St. John's Lutheran Church, Perth
The pipe organs of Western Australia

Photo: Perth Daily


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Photo: Boyd Peters


Photo: Boyd Peters


Photo: Boyd Peters

Property
Name of institution	St. John's Lutheran Church
Type of institution0	Church
Street Address	16 Aberdeen Street
City	Perth
State	Western Australia
Postcode	6000
Country	Australia
Name of building	St. John's Lutheran Church
Name of room	Church sanctuary
Dates of the building	1936
Register of Heritage Places	Permanent Entry 20/05/2003
Heritage Place number	01943
Architect	R Spanney
Builder
Special architectural features and fittings	St. John’s Lutheran Church is a random coursed Darlington laterite and stucco wall construction and Marseilles tile pattern roofed church designed in the Inter-War Gothic style on the lines of an English parish church. The exterior stone came from the Fischer property at Darlington in the Perth Hills. The altar comes from the earlier church in Fitzgerald Street, Perth. The pulpit comes from the Fremantle church (now demolished)
Other location information	The Lutheran Church in Western Australia began in the 1880s when several Lutheran families migrated from the Barossa Valley near Adelaide. After worshipping in church halls and their own school, they built the tiny but striking St. John's in 1936. Situated across the road from Perth Central TAFE, in the busy Northbridge area of Perth, St John's is equally busy on Saturdays and Sundays. Apart from worship services the church also offers numerous social activities.
Name of contact
Mailing Address
Telephone	08 9227 8072
Email	St John's, Perth.
Other contact information	Church web site
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Previous organ(s)
Date of previous organ	1953
Detail of previous organ	Paul F.Hufner, builder. Up to 1953 music for services was provided by a two manual reed organ fitted with a bellows handle that was pumped by the young men of the church. At first it was situated in an organ chamber at the front of the church, later moved to the rear of the building. The Hufner organ was built from parts of a Cremona Fotoplayer from Majestic Theatre, Perth. The organ had one manual, no pedals and six speaking stops. The action was electro-pneumatic. MANUAL 8' 8' 4' 4' 2 2/3' 2' . PEDAL None .
Dates when key work has been undertaken
Dates of any moves that have taken place
Variations from original design of organ
Information on previous organ	Some parts of the organ were used in the new instrument which commenced in 1986.
Information about comparable instruments to previous organ
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Present organ
Type of installation	Freestanding
Case description	Hauptwerk, Swell and Pedal occupy a large case against the rear wall of the church. Open design of pipework. Ruckpositive is suspended from the gallery rail and protrudes into the church space.
Placement in room	Rear gallery
Builder's name	Paul F. Hufner
Opus number
Date of completion/installation	1986 - 1991
Construction materials
Number of manuals	Three (3)
Key compasses	CC-ccc
Number of keys	61
Key material
Pedal compass	CC-g
Number of pedals	32
Pedalboard type	Concave, radiating
Pedalboard material
Type of chests
Type of key action	Electro-magnetic
Type of stop action	Electro-magnetic
Couplers	Swell Octave Swell to Hauptwerk Swell to Hauptwerk Octave Positiv to Hauptwerk Swell to Positiv Swell to Posotiv Octave Hauptwerk to Positiv Swell to Pedal Hauptwerk to Pedal Positiv to Pedal
Tremulants	Swell, Positiv
Accessories	Optional keying of pedal division to Hauptwerk as an autobass.
Console type	Reversed stopkey console made of Western Australian Jarrah
Stop label material
Placement
General design
Playing aids
Divisions	Hauptwerk, Swell, Positiv, Pedal
Wind pressures
Stop list	HAUPTWERK Subbass 16' Bourdon 16' Geigend Diapason 8' Holzflote 8' Lieblich Gedackt 8' Dolce 8' Geigend Principal 4' Wald Flote 4' Twelfth 2 2/3' Fifteenth 2' Mixtur III Trumpet 8' . SWELL Weit Principal 8' Lieblich Gedackt 8' Gamba 8' Celeste 8' Octav 4' Lieblich Flote 4' Nazard 2 2/3' Fifteenth 2' Piccolo 2' Gamba 2' Larigot 1 1/3' Octavin 1' Twenty Ninth 1/2' Bassoon 16' Oboe 8' Clarion 4' . POSTIV Gemshorn 8' Koppel Flute 8' Dolce 8' Gemshorn 4' Koppel Flute 4' Dolce 4' Nazard 2 2/3' Sifflote 2' Flote 2' Dolce 2' Terz 1 3/5' Larigot 1 1/3' Octav Lein 1' Zimbel III Krummhorn 8' . PEDAL Subbass 16' Bourdon 16' Geigend Diapason 8' Bass Flote 8' Dolce 8' Principal 4' Koppel Flute 4' Twelfth 2 2/3' Flote 2' Trombone 16' Bassoon 8' Trumpet 8' Oboe 8' Krummhorn 8' Krummhorn 4' .
Total number of stops	58
Total number of ranks	14 plus two short compass mixtures
Total number of pipes	1,183
Dates when key work has been undertaken on current organ	The organ includes some pipework from the original instrument and uses some extension. The 1862 Wm Hill Trumpet rank in the Great organ came from Davey Street Congregational Church Hobart. The Trumpet was first installed at Forrest Park Methodist Church in 1961 and proved to be the basis of that church buying a new Trumpet. The rank was then refurbished and used in this organ.
Dates of any moves that have taken place to current organ
Information on current organ
Comparable instruments to current organ	Paul Hufner organs of 6 ranks built in the 1960s: St Nicholas, Floreat Park, built 1962. Wesley College, South Perth, built 1964. Wesley Church, Albany, built 1966. The organ at Aquinas College, Salter Point, was built in 1966 as a 4 rank organ and was completed as an 8 rank organ in 2018. His largest organ was of 14 ranks at St John's Lutheran Church, Perth, built in 1986 - 1991.
Assessment of organ and current status	In good condition and regular use
Other organs by this builder	There are many organs by Paul Hufmer in Western Australia. Please refer to Western Australian Organs Builders Index
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Document control	Original entries J R Elms, OAM, Gazetteer of Western Australian Pipe Organs, 1971, 1999, 2003 and 2004. This entry D B Duncan 29 December 2008. Photographs of organ and stoplist by Bruce Duncan 08 February 2009. Photograph of entire organ by Bruce Duncan 15 March 2009. Detail of the building from the Register of Heritage Places Historical information from the church web site Local information from Real Travel Additional information on Trumpet from Bob Elms 21 July 2010. Updated specification from Patrick Elms 04 January 2011.