Knowing
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Sharing Christ's
Aroha
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Sharing Christ's
Aroha
Renatus Harris Organ
Introduction
The antique pipe organ, situated here in St. Mark's Church, Te Aroha, is not only a unique instrument, it also has an intriguing story to tell.
The organ was thought to have been made in 1769 and was attributed to the master craftsman of that time, John Snetzler. However, Mr E Hardingham of Hamilton (NZ), who assembled the organ in St. Mark's in 1927, said then, "it is quite unique, very ancient and must have been in use in 1769." Further research has proved his assessment to be right. St. Mark's organ is one commissioned by Queen Anne and built by Renatus Harris in 1712 and was brought to New Zealand in 1927 by the Wayne family who contributed to the costs of shipping and installing the organ. Queen Anne (1665-1714) petitioned the English Parliament to raise a special tax to pay for the construction of ten pipe organs for various churches in the City of London. The Queen desired the organs to be of the finest craftsmanship so they were built by Renatus Harris, organ builder to the Crown, and recognised as the finest organ builder of his day.
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Renatus Harris
The ten organs were built at Harris' workshop, the last being completed towards the end of 1712. These instruments represented the peak of English craftsmanship of their day. The casework is of heart oak and the carving is thought to be by Grinling Gibbons, the renowned master carver and woodworker whose work adorns Sir Christopher Wren's St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
For some reason the organ now in St. Mark's was not installed in a central London church. However we do know that in 1769 it was acquired by a small village church, All Saints at Baschurch in Shropshire, because it is recorded in the archives there. The organ gave continuous service for 137 years until replaced in 1906 by a new organ given by Mr and Mrs St. Barbe Sladen. The old instrument was dismantled, packed and stored in the basement of the family's home over the next 20 years.
For some reason the organ now in St. Mark's was not installed in a central London church. However we do know that in 1769 it was acquired by a small village church, All Saints at Baschurch in Shropshire, because it is recorded in the archives there. The organ gave continuous service for 137 years until replaced in 1906 by a new organ given by Mr and Mrs St. Barbe Sladen. The old instrument was dismantled, packed and stored in the basement of the family's home over the next 20 years.
Mrs. Maud Elizabeth St. Barbe Wayne
Maud Elizabeth St. Barbe Wayne, a daughter of the St. Barbe Sladen family, came to Te Aroha, New Zealand, with her husband and young family. At that time, in the 1920's, the people of Te Aroha were busy raising money and building the current St. Mark's Church as a First World War Memorial Peace Church.
Mrs Wayne wrote to her mother in England and arranged for the stored organ to be sent to New Zealand. She gifted it to the new church built in 1926. The organ was installed in 1927. It was truly a Godsend as no provision had been made for a pipe organ when planning the church. The Vestry was fully occupied with building and raising money to pay for the completion of the church. In fact, Vestry was unable to pay anything towards the cost of freighting the organ from Auckland, repairing or installing it in the church. All costs were borne by Mrs St. Barbe Wayne.
It is one of those quirks of history that, had Mrs Wayne not arranged for the organ to be dispatched to New Zealand, it may well have been destroyed with the others during the blitz in the Second World War. It is believed that this instrument in St. Mark's, Te Aroha, is the only one remaining of the ten commissioned by Queen Anne almost 300 years ago.
Mrs Wayne wrote to her mother in England and arranged for the stored organ to be sent to New Zealand. She gifted it to the new church built in 1926. The organ was installed in 1927. It was truly a Godsend as no provision had been made for a pipe organ when planning the church. The Vestry was fully occupied with building and raising money to pay for the completion of the church. In fact, Vestry was unable to pay anything towards the cost of freighting the organ from Auckland, repairing or installing it in the church. All costs were borne by Mrs St. Barbe Wayne.
It is one of those quirks of history that, had Mrs Wayne not arranged for the organ to be dispatched to New Zealand, it may well have been destroyed with the others during the blitz in the Second World War. It is believed that this instrument in St. Mark's, Te Aroha, is the only one remaining of the ten commissioned by Queen Anne almost 300 years ago.
Restored to its former glory
The organ's action is mechanical throughout and was pumped by hand until 1931, when a blowing unit, the only modern addition was installed. After many years of faithful service the organ became mechanically unsound, to say the least. In 1959 the Church Wardens reported that, "It looks as though a replacement will be needed." In 1964 repairs took place and it was reported that "the work on the organ had been completed at a much lower cost than originally anticipated."
This renovation provided only temporary reprieve and the condition of the organ again deteriorated. Some of the old keys were warped, some were badly worn, and this was affecting the whole mechanical action to the point where the organ was unusable.
In 1985 a decision was made to restore the instrument completely and to re-site it. George Croft and Son, an Auckland firm, was contracted to do the work at a cost of $27,000. The organ's original specification was retained and a new keyboard was constructed by Auckland craftsman Bruce Thompson. Once restoration had been completed, by November 1985, the instrument was not returned to its original site in the chancel on the pulpit side, but placed in a specially constructed niche in the nave. This enables the organ to 'speak' well into the central space of the church and show its beauty to full advantage.
On 16 November 1985, a celebratory concert was presented in St. Mark's to herald the organ's return. Then on 21 March 1986 the organ featured in a wonderful recital by Dame Gillian Weir, the world famous New Zealand organist from Wanganui (Whanganui).
The organ has received much praise from visiting organists, both within New Zealand and overseas. It continues to be used regularly for church services, concerts and organ recitals. In 2004, Douglas Mews, a well known organist from Wellington, gave a recital at the debut concert of the Aroha Quartet, and since then, organists John Wells of Auckland, Rachael Griffiths-Hughes of Hamilton and Indra Hughes and James Tibbles of Auckland have all given concerts.
This renovation provided only temporary reprieve and the condition of the organ again deteriorated. Some of the old keys were warped, some were badly worn, and this was affecting the whole mechanical action to the point where the organ was unusable.
In 1985 a decision was made to restore the instrument completely and to re-site it. George Croft and Son, an Auckland firm, was contracted to do the work at a cost of $27,000. The organ's original specification was retained and a new keyboard was constructed by Auckland craftsman Bruce Thompson. Once restoration had been completed, by November 1985, the instrument was not returned to its original site in the chancel on the pulpit side, but placed in a specially constructed niche in the nave. This enables the organ to 'speak' well into the central space of the church and show its beauty to full advantage.
On 16 November 1985, a celebratory concert was presented in St. Mark's to herald the organ's return. Then on 21 March 1986 the organ featured in a wonderful recital by Dame Gillian Weir, the world famous New Zealand organist from Wanganui (Whanganui).
The organ has received much praise from visiting organists, both within New Zealand and overseas. It continues to be used regularly for church services, concerts and organ recitals. In 2004, Douglas Mews, a well known organist from Wellington, gave a recital at the debut concert of the Aroha Quartet, and since then, organists John Wells of Auckland, Rachael Griffiths-Hughes of Hamilton and Indra Hughes and James Tibbles of Auckland have all given concerts.