Renatus Harris (c. 1652 - 1724) was an English master organ maker in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. During the period of the Commonwealth, in the mid-seventeenth century,

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. ...

controlled the country and organ music was banned in churches. Many organ makers left England for the continent, including Harris' father, Thomas. It was while the family was living in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

that Harris was born. After the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

the family returned to England. Harris grew up in his father's business and eventually became one of the two most prominent organ builders of his generation, along with his hated rival "Father" Bernard Smith. Harris had a flair for publicity and was not above using under-hand tactics against Smith. Harris's great-grandfather,

Thomas Dallam Thomas Dallam (1575 - after 1620) was an English organ-builder. Dallam served an apprenticeship and became a member of London's Blacksmiths' Company. He travelled frequently to build organs on site, going as far as Turkey. Family Dallam was ...

, and his father, Robert Dallam, were also organ makers, as were Renatus Harris's sons, John and Renatus. John Harris was the father of Joseph Harris, a renowned harpsichord maker, who in turn was the father of English entomologist and engraver

Moses Harris Moses Harris (15 April 1730 – 1787) was an English entomologist and engraver. Life and work Harris was encouraged in entomology from a young age by his uncle, a member of the Society of the Aurelians. In 1762 he became secretary of a secon ...

. He is credited with being the first to introduce the pedals to the organ, at St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol. However, the pedalboard was an addition of one octave of pull-down pedals and not the independent pedalboard we know today. He was also famous for introducing stops to organs which imitated particular instruments - a kind of hallmark - such as trumpet, cremona, cornet, etc. Renatus Harris died at Salisbury in August or September, 1724 shortly after completing his last organ with his son John at St Dionis Backchurch in the City of London.

Organs of the Temple Church and Christ Church, Dublin

The rivalry between the two men led to the famous ''Battle of the Organs'' in 1684, when both were bidding for the contract to build the new organ for the

Temple Church The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of J ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Each erected an organ in the Temple Church and they hired prominent organists Giovanni Battista Draghi,

John Blow John Blow (baptised 23 February 1649 – 1 October 1708) was an English composer and organist of the Baroque period. Appointed organist of Westminster Abbey in late 1668,Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...

to demonstrate the superiority of their instruments. Harris lost out to Smith, but in 1697, after Smith reneged on a contract for a new organ at

Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Christ Church Cathedral, more formally The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, is the cathedral of the United Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough and the cathedral of the ecclesiastical province of the United Provinces of Dublin and Cashel in the ( ...

, Harris appositely installed the instrument which had lost there instead. Harris's organ, which was installed and maintained by John Baptist Cuvillie, and later Philip Hollister, was replaced by an organ by John Byfield in 1752. However, the Harris-Cuvillie organ which survived the 'Battle of the Organs' today survives in St John's Church, Wolverhampton.

Extant Harris organs

The most complete surviving organ by Harris is that of

St Botolph's Aldgate St Botolph's Aldgate is a Church of England parish church in the City of London and also, as it lies outside the line of the city's former eastern walls, a part of the East End of London. The full name of the church is St Botolph without Aldga ...

, built in 1702 - 1704, which is also regarded as the oldest church organ in the United Kingdom. It was restored in 2005 - 2006 by Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn, and features in the documentary ''

The Elusive English Organ Daniel Moult (born 1973) is a concert organist, educator and animateur, ensemble player and presenter of films about music. Education Daniel Moult was born in Manchester. He attended Manchester Grammar School and St John's College, Oxford, wher ...

''. Among Harris' surviving or partially surviving organs are those of

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

(1685),

All Hallows Twickenham All Hallows Twickenham is a Grade I listed church and parish of the Church of England in Twickenham, London. It incorporates the tower of All Hallows Lombard Street and is prominently south of a major road of west London, near Twickenham Stadiu ...

(1700), and the

Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors ] The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 110 Livery company, livery companies of the City of London. The Company, originally known as the ''Guild and Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London'', was founded prio ...

' Hall,

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

(1722) (Restored by

Mander Organs Mander Organs Limited formerly N.P Mander Limited was an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the organ building industry, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with the refurbishment ...

in 1966). A Harris organ at

Christ Church Greyfriars Christ Church Greyfriars, also known as Christ Church Newgate Street, was a church in Newgate Street, opposite St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. Established as a monastic church in the thirteenth century, it became a parish church af ...

, also known as Christ Church Newgate, in

was much rebuilt by

William Hill & Sons William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century. The founder William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 i ...

in 1838 to designs by

Henry Gauntlett Henry John Gauntlett (9 July 1805 in Wellington, Shropshire – 21 February 1876 in London) was an English organist and songwriter known in British music circles for his authorship of many hymns and other pieces for the organ. Biography Henr ...

and was destroyed along with the church during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

in December 1940. The organ of

St Michael, Cornhill St Michael, Cornhill, is a medieval parish church in the City of London with pre-Norman Conquest parochial foundation. It lies in the ward of Cornhill. The medieval structure was lost in the Great Fire of London, and replaced by the present bui ...

contains nine ranks from the Harris instrument of 1684.

References

* Williams, Peter F. (1961) ‘The organ in the church of St. John, Wolverhampton’, in: ''The Organ'', vol. xli, no. 161 (July 1961), pp. 8–16 * Hickman, E. P. (2003) ''A History of the Renatus Harris Organ in St John’s Church Wolverhampton'', rev. ed. Wolverhampton: St John’s Church * Boydell, Barra (ed.) (1999) ''Music at Christ Church before 1800: documents and selected anthems'' Dublin: Four Courts Press * Boydell, Barra (2000) ‘The Flourishing of Music, 1660-1800’ in: Milne, Kenneth (ed.) ''Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin: a history''. Dublin: Four Courts Press; pp. 298–314 * Boydell, Barra (2004) ''A History of Music at Christ Church Cathedral'', Dublin: Boydell Press {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Renatus 1650s births 1724 deaths Year of birth uncertain British pipe organ builders English musical instrument makers