| Name of institution |
Santa Maria College |
| Type of institution |
Residential day college for girls |
| Street Address |
Moreing Road |
| City |
Attadale |
| State |
Western Australia |
| Postcode |
6156 |
| Country |
Australia |
| Name of building |
Chapel |
| Name of room |
Church sanctuary |
| Dates of the building |
1956
|
| Architect’s and builder’s names |
|
| Special architectural features |
Spanish mission |
| Special fittings |
Stained glass windows |
| Other location information |
When the Sisters arrived in Perth in 1846 they
opened the first Mercy school in Australia and first Catholic school in
Perth. Located on the current site of Mercedes College, Victoria
Square education was provided for both day and boarding students.
By the 1930’s demand for boarding places had increased to such an
extent that the Mercy Superior decided to build a new school in what
was then the bushland of Attadale. A competition was launched in
1936 for the design of the new College. The winning design
proposed a Spanish influence to reflect the Sisters connection and
arrival with Spanish Benedictines in 1846. The initial structure
of the College, today’s administration building without the
Chapel on the end, is in this Spanish style but war restrictions
prevented the completion of the design.
The College was officially opened on 6 February 1938 with approximately
60 boarders transferred from Victoria Square and only a handful of day
pupils. Seven Sisters of Mercy staffed the College. In the years
to follow there was a rapid expansion in residential development around
Attadale with a resulting growth in student numbers and change from
being mainly boarders to day students. This expansion in numbers
has continued to the present day with the College having 660 day
students and 152 boarders.
The main administration building in Spanish architectural style was the
initial structure. The Chapel was opened in 1956. A new
classroom block was added in 1958. The Primary School, as a
separate entity, and the four-storey classroom/laboratory block were
added in the 1960’s. The McDonald Cultural Centre and the
Library/Art/Canteen section were opened in the 1970’s. |
| Name of contact |
Alessandro Pittorino, Organist |
| Mailing Address |
|
| Telephone |
|
| Email |
cap009@optusnet.com.au |
| Other contact information |
|
| . |
|
| Date of previous organs |
None |
| Detail of previous organs |
|
| Dates when key work has been undertaken |
|
| Dates of any moves that have taken place |
|
| Variations from original design of organ |
|
| Information on previous organs |
|
| Information about comparable instruments to previous
organs |
|
| . |
|
| Present organ |
|
| Type of installation |
Free standing forward facing console. Organ built on an elevated loft, with no speaking pipes on display. |
| Case description |
Plain enclosed case |
| Placement in room |
Rear of chapel |
| Builder's name |
J.E. Dodd & Sons Gunstar Organ Works
|
| Opus number |
|
| Date of completion/installation |
1969
|
| Construction materials |
|
| Number of manuals |
Two manuals
|
| Key compasses |
|
| Number of keys |
61 |
| Key material |
|
| Pedal compass |
|
| 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 to Great, Swell to Pedal, Great to Pedal
|
| Tremulants |
Whole organ |
| Accessories |
|
| Console type |
Forward facing detached console |
| Stop label material |
|
| Placement |
|
| General design |
Organ is fully enclosed except for lowest 12 Bourdon pipes |
| Playing aids |
Balanced Swell Pedal |
| Divisions |
|
| Wind pressures |
|
| Stop list |
| GREAT |
|
|
|
| Open Diapason |
8' |
|
|
| Gedact |
8' |
|
|
| Dulciana |
8' |
|
|
| Principal |
4' |
|
|
| Flute |
4' |
|
|
| Twelfth |
2-2/3' |
|
|
| Fifthteenth |
2' |
|
|
Mixture
2 octaves - 75 pipes, extended |
III |
|
|
| . |
|
|
|
| SWELL |
|
|
|
| Gedact |
8' |
|
|
| Dulciana |
8' |
|
|
| Flute |
4' |
|
|
| Dulcet |
4' |
|
|
| Nazard |
2-2/3' |
|
|
| Flautina |
2' |
|
|
| Larigot |
1-1/3' |
|
|
| . |
|
|
|
| PEDAL |
|
|
|
| Bourdon |
16' |
|
|
| Bass flute |
8' |
|
|
| Cello |
8' |
|
|
| Quint |
5-1/3' |
|
|
| Octave Flute |
4' |
|
|
| .
|
|
|
|
|
| Total number of stops |
20
|
| Total number of ranks |
Four ranks extended |
| Total number of pipes |
330 |
| Dates when key work has been undertaken on current
organ |
|
| Dates of any moves that have taken place to current
organ |
|
| Information on current organ |
|
| Comparable instruments to current
organ |
|
| Current status |
|
| Assessment of organ |
Excellent, small voice but well balanced within itself. |
| Other organs by this builder |
|
| Photographs |
Photographs of chapel from the Santa Maria College web site
Photographs of the organs from Alessandro Pittorino |
| Technical documents |
|
| General documents |
|
| . |
|
| Supporting information |
Santa Maria College web site |
| . |
|
| Document control |
Original entries J R Elms, OAM, Gazetteer of Western Australian Pipe Organs, 1971, 1999,2003 and 2004.
This entry D B Duncan 23 November 2008.
Additional photographs from Alessandro Pittorino 22 January 2009.
Additional stoplist detail from Alessandro Pittorino 13 February 2009.
Addidional detail on the organ from Graham Devenish 28 April 2009. |
