St. Andrew's Episcopal Church - New York City (Photo: John Rust)
 

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St. Andrew Episcopal Church

2067 Fifth Avenue at 127th Street
New York, N.Y. 10035


Organ Specifications:
2067 Fifth Avenue at 127th Street (since 1890)
► III/30 Schantz Organ Company, Op. 637 (1964)
► III/21 M.P. Möller, Inc., Op. 1432 (1912)
► III/39 E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings, Op. 660 (1872) – moved
East 127th Street (Park & Lexington Aves.) (1830-1889)
Second building (1873-1889)
► III/39 E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings, Op. 660 (1872)
First building (1830-burned 1871)
• II/27 William A. Johnson, Op. 207 (1866) – burned (1871)
• Henry Erben (1830)


St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, the first Episcopal parish in Harlem, was organized in 1829 by the Rev. George L. Hinton. The first church building, erected between 1829-30 on East 127th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues, was destroyed by fire on November 18, 1871. A new church was built on the same site in 1873 to the High Victorian Gothic designs of architect Henry M. Congdon. Only 16 years later, Congdon was again hired by the congregation, this time to dismantle and move the church to a new site located two and a half blocks west. The result was a reoriented and enlarged church with a heightened tower and added clock. In 1890, a 10-bell chime was installed in the tower, built by the Meneely Bell Foundry of West Troy (now Watervliet), N.Y.; unfortunately, the bells are currently without a workable playing mechanism. In 1942, the church discontinued its practice of renting pews, thus opening the church to black parishioners, many of whom are of Caribbean descent.
           
 

Schantz Organ, Op. 637 (1964) at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church - New York City (Photo: Schantz Organ Co.)
Schantz Organ Company
Orrville, Ohio – Opus 637 (1964)
Electro-pneumatic key, stop and combination action
3 manuals, 39 stops, 30 ranks




The present organ was built in 1964 by the Schantz Organ Company of Orrville, Ohio. It is installed in an area to the left of the chancel.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, exposed (3½" pressure)
8
   Principal
61
2
   Fifteenth
61
8
   Holzgedackt
73
     Fourniture IV ranks
244
4
   Octave
61

 
Chimes
21 tubes
4
   Flute [ext.]
—

   

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed (3½" pressure)
16
   Rohrflöte
73
2
   Octavin [ext.]
—
8
   Rohrflöte [ext.]
—
     Plein Jeu III ranks
183
8
   Viola
73
16
   Trompette
73
8
   Voix Celeste [TC]
49
8
   Trompette [ext.]
—
4
   Prinzipal
73
4
   Clairon
61
4
   Harmonic Flute
61
     Tremolo  
4
   Viola [ext.]
—
        

     

     
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed (3½" pressure)
8
   Bourdon
61
2 2/3
   Nazard
61
8
   Spitzflöte
61
2
   Flute Ouverte [ext.]
—
8
   Flute Celeste [TC]
49
1 3/5
   Tierce
61
4
   Fugara
61
8
   Rohrschalmei
61
4
   Waldflöte
73
     Tremolo  

     

     
Antiphonal Organ (prepared for)
Manual – 61 notes  
  Pedal – 32 notes
8
   Festival Trumpet [chamade]
61

  4 blank knobs  
    5 blank knobs          
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
16
   Principal [unit]
44
4
   Rohrflöte
SW
16
   Subbass
32
2
   Octavin [ext.]
—
16
   Flötenbass
SW
    
Mixture III ranks
preparation
8
   Octave [ext.]
—
16
   Contre Trompette
SW
8
   Rohrflöte
SW
8
   Trompette
SW
4
   Choralbass
44
4
   Rohrschalmei
CH
           
  M.P. Moller organ, Op. 1432 (1912) in St. Andrew Episcopal Church - New York City
M.P. Möller, Inc.
Hagerstown, Md. – Opus 1432 (1912)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 30 stops, 21 ranks


On May 28, 1912, an Agreement was made between M.P. Möller and the authorities of St. Andrew's Church in which Möller agreed "to build an organ complete and ready for use on or before [the] first Sunday of October 1912 or as soon thereafter as possible." (The organ was shipped on September 27, 1912). The church agreed to pay the sum of $7,000 in installments, beginning with the removal of the present organ.

