The Organs and Organists at St Mary's from 1871 to the present day

The Organ	The Console

Click on any photo for a larger version of the image. More photos are included further on.

ORGANISTS AT ST MARY'S

1871-1892 Miss Mary Burgess (deduced from Parish Magazine references.)
                  voluntary organist when Thomas Ferguson was Rector (1864-1892)
1892-1902 No record
1902-1911 Miss Emma Burgess, AGSM  (deduced from Parish Magazine references.)
1911-1932 Sidney J Burrell, ARCO
1933-1942 R Thomas
1942-1955 Sidney J Burrell, ARCO
1956-1957 Cecil Hart, FRCO (Norman Burrell acted as Choirmaster.)
1957-2007 David Curtis, LRAM, ARCM
2007-

ORGANS AT ST MARY’S 1871-2002

The orginal organ in St Mary's was built in 1871 by J W Walker and Sons. It cost £247. No original specification has been found. Architects’ drawings at that time show that the North Aisle ended where the access doors to the new organ chamber are sited and a lean-to building beyond the end wall probably housed the organ.
In 1886, the North Aisle of the church was extended to its current position, following which a sum of £214 was spent on ‘an addition to the organ’. A further note in 1897 refers to ‘an addition to the organ, completing the original design’. Thus the original sum of £247 represented only part of the proposed full specification. The old organ lasted some 130 years.

In 1923, the organ was described as ‘old fashioned in action and in tone’ and it was decided to replace the ‘tracker’ action with ‘tubular-pneumatic’ which would ‘abolish the unpleasant rattling which is now so much in evidence’. With the aim of providing more variety in accompaniment to services and in voluntaries, a new specification, involving new stops and some recasting of pipes, was drawn up. (click here to go to Specification).
The builder was Bishop and Son of Ipswich, and the cost was£750. The organ chamber remained at the end of the North Aisle, with the console accessed through an open wood screen under the stone arch to the left of the Chancel; a location less than helpful to the organist. The opening recital was given on 18th December 1923 by Dr Frye of Chelmsford Cathedral. Records show that the organ was converted some three to four years later to electric powered blowing.

In 1964 the organ was rebuilt by Kingsgate Davidson & Co Ltd of London, with the addition of a choir organ making three manuals, and electro-pneumatic action. There are no recorded costs of the work. A separate modern console was set in front of the organ screen, which was a significant benefit to the organist, choir and congregation. There was extensive remodelling of the pipework, but there was no provision to increase the power of the organ, a problem which had existed since the time of the original instrument. The rebuild involved much ‘borrowing’ of pipes for both the choir and pedal organs, meaning that the underlying blandness of the preceding version was not markedly improved. However, the advent of the choir organ did provide a much needed versatility to the organist for both accompaniment and solo work. (click here to go to Specification).

The inaugural recital was given on 10th June 1964 by Ralph Downes, organist at the London Oratory and designer and curator of the Royal Festival Hall organ. He was assisted by a young student, Gillian Weir to turn the pages, who had recently arrived in England to study with him.

The organ continued to provide yeoman service for a further 35 years, by which time the electrics and leatherwork had started to give problems indicating that they were coming to the end of their reliable life. The PCC commissioned a report from Ian Bell, an independent organ consultant, who concluded, in February 1998, that the organ was not worthy of the building and that it would not be worth the amount of money and effort that would be necessary to put it into really good shape and the PCC should seek to replace it.
The market was investigated for new outline organ designs and costs, using three well known builders, with inconclusive results. At the same time, searches were made for a suitable redundant organ, which proved fruitless. Finally, on the advice of the consultant, Principal Pipe Organs of York were engaged to design and build a completely new organ.

A NEW ORGAN FOR A NEW CENTURY

Criteria for the new organ

The instrument has three musical functions
1.   To lead the congregational singing, with the aim of giving real support to all attending, wherever they are seated in the church
2.   To accompany the choir
3.   To enable the playing of a reasonable selection from the organ repertoire for special services and events, inter alia weddings and funerals.

The organ screen should be simple in design so as not to detract from the chancel and altar, and to blend in with the rest of the church building. Above all the organ should sound good, feel good and look good.

