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CHURCH ORGANS OF
GREAT VERSATILITY
Huddersfield: An organ
for a flourishing church
St Patrick’s Church, Huddersfield, is home to an organ that's regarded as one of the finest classical instruments in Britain. It was built in our workshops in Slovenia and is located on the west end gallery.
The stop and key action are mechanical, the case is of oak, and the keys and inlay of bone and ebony. It excels in liturgy, concerts and teaching.
The project was supervised by Benjamin Saunders, Director of Music for the RC Diocese of Leeds, and the independent organ adviser, Dr John Rowntree.
Music flourishes in this church under organist Malcolm Hinchliffe ARCO. Beside its liturgical function, is it used for training by the Leeds Organ School, a pioneering scheme for players all ages run by the diocese.
MANUAL GREAT
Bordon 16
Principal 8
Gedekt 8
Principal 4
Cevna flavta 4
Oktava 2
Nazard 2 2/3
Terca 1 3/5
Kornet
Mikstura IV
Trobenta
Tremulant
MANUAL POSITIVE
Bordon 8
Gamsov rog 8
Celeste 8
Konicasta flavta 4
Flageolet 2
Krumhorn 8
Tremulant
PEDAL
Subbas 16
Flavta 8
Pozavna 16
Guilmant played in
St Patrick's Church
Malcolm Hinchliffe, Director of Music at St Patrick's Church, Huddersfield, plays the Priere in F, Opus 16, No 2 by the French organist and composer Félix-Alexandre Guilmant.
What the critics said: From the Yorkshire Post
'The Roman Catholic Diocese of Leeds is making a name for musical enterprise and one beneficiary is this church. A Victorian instrument has been replaced by a mechanical action organ by Skrabl. And its 20 stops make a suitably joyful noise.
'If a large romantic piece like Vierne's Carillon de Westminster seemed risky on a small classical organ it says much for the versatilty of the instrument that it worked so well.
'The crisp articulation and firm pulse that had set Bach's E Flat Prelude dancing brought a freshness to the Vierne, and there was an exciting punch to the reeds. Two pieces by Alain showed the quality of the flutes while a Suite by de Grigny highlighted the cornet and chorus work.'
A NEW ORGAN TO CELEBRATE A YORKSHIRE CHURCH CENTENARY
Michael Overbury at the console of the Skrabl organ in Holy Rood Church
Barnsley: 'Exquisite voicing and delightful colours' in new organ
When the old organ in Holy Rood Church, Barnsley, needed replacing, Skrabl was selected to build a new instrument.
The two manual, mechanical action organ, of 12 speaking stops stands in a handsome oak case on the west gallery of this Victorian Gothic building.
The opening recital was given by Michael Overbury in 2019 to coincide with the church's centenary. He spoke of its 'exquisite voicing and delightful colours'.
Fr Damian Hughes, priest at Holy Rood, said: “The old organ which had served the church since its earliest days was very small with just four manual stops.
“It had accompanied hymns and plainchant for over a century. However, by 2017 it was in a poor state and no longer fit for a modern church’s musical needs so it was decided to replace it.”
The organist, conductor and teacher Gareth Green, MA FRCO gives his assessment of the new Skrabl organ in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.
Specification of the organ in Holy Rood
Great
Open Diapason 8
Gemshorn 8
Voce Umana 8
Principal 4
Mixture 3-4
Choir
Stopped Diapason 8
Spitzflute 4
Nazard 2⅔
Fifteenth
Tierze 1⅗'
Tremulant to Gt.
Pedal: Bourdon 16, Bassoon 16
Dorset: A magnificent organ in a magnificent case
The organ in the parish church of St Michael the Archangel, Lyme Regis, was built by Skrabl in 2009, the intention being that it should be the company's flagship instrument in Northern Europe. Voicing and tonal finishing on site was completed in January 2010.
The decision to place the order was taken after detailed consideration of the best organ builders in the UK and in Europe. The 50 rank instrument has forty-one stops spread across three manuals and contains 2242 pipes.
The magnificent organ case of European oak was built in the Skrabl workshops. The specification may be found on the website of the South West Wessex Organ Society.
Lyme Regis: Rooted in the neo-classical school'
Paul Broadhurst BA, MBA plays the Champions film theme by Carl Davis on the Skrabl organ of St Michael the Archangel, Lyme Regis.
He says: 'The Father Willis organ which I normally play represents the English Romantic school of organ building.
'Alongside traditional sounds, it includes particularly varied tone colours drawing, in part, on orchestral sounds such as the Clarinet and Viola.
'However, in this video I'm playing a Skrabl organ with a very different sound. It's rooted in the Continental neo-classical school of organ-building. This uses lower wind pressures to create a more traditional organ tone and to make the physical touch of the keyboards more responsive to the player's touch.
'There's greater discipline in how the different stops and keyboards relate to each other and this is reflected in the very appearance of the organ case. Just by looking at the Skrabl organ case you know this instrument means business!'
Bristol: The sound of a Skrabl rebuild
The two-manual, 36-stop pipe organ in the church of Holy Trinity, Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol, was rebuilt with electric action and some new pipework by Skrabl in 2011 as its Opus 246.
The instrument featured in a BBC broadcast, a clip of which may be seen on this video.