Bureau organ
Dateca. 1760
Artist/Maker
Adcock & Pether
OriginEngland, London
MediumMahogany: case veneer;
Oak: Pipe stopper handles, rack boards, wind-chest, sliders, table, key frame;
Softwoods: case substrate, pipes, bellows boards, bellows ribs, grid dividers, pallets, case secondary woods, stickers;
Ebony: sharp sides;
Ivory: natural tops, sharp centers, key fronts, stop knobs;
Iron: pumping mechanism, balance pins, front pins;
Brass: case handles, lock escutcheons, pallet springs;
Lead alloy: metal pipes, bellows weight, tuning flaps
DimensionsOverall: 22 × 48 × 48in. (55.9 × 121.9 × 121.9cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1958-260,A
DescriptionCASE DECORATION: The case of this organ is in the form of a bureau. It has mahogany veneer with locking panels on the front and side which can be opened for more volume. Wide strips of veneer outline the front and the keyboard section (which can be folded closed). The brass handles on the sides permit the upper chest, including the wind-chest, key action, stop action, and pipes, to be lifted off the lower section of the case containing the wind system. A modern dolly fitted to the organ has casters and sliding foot supports.KEYWELL: The keywell of this instrument folds down, revealing four draw knobs (labeled: “Mixture”, “Stop Diap”, “Fifteenth,” and “Flute”). The maker’s name is inscribed on a rectangular panel on the nameboard. A knob on a rod between the keyboard and the right stop knobs rises and falls with the reservoir to indicate the supply of wind.
INTERNAL NOTES: The lid and slanted desk can be raised to two positions to allow more sound.
COMPASS: C–e3
OCTAVES: 4 oct. + 4 notes (53 keys).
STOPS: The instrument has four draw knobs. The left two draw knobs are for two-rank quint mixture (metal pipes) and stopped diapason 8-foot (wood pipes); the right two draw knobs are for flute 4-foot (wood pipes) and fifteenth 2-foot (wood and metal pipes). The pedal for machine stop removes mixture and fifteenth.
Inscription(s)"Abraham Adcock and John Pether Londini Fecit" in ink on batten over keyboardProvenanceFrom collection of London-based organist Geraint Jones, who sold it to CWF in 1958
1782
