St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (credit: Brownstoner.com)
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St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church

1227 Pacific Street at Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11216

Organ Specifications:
Present building (since 1890):
• IV/ Midmer-Losh Organ Company (1960)
► IV/43 Reuben Midmer & Sons (1921)
► III/37 Reuben Midmer & Son (1910)
• II/20 George Jardine & Son (1890)
First building (? - burned 1886):
• unknown


St. Bartholomew's Church began as a mission chapel of St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church. The congregation, known as St. Luke's Mission Chapel, first met in the former Bedford Congregational Church. In February, 1886, a fire destroyed most of the chapel, leaving only the chancel standing.

St. Bartholomew Episcopal Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (1908 postcard)  
Over the ruins was built a larger edifice that opened on Christmas Day, 1886. As designed by George P. Chappell, the new church was dominated by a high and wide tower of battered red brick with stone corners, with an open-sided covered porch leading from the bell tower to the nave. Several months later, in May, 1887, the mission chapel was incorporated as St. Barthlomew's Protestant Episcopal Church. Shortly thereafter, a parish hall measuring 58 by 52 feet was erected at a cost of $12,000. The new building provided accomodations for between 500 and 600 children in the Sunday school classrooms, a meeting room for the women's auxiliary, and a kitchen.

In 1890, the church edifice was extensively altered by the addition of a transept, an enlarged chancel decorated with tile and marble, and a new organ by George Jardine & Son.
               
Midmer-Losh Organ Company
Merrick, N.Y. (1960)
Electro-pnematic action
2 manuals, 20 stops


In 1960, the Midmer-Losh Company rebuilt the 1921 Reuben Midmer & Sons organ. At a later time, the organ was tonally altered. Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.
               
Reuben Midmer & Sons
Merrick, N.Y. (1921)
Electro-pneumatic action
4 manuals, 49 stops, 43 ranks


From the January 1922 issue of The Diapason:
"Reuben Midmer & Sons, Inc., have completed a large and important work in the complete reconstruction and enlargement of the organ in St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Brooklyn. This instrument now has four manuals. There is a large solo organ, and provision is made for the future installation of an echo of eight stops.

"On a basis of numerous, moderate pressure stops of delicate voicing and of the most churchly character, is imposed a solo organ of high pressure, large scale stops, arranged opposite the main organ in a case duplicating the design. The acoustic difficulties of this relatively large and nonresonant church are well met by this arrangement of the material, which, together with the projected tower organ at the rear, is expected to secure a nearly perfect distribution of the tone in all parts of the church.

"An instrument is now provided adequate for the accompaniment of the large number of musical undertakings of the parish, which in its offerings of service music, oratorio and recitals ranks with the best. The enlargement of the organ was carried out under the personal direction of Bauman Lowe."
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
61
8
   Grossflöte
61
8
   First Open Diapason
61
4
   Octave
61
8
   Second Open Diapason
61
4
   Waldflöte
61
8
   Viola di Gamba
61
2
   Super Octave
61
8
   Gemshorn
61
8
   Trumpet
61
8
   Doppelflöte
61
        
 
      
 
      
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
73
4
   Principal
73
8
   Open Diapason
73
4
   Flauto Traverso
73
8
   Stopped Diapason
73
2
   Flageolet
73
8
   Salicional
73
8
   Cornopean
73
8
   Voix Celeste
73
8
   Oboe
73
8
   Viol d'Orchestre
73
8
   Vox Humana
73
8
   Aeoline
73
     Tremolo  
 
      
 
      
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Violin Diapason
73
4
   Flute d'Amour
73
8
   Clarabella
73
4
   Violina
73
8
   Quintadena
73
8
   Clarinet
73
8
   Dulciana
73
     Tremolo  
8
   Unda Maris [TC]
61
        
 
      
 
      
Solo Organ (Manual IV) – 61 notes, enclosed [playable also on Swell and Choir]
8
   Stentorphone
61
16
   Tuba Profunda [unit]
85
8
   Flute Major
73
8
   Tuba Mirabilis
—
8
   Gross Gamba
61
4
   Tuba Clarion
—
8
   Gamba Celeste [TC]
49
     Tremolo  
4
   Rohrflöte
61
    
Cathedral Chimes
20 notes
           
Concert Harp
49 notes
               
Echo Organ (floating) – 61 notes, enclosed [console preparation]
8
   Diapason
(61)
8
   Oboe Cantante
(61)
8
   Fern Flute
(61)
8
   Vox Humana
(61)
8
   Flute Celeste [TC]
(49)
     Tremolo  
8
   Viol Aetheria
(61)
        
