework and spoke through Gothic grilles. The present console is by Hill, Norman & Beard (1961) and came from the firm's rebuilding of the 1913 Hill & Son organ at St John's, Toorak. The entire transmission system and wiring is new.
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ILLAWARRAVictorian Heritage Register H0701
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GLYNVictorian Heritage Register H0735
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BURNLEY GARDENSVictorian Heritage Register H2052
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