THE ORGAN

The present organ at Exeter College Chapel was completed in 1994 by J.W. Walker & Son Ltd. It retains the Chapel architect Gilbert Scott's case design and façade pipes from the previous Hill organ, but the tonal palette is inspired by French nineteenth-century instruments, in harmony with the Chapel’s aesthetic. It is also the only organ in Oxford or Cambridge to be designed in the style of the great French builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll. It employs mechanical key action and electric stop and combination action. The organ possesses a terraced console and the French playing aids ventils and tirasses, which can be used in place of conventional pistons and couplers. The organ acquits itself equally well in the works of Howells, Stanford, Bach, and Mendelssohn as in the music of Widor, Vierne, Duruflé, and Franck. The organ was fully re-conditioned in 2007 and has recently undergone further work to expand and modernise the memory capture system.

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UPCOMING RECITALS

Weekly 30 minute organ concerts take place during term on Tuesdays at 1.10 PM. Due to the national lockdown, recitals in Hilary Term 2021 will be released online on Weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8. They can be found here.

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Organ Specification

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GRAND ORGUE

Bourdon 16’
Montre 8’
Flûte harmonique 8’
Bourdon 8’
Salicional 8’
Prestant 4’
Flûte 4’
Doublette 2’
Plein jeu IV-VI
Bombarde 16’
Trompette 8’
Trémolo

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RÉCIT EXPRESSIF

Flûte traversière 8’
Viole de gambe 8’
Voix céleste (from c) 8’
Flûte octaviante 4’
Prestant 4’
Octavin 2’
Cornet II
Trompette harmonique 8’
Basson hautbois 8 ‘
Voix humaine 8’
Trémolo

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PÉDALE

Soubasse 16′
Bourdon 16′ *
Flûte 8’ *
Violoncelle 8’ *
Bourdon 8’ *
Octave 4’ *
Bombarde 16’
Trompette 8’ *
Effets d’Orage

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* from the Grand Orgue

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ACCOUPLEMENTS

Récit au Grand Orgue
Récit Octaves graves
Tirasse Récit
Tirasse Grand Orgue

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COMBINATION ACTION

Six thumb pistons each to Recit & G.O.
Six foot pistons to Récit
Six General pistons (thumb and toe)
Memory levels: 96 general, 16 divisional
Three “Advance” pistons (two thumb, one toe)
One “Retard” thumb piston

"French mode", which disables all combination action, and activates electric action ventils.