17.12.24
‘Nowhere in Cambridge is there an organ with such a specific, characteristic sound. It is in my opinion a typical English organ, with some influences from the Continent. Having been enhanced by a Dutch organbuilder it is now affiliated to the Continent, but nevertheless, an opposite neighbour. The result: it does not belong to any particular style, but has, as a musical instrument, a style completely its own.’
Cees van Oostenbrugge, Director Flentrop Orgelbouw B.V., Zaandam, the Netherlands
The façade of the Chapel, as it is, was part of an organ which was installed in the Chapel in 1895. Behind this façade a new organ was built in 1978 by E. J. Johnson. Although the intention was to build a neo-baroque organ, a number of stops from the old organ were incorporated into the new instrument.
During the refurbishment and re-voicing work by Flentrop (in partnership with Professor David Titterington of the Royal Academy of Music) in 2002, the wind pressure was changed for the Great from 85 to 77 mm, for the Swell from 90 to 77 mm, for the Choir from 66 to 65 mm and for the Pedal from 75 to 78 mm. Great and Swell specifically were given a lower wind pressure. This enabled the sound of the organ to be much more in accordance with the acoustics of the Chapel.
Organ Specification
Great
Open Diapason 8’ 19th C.
Stopped Diapason 8’ wood, 19th C.
Principal 4’ 19th C.
Open Flute 4’ wood, 19th C.
Nazard 2 2/3’ open, 1978
Fifteenth 2’ 19th C.
Nachthorn 2’ open, 1978
Tierce 1 3/5’ 1978
Mixture II 1978
Scharf II 1978
Trumpet 8’ 19th C., cis’’’-a’’’ 1978, flue-pipes.
Choir-organ (Ruckpositif)
Gedeckt 8’ 1978, C-H wood
Principal 4’ 1978
Koppelflute 4’ 1978, cº-a’’’ realised as chimney-flute
Nasat 2 2/3’ 1978, C-hº stopped
Octaaf 2’ 1978
Spitzflute 2’ 1978
Quint 1 1/3’ 1978
Terz 1 3/5’ 1978
Cymbel III 1978
Swell
Stopped Diapason 8’ wood, 19th C.
Salicional 8’ 19th C.
Voix Celeste 8’ from cº, 19th C.
Principal 4’ 19th C.
Fifteenth 2’ 19th C.
Mixture II-III after 1978
Fagot 16’ 19th C.
Trumpet 8’ 19th C.
Krummhorn 8’ 19th C.
Clarion 4’ 19th C.
Pedal
Principal 16’ 19th C.
Dulciana 16’ 19th C.
Octave 8’ 19th C.
Stopped Flute 8’ wood, 1978
Fifteenth 4’ 1978
Nason Flute 4’ wood, 1978
Mixture III 1978
Bombarde 16’ wooden resonators, 1978
Usual couplers
