The Oratory Church of St. Boniface (Roman Catholic) 109 Willoughby Street Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201 http://www.oratory-church.org Organ Specifications: 109 Willoughby Street at Duffield Street (since 1872) ► III/32 M.P. Möller, Inc., Op. 9878 (1964); rev. (1994) ► II/17 Midmer-Losh Organ Company (1924) • William Schwartz (1874) Willoughby and Bridge Streets (1854-1872) • Henry Erben (1868) • unknown The Oratory Church of St. Boniface dates back to the early 1850s when Rev. John S. Raffeiner, Vicar-General of the Germans and pastor of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, saw the need for a new German parish. Bishop Loughlin approved the request and a new congregation was formed. Services were held in the basement of St. Paul's Church, at Congress and Court Streets, until the Germans could build their new church. A board of trustees was formed and, in 1853, the group purchased the former St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church, located on Willoughby and Bridge Streets, for the sum of $4,500. Built in 1847, the frame structure was remodeled for Catholic use and named for St. Boniface, who is known as "the Apostle to the Germans." Dedicated on January 29, 1854, this was the first parish established by Bishop Loughlin, who was the first Catholic Bishop of Brooklyn, and the only exclusively German Catholic church in Brooklyn at the time. A parochial school led by a lay teacher was established in the basement. The first pastor was Rev. Moritz Ramsauer. By the late 1860s the parish had outgrown the small frame church, and in 1867 Rev. Michael J. Decker secured two lots on Duffield Street, between Willoughby Street and Myrtle Avenue, on which he planned to build a larger and handsomer church. However, failing health prevented Father Decker from realizing his goal, but he is credited for inviting the Dominican Sisters to administer the school. It was not until May 15, 1870, under the leadership of Rev. B. Bariffi, that the cornerstone for the present church was laid by Bishop Loughlin. Designed by Patrick C. Keely (1816-1896) of Brooklyn, the church was described as being in an "early decorated Gothic" style of Philadelphia brick trimmed with Belleville and Ohio stone. The Duffield Street façade features a square tower on each side, surmounted by spires that reach 125 feet in height. There is one main entrance that leads into the central aisle. As originally built, the church had pews of ash and black walnut that provided seating for about 700 people. The high altar was constructed of pure Italian marble, and at each side were two smaller altars, one dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and the other to St. Joseph. The organ and choir were located in a gallery at the rear. The completed church cost about $60,000 and was dedicated by Bishop Loughlin on November 10, 1872. In 1990, Bishop Mugavero, seeking a permanent home for the new Brooklyn Oratory of St. Philip Neri, entrusted to them the pastoral care of St. Boniface parish. After years of extensive renewal to the buildings, the Brooklyn Oratory today provides a home for a new generation of pilgrims.
M.P. Möller, Inc. Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 9878 (1964) Electro-pneumatic key action 3 manuals, 38 stops, 32 ranks The M.P. Möller organ in the Oratory of St. Boniface was originally built in 1964 for the First Presbyterian Church in Moorestown, N.J. In 1994, the organ was purchased by the Oratory, which had it moved and revised by James A. Konzelman Organs of Maplewood, N.J. Following are the revised specifications.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes 8   Principal 61     Fourniture IV ranks 244 8   Rohrgedeckt 61 8   Trompette en chamade 61 4   Oktav 61     Great Sub   4   Flute 61     Great Unison Off   2   Spitzflöte 61     Great Super               Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Rohrflöte 61 16   Basson [ext. Oboe] 12 8   Gemshorn 61 8   Trompette 61 8   Gemshorn Celeste 61 8   Oboe 61 4   Principal 61 4   Trichter Regal 61 4   Nachthorn 61     Tremolo   2 2/3   Nazard 61     Swell Sub   2   Geigen 61     Swell Unison Off       Scharf II ranks 122     Swell Super               Positiv Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes 