TY - ADVS

T1 - The Wetheringsett Organ.

AU - Gwynn, D.

PY - 2003/1/1

Y1 - 2003/1/1

N2 - The Wetheringsett organ is based on the soundboard found in recent years at Wetheringsett in Suffolk. It was discovered during alterations to a farmhouse, and may have been a dairy door. According to tree-ring dating the tree of which the original soundboard was made (from Baltic oak) cannot have been cut down before about 1525.It is known that there were continental organ builders being paid for new parish church organs in the first half of the 16th century in England, but the indigenous characteristics of this organ suggest that this organ was made by an English builder, probably fairly local, since there were some well-known East Anglian builders. These characteristics can be summarised as: long, fully chromatic key compass, choruses of wooden or metal pipes of the same scale and style, each with its own slider, and a voicing style familiar from 17th- century English organs. The pitch and scaling of the stops are indicated by the spacing and the toehole sizes on the old soundboard. The order is that of the sliders and stop knobs, from the front. I. short resonator reed regal 5ft; II. open metal principal 5ft (C C# and D shared with other Principal); III. open metal principal 5ft (27 pipes D#- f² in the front); IV. open metal octave (C shared with other Octave); V. open metal octave; VI. open metal fifteenth; VII stopped wood basses 10ft (C to f#, 19 notes).The key compass is C to a², 46 notes, which is the number of grooves in the Wetheringsett soundboard. The nominal pitch is 5ft, i.e. a fourth above singing pitch. 5ft Principal ranks were the basis of the two organs mentioned above.See also http://www.earlyorgans.org.uk/ws1.htm and two articles by the author (provided in portfolio)

AB - The Wetheringsett organ is based on the soundboard found in recent years at Wetheringsett in Suffolk. It was discovered during alterations to a farmhouse, and may have been a dairy door. According to tree-ring dating the tree of which the original soundboard was made (from Baltic oak) cannot have been cut down before about 1525.It is known that there were continental organ builders being paid for new parish church organs in the first half of the 16th century in England, but the indigenous characteristics of this organ suggest that this organ was made by an English builder, probably fairly local, since there were some well-known East Anglian builders. These characteristics can be summarised as: long, fully chromatic key compass, choruses of wooden or metal pipes of the same scale and style, each with its own slider, and a voicing style familiar from 17th- century English organs. The pitch and scaling of the stops are indicated by the spacing and the toehole sizes on the old soundboard. The order is that of the sliders and stop knobs, from the front. I. short resonator reed regal 5ft; II. open metal principal 5ft (C C# and D shared with other Principal); III. open metal principal 5ft (27 pipes D#- f² in the front); IV. open metal octave (C shared with other Octave); V. open metal octave; VI. open metal fifteenth; VII stopped wood basses 10ft (C to f#, 19 notes).The key compass is C to a², 46 notes, which is the number of grooves in the Wetheringsett soundboard. The nominal pitch is 5ft, i.e. a fourth above singing pitch. 5ft Principal ranks were the basis of the two organs mentioned above.See also http://www.earlyorgans.org.uk/ws1.htm and two articles by the author (provided in portfolio)

UR - http://www.earlyorgans.org.uk/ws1.htm

M3 - Artefact

PB - Unknown

ER -