The organ in Stockholm City Hall

STOCKHOLM CITY HALL
Specification of the rebuilt Organ, 2008

The City Hall, a superb building of the 1920s, occupies a spectacular position on the waterfront facing the Old Town of Stockholm. The immense Blue Hall is the scene of the Nobel Prize banquet each year.

The organ was built by E.F. Walcker in 1925, with four manuals and 115 stops. The main organ is in a gallery near the ceiling, concealed behind a screen. The Echo Organ of 25 stops is placed above the ceiling, and is connected to the opposite side of the Hall by a long acoustic tunnel.

The organ was extensively altered in 1972 by the Swedish organ builder Magnus Fries, who commissioned slider soundboards, electro-pneumatic actions and a few stops of pipes from Harrison & Harrison. A considerable enlargement of the instrument, to five manuals and 138 stops, was accompanied by major changes to the layout and wind system. The console, originally within the instrument, was replaced with a new one on the floor of the Hall. Almost all of the Walcker pipework, including that of the Echo Organ, survives.

The work of 2007-8 involves re-designing the instrument with a completely new layout and wind system; the Harrison soundboards and actions will be retained, and a new five-manual mobile console will be installed. The Walcker scheme of 1925 forms the basis of the renewed musical structure, which will include some of the 1972 additions and several new stops.

The work is due for completion in late 2008.

				§ - 1972 * - 2008
				Feet	Pipes
	.	PEDAL ORGAN
	1	Kontrabass	(from 2)	32	12
	2	Principal		16	32
	3	Violon	(bass from 23)	16	20
	4	Flötenbass		16	32
	5	Subbass		16	32
	6	Salicetbas		16	32
§	7	Gedacktbass		16	32
	8	Quinte		10²/₃	32
	9	Oktavbass		8	32
*	10	Gedackt		8	32
	11	Quinte		5^₁/₃	32
§	12	Oktave		4	32
	13	Nachthorn		4	32
§	14	Kornett		6 ranks	192
	15	Mixtur		5 ranks	160
	16	Bombarde		32	32
	17	Posaune		16	32
*	18	Trompete		8	32
*	19	Clairon		4	32
	20	Singend Kornett		2	32
§	21	Tuba	(from 106)	16	12
§	22	Tuba	(from 106)	8	--
			I - Pedal
			II - Pedal
			III - Pedal
			IV - Pedal
			V - Pedal
				Feet	Pipes
		MANUAL I
	23	Principal		16	73
	24	Oktave		8	73
	25	Principal		8	73
	26	Sologamba		8	73
	27	Doppelflöte		8	73
	28	Konzertflöte		8	73
	29	Grossgedackt		8	73
	30	Quinte		5¹/₃	61
	31	Oktave		4	73
	32	Gemshorn		4	61
	33	Rohrflöte		4	61
	34	Nasat		2²/₃	61
*	35	Oktave No 1		2	61
	36	Oktave No 2		2	61
	37	Kornett		4-5 ranks	281
	38	Gross Mixtur		5-7 ranks	378
	39	Cymbel		4 ranks	244
	40	Trompete		16	73
	41	Trompete		8	73
	42	Trompete		4	73
§	43	Tuba Magna	(from 106)	8	--
§	44	Royal Trumpet	(from 107)	4	12
			I - 4ft (foundations and reeds)
			II - I
			III - I
			IV - I
			V - I

				Feet	Pipes
		MANUAL II
		Enclosed
	45	Rohrflöte		16	61
	46	Hornprincipal		8	61
	47	Vox Retusa		8	61
	48	Hornflöte		8	61
	49	Violine		8	61
	50	Spitzflöte		8	61
§	51	Unda Maris		8	49
	52	Flûte Harmonique		8	61
	53	Hohlflöte		8	61
	54	Bordun		8	61
	55	Oktave		4	61
	56	Bachflöte		4	61
	57	Quintatön		4	61
	58	Gemshornquint		2²/₃	61
§	59	Oktave		2	61
	60	Fugara		2	61
§	61	Waldflöte		2	61
	62	Terz		1³/₅	61
§	63	Hohlquinte		1¹/₃	61
	64	Solokornett		5-7 ranks	391
	65	Mixtur		5 ranks	286
	66	Scharff		3 ranks	183
	67	Rankett		16	61
	68	Tuba Mirabilis		8	61
	69	Klarinette		8	61
	70	Bärpfeife		8	61
	71	Schalmei		4	61
			Tremolo
			I - II
			III - II
			IV - II
			V - II

