The Whispering Giant - SJ 3-2 1985

The Whispering Giant

by Pat Quinn

The Wellington Town Hall pipe organ is so enormous, the first city organist nick-named it 'Brontosaurus'. It's not as old as the dinosaurs, of course, but it is as tall as a three-storey building, and as heavy as a dozen elephants. It's over 100 years old. It was brought from England on two ships, in forty-two packing cases and, in the early 1900s it was put in to the Wellington Town Hall which had only just been built. 

Organs make sounds by having air blown through their metal pipes. There was a lot of discussion about the type of blowers to use for this organ. Some councillors wanted one type, some another. In the end, the very latest thing in organ blowers for that time was chosen – turbines driven by big electric motors. 
 
But the organ nearly didn't survive to play its first concert. When the pipes were being put in, a careless carpenter left a light bulb on and it touched the inner woodwork. The heat from the globe burned through the thin layer of wood and set fire to some packing. Fortunately, the fire was quickly discovered – there's just a scorch mark left now – and the Opening Recital went ahead in 1906 and was a huge success. 

Since then, there have been many good times. Perhaps the best times were when the Town Hall filled with people to join in community sing-alongs. The organ was designed to fill the hall with sound so that people could sing at the tops of their voices without feeling embarrassed (like singing in the shower). It can accompany large choirs for concerts and, played on its own, it's a grand and glorious musical instrument to listen to.