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BARREL ORGAN AT ROUGEMONT |
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St.Thomas' Anglican Church Rougemont has amongst its many
treasured possessions, a barrel organ. It is believed to be the only one of its kind in
working in North America. These notes and comments on the history and description of the barrel organ are taken from a letter written by the Rev. Robert Pugh, of Kingston, Ont. dated Nov. 7th 1945 and addressed to rev. Mr. Brueton. He attributes his information to Mr. Stephen Stoot, the technical director of Messrs. Casavant Brothers, St.Hyacinthe. Rev. Pugh planned to submit this information to a work to be published on 'Old Canadian Church Organs and Church Music'. The Rougemont barrel organ was built by Joseph William Walker of Tottenham Court Road, London, England in 1844.Long famed for the beauty of its diapasons and flutes, the illustrious firm of Walker has built many fine organs, including York Minster ( 1902), Bristol Cathedral (1907), and several fine cathedral in Barbados and Demerara. The firm has also rebuilt many organs, including the Rochester cathedral organ. The barrel organ in Rougemont was bought by the congregation in 1856 for the price of thirty pounds from the church in Chambly. It had apparently been sent out from England where it had served in the garrison church since 1844. A list of subscriptions for the organ included individual donations of up to 10 pounds. The organ, in its mohagany case measures 3'4" wide, 2' deep and 6' high. Music is furnished from three wooden rolls or barrels with brass pegs and staples on the barrel. Each barrel contains ten tunes making a choice of thirty possible tunes. The operator stands behind the organ and pumps an iron pedal attached to the bellows with his right foot. A crank is turned with the right hand which rotates a wooden coq holding the chosen barrel. The left hand manipulates the four stops: Open Diapason, stopped Bass, Dulciana and Principal. Each barrel is 8 inches in diameter, which gives a circumference of about 50 inches for one revolution. The tunes are pegged and stapled so as to be completed within one revolution of the barrel. The list of tunes on the three barrels give an idea of the music sung in the early Anglican Church: |
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