Sydney Opera House
Concert Hall Grand Organ
Technical Specifications
November 2014
Concert Hall Grand Organ Technical Specifications
November 2014
sydneyoperahouse.com
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Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Grand Organ Technical Specifications – November 2014
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Contents
Introduction _____________________________________________________________ 4
Organ Specification _______________________________________________________ 7
Operation _______________________________________________________________ 9
Care ................................................................................................................................................9
Communications.............................................................................................................................9
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Introduction
The Grand Organ was designed and built, during the period 1969 to 1979, by the Sydney organbuilder Ronald Sharp, assisted by Mark Fisher, Myk Fairhurst and Raymond Bridge. During the
final 17 months of construction, four members of the Austrian organ-building firm of Gregor
Hradetzky assisted, also working under Sharp’s supervision and specification. The NSW
Department of Public Works, which was also responsible for supervising the construction of the
Sydney Opera House, oversaw construction of the grand organ.
Sharp’s organ-building career began in 1960, when he was commissioned to build a new choir
organ for Sydney’s St Mary’s Cathedral. In 1964, he employed Raymond Bridge, a cabinetmaker, and Mark Fisher who, like Sharp, was a self-taught organ builder. The new organ at Knox
Grammar School in 1966 was the first product of this team and the instrument won the admiration
of English organist Peter Hurford, who recorded for Decca on both the Knox organ and Sharp’s
new organ at the Wollongong Town Hall.
Hurford was invited to become consultant for the Opera House organ. His admiration of Sharp’s
work, which by then had attracted worldwide acclaim, led him to recommend Ronald Sharp to the
NSW Government Organ Committee to build the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall organ.
Many people doubted that such a huge pipe organ, as proposed by Sharp, particularly one using
mechanical key action, could be built by him - or anybody. Controversy raged throughout the
construction years, until the instrument was completed at a cost of $1.2 million. The Department
of Public Works handed over the completed instrument to the Sydney Opera House Trust on 30
May 1979 and the opening recital was performed on 7 June 1979, almost 6 years after the Opera
House opened.
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The Concert Hall Grand Organ is believed to be the largest mechanical tracker-action pipe organ
in the world. It measures 15 metres high, 13 metres wide, 8 metres deep, and it weighs 37.5
tonnes. The pipes and mechanisms are distributed over five levels behind the façade, which
displays 109 burnished 95% tin pipes and 24 bronze bells. The four largest pipes of the Prinzipal
32’ hang on the rear wall of the auditorium structure and weigh an additional 6 tonnes.
The instrument is built on a cantilevered steel platform, overlaid with a 100mm-thick floor of
laminated brush-box timber. It is all contained within a shell-like concrete chamber. The underside
of the organ loft platform carries the white birch plywood ceiling above the organ gallery seating in
the auditorium.
The grand organ contains six departments: Pedal, Rückpositiv, Hauptwerk, Oberwerk, Brustwerk
and Kronwerk. There are 131 speaking stops, 201 ranks and 10,244 pipes. The largest and
smallest pipes have speaking lengths of 9.7 meters and 5mm respectively. The organ’s wind
supply is generated by nine blowers situated throughout the organ chamber.
The attached five manual and pedal drawstop console contains 172 stop knobs (of various
classification), 107 thumb pistons, 43 toe pistons, 12 MIDI pistons, three swell pedals and an
infinite speed and gradation crescendo pedal. There are two closed circuit TV screens, together
with various communication aids to the stage, stage manager and the auditorium.
In the years since the organ’s opening recital in 1979, gradual refurbishment has been carried out
on some sections of the organ, all carefully maintaining the original philosophy of the builder.
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In July 2001, the organ was temporarily shut down and its original electronic control system was
replaced with a more comprehensive and state of the art system. During this changeover, the
stop jambs with their draw-stops, the name board, thumb and toe-piston rails were rebuilt. New
sections of the console were added, together with a performer’s consolette, in order to discretely
accommodate the many new controls. The organ was re-opened in April 2002 with a recital by
Olivier Latry.
The organ has mechanical key action, electrical stop action; mechanical and electrical couplers
and a Solid State Logic CFM300 piston capture system, which allows 300 levels of programmable
memory for every piston. Also fitted are a simple Sequencer Stepper, a programmable Piston
Sequencer, programmable pitch and speed for the Kuckuck stop and a re-iteration motion for the
Brustwerk Glockenspiel.
It is also fitted with a performance recording and playback facility, with performance saved to
external storage medium. This is for the performer’s use in evaluating registration; and for organ
demonstrations.
Two MIDI voices can be assigned to each department and programmable Crescendos are
available for each memory.
A major tuning of all the organ’s 10,244 pipes is carried out at approximately two-yearly intervals
and takes 7-8 days. More regular tuning of the Reed Stops is done for performances; and other
special concert preparation takes place as required. The organ is tuned to equal temperament at
the standard concert pitch A440 (A=440 hz). Tuning is done whenever available time may permit
in the Concert Hall. Major tuning is carried out mostly after hours, through the night.
The Grand Organ is an immensely complex musical instrument. Its sensitive key and stop action
requires being maintained in a stable environment, where temperature and humidity are regularly
monitored. For this reason, haze and smoke effects cannot be used in the hall when the organ is
in use.
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Organ Specification
Specification
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Operation
Care
The grand organ is an exceptionally significant musical instrument and must be treated with care.
In order to protect the instrument from damage, only authorised performers are allowed access to
the organ loft, and the instrument may not be tampered with in any way.
To ensure proper use of the instrument, we require that artists who have not performed on the
grand organ attend a familiarisation session with the Opera House organ tuner. This takes
approximately 2 hours. The familiarisation and any rehearsal time, if required, need to be
programmed into your production schedule. The Opera House Stage Manager will arrange
access for the organist at the scheduled times.
Smoke or haze effects may not be used in the Concert Hall when the organ is in use. For safety
reasons, technical set up cannot continue in the venue while the organ is being played.
Communications
There are 2 x colour CCTV monitors - a full stage-view and a conductor-view (which can be
mirror-reversed if required). The Stage Manager has pan, tilt, and zoom control of the cameras
through the Stage Manager’s Desk.
There is a foldback speaker from the stage to the organ, and a microphone connection for
communication with the conductor or the audience. Communication with the Stage Manager is by
red and green cue lights and direct headset communication can be arranged on request.
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