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Centenary Celebration for Emmanuel

Centenary Celebration for Emmanuel

Date: 2012-04-25
A large crowd of music lovers flocked to Durban's Emmanuel Cathedral on 17 April 1912 eager to hear the first recital on the new organ, filling the church long before the starting time of 7.30p.m.

About 300 people attended the lunch hour organ recital to celebrate the centenary of the Emmanuel Cathedral organ. The hour long programme of beautiful organ music was performed by five of the city's fine organists Over the past one hundred years this organ has added splendour and dignity to countless liturgical celebrations and special events including the consecration of the Cathedral in 1939, the consecration of 31-year old Bishop Denis Hurley in 1947, many special celebrations during the Marian Congress of 1952, the installation of Archbishop (now Cardinal) Napier in 1992, the burial of Archbishop Hurley in 2004 and the centenary of the Cathedral in the same year.

The organ has survived "being rebuilt and converted to electric action" in the early 1950s, and being put out of action when an electric storm in late 2010 totally destroyed the computers in the console and the organ itself. A slow process of replacing various parts with spares flown out from Germany as well as insurance complications, caused a delay of nearly eight months, according to Pretoria organ builder, Joop Admiraal.

Described as an English Romantic organ it took six months to build in the Abbott and Smith factory in Leeds, England. Before it was dismantled and packed for the long sea voyage to Durban, it was tested by Dr RR Terry of Westminster Cathedral who did some final overhauling before endorsing its readiness for Durban's Cathedral.

Former cathedral and city organists were in the audience and were acknowledged.

Over the past one hundred years this organ has added splendour and dignity to countless liturgical celebrations and special events.