New Utrecht High School - Brooklyn, NY

 
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New Utrecht High School

1601 80th Street at 16th Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11214
http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/20/K445/default.htm






More than 300 years ago - on January 16, 1657, to be exact - nineteen Dutch settlers founded the town of New Utrecht, named after the city of Utrecht in Holland, from which their leader came. It was from this early colony that New Utrecht High School received its name. The school was established in 1915, an offshoot of Bay Ridge High School, which up to that time had been coeducational. With the creation of New Utrecht High School, Bay Ridge became a school for girls only, while New Utrecht was an all-boys school. The first home of the school, which had a population of 350 boys, was a wooden building on 86th Street near Eighteenth Avenue.

Although the first graduating class had only sixteen boys, the growth in student population was rapid. In November 1924, the present building on Eightieth Street and Sixteenth Avenue was opened, with a student body of about 2,300, and in February of the next year girls were admitted for the first time. In the next few years, the school continued to grow, until it consisted of a main building and four annexes, comprising a total of nearly 11,000 boys and girls. This was the largest student body in the entire world.

Notable alumni include actor Jerry Ferrara; opera singer Robert Merrill; comedian Buddy Hackett; musician Tony Visconti; drummer Carmine Appice from the rock group Vanilla Fudge; record executive David Lawrence Geffen; writer Barbara Grizzuti Harrison; entrepreneur Mel Kowal; playwrights Abe Burrows, Cy Feuer (of Feuer & Martin, the producers of Guys & Dolls, Silk Stockings and other Broadway hits); choreographer Michael Kidd; youngest Emmy award-winning journalist Amanda Perez; Arnold Stang; Angelo Venuto and FOX 5 news anchor Rosanna Scotto.
               
M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 4489 (1926)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 38 stops, 31 ranks


In January 1925, the M.P. Möller company received a contract to build seven identical organs for high schools in the boroughs of New York City. High Schools receiving the new organs included Julia Richman (Op. 4485) and George Washington (Op. 4486) in Manhattan; and Thomas Jefferson (Op. 4487), Girls' Commercial (Op. 4488), New Utrecht (Op. 4489), and James Madison (Op. 4491) in Brooklyn; and Flushing High School (Op. 4492) in Queens.

The Möller organ in the auditorium of New Utrecht High School was the fifth of the seven organs to be installed, and it had a three-manual stop-key console. Wind pressure for the organ was 5 inches, except for the 16' Tuba, which was on 10 inches. The status of this organ in 2007 is unknown.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed with Choir except as noted
8
   Major Diapason *
73
8
   Clarabella
73
8
   English Diapason *
73
4
   Harmonic Flute
73
8
   Gamba
73
4
   Octave
73
8
   Gross Flute
73
8
   Tuba
73
8
   Dulciana
CH
    
* unenclosed
 
      
 
      
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
73
2
   Flautino
73
8
   Open Diapason
73
     Dolce Cornet III ranks
—
8
   Stopped Flute
73
          [derived from 2' Flautino]  
8
   Salicional
73
8
   Oboe
73
8
   Vox Celeste [TC]
61
8
   Cornopean
73
8
   Aeoline
73
8
   Vox Humana [sep. box & trem.]
61
4
   Rohr Flute
73
     Tremulant
4
   Gambette
73
        
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed with Great
16
   Contra Dulciana
85
2
   Piccolo [Harmonic]
61
8
   Geigen Principal
73
8
   Clarinet
73
8
   Concert Flute
73
8
   English Horn
73
8
   Dulciana [ext.]
—
     Tremulant  
8
   Viol Celeste
73
    
Concert Harp
49 bars
4
   Flute d'Amour
73
        
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Resultant
—
8
   'Cello
32
16
   Open Diapason
32
8
   Flute [GT Gross Flute]
GT
16
   Bourdon
32
16
   Tromba [ext. GT]
12
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
        
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal 8', 4'       Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'  
    Swell to Pedal 8', 4'       Great 16', 4'  
    Choir to Pedal 8', 4'       Swell 16', 4'  
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'       Choir 16', 4'  
    Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'          
               
Piston Combinations (Adjustable at Organ Bench and Moving Registers)
   
Swell Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5 (thumb)
Great Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb)
Choir Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb)
Pedal Organ Pistons 1-2-3 (thumb)
Full Organ Pistons 1-2-3-0 (toe)
               
   
When operating Pedal Pistons all stop action must automatically be cancelled (without affecting the position of the stop registers) thereby allowing the performer to prepare in advance while playing any combination desired which may be brought into operation at the desired moment by pressing Release Pistons.
               
Pedal Movements
    Balanced Swell Pedal   Great to Pedal Reversible
    Balanced Choir and Great Pedal   Crescendo-Sforzando Pedal
               
Accessories
1.
   Swell Tremulant  
2.
   Choir Tremulant  
3.
   Wind Indicator  
4.
   Crescendo Indicator  
5.
   Electric Action Generator  
6.
   Electric Motor & Rotary Blower  
7.
}
    
8.
}
 Indicator Lights for Pedal Pistons  
9.
}
    
10.
   Organ Bench with Music Shelf  
                 
Sources:
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     New Utrecht High School web site: http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/20/K445/default.htm
     Trupiano, Larry. Factory Specifications (Jan. 14, 1925) for M.P. Möller organ, Op. 4486.

Illustration:
     New Utrecht High School web site. Exterior.
                 
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