8   Gedeckt 61 1 1/3   Larigot 61 8   Gemshorn SW 1   Oktav 61 8   Gemshorn Celeste SW 8   Trompette en chamade GT 4   Koppelflöte 61     Tremolo   2   Principal 61                     Pedal Organ – 32 notes 16   Sub Bass 32 2   Blockflöte [ext.] — 16   Rohrflöte [ext. SW] 12     Grave Mixture II ranks 64 8   Spitzprinzipal 44 16   Basson SW 8   Rohrflöte SW 4   Basson SW 4   Spitzprinzipal [ext.] — 8   Trompette en chamade GT 4   Blockflöte 44                         Couplers (not given but suggested)     Great to Pedal 8'   Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'     Swell to Pedal 8', 4'   Positiv to Great 16', 8'     Positiv to Pedal 8'   Swell to Positiv 16', 8', 4'                 Adjustable Combinations     Swell Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb) Great Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb) Positiv Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb) Pedal Organ Pistons 1-2-3 (thumb); 4-5-6 (toe) General Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb & toe)                 Reversibles     Great to Pedal (thumb & toe)   Positiv to Pedal (thumb & toe)     Swell to Pedal (thumb & toe)   Tutti (thumb & toe)                 Expression     Balanced Swell Pedal           Crescendo Pedal
Midmer-Losh Organ Company Merrick, N.Y. (1924) Electro-pneumatic action 2 manuals, 20 stops, 17 ranks The following specifications were recorded (March 18, 1953) by Louis F. Mohr & Co., an organ service concern in the area.                 Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes 8   Open Diapason 61 4   Flute d'Amour 61 8   Geigen Principal 61 4   Fugara 61 8   Doppel Flute 61 8   Trumpet 61 8   Lieblich Gedeckt 61     Harp               Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Violin Diapason 61 2   Piccolo Flute 61 8   Salicional 61 8   Horn 61 8   Aeoline 61 8   Oboe 61 8   Vox Celeste 61     Tremolo   4   Violina 61                     Pedal Organ – 32 notes 16   Double Open Diapason 44 8   Flute [ext. Op. Diap.] — 16   Bourdon 44 8   Gedeckt [ext. Bdn.] — 10 2/3   Quint [from Bdn.] —                         Couplers     Great to Pedal 8'   Great to Great 16', 4'     Swell to Pedal 8'   Swell to Swell 16', 4'     Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'                     Adjustable Combinations     Swell Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb) Great Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb)                 Expression (not given, but suggested)     Balanced Swell Pedal           Crescendo Pedal
William Schwartz Brooklyn, N.Y. (1874) Mechanical action From the files of Louis F. Mohr, Jr., an organ service concern in the area, and a ledger book of the Midmer-Losh Organ Company, we know that in 1907 St. Boniface possessed an organ built by William Schwartz. This organ had mechanical action but its size was not indicated. A notice in the Brooklyn Eagle (Jun. 5, 1874) stated that "A New Organ will be heard for the first time" on Sunday evening, June 7, 1874. The programme opened with von Suppé's "Poet and Peasant Overture," played by Dr. Wm. Berge, and continued with vocal solos and choruses by the church choir, and concluded with the singing of "Grosser Gott wir leben dich" (Holy God, we praise thee) by the Grand Chorus and Congregation. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
Henry Erben New York City (1868) Mechanical action Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
Sources:      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.      "Dedication of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Boniface, Brooklyn," The New York Times (Nov. 11, 1872).      "Grand Sacred Concert," Brooklyn Eagle (Jun. 5, 1874).      Mohn, Louis F. & Co. Specifications (Mar. 3, 1953) of Midmer-Losh organ (1924). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.      "The New Church of St. Boniface," Brooklyn Eagle (May 16, 1870).      Oratory Church of St. Boniface web site: http://www.oratory-church.org      Trupiano, Larry. Electronic correspondence (Dec. 2, 2012) with information about the William Schwartz organ. Illustrations:      Galaxy Glass & Stone web site: http://www.galaxycustom.com. Interior showing organ gallery.

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