The specification

The specification was prepared by Geoffrey Coffin of Principal Pipe Organs of York and a small working group comprising the organists and representatives from the PCC, advised by Dr Gillian Ward Russell, David Frostick (Diocesan Organ Advisers) and Ian Bell oversaw the project. The agreed specification is listed below and the longest pipe in each rank is listed.

 

Great Organ	568 pipes	Swell Organ	684 pipes
Open Diapason	8ft	Open Diapason	8ft
Stopped Diapason	8ft	Claribel Flute	8ft
Gemshorn	8ft	Salicional	8ft
Octave	4ft	Voix Celestes (C13)	8ft
Wald Flute	4ft	Principal	4ft
Fifteenth	2ft	Stopped Flute	4ft
Mixture (19. 22. 26)	III	Flageolet	2ft
Trumpet	8ft	Mixture (15. 19. 22)	III
Swell to Great		Contra Fagotto	16ft
Choir to Great		Cornopean	8ft
		Tremulant
		Octave
		Unison Off
		Sub Octave
Choir Organ	370 pipes	Pedal Organ	210 pipes
Gedact	8ft	Violone	16ft
Viola	8ft	Bourdon	16ft
Open Flute	4ft	Principal	8ft
Gemshorn	2ft	Bass Flute	8ft
Sesquialtera (12. 17.) (C13)	II	Gemshorn	4ft
Nineteenth	1.333ft	Trombone	16ft
Trumpet (from Great)	8ft	Shawm	4ft
Tremulant		Great to Pedal
Swell to Choir		Swell to Pedal
		Choir to Pedal
Total number of pipes	1832
Great and Pedal combinations coupled
Compass of manuals CC-A	58 notes
Compass of pedals CCC-F	30 notes

THE FUND RAISING APPEAL

Following the decision in principle by the PCC to go for a new organ, a Fund Raising Group was established and an Appeal Fund was launched in November 2001. Many very generous donations of all sizes were received, mainly from within the Parish. An Events Team arranged a wide range of fund raising events, which were very well supported and raised sums large and small.
By mid summer 2002, the Appeal Fund was still short of the target for a two manual organ, when an anonymous donor offered to fund the additional cost of adding a third manual. At about the same time Principal Pipe Organs indicated that they could start work in October 2002 due to a cancellation; earlier than originally planned. The PCC decided to go forward in faith and formalised their approval.
The additional funds materialised quite quickly thereafter, vindicating their decision. This was a truly parish activity, which brought together parishioners in a wide variety of ways. Our thanks are due to all who subscribed and worked hard to raise funds, and who supported the events.

The installation

Installation began during the week after Easter 2003 when several lorry loads of new organ elements arrived at the Church, creating a staggering sight.
All the pews were covered by an unbelievable array of:
     16 ft pedal pipes, far too big to be put into boxes.
     Complex slider soundboards, upon which each and every one of the 1832 pipes has its own place
     Lengths of wood for the organ frame
     Myriads of small electrical components and
     Many more items such that the Church had the appearance of an organ ‘jumble sale’.

All were retrieved from the apparent jumble and were placed in their appointed position in the seemingly small organ chamber. It was wonderful and fascinating to watch Geoffrey Coffin and his team of talented craftsmen as they assembled the mixture of items into a coherent whole. The interest of the bystander was also whetted by Geoffrey’s two talks on how organ pipes are designed and built to create a particular sound, and how the air flow from the bellows is controlled to a given pipe by drawing a stop and pressing a key. Through the infectious enthusiasm of Geoffrey and his team, many people came to appreciate the technical skills and the craftsmanship required for such a project with an expected life of a hundred or more years.

