Advertisement
Hornsby Uniting Church has a small but very interesting organ. It was installed in 1929 by Charles Richardson & Co, but it appears to have had a previous existence, although no one is sure about who originally built it and where it was situated before it arrived at Hornsby. What is notable about the instrument is that it was designed in the "Klangfarbe" style: as Kelvin Hastie puts it, "where emphasis is placed on individual tone colours rather than the provision of a unified ensemble." This suggests that it might have originally dated from the 'teens when the Earnshaw brothers were designing organs featuring such tonal ideas.
We recently had the opportunity to record a Klangfarbe style instrument at Manly Congregational Church, and found it very interresting indeed. I expect this organ to be equally interesting!
Following the opening of a new building in 2010, the organ was restored by the Jewkes firm. The stoplist is original, with the exception of a poor-sounding English Horn having been replaced by an Oboe in 1997.
Advertisement
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
24 William Street, Hornsby, 24 William St, Hornsby NSW 2077, Australia,Sydney, Australia
