English family of organ builders.
(3) Thomas Dallam, Sieur de la Tour
(7) Marc-Antoine [Mark Anthony] Dallam
E.J. Hopkins and E.F. Rimbault: The Organ: its History and Construction (London, 1855, 3/1877/R)
H. Stubington: ‘The Dallams in Brittany’, The Organ, xix (1939–40), 81–7, 118–27
W.L. Sumner: The Organ: its Evolution, Principles of Construction and Use (London, 1952, rev, enlarged 4/1973/R)
S. Mayes: An Organ for the Sultan (London, 1956)
C. Clutton and A. Niland: The British Organ (London, 1963/R, 2/1982)
S. Bicknell: ‘English Organ-Building 1642–1685’, JBIOS, v (1981), 5–22
M. Cocheril: ‘The Dallams in Brittany’, JBIOS, vi (1982), 63–77
B. Mathews: ‘The Dallams & the Harrises’, JBIOS, viii (1984), 58–68
J. Harper: ‘The Dallam Organ in Magdalen College, Oxford’, JBIOS, ix (1985), 51–64
B. Mathews: ‘Thomas Dallam at Norwich Cathedral’, JBIOS, x (1986), 102–112
J. Harper: ‘The Origin of the Historic Organ at Stanford-on-Avon: Connections with Magdalen College, Oxford, and the surviving Dallam Case at Tewkesbury Abbey’, Organ Yearbook, xxiii (1992), 37–69
S. Bicknell: The History of the English Organ (Cambridge, 1996)
STEPHEN BICKNELL/MICHEL COCHERIL
(b Lancashire, c1575; d after 1629). In 1599–1600 he travelled to Constantinople with a mechanical organ-and-clock for the Sultan, described in the state papers as ‘a Great and Curious present … which will scandalise other nations’. Dallam’s Turkish diary was published by the Hakluyt Society in 1893 (partly reproduced in Mayes (1956); see also Barrel organ). On his return to England he established an unrivalled reputation, building new organs at King’s College, Cambridge (1605–6; see Hopkins and Rimbault); Norwich Cathedral (1607–8) St George’s Chapel, Windsor (1609–10); Worcester Cathedral (1613, to the scheme of Thomas Tomkins); Eton College (1613–14); Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh (c1615, case by Inigo Jones); St John’s College, Oxford (c1617); Wells Cathedral (1620); Wakefield Cathedral (1620); Durham Cathedral (1621); and Bristol Cathedral (1629, with (2) Robert Dallam).
(b 1602; d Oxford, 31 May 1665). Son of (1) Thomas Dallam. Like his father, he dominated English organ building during his lifetime. In 1642, being a recusant Catholic (he described himself as ‘organist to the Queen of England’, meaning Queen Henrietta Maria), he escaped with his family to Brittany, and worked there until 1660, when he returned to England. He submitted an ambitious French-style scheme to New College, Oxford, in 1661, and though a smaller organ was in fact built, his French experience coloured English organs for the next 80 years. He built organs at York Minster (1632–4); Magdalen College, Oxford (c1632, played by John Milton; case and some pipes moved to Tewkesbury Abbey and Stanford-on-Avon, c1737); Jesus College, Cambridge (1634–8); St John’s College, Cambridge (1635–8); Lichfield Cathedral (1639); Gloucester Cathedral (1640–41); Quimper Cathedral (1643–8, three organs); Plestin-les-Grèves (1653); Saint Jean du Doigt (1654); Lesneven (1654); Saint Pol-de-Léon Cathedral (1658–61, with (3) Thomas Dallam); St George’s Chapel, Windsor (1660–61); Eton College (1662–3); and New College, Oxford (c1663). The last three were built with (4) Ralph Dallam and (5) George Dallam. His daughter Katherine married the organ builder Thomas Harrisson (or Harris), their son Renatus becoming particularly well known (see Harris).
(b England, c1635; d Brittany, after 1720). Son of (2) Robert Dallam. After his father’s return to England in 1660 he maintained the family’s reputation in Brittany, where the cases of ten Dallam organs survive. He built organs at Daoulas (1667–9); Locronan (1671–2); Ergué-Gaberic (1680); Sizun (1683–4); Pleyben (1688–92); Landerneau (1690–94); Brest (1694–6); Rumengol; Morlaix; Ploujean; Guimiliau; and Guipavas. The organ in Daoulas Abbey was thought as late as 1790 to be one of the best in north-west France.
(d London, 1673). Son of (1) Thomas Dallam. He probably made the pipes for his father’s organ at New College, Oxford, in 1663. Organs built by him or his brother (5) George Dallam include those at Norwich Cathedral (1664); Norton by Galby (1664); and St Augustine, Hackney (1665). He also began work on the instruments at St Alfege, Greenwich (1672), and Christ’s Hospital, London (1672), which were completed after his death by his partner, the harpsichord maker James White.
(d 1685). Son of (2) Robert Dallam. He built the organs at Durham Cathedral (1662) and Dulwich College (1668–9). He built no new organs after his brother’s death.
(b Saint Pol-de-Léon, 1659). Son of (3) Thomas Dallam. He assisted his father in the repair of organs in Brittany. On the death of his uncle (5) George Dallam he went to England to finish work at Dulwich College.
(b Daoulas, 1673; d York, 1730). Son of (3) Thomas Dallam. He arrived in England about 1710, probably undertaking tuning and maintenance for his cousin Renatus Harris. He built new organs at Whitchurch (1730) and Southwell Minster (chair organ, 1730).