Updates for July 2025

31 July 2025

Updates to The Pipe Organ in China Project Website for July 2025:

We received an email from Prof. Michael Bechtel, regarding a photo we had linked to KMG1920, showing the old Roman Catholic church in Kunming, where the Project believes this instrument was installed. Prof. Bechtel explained that he is taking down his old website, but kindly sent us the scan of the photo which is now on the POCP page for KMG1920. We are very grateful to him for his consideration. 

Another interesting development this month came with the discovery of an obituary of the British organ builder, William Charlton Blackett, who contributed so much to the history of the organ in the 20th C in Hong Kong. This was published in the Hong Kong Telegraph on 27 June 1941, and states that Blackett built organs “in Macau, Manila, and Canton” in addition to his Hong Kong instruments. This was certainly news to us. The Canton (Guangzhou) instrument meant here is probably HKG1927c, the ‘orgapian’ built for the Queen’s Theatre, later sold when talkies came in to a church in Guangzhou. As to Manila, it is doubtful that Blackett would have built any organ there, but may well have been asked to visit from time to time to service instruments, such as the large 3-manual 1908 Walker organ in the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Mary and St. John, sadly destroyed in the bombing of Manila in 1945. As to Macau, this is certainly intriguing. Prof. Urrows is looking into the possibility that this may have been the ‘organ’ said to have been in the Morrison Chapel in Macau at the time of its dedication in 1922. Up until now, we have assumed this was a harmonium.

Also from Macau comes word of not one, but two organ installations. The vintage Walker organ for St. Lawrence Church appears to be on schedule for arrival in October. And in August, the long-delayed installation of Casavant op. 3925, originally planned for 2018, will finally get underway. This IV/54 organ, designed in a French Romantic style, is expected to be used for the first time in December. All good things come to them that wait!

Finally, the page for FCW2025 has been updated. 

Organs in the Census: 213

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