Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church (c.1960) - Brooklyn, N.Y. (Brooklyn Public Library)
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Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel
(Roman Catholic)

915 Putnam Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11221


Organ Specifications:
Present building (since 1891)
► III/16 Geo. Kilgen & Son, Op. 3872 (1927)
• II/22 Henry Erben (1836); inst. (1891)
First building (1886-1891)
• unknown


The Parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel was established in 1886 by Bishop Loughlin, who asked the Rev. Eugene P. Mahony to serve as its first pastor. A temporary frame church was soon erected on Madison Street, under the guidance of Father Mahony, who had a practical knowledge of several mechanical trades and contributed much of the manual labor. The first Mass was celebrated for 500 persons on Rosary Sunday, October 3, 1886. Following the completion of the church, a temporary school was opened, under the care of the Sisters of St. Joseph.

In a few years, plans were made to erect a permanent church building. Designed in the Gothic style, the structure was built of dressed Norwegian granite that had served as ballast for a Norwegian vessel. Upon hearing about the granite, Father Mahony visited the Brooklyn dock and secured the stone at a nominal price. On July 6, 1890, the cornerstone for the new church was laid by The Very Rev. Michael May, Vicar General, and the completed church was dedicated by Bishop Loughlin on October 4, 1891. A new school had been opened the previous month, in September 1891. Father Mahony died at the age of 48 on January 26, 1901, reportedly "a victim of devotion to his people." He was succeeded by the Rev. James J. Durick, who completed the decorations of the interior of the church, and built a $100,000 school for the girls of the parish. The old school building was then used exclusively for boys.

A chime of bells, costing $35,000, was placed in the belfry in honor of Father Durick. In 1922, the chime was enlarged to 22 bells by the Paccard Foundry of France. The frame contained room for a Bourdon bell (bell #23) that would have qualified the instrument as a carilon.

In 2006, Our Lady of Good Counsel was merged into the Church of St. John the Baptist.
               
Geo. Kilgen & Son
St. Louis, Mo. – Opus 3872 (1927)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 32 stops, 16 ranks


The following specifications were recorded (June 1, 1998) by Larry Trupiano, of Mann & Trupiano, Brooklyn.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed with Choir
8
   Open Diapason
73
8
   Dulciana
CH
8
   Double Flute
61
4
   Octave [ext.]
—
8
   Viol d'Gamba
61
4
   Flute
CH
8
   Melodia
CH
8
   Tuba
61
               
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon [unit]
97
8
   Aeoline
73
8
   Violin Diapason
73
4
   Flute d'Amour [ext.]
—
8
   Stopped Diapason [ext.]
—
4
   Violina [ext.]
—
8
   Quintadena (Syn.)
—
2
   Flautino [ext.]
—
8
   Salicional
73
8
   Vox Humana
73
8
   Voix Celeste [TC]
61
     Tremolo  
               
Choir Organ(Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bass Flute [unit]
97
2
   Piccolo [ext.]
—
8
   Violone Cello
61
8
   Clarinet
61
8
   Melodia [ext.]
—
8
   Syn. Oboe [Cello + Dolce]
—
8
   Dolce
61
  Tremolo
4
   Flute [ext.]
—
   
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes (5" pressure)
16
   Sub Bass
32
8
   Violone Cello
CH
16
   Bourdon
SW
8
   Dolce Flute [ext.]
—
16
   Lieblich
44
     
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal 8'   Swell to Choir 8'
    Swell to Pedal 8'   Great to Great 16', 4', Unison Off
    Choir to Pedal 8'   Swell to Swell 16', 4', Unison Off
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'   Choir to Choir 16', 4', Unison Off
    Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'    
               
Adjustable Combinations
   
Swell & Pedal Pistons 1-2-3-4
Great & Pedal Pistons 1-2-3-4
Choir & Pedal Pistons 1-2-3-4
               
Pedal Movements
    Balanced Pedal – Great/Choir   Great to Pedal Reversible
    Balanced Pedal – Swell   Sforzando (hitch-down)
    Crescendo Pedal    
             
Henry Erben
New York City (1836) – installed (1891)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 22 stops


The original organ in Our Lady of Good Counsel Church was a second-hand instrument, as described in the Brooklyn Eagle (Sep. 27, 1891):


     The organ in this church was used in St. James', New York, until displaced by a larger instrument.
Although three New York City churches named for St. James (Lutheran, Episcopal, and Catholic) installed larger organs about this time, it seems likely that the organ in Our Lady of Good Counsel came from St. James Catholic Church in Lower Manhattan. Built in 1836 by Henry Erben of New York City, it was described in the 1861 American Musical Directory as having "2 banks keys, 22 stops, 1¼ octaves pedals." Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.

Another article in the Brooklyn Eagle (June 16, 1902) names C. Brandrup as the builder, but it seems more likely that Brandrup moved the organ, perhaps with alterations. Brandrup was known to be a pipemaker (c.1855) for Henry Erben of New York City, and by 1899 had established his own firm in Brooklyn. In 1903, he sold his firm to Reuben Midmer & Son of Brooklyn, after which he was active as a consultant.


A CAT INSIDE THE ORGAN

Strange Sounds Disturbed Worshippers
in Catholic Church Yesterday
     During the 9 o'clock mass at the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Putnam, near Ralph avenue, yesterday morning, the services were interrupted several times and the worshippers were startled by weird sounds emanating from the large organ. At times feline cries of anguish were heard, but they were nothing to the ghostly sounds that reverberated throughout the edifice from the crossed action of the organ.
     It became so terrifying that a messenger was dispatched for C. Brandrup, the builder of the organ. He reached the church before the last mass and promptly began an investigation. It was a long and tiresome search, but he finally succeeded in yanking out a well developed cat that had worked its way into the most intricte part of the organ and played havoc with the action.
               
Sources:
     "A Cat Inside the Organ," Brooklyn Eagle (Jun 16, 1902).
     "A New Organ," Brooklyn Eagle (Sep 27, 1891).
     All Chimes web site: www.allchimes.org. Statistics on the Chime at Our Lady of Good Counsel.
     American Musical Directory. New York: Thomas Hutchinson, 1861.
     The Catholic Church in the United States of America: Undertaken to Celebrate the Golden Jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X, Vol. III. New York: The Catholic Editing Company, 1914.
     "Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel," Brooklyn Eagle (Jul 7, 1890).
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     Trupiano, Larry. Specifications (June 1, 1998) for Geo. Kilgen & Son organ, Op. 3872 (1927).

Illustrations:
     Brooklyn Collection, Brooklyn Public Library. Exterior (Brooklyn Eagle (196_).