 |
| Click on images to enlarge |
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
1405 Bushwick Avenue, corner Cooper Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11207
St. Thomas Protestant Episcopal Church was organized and incorporated on June 11, 1872 as the Cooper Avenue Mission. In July 1892, St. Thomas became a parish and, as the parish continued to flourish, a parish house was built. The activities soon outgrew the structure and the present parish house was completed in November 1904.
The present church building was completed in 1915. In the church's tower is a chime of 11 chimola (hemispherical) bells cast by the Meneely Bell Foundry in Watervliet, N.Y. These unusual bells were installed in 1924 and are playable from an electric keyboard in the gallery. At the present time, only one bell is playable.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Austin Organ Company
Hartford, Conn. – Opus 592 (1915); enl. by Austin (1988)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 17 stops, 15 ranks
As originally built by the Austin Organ Company in 1915, the two-manual and pedal organ in St. Thomas Church had twelve stops and nine ranks of pipes. All pipes were installed in a chamber on the right side of the chancel, and the openings into the chancel and transept were fronted by display pipes. The console was located with the choir stalls on the left side of the chancel.
To accomodate liturgical reforms that included a free-standing altar in the center of the chancel, it was decided to move the choir and organ console to the gallery at the West end. In 1988, Austin was contracted to build an unenclosed six-rank Antiphonal division that was installed on the back wall of the gallery. Austin also built a new two-manual console to control both chancel and gallery divisions. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes
|
8 |
|
Open Diapason |
73 |
8 |
|
Viole d'Orchestre |
SW |
8 |
|
Hohl Flute |
SW |
4 |
|
Harmonic Flute |
SW |
8 |
|
Gedeckt |
SW |
|
|
|
8 |
|
Dulciana |
SW |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Swell Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
|
8 |
|
Hohl Flute |
73 |
4 |
|
Harmonic Flute |
73 |
8 |
|
Gedeckt |
73 |
8 |
|
Horn |
73 |
8 |
|
Dulciana |
73 |
|
|
Tremulant |
|
8 |
|
Viole d'Orchestre |
73 |
|
|
Antiphonal |
|
8 |
|
Viole Celeste [TC] |
61 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
|
16 |
|
Sub Bass [unit] |
44 |
8 |
|
Principal |
GT |
16 |
|
Gedeckt [ext. SW] |
12 |
8 |
|
Sub Bass |
— |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Antiphonal Organ (floating) – 61 notes [added 1960s]
|
8 |
|
Bourdon |
61 |
1 1/3 |
|
Mixture II ranks |
122 |
4 |
|
Principal |
61 |
8 |
|
Trompette [1/2 length bass] |
61 |
2 |
|
Spitz Flute |
61 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Couplers
|
| |
|
Great to Pedal 8', 4' |
|
Great to Swell 8' |
| |
|
Swell to Pedal 8', 4' |
|
Antiphonal to Swell 8' |
| |
|
Antiphonal to Pedal 8' |
|
Great 16', 4', Unison Off |
| |
|
Swell to Great 16', 8', 4' |
|
Swell 16', 4', Unison Off |
| |
|
Antiphonal to Great 8' |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Adjustable Combinations
|
| |
|
| Great Organ |
Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 (thumb) |
| Swell Organ |
Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 (thumb) |
| Antiphonal Organ |
Pistons 1-2-3-4 (thumb) |
| Pedal Organ |
Pistons 1-2-3-4 (toe) |
| Entire Organ |
Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 (thumb & toe) |
|
| |
|
|
|
Reversibles
|
| |
|
Great to Pedal (thumb and toe) |
|
Antiphonal to Great (thumb and toe) |
| |
|
Swell to Pedal (thumb and toe) |
|
Tutti (thumb and toe) |
| |
|
Swell to Great (thumb and toe) |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pedal Movements
|
| |
|
Balanced Swell Expression |
|
|
|
| |
|
Crescendo Pedal |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Sources:
Guild of Carillonneurs of North America Database: http://www.towerbells.org/data/NYBRKLTH.HTM
Ochse, Orpha. Austin Organs. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 2001.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church web site: http://saintthomasbrooklyn.org
Trupiano, Larry. Specification of Austin organ, Op. 592 (1915).
Illustrations:
AJWB Collection. Exterior.
Lawson, Steven E. Interior; Austin organ, Op. 592 (1915, 1988). |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