8
   Vox Angelica
(61)
     Echo Pedal Organ  
4
   Nachthorn
(61)
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
(32)
 
      
 
      
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Open Diapason
32
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
16
   Double Open Diapason
GT
8
   Flute [Open Diap.]
12
16
   Bourdon
32
16
   Trombone
32
16
   Violone
32
16
   Tuba Profunda
SO
16
   Dulciana
32
        
               
  Reuben Midmer & Son organ (1910) in St. Bartholomew's Protestant Episcopal Church - Brooklyn, N.Y. (photo: Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection)
 
Brooklyn Eagle photo (1911)
Reuben Midmer & Son
Brooklyn, N.Y. (1910)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 38 stops, 36 ranks








A new organ was built In 1910 by Reuben Midmer & Son of Brooklyn. The cost of this organ was $7,000. This organ was described in the June 1915 issue of The Diapason:
"Reuben Midmer & Son take special pride in the organs built by them for their home city, and one of the most prominent of these is in St. Bartholomew's church in that borough. This church is one of the more prominent in the Long Island diocese and the organ, which is a large three-manual, has attracted a great deal of attention. Midmer & Son have placed 159 organs in Brooklyn and the firm has contracts for five additional ones on hand — a record which certainly means much to any organist who reads it.

"The organ was installed in 1910, and the cost of maintenance to the church since its installation to Jan. 2, 1915, has been $112.50."
Pipecounts given below are estimated, based on other Reuben Midmer & Son organs of that era.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16
   Open Diapason
61
8
   Gross Flute
61
8
   Open Diapason
61
4
   Octave
61
8
   Open Diapason
61
4
   Wald Flute
61
8
   Viola di Gamba
61
2
   Super Octave
61
8
   Gemshorn
61
8
   Trumpet
61
8
   Doppel Flute
61
        
 
      
 
      
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
73
4
   Principal
73
8
   Open Diapason
73
4
   Flauto Traverso
73
8
   Salicional
73
2
   Flageolet
61
8
   Aeoline
73
8
   Cornopean
73
8
   Vox Celeste [TC]
61
8
   Oboe
73
8
   Viol d'Orchestre
73
8
   Vox Humana
73
8
   Stopped Diapason
73
        
 
      
 
      
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Violin Diapason
73
8
   Clarabella
73
8
   Dulciana
73
4
   Violina
73
8
   Unda Maris [TC]
61
4
   Flute d'Amour
73
8
   Quintadena
73
8
   Clarinet
73
 
      
 
      
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
   Open Diapason
44
16
   Violone
44
16
   Bourdon
44
8
   Flute [Open Diap.]
—
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
16
   Trombone
32
               
Piston Combinations
   
Great & Pedal Organs Pistons 1-2-3-4-5
Swell & Pedal Organs Pistons 1-2-3-4-5
Choir & Pedal Organs Pistons 1-2-3-4
               
George Jardine & Son
New York City (1890)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 20 stops


After St. Bartholomew's Church was rebuilt following a devastating fire in 1886, a new organ by Geo. Jardine & Son of New York City was installed in the enlarged chancel. The organ was opened on October 8, 1890 with a service under the direction of Dr. A. H. Messiter, organist of Old Trinity Church in New York City. Featured were treble soloists from the Trinity Choir, and the boy choir of St. Bartholomew's, John M. Knapp, organist. Other participants included E. D. Jardine, of St. John the Baptist in New York City; Henry Eyre Brown, of the Brooklyn Tabernacle; Dr. B. Hobson Carroll, and Edward G. Jardine, maker of the organ, who played an imitation of a thunderstorm, which he wrote to display the quality of the instrument.

Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
               
Sources:
     The Diapason (Jan. 1922). Specifications of Reuben Midmer & Sons organ (1921). Courtesy Jeff Scofield.
     The Diapason (June 1915). Specifications of Reuben Midmer & Son organ (19210). Courtesy Jeff Scofield.
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     "Reopening of St. Bartholomew's," Brooklyn Eagle (Oct. 4, 1890).
     Reuben Midmer & Sons Ledger Book. Cost of 1910 organ. Courtesy Larry Trupiano.
     "St. Bartholomew's New Organ," Brooklyn Eagle (Oct. 9, 1890).
     Stern, Robert A.M., Thomas Mellins, and David Fishman. New York 1880: Architecture and Urbanism in the Gilded Age. New York City: The Monacelli Press, 1999.

Illustrations:
     The Brooklyn Eagle photo (Dec. 11, 1911) from Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn Collection.
     www.brownstoner.com: exterior.
     eBay.com: 1908 postcard of church.