				Feet	Pipes
		MANUAL III
	72	Echobordun		16	61
	73	Geigenprincipal		8	61
	74	Salicional		8	61
	75	Viola d'Amour		8	61
	76	Aeoline		8	61
	77	Voix Coelestis	(tenor c)	8	49
	78	Portunalflöte		8	61
	79	Flûte d'Amour	(bass from 78)	8	49
	80	Lieblich Gedackt		8	61
	81	Quintatön		8	61
	82	Principal		4	61
	83	Fugara		4	61
	84	Blockflöte		4	61
§	85	Oktave		2	61
	86	Piccolo		2	61
	87	Progressio Harmonica		4 ranks	244
	88	Harmonia Aetherea		3-4 ranks	232
	89	Helikon		16	61
§	90	Trompette Harmonique		8	61
	91	Oboe		8	61
*	92	Vox Humana		8	61
	93	Clairon		4	61
			Tremolo
			III 4ft
			III 16ft
			IV - III
			V - III

				Feet	Pipes
		MANUAL IV
		Enclosed
	94	Contra Gamba		16	61
*	95	Gamba		8	61
§	96	Céleste		8	61
*	97	Octave Gamba		4	61
*	98	Harmonic Flute		8	61
§	99	Wald Flute		4	61
*	100	Open Flute		2	61
§	101	Orchestral Horn		8	61
§	102	Cor Anglais		8	61
	103	Krummhorn		8	61
§	104	Orchestral Oboe		8	61
§	105	Baryton		8	61
		Unenclosed
§	106	Tuba Magna		8	61
§	107	Royal Trumpet		8	61
			Tremolo
			IV 4ft
			IV 16ft
			V - IV

				Feet	Pipes
		MANUAL V
		Walcker Fernwerk 1925, restored
		(Echo, in separate chamber)
		Enclosed
	108	Quintatön		16	61
	109	Synthematophon		8	61
	110	Principal		8	61
	111	Orchestergeige		8	61
	112	Vox Angelica		8	61
	113	Jubalflöte		8	61
	114	Nachthorn		8	61
	115	Bourdon		8	61
	116	Geigenprincipal		4	61
	117	Viola		4	61
	118	Rohrgedackt		4	61
	119	Flageolett		2	61
	120	Schwiegelpfeife		1	61
	121	Sesquialtera		2 ranks	122
	122	Kornett-Mixtur		5 ranks	305
	123	Glockenton		4-5 ranks	293
	124	Fagott		16	61
	125	Solotrompete		8	61
	126	Englisch Horn		8	61
	127	Vox Humana		8	61
	128	Hohe Trompete		4	61
			Tremolo
			V 4ft
			V 16ft
		Echo Pedal
	129	Kontrabass		16	32
	130	Violonbass		8	32
	131	Posaune		16	32
	132	Kontrafagott	(from 124)	16	--
			Echo Pedal On
		In organ loft, unenclosed
	133	Orchestercelesta	(percussion)		--
§	134	Tuba Magna	(from 106)	8	--
§	135	Royal Trumpet	(from 107)	8	--

		Accessories
		Twelve general pistons and general cancel
		Reversible foot pistons to couplers
		Drawstops for Reeds Off; Doubles Off
		Reversible pistons to Tutti I & II
		Sequencer, operating general pistons
		256 memory levels, lockable in four sections
		General Crescendo pedal, with two settings (one for 1925 stops)
		Three expression pedals, controlling swell-boxes II, III and IV/V
		Control for All swell shutters combined

		The key actions are electro-pneumatic;
		the drawstop and combination actions are electric.
		The manual compass is 61 notes; the pedal 32 notes

HARRISON & HARRISON

2006

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For further information, email Mark Venning: h.h@btinternet.com

For further information, email Mark Venning:
h.h@btinternet.com