The Church Organ
Pipe Organ ConsoleFor the first 5 years, singing in Chalmers Church was led by a precentor with a tuning fork. Only metrical psalms and paraphrased scripture passages were sung. The congregation sat for singing and stood for prayers.
In 1868, an harmonium was introduced into Chalmers. It cost £80. The harmonium bears a Medal of Honour from the Paris Exhibition of 1865
In 1900, a pipe organ ("a kist of whistles") built by Josiah E Dodd was installed to replace the harmonium. The organ cost £632 which was raised by subscription. The harmonium was sold for £20, but has since been reacquired, and is displayed near the current organ console.
In 1912, JE Dodd installed a hydraulic motor to the organ for a cost of £64. This did away with manual blowing of the organ.
This organ was subsequently sold to the Church of the Epiphany at Crafers in 1960.
The current organ installed in Scots Church started life as the 1882 Fincham and Hobday organ installed in the Flinders Street Presbyterian Church.
Following the sale of the Flinders Street Church, the organ was moved to Scots, rebuilt and installed in 1960 by JE Dodd at a cost of £3,700. In 1969 it was enlarged by JE Dodd & Sons Gunstar Organ Works.
During 1989 - 1990, the organ underwent a major restoration and enlargement by Leith Jacob, organ builder of Adelaide. New pipework was added to the front and horizontal trumpets at the back of the church. A third keyboard was added to the console.
In 1994 another 24 pipes were added, and in 2000 additions were made to the Pedal Organ, a new rank was added to the Great Organ and other improvements made.
The organ now has nearly 1900 pipes.
Pedal Organ: 13 stops
Great Organ: 14 stops
Swell Organ: 13 stops
Positiv Organ: 14 stops
Leith Jacob was apprenticed to Gordon Gunn who together with his brother Sydney were the principals of the Gunstar Organ Works. The companies of JE Dodd & Sons and Gunstar Organ Works amalgamated in 1942.
PEDAL
1. Open Diapason 16’ 30 pipes
2. Bourdon 16’ 30 pipes
3. Dulciana 16’ From No. 14
4. Quint 10?’ From No. 2
5. Cello 8’ From No. 16
6. Octave Quint 5?‘ From No. 2
7. Fifteenth 4’ From No. 16
8. Trombone 16’ From No. 50
9. Double Trumpet 16’ From No. 35
10. Trumpet 8’ From No. 35
11. Tromba 8’ From No. 50
12. Clarinet 8’ From No. 52
13. Octave Tromba 4’ From No. 50
GREAT ORGAN
14. Contra 16’ 68 pipes
15. Open Diapason 8’ 56 pipes
16. Viola 8’ 68 pipes
17. Claribel 8’ 56 pipes
18. Gedact 8’ 56 pipes
19. Dulciana 8’ 56 pipes
20. Octave 4’ 56 pipes
21. Flute 4’ 56 pipes
22. Twelfth 2?’ 56 pipes
23. Fifteenth 2’ 56 pipes
24. Mixture III 138 pipes
25. Tromba 8’ From No. 50
26. Octave Tromba 4’ From No. 50
27. Horizontal Trumpet 8’ From No. 54
SWELL ORGAN
28. Open Diapason 8’ 56 pipes
29. Viol de Gamba 8’ 56 pipes
30. Hohl Flute 8’ 56 pipes
31. Gemshorn 4’ 56 pipes
32. Flauto Traverso 4’ 56 pipes
33. Piccolo 2’ 56 pipes
34. Sesquialera II 112 pipes
35. Double Trumpet 16’ 80 pipes
36. Contra Oboe 16’ Ten C No. 38
37. Trumpet 8’ From No. 35
38. Oboe 8’ 56 pipes
39. Vox Humana 8’ 56 pipes
40. Clarion 4’ From No. 35
POSITIV ORGAN
41. Prastant 8’ From No. 16
42. Koppelflote 8’ From No. 44
43. Octave Prastant 8’ From No. 16
44. Koppelflote 4’ 56 pipes
45. Nazard 2? 68 pipes
46. Super Octave 2’ 56 pipes
47. Terz 1 3/5’ 56 pipes
48. Larigot 1? From No. 45
49. Sifflote 1’ From No. 46
50. Contra Tromba 16’ 80 pipes
51. Tromba 8’ From No. 50
52. Clarinet 8’ 56 pipes
53. Octave Tromba 4’ From No. 50
54. Horizontal Trumpet 8’ Ten C 44 pipes
TOTAL 1838 pipes
COUPLERS
Great to Pedal Swell Sub
Swell to Pedal Swell Octave
Positiv to Pedal Swell Octave to Great
Positiv to Great Great & Pedal Pistons coupled
Great to Positiv Tremulant (Swell)
Swell to Positiv
PISTONS
4 Thumb Pistons to Swell
4 Thumb Pistons to Great
5 Thumb Pistons to Positive
4 Toe Pistons to Pedal
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Scots Church is a stone Uniting Church building on the southwest corner of North Terrace and Pulteney Street in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia. It was one of the early churches built in the new city in 1850. It was built as the "Chalmers Free Church of Scotland".
History
A prominent group of immigrants to South Australia (which was only settled by Europeans from 1836) supported the Free Church of Scotland movement. This group called Reverend John Gardner from Scotland, and established "Chalmers Free Church", named after Rev. Thomas Chalmers, the first moderator of the Free Church of Scotland in 1843. Gardner arrived in the colony in March 1850. He immediately initiated buying the land on the corner of North Terrace and Pulteney Street from (then Mr.) John Morphett, appointed English & Brown as architects and builders and laid the foundation stone on 3 September 1850. He held the first service in the new building on 6 July 1851.
The cost of land and building was £2,572 against the estimate of £1,800 despite cost-saving measures which included substituting a shingle roof for slate tiles. The loan to the church, of £1,000 at 12½ p.c. interest, was guaranteed by trustees Capt. William Elder, George Young, George Elder, jun., Charles Matthew and Henry Chapman. The 120 feet (37 m) spire was added in 1858 at an additional cost of £200 and a bell, brought out from England, was donated by (later Sir) Thomas Elder.
The Presbytery of the Free Presbyterian Church of South Australia was formed 9 May 1854.
The Free Presbyterian Church, United Presbyterian Church and the Church of Scotland merged in 1865 to form one Presbyterian Church of South Australia, although a section of the Free Presbyterians led by Rev James Benny of Morphett Vale did not join the union. When the states federated in 1901, the main Presbyterian denomination in each state federated, so Chalmers Church became part of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.
Chalmers Church amalgamated with the Flinders Street Presbyterian Church congregation in 1929, with the new name "Scots Church". The Flinders Street property was eventually sold in 1956, yielding funds to build on the western side of the North Terrace property, using bluestone facings from Flinders Street. The current organ and western stained glass also came from Flinders Street.
In 1977, the majority of the Presbyterian Church of Australia joined with the Methodist and most Congregational congregations to create the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA), the denomination of Scots Church today. Scots Church minister Rev Ian Tanner was elected as the first Moderator of the UCA Synod of South Australia, and then in 1985 became the fourth President of the Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia
The Scots Church building has been on the South Australian Heritage Register since 1986, and is the second-oldest church building in the City of Adelaide.
From: Date retrieved: 9 January 2018 12:00 UTC
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