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		A Short History of the Organ of St. Mary’s, Diss
			The Revd. Canon Gordon Paget, M.A. wrote, “After I had visited the 675 church organs in the county to collect information for my book entitled ‘The Church Organs in the ‘Diocese of Norwich and County of Norfolk’, a few of which were in the diocese of Ely and others in the small strip of Suffolk known as “Lothingland,” he visited the organ builder John W. Rayson, of Ipswich, whose factory was approached through an archway and across a yard into what seemed an old town house in a small side street. Canon Paget discovered that the original 3 manual organ had been built in 1877 by the Grandfather of John W. Rayson. A one time organist, Arthur Hemstock (d. 1924) was extremely proud of this instrument keeping a photograph on his piano and is reputed to have said, “You never saw a finer spotted metal front anywhere”! At the time Gordon Paget was organist at Wortham Church in Suffolk, he often walked into Diss to chat with the organist. Mr. Arthur. Hemstock, whose memory is commemorated by a brass plaque mounted by the present organ. A pencilled note on the console stated, “Opened 1st. November 1877; cost £360.”
			The 1877 Specification was as follows:-             GREAT SWELL CHOIR Open Diapason 8´ Double Diapason 16´ Salicional 8´ Stopped Diapason 8´ Open Diapason 8´ Lieblich Gedact 8´ Claribel 8´ Stopped Diapason 8´ Harmonic Flute 4´ Principal 4´ Dulciana 8´ Cremona 8´ Twelfth 2 2/3´ Principal 4´     Fifteenth 2´ Fifteenth 2´ Mixture III Mixture III         Trumpet 8´ Horn 8´         Hautboy 8´                 PEDAL           Open Diapaison 16´ Manual CC to G COUPLERS Bourdon 16´ Pedal CCC to F Swell to Great       Choir to Great       Great to Pedal       Swell to Pedal       Choir to Pedal
			A new 3 manual console was installed by W. & A. Boggis, of Diss in 1936. By 1974 the organ needed considerable work upon it. This was made possible through the generous provision in the will of Miss Daisy Pollard, a one time member of the church choir. At the 1974 rebuild the organ was reduced to 2 Manuals though it would seem much of the existing pipework was incorporated. The specification can be seen below.               GREAT ORGAN     SWELL ORGAN 1 Open Diapason 8´ 13 Principal 8´ 2 Stopped Diapaison 8´ 14 Salicional 8´ 3 Dulciana 8´ 15 Unda Maris 8´ 4 Principal 4´ 16 Octave 4´ 5 Twelfth 2.2/3´ 17 Gedeckt 4´ 6 Fifteenth 2´ 18 Super Octave 2´ 7 Mixture IV Ranks 19 Tierce T.C. 1.3/5´   15. 19.22.26   20 Plein Jeu IV Ranks 8 Trumpet 8´   19.22.26.29         21 Contra Fagotto 16´       22 Cornopean 8´       23 Fagotto 4´               COUPLERS       9 Great Sub Octave 24 Swell Sub-octave 10 Swell Sub-Octave to Great 25 Swell Unison Off 11 Swell to Great 26 Swell Octave 12 Swell Octave to Great   Tremulant               PEDAL ORGAN   ACCESSORIES         Thumb Pistons 27 Resultant Bass 32´   4 combinations to each manual 28 Open Wood 16´   Swell to Pedal 29 Bourdon 16´   Great to Pedal 30 Octave 8´   Swell to Great 31 Flute 8´   Toe Pistons 32 Blockflute 4´   4 duplicate comb. to Swell 33 Contra Fagotto 16´   4 combinations to Pedal 34 Fagotto 4´   Swell to Great . Reversible 35 Swell to Pedal   Swell to Pedal 36 Great to Pedal       37 Great to Pedal combinations coupled.
		Notes:
			The console is attached and in the chancel - the organist sitting with his back to the choir on the North Side. The Organ itself is in a lofty chamber and sounds towards the nave of the Church although it can be “well heard” in the chancel. During the rebuild by Denis F. Turlow Ltd. completed in August of 1974 the console was fitted with a solid state action in which the couplers were included. Much of the factory work and the structural rebuilding in the Church was carried out by P. & S. Organ Supplies Ltd. of Brandon. The tonal design, voicing and finishing were the responsibility of Mr. Denis Thurlow. Before the 3 manual organ of 1877 built by Rayson, the Revd. G. E. Alvis, who had been a curate at Diss, and later became Vicar of East Winch, bought the original 2 manual organ and installed it at All Saints Church, East Winch, a village on the A47 between Swaffham and Kings Lynn.
			Rayson Senior had already added a pedal board, pedal coupler and Bourdon. The specification of this instrument as reconstructed by Rayson was:- The 1877 Specification was as follows:-             GREAT SWELL CHOIR Open Diapason 8´ Dulciana 8´ Bourdon 16´ Stopped Diapason 8´ Stopped Diapaison 8´     Gamba 8´ Clarabella 8´ Couplers Principal 4´ Principal 4´ Swell to Great Fifteenth 2´ Horn 8´ Great to Pedal Sesquialtera III Hautboy 8´
			This in itself is a very reasonable specification but no wonder the new Rayson 3 manual organ in St. Mary’s, Diss, was so highly prized. My thanks to John Herring, the present organist who provided much of the research material allowing me to complete this article. Tony Hartley.
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