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Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine
(Episcopal)
Amsterdam Avenue at 112th Street
New York, N.Y. 10026
http://www.stjohndivine.org
Crypt
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| Entrance to the Crypt (1904) |
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Tiffany Altar in the Crypt (1904) |
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The Crypt was first used for services on Sunday, January 8, 1899, accomodating a congregation of 500 persons.
Its furnishings included an altar, reredos, font, lectern and five stained-glass windows (only two of them, however, being set up—the Angel of the Resurrection and the Entombment). Known collectively as "The Tiffany Chapel," the pieces were shown to millions at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and were exhibited later by the Tiffany Glass Company at their New York rooms on Fourth Avenue. Following the fair, The Tiffany Chapel was purchased by Mrs. Celia Hermoine Wallace of Chicago and presented to the cathedral in memory of her son. Three tapestries—The Last Supper, Adoring of the Magi, and The Resurrection—were given by Mrs. Elizabeth U. Cole.
The Crypt services were continued without interruption until the opening of the Choir and Crossing on April 19, 1911. |
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The Hutchings organ to left of Altar (1904) |
George S. Hutchings
Boston, Mass. – Opus 478 (c.1900)
Tubular-pneumatic action?
2 manuals, 17 stops
The first organ for the cathedral was built c.1900 by George S. Hutchings of Boston. This organ was installed in the Crypt and had two manuals and 17 stops. According to an article in The Diapason (May 1, 1912), organbuilder Arthur L. Fenton "completed an extensive addition to the case and front pipes of the organ in Synod Hall in New York City. This organ was built for the crypt of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and was used there until the opening of the cathedral." It is believed that this organ was actually moved c.1911 to the "Old Synod House," the old Leake and Watts Orphan Asylum building that had been renovated to have an assembly hall.
Specifications for this organ have not yet been located. |
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Mason & Hamlin Organ & Piano Co.
Boston, Mass. (1899)
Guilmant Model, Style 804
2 manuals, 15 stops, 559 reeds
The first organ in the Crypt was a two-manual-and-pedal reed organ built by Mason & Hamlin of Boston. Known as "The Guilmant Model – Style 804," the instrument was one of "The Liszt Church Organ" series produced by the company. The Style 804 had contained 559 reeds, "equivalent to 790 pipes in a pipe organ," and a French Renaissance-style case of quartered oak with dummy display pipes. It was hand-pumped from the right side.
Mason & Hamlin published an 1899 catalogue called "Artistic Organs" that included the above photo of their organ in the Crypt of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. |
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Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
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16 |
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Clarinet |
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4 |
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Flute |
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8 |
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Voix Celeste |
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16 |
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Corno |
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8 |
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Diapason |
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8 |
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Gamba |
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Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
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8 |
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Keraulophon |
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8 |
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Salicional |
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4 |
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Wald Flute |
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4 |
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Flute Dolce |
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2 |
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Eolian Harp |
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8 |
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Dolce Tremulant |
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Pedal Organ – 30 notes, enclosed
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16 |
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Bourdon |
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16 |
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Bourdon Dolce |
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8 |
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Violoncello |
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Couplers
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Swell to Pedal |
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Great to Pedal |
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Swell to Great |
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Octave Coupler |
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Sources:
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, pub. by the Cathedral League. New York: St. Bartholomew's Press, 1916.
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine web site: http://www.stjohndivine.org/
Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks (Third Edition). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004.
Dunlap, David. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
Gellerman, Robert. The American Reed Organ (Vestal, NY: The Vestal Press, 1973):131.
Hall, Edward Hagaman. A Guide to the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City of New York (Third Ed.). New York: The Laymen's Club of the Cathedral, 1922.
"Is Built By A. L. Fenton," The Diapason (May 1, 1912).
"Mason & Hamlin Literature," The Music Trade Review, Vol. XXIX, No. 24 (Dec. 9, 1899):9.
Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
Illustrations:
Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). Interiors and Entrance to the Crypt, 1904. Museum of the City of New York Collection.
Gellerman, Robert. The American Reed Organ (Vestal, NY: The Vestal Press, 1973) 131. Mason & Hamlin Style 804 (1899) reed organ.
Mason & Hamlin advertisement, The Missionary Herald, Vol. XC, No. 12 (Dec. 1894). |
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