Gordon Monro - "Suite for the Organ of St John's, Neutral Bay"

"For Death Has Climbed In Through Our Windows"

List of pieces

"The Devil has a Tail"

"Suite for the Organ of St. John's, Neutral Bay"

For pipe organ, duration 11 mins (1999)

Program note

The suite is in five movements:

Toccata

Hocket

Chant

Meditation

Crystallisation

This Suite was written for the restored organ at St. John's, Neutral Bay, and for the organist Robin Ruys. The piece is in five short movements, and is intended to work with the qualities of the Edwardian organ.

More extensive program note (PDF, 92 kB)

Note on the organ at St. John's

The organ in St. John's is a mechanical action instrument with two manuals and ten speaking stops. It was built in 1912 by Charles Richardson (at which time the church was Presbyterian), and restored in 1993, during Rev. Jane Monro's tenure as minister. The restoration, by Peter Jewkes, was carried out with the assistance of a grant from the NSW Government on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of NSW. The consultant for the restoration was Kelvin Hastie.

Specification:

Great: Open Diapason 8, Stopped Diapason 8, Dulciana 8, Flute 4

Swell: Violin Diapason 8, Lieblich Gedact 8, Gamba 8, Gemshorn 4 Oboe 4

Pedal: Bourdon 16

Couplers: Swell to Great, Great to Pedal, Swell to Pedal

Performances, etc

Recital by Robin Ruys at St John's Uniting Church, Neutral Bay, Sydney, 28th February 1999;
Recital by Robin Ruys at St John's Uniting Church, Neutral Bay, Sydney, on behalf of the Organ Society of Sydney, 16th July 1999.

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