St Joseph's Catholic Church

Stanhope Street, Malvern

First organ, built 1917 J.E. Dodd (broken up 1970s)
2 manuals, 23 speaking stops, 7 couplers, tubular-pneumatic action
Present organ, built 1967 Hill, Norman & Beard (Australia) Pty Ltd
2 manuals, 2 ranks + Mixture extension, electro-magnetic action




St Joseph's Catholic Church, Malvern: the main façade
[photograph by John Maidment (20 August 2012)]


Historical and Technical Documentation by John Maidment
© OHTA, 2012 (last updated August 2012)

The present St Joseph's Church was built in 1908 and designed by architect A.A. Fritsch FRVIA in the Romanesque style, one of the earliest examples of his work in this genre; the builder was Swanson Bros.1 The memorial stone was laid on 16 February 1908 by the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Dr Carr. The façade incorporates a rose window and portal, both with striped voussoirs, and surmounted by a statue of St Joseph and the child Jesus placed in a niche, all flanked by two low towers with domed terminations.



St Joseph's Catholic Church, Malvern: the 1917 Dodd organ from the nave showing the 1967 Hill, Norman & Beard organ placed between the two cases
[photograph by Bill Smith (circa 1967)]

J.E. Dodd built a new organ which was opened in September 1917. It was divided in two cases in the rear gallery, speaking into a splendidly resonant acoustic. A design for the divided Romanesque-style organ cases, probably by A.A. Fritsch, survives, showing a third case beneath the rose window linking the divided cases.2



St Joseph's Catholic Church, Malvern: organ case design for the Dodd organ, possibly by A.A. Fritsch
[photograph by John Maidment from the original now in the Stephen Laurie collection,
University of Melbourne Archives (20 November 2007)]

This was among Dodd's largest two-manual organs, but omitting the use of Mixtures. The reeds (apart from the bottom octave of the wooden Trombone) and metal fluework are likely to have been imported from overseas. The Argus reported:

St. Joseph's Church, Malvern.

A new organ, supplied by Mr. J. E. Dodd, of Adelaide, Perth, Auckland, and London, has been installed at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Malvern. Yesterday afternoon an organ recital took place in the church, in the presence of a crowded congregation. Archbishop Mannix presided. The city organist (Dr. W.G. Price) played several selections, and the tone quality of the organ was found to be very fine. St. Joseph's Church choir of 50 voices and Madame Evelyn Ashley also contributed to the programme. The Very Rev. M.P. O'Flynn, CM, directed the choir. Dr. Price has been engaged as special organist at St. Joseph's, Malvern. He will preside every Sunday, from 11 to 12.3



St Joseph's Catholic Church, Malvern: the Dodd console
[photograph by Bill Smith (circa 1967)]

Around 1960, the local organbuilder S.I. Sakacs unsuccessfully endeavoured to convert the action to electro-pneumatic. The organ became unplayable and the work was never completed; some parts of the organ 'disappeared'. It was supplanted in 1967 by a small two-rank plus Mixture extension instrument built by Hill, Norman & Beard, this sounding effective in the fine acoustic. The Dodd organ was abandoned and finally sold for scrap to George Fincham & Sons Pty Ltd. The Pedal Trombone bottom octave is now at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Dulwich Hill, NSW.4

GREAT ORGAN
Open Diapason no 1
Open Diapason no 2
Claribel
Gedackt
Echo Dulciana
Principal
Harmonic Flute
Fifteenth
Tromba
Clarinet
Unison Off
Super Octave
Swell to Great

SWELL ORGAN
Lieblich Bourdon
Open Diapason
Rohrflöte
Gamba
Celeste
Octave
Flauto Traverso
Cornopean
Oboe
Sub Octave
Super Octave

PEDAL ORGAN
Open Diapason
Subbass
Echo Bourdon
Trombone
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal

8
8
8
8
8
4
4
2
8
8





16
8
8
8
8
4
4
8
8




16
16
16
16









A






B



TC








   1-12 wood, 13-30 metal

B
A 1-12 wood 4¾ in wind


  

Compass: 61/30
Tubular-pneumatic key and stop action
Balanced mechanical swell pedal
3 thumb pistons to Great
3 thumb pistons to swell
1 general thumb piston adjustable by levers over stopkeys
Detached stopkey console5

 



St Joseph's Catholic Church, Malvern: close view of the Dodd organ case
[photograph by Bill Smith (circa 1967)]

The present organ at St Joseph's, built in 1967 by Hill, Norman & Beard (Australia) Pty Ltd, is a "Clifton" model instrument and has two extended ranks and a repeating Mixture, with the following specification:

GREAT ORGAN
Spitz Principal
Rohr Gedeckt
Gemshorn
Doublette
Quartane 19.22.

POSITIVE ORGAN
Gedeckt
Gemshorn
Nason Flute
Block Flute
Octavin
Cymbale 26.29.

PEDAL ORGAN
Subbass
Principal
Flute
Super Octave
Octave Flute
Nachthorn
Mixture 22.26.

8
8
4
2
II


8
4
4
2
1
II


16
8
8
4
4
2
II
A
B
A
A
C


B
A
B
B
B
C


B metal
A
B
A
B
B
C
  

Compass: 61/30
Electro-magnetic action
Attached stopkey console6

1 Victorian Churches, edited by Miles Lewis (East Melbourne: National Trust of Australia (Victoria), 1991), p.76

2 In the Stephen Laurie collection, University of Melbourne Archives

3 The Argus 17 September 1917, p.8

4 Notes of John Maidment

5 Specification noted by John Maidment 1966

6 Specification noted by John Maidment 1967