Building the organ

A single pipe	More pipes	Even more pipes	The Organ builder

The organ builder and his team

Geoffrey Coffin’s career as an organ builder sprang from his background as a musician and an organist. He was organ scholar at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He then became Administrator of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. In 1971 he was appointed Assistant Organist to Dr Francis Jackson at York Minster. During this time he also worked for J Walker and Sons Ltd as a tuner and organ builder and subsequently represented the firm as Northern Manager and later as Contracts Manager at their Suffolk factory.
An opportunity arose in 1983 to establish Principal Pipe Organs. Early expansion has continued steadily and the firm currently has six full-time and other workshop staff many of whom, like Geoffrey Coffin himself, are active musicians. Restoration of mainly mechanical action instruments forms the nucleus of the firm’s work together with the production of new organs.
In only twenty years it has gained an enviable reputation for musical integrity and the highest standards of craftsmanship, and is in wide demand. In 1992-93 an enlarged Principal Pipe Organs team undertook the complete restoration of the 1903 Walker organ in York Minster, including additional new slider soundboards and pipework. The completed scheme extends to 81 speaking stops (5282 pipes) and continues to receive high critical acclaim. In 2002 the firm was delighted to accept the commission from St Mary’s Church, Shenfield to build its new organ.

The Pipes come together

Assembly 1	Assembly 2	Assembly 3	Assembly 4	Assembly 5

The new organ case

The new organ case was designed by David Graebe, who was formerly a chorister at Chichester Cathedral and there developed his interest in music to a high level at an early age. His career as an architect and his musical background came together when he became associated with J W Walker and Sons Ltd and was responsible for designing organ cases for their new instruments. He is acknowledged as an expert in the field and enjoys wide renown for beautiful and imaginative designs. His work is to be seen widely in Britain, America and Australia. It includes, for example the cases at St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, Lancing College, Sussex, Adelaide Town Hall and Detroit Cathedral.
David Graebe has worked freelance in recent years and has designed the organ cases for nearly all Principal Pipe Organs’ new instruments. He was pleased to undertake the design for St Mary’s, Shenfield and to work closely with the team at Penny’s Mill, based near Marlborough, who have made it.

The four dioceses of which Shenfield has been a part

The dark wooden screen which stood below the old organ ‘display’ pipes has been cleaned and now forms the lower part of the new organ case behind the stone arch to the left of the chancel. New matching panelling has been added above to complete that part of the case.
The five arms shields representing the province and the four dioceses of which Shenfield has been a part, which previously hung on the old organ case, are now displayed on the old screen as shown below:

The Old Facia	The Province of Canterbury
Diocese of London Up to 1845	Diocese of Rochester 1846-1877	Diocese of St Albans 1877-1914	Diocese of Chelmsford From 1914

The Dedication of the new organ

The new organ was completed and commissioned in time for the dedication at St Mary's Patronal Festival on Sunday 6th July 2003 by David Lowman, Archdeacon of Southend. This is what he said at the time.

‘Loud organs his glory forth tell in deep tone’

The organ is an extraordinary instrument whose enormous number of component parts makes up a whole that can delight, thrill, console or soothe as required. Above all it is associated with churches where for many of us it can be one of the ways in which God can speak to us. As a boy I was in a Church choir and before long was also practising the organ. As I learned more about music and the organ repertoire, partly by turning pages at recitals, the instrument enabled me to think in a deeper way about God.
There is a phrase in T S Elliot’s poem ‘Dry Salvages’, from The Four Quartets, which runs: ‘Or music heard so deeply that it is not heard at all, but you are the music, while the music lasts’. This surely is where worship and music draw very close together. Beautiful music enables worship to take place. We can be lifted to the heavenly places and discover something of the richness and glory of God. Even when we come down again the memory will last so that we can continue on our daily journey with greater resolve and purpose.
A wonderful new organ has been built for this ancient Church. It is a fine recital instrument, a thing of beauty in itself, the means by which the choral tradition can continue and flourish, but most of all it can provide an opportunity for listeners to draw closer to God as they marvel at his wonderful creation. Thank you to all those who have worked so hard to design and build the organ, raise funds and have given generously. Now we and future generations can enjoy the sound that comes from this worthy addition to God’s House.

Inaugural recital

An inaugural recital was given on the new organ by John Scott, organist of St Paul’s Cathedral, on 31st October 2003.

The Archdeacon & The Rector	Geoffrey Coffin & The Rector	Geoffrey Coffin & David Curtis (organist)

A message from Canon Paul Brett, The Rector.

