The organ project began in 1998 when organ builder William Monaghan was engaged to rebuild the small pipe organ built in 1971 for St. Peter’s by The United States Pipe Organ Company of Pennsylvania. About 32 digital voices were added to create an organ of 44 speaking stops on two manuals and pedal and the old console was retained and reconfigured. Much of the pipe work installed in the early 1970s was poor in quality, much too loud, and harsh of tone. In 2002-2003, new pipe work was purchased to replace the worst of the old. At that time, Mr. Monaghan readjusted many of the Walker digital voices and replaced others to make the organ more effective for accompanying the choir and the congregation.
In January 2005, 26 additional stops and a new moveable three manual drawknob console in walnut to match the wood of the chancel furniture were installed and tonally finished by Bob Walker of Walker Technical.
The organ is conceived as a neo-Victorian instrument inspired by the great Victorian English organ builder Henry “Father” Willis with influences of the great organ 20th century organ builders Ernest M. Skinner and G. Donald Harrison. It is voiced principally as an instrument to accompany the Anglican service, the choir, and soloists. Because it does this well, it also is a superior concert instrument. Most of the digital voices are sampled from the work of Mr. Skinner and Mr. Harrison’s early Aeolian-Skinner organs.
The organ is fitted with a full complement of playing aids, couplers, midi, and 208 memory channels. Each manual has eight thumb pistons, the Pedal has eight toe pistons, and there are twelve general thumb and toe pistons that control the entire organ.
Except for two borrows from the Swell division into the Pedal, and the sharing of the Tuba with the Great and Choir divisions, the entire organ is independent.
The Specification
Great Division Swell Division
16' Rohrflöte 16' Echo Bourdon
8' Open Diapason 8' Open Diapason
8' Harmonic Flute 8' Stopped Flute
8' Stopped Diapason 8' Salicional
8' Gamba 8' Voix Celeste
8' Gemshorn 8' Flauto Dolce
4' Octave 8' Flute Celeste
4' Koppelflöte 4' Principal
2 2/3' Twelfth 4' Harmonic Flute
2' Fifteenth 2' Octavin
1 3/5 Seventeenth IV Plein Jeu
IV Mixture 16' Fagotto
16' Corno di Bassetto 8' Trumpet
8' Trumpet 8' Orchestral Oboe
8' Oboe 8' Vox Humana
8' Tuba (from Choir) 4' Clarion
Tremulant 8' Harp
Chimes 4' Celesta
Tremulant
Choir Division Pedal Division
16' Contre Viole 32' Contre Violone
8' Violin Diapason 32' Bourdon
8' Concert Flute 16' Open Diapason
8' Viole de Gambe 16' Open Wood
8' Viole Celeste 16' Bourdon
Choir Division, cont. Pedal Division, cont.
8' Erzahler Celeste II 16' Spitzflöte
4' Fugara 16' Soft Bourdon
4' Nachthorn 8' Octave
2 2/3' Nazard 8' Flute
2' Recorder 8' Gemshorn
1 3/5' Tierce 4' Fifteenth
8' French Horn 4' Choral Flute
8' English Horn 2' Twenty Second
8' Clarinet IV Mixture
8' Tuba 32' Contra Bassoon
Cymbelstern 16' Trombone
Tremulant 16' Fagotto (Sw.)
8' Trumpet
8' Fagotto (Sw.)
4' Clarion
4' Oboe
Chimes
