The 1880 Pipe Organ
Fletching’s pipe organ, built by Forster & Andrews of Hull and installed in 1880, was a gift from the third Earl of Sheffield and its fine case was designed as part of the reordering of the chancel in line with the ideas of the Oxford Movement. It has 17 stops and over 1000 pipes; the mixture of English, French, Italian and German stop names reflects the range of musical influences at that time.
The builders’ ledgers show that the specification has remained virtually unchanged, apart from the addition of the Voix Célestes on the Swell. It was overhauled in 1901, an electric blower was added in 1934 and during restoration in 1973 by JW Walker the pedal board was given electric action.
Since then, the only major work was a further overhaul in the 1990s, when also the front pipes were repainted. We can be grateful for the ‘good and durable tracker work’ of Forster & Andrews, acknowledged as ‘better than most and sometimes equal to the best’.
The organ can perform a wide range of music from Byrd and Bach to Leighton and Howells, but its ‘sweet spot’ is the 19th century English repertoire, from William Russell and Samuel Wesley to Henry Smart and Edward Elgar, as well as the works of Mendelssohn, who was so important an influence on the development of the organ in England during the 19th century
Recent organ concert programmes have aimed not just to present a broad range of organ repertoire, but also to promote the works of less well-known English composers of the period, such as Wolstenholme, Lemare, Faulkes and Hollins.
During the latter part of the 20th century interest focused on the neo-Classical and Baroque revival and it was fashionable to look down on Victorian and Edwardian music. Now attitudes are changing, and that repertoire is being rediscovered. We are privileged to have in Fletching an instrument that can give authentic voice to that music and look forward to celebrating its 150th birthday appropriately in 2030.
To hear some examples of the organ click the icon below.