I would like to pay tribute to the many people who have contributed to our organ project. There is no doubt that music enables worship, and that it can do so in a most powerful way. There is no doubt that our new organ is a triumph of design and craftsmanship, and that it will help generations of Shenfield people to worship God more fully.
When we began to consider replacing the old organ, I have to confess that I was a little worried, first, about whether we should even try to raise so much money for such a thing when there were so many other pressing needs in the world and, secondly, whether any new instrument might adversely affect the special feel that there is in our church.
Now that we have the new organ, I readily and happily admit that it enhances the atmosphere of the church, and our life and mission, in very many ways. The successful conclusion of our project spurs us on to find ways of caring more fully for those in need elsewhere. Effective, spiritual worship should lift us up to God and turn us outwards to others.
This page of our website recounts the history of the organs of St Mary's and describes the project to design and build the new Principal Pipe Organ, partly for historical purposes and partly to set the new organ in its wider context. With many others I am extremely grateful to Gerald Evans, one of our organists, for doing the research and preparing the text for this page. We are all part of an on-going tradition which comes to us from the past. Our task is to renew that tradition and pass it on refreshed to those who come after us. This is what we have done with the organ. May it be also what we do with our heritage of Christian faith. As Psalm 150 puts it, " Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord" and that means our wonderful new pipe organ as well as you and me!

David Curtis - organist at St Mary's, Shenfield for 50 years

David Curtis

David Curtis was the organist at St Mary's for almost 50 years. Sadly he died in June 2007, only a few months before the 50th anniversary. David was known both as a musician and to many local people as a school teacher, having been the Headmaster at St Mary's Primary School before his retirement.
David was involved in all things musical. He played the organ, he had a wonderful singing voice, he lead the choir and was instrumental in arranging recitals at St Mary's among other things.
A quarter peal tribute was rung on the bells at St Mary's after his funeral and a Thanksgiving Organ Recital was held at St Mary's on 29th September, 2007 to celebrate his life.

The specification of the 1923 Organ

 

Great Organ		Swell Organ
Open Diapason No1	8ft	Open Diapason	8ft
Open Diapason No2	8ft	Stopped Diapason	8ft
Wald Flute	8ft	Echo Gamba	8ft
Dulciana	8ft	Principal	4ft
Principal	4ft	Oboe	8ft
Harmonic Flute	2ft	Trumpet	8ft
Fifteenth	2ft	Celeste	8ft
		Swell Octave
		Swell Sub Octave
Pedal Organ		Swell Unison Off
Contra Bass	32ft
Open Diapason	16ft	Swell to Great
Bourdon	16ft	Swell to Pedal
Octave Bass	8ft	Great to Pedal
Flute Bass	8ft

The specification of the 1964 Organ

 

Great Organ		Swell Organ
Contra Dulciana	16ft	Gamba	8ft
Open Diapason	8ft	Stopped Diapason	8ft
Claribel Flute	8ft	Principal	4ft
Principal	4ft	Fifteenth	2ft
Wald Flute	4ft	Mixture (19. 22)	II
Twelfth	2 2/3	Contra Oboe	16ft
Fifteenth	2ft	Trumpet	8ft
Mixture (19. 22. 26)	III	Tremulant	8ft
Swell to Great		Swell Octave
		Swell Sub Octave
Choir Organ		Pedal Organ
Gedact	8ft	Open Wood	16ft
Stopped Flute	4ft	Bourdon	16ft
Dulciana	8ft	Gamba	16ft
Dulcet	4ft	Quint	10 2/3
Nazard	2 2/3	Bass Flute	8ft
Fifteenth	2ft	Octave	8ft
Larigot	1 3/5	Dulciana	8ft
Octavin	1ft	Octave Flute	4ft
Great to Choir		Great to Pedal
Swell to Choir		Swell to Pedal
		Swell to Pedal	4ft

Acknowledgements

St Mary's PCC wish to acknowledge the professional and technical advice given by the following: Ian Bell (Independent Organ Consultant), Richard Burbidge (Historic Buildings Adviser), Christopher Clemow (Fabric Officer), David Frostick (Diocesan Organ Adviser), Dr Gillian Ward Russell (Diocesan Organ Adviser) and Norman Randall (Photographs).

Return to the top of this page