Who was Henry Willis?
Q: Who was Henry Willis?
A: Henry Willis was a British builder of pipe organs.
Q: Where and when was he born and died?
A: He was born on 27 April 1821 in London, and died on 11 February 1901 in London.
Q: What kind of organs did he build?
A: He built a very large number of organs, many of them for big cathedrals and concert halls in Britain, such as St. Paul's Cathedral, Truro Cathedral, and the Royal Albert Hall. He also built an organ for Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle. Many of the organs that he built are in other parts of the world, especially in countries that belonged to the British Empire.
Q: Why were his organs popular among organists?
A: His organs were popular among organists because they had lots of different sounds which helped to make the organ sound like an orchestra.
Q: How did he make it possible for an organist to change the combination of stops without taking their hands off the keyboard?
A: He made several inventions himself, including the thumb piston, which made it possible for an organist to change the combination of stops without taking their hands off the keyboard.
Q: How long did four generations of his family continue building organs?
A: Four generations of his family continued building organs until 1997 when Henry Willis IV retired from his firm Henry Willis & Sons Ltd., which still makes organs in Liverpool today.
