Organ
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About
Most Holy Redeemer - Nativity parish is extremely blessed to have a unique and historic pipe organ, but it is currently unplayable due to years of neglect. Please help us restore it! If you are interested in donating or supporting this project in any way, please contact Music Director Clara Gerdes Bartz: clara.b.gerdes@gmail.com
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HistorYAll information courtesy of NYC American Guild of Organists.
1857 Engelfried Organ
The first known organ for Most Holy Redeemer Church was built in 1857 by Francis (Franz) Xavier Engelfried (1805-1881), a native of Württemberg, Germany, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1853. Engelfried was active in New York City from 1853-1875. His sons Albert and Charles were also organbuilders, and both were employed as voicers for the Roosevelt Organ Works in New York.
The American Musical Directory of 1861 shows that the organ in this church had "2 banks keys, 32 stops, 2 octaves pedals, 7 pedal speaking stops" and was "Built by F. Engelfried, in 1857."
Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.
1891 Roosevelt Organ
In 1891, a new organ having two manuals and 29 stops was built by Frank Roosevelt of New York City. The exact specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
However, Hilborne L. Roosevelt, founder of the company and Frank's brother, advertised a "Style 39" that was a stock model with two manuals and 29 stops. Style 39 is very similar to the stoplist found on the Great, Swell and Pedal divisions as rebuilt in 1911 by A. L. Fenton, although the existing Roosevelt manual chests have 61 instead of 58 notes. Following is the specification of Style 39 (as published in 1888 by Hilborne L. Roosevelt):
Great Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes, partially enclosed with Swell 16 Double Open Diapason 58 4 Octave 58 8 Open Diapason 58 4 Flute Harmonique 58 8 Viola di Gamba 58 2 2/3 Octave Quint * 58 8 Dulciana 58 2 Super Octave * 58 8 Concert Flute [1-12 fr. Dop.Fl.] 46 Mixture, 3 & 4 ranks * 196 8 Doppel Flöte 58 8 Trumpet * 58 * enclosed within the Swell-box Swell Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed 16 Bourdon 58 4 Hohl Flöte 58 8 Violin Diapason 58 2 Piccolo Harmonique 58 8 Spitz Flöte 58 Cornet, 3, 4 & 5 ranks 242 8 Dolce 58 8 Cornopean 58 8 Vox Celestis [TC] 46 8 Oboe 58 8 Stopped Diapason 58 8 Vox Humana 58 4 Gemshorn 58 Tremolo Pedal Organ – 30 notes 16 Open Diapason 30 10 2/3 Quint 30 16 Bourdon 30 8 Violoncello 30 Couplers Swell to Great Swell to Pedal Swell to Great 8ves Great to Pedal Mechanical Accessories Swell Tremulant Eclipse Wind Indicator Bellows Signal Pedal Movements Great Organ Forte Great to Pedal Reversible Coupler Great Organ Piano Balanced Swell Pedal Swell Organ Forte Swell Organ Piano
1911/1913 Fenton OrganIn 1911, Arthur L. Fenton of New York City rebuilt and enlarged the 1891 Roosevelt organ. An article in The Diapason (May 1912) announced this work as follows:
"The new organ at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, New York City, was used for the first time since its completion Saturday evening, April 6, with the organist and choirmaster, Alfonse J. Weiss, officiating.
"This organ was built by Arthur L. Fenton, successor to the late Charles Maier, at the Maier factory, 3636-3638 Park avenue, New York, and is a three manual with electric action and thirty-nine speaking stops. The great organ has eleven stops, the swell thirteen, the choir eight and the pedal seven, besides the gedackt borrowed. There are fourteen couplers, fourteen [sic] combination pistons and a total of 2,760 pipes. The wind is supplied by an Orgoblo located in a disused spiral staircase."Fenton reused most if not all of the 1881 Frank Roosevelt organ, Op. 504, including chests, pipes, and the console shell and bench. The drawknobs were replaced with colored stopkeys: white for labials, red for reeds, and robin's egg blue for tremolos. A new 32-note concave and radiating "A.G.O." pedalboard was installed, although Fenton did not add pipes for the top two notes.
The organ received attention or was rebuilt again in 1938 by the Fenton Organ Co. of Nyack, N.Y., as re-established about 1932 by Arthur L. Fenton after he dissolved his partnership with Robert H. Clark in Clark & Fenton of Nyack.
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, partially enclosed with Choir 16 Major Diapason * 61 4 Octave 61 8 Open Diapason * 61 2 Wald Flote 61 8 Gamba 61 Cornet III-IV ranks 196 8 Doppel Flote 61 Mixture V ranks 305 8 Flute Harmonic 61 8 Trumpet 61 4 Flauto Traverso 61 * unenclosed Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 16 Bourdon 61 4 Flute Harmonic 61 8 Open Diapason 61 2 Flautino 61 8 Stopped Diapason 61 Mixture III ranks 183 8 Salicional 61 8 Cornopean 61 8 Vox Celestis [TC] 49 8 Oboe 61 8 Viol d'Orchestre 61 8 Vox Humana 61 4 Gemshorn 61 Tremolo Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed 8 Geigen Principal 61 4 Flute d'Amour 61 8 Concert Flute 61 2 Piccolo Harmonic 61 8 Dolce 61 8 Clarinet 61 8 Quintadena 61 Tremolo 4 Violina 61 Pedal Organ – 30 notes (32-note pedalboard) 16 Open Diapason 30 10 2/3 Quint 30 16 Violon 30 8 Violoncello 30 16 Bourdon 30 8 Flute 30 16 Lieblich Gedeckt SW 16 Trombone 30 Couplers Great to Pedal 8' Choir to Great 16', 8' Swell to Pedal 8', 4' Swell to Swell 16', 4' Choir to Pedal 8' Swell to Choir 8' Swell to Great 16', 8', 4' Choir to Choir 16', 4' Adjustable Combinations (by setterboard inside console) Swell Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5 & Cancel Great Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 & Cancel Choir Organ Pistons 1-2-3 & Cancel Pedal Movements Great to Pedal Reversible Balanced Great & Choir Pedal (mechanical) Balanced Swell Pedal (mechanical) Crescendo Pedal
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