This organ was described in The Diapason (Mar. 1, 1913):

     The new $9,000 organ of three manuals takes the place of the one which, though excellent in tone, failed of effectiveness because of its unfortunate situation. The tone was not delivered into the chancel or choir space, but out through the baptistery into a transept. The choir was unable to hear the organ when singing, and was compelled to sing practically a capella. It could not see the organist, not could he see or hear the choir properly.
     The new organ had to be placed where the old one stood; consequently its construction is of a highly original order. The various expressive divisions are placed in specially built chambers of steel, terra-cotta block and concrete, with reflecting surfaces to direct the tone into the chancel. The swell organ is placed on the floor level, the pipe mouths being just even with the chancel floor, and the choir organ is played [sic] above it. This is the reverse of the usual arrangement. The great occupies a sort of shelf just in front of the choir, with a reflecting ceiling above it to carry the tone chancelward.
     The limited space available for the organ and the moderate cost for so large and important a church made the problem of the organ architect doubly difficult. W. A. Goldsworthy, organist of the church, selected the stops and accessories, and supervised the tone finish of the instrument in the church.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed with Choir
16
   Grand Bourdon (wood)
61
4
   Principal
61
8
   Open Diapason
61
4
   Flute
61
8
   Violin Diapason
61
16
   Tuba Major [8" w.p.]
73
8
   Viole d'Amour
61
8
   Tuba Harmonique [ext.]
—
8
   Doppel Floete (wood)
61
 
Chimes *
20 tubes
8
   Melodia (wood)
61
        

     

     
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed (5" pressure)
16
   Lieblich Gedackt (wood)
61
8
   Rohr Flute (wood)
61
8
   Open Diapason
61
4
   Flute Harmonique
61
8
   Viole d'Orchestra
61
8
   Oboe
61
8
   Vox Celeste
61
8
   Vox Humana
61

     

     
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Geigen Principal
GT
8
   Unda Maris [TC]
49
8
   Dulciana
GT
4
   Flute d'Amour
GT
8
   Clarabella
GT
8
   Clarinet
61

     

     
Pedal Organ – 30 notes
16
   Open Diapason (wood)
42
16
   Lieblich Gedackt
SW
16
   Violone *
30
8
   Octave Bass [ext.]
—
16
   Bourdon
GT
16
   Tuba Profundis
GT
           
* shown in The Diapason, but not contract
Couplers
    Great to Pedal   Great 4'
    Swell to Pedal   Swell 16', 4'
    Choir to Pedal   Choir 16', 4'
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'   Swell Unison
    Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'   Choir Unison
    Swell to Choir    
               
Mechanicals
    Swell Tremulant   Wind Indicator
    Choir Tremulant   Crescendo Indicator
               
Adjustable Combinations
   
Swell & Pedal Pistons No. 1-2-3
Great & Pedal Pistons No. 1-2-3
Choir & Pedal Pistons No. 1-2
               
Pedal Movements
    Balanced Swell Expression Pedal   Grand Crescendo Pedal
    Balanced Choir Expression Pedal   Great to Pedal Reversible
           
 

E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings Organ, Op. 660 (1872) in St. Andrew Episcopal Church - New York City (New-York Tribune)
   
Organ in second building on East 127th Street:

E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings Co.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 660 (1872)
Mechanical action
3 manuals, 33 stops, 39 ranks


For the church's second building on East 127th Street, a new organ was built in 1872 by E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings of Boston. This organ had mechanical action, three manuals and 33 stops. In 1889, this organ was moved to the present church building on Fifth Avenue, where it was installed in the north transept. Due to its location remote from the chancel and choir, the organ was never successful and was replaced in 1912 with a new instrument (Op. 1432) built by M.P. Möller, who took the old organ in trade. That same year Möller sold a second-hand organ (as their Op. 1436) to the Roman Catholic Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue. The contract (June 15, 1912) for this second-hand organ includes a specification of a three-manual organ having a stoplist typical of E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings of Boston. The organbuilder William Laws noted that this organ was a 3-33 with 2135 [possibly a typo for 2138] pipes, which would indicate a manual compass of 58 notes and pedal compass of 27 notes. It seems likely, but is not verified, that the organ in the Church of the Nativity was moved from St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Following is the specification of the organ installed by Möller in the Church of the Nativity.
       

 
Great Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes
16
   Double Open Diapason
58
2 2/3

Twelfth
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
2

Fifteenth
58
8
   Viole d'Gamba
58

Acuta, 3 ranks
174
8
   Doppel Flöte
58
  Mixture, 3 ranks
174
4
   Flute Harmonique
58
8
   Trumpet
58
4
   Octave
58
   
 
      
 

   
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 58 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon Treble [TC]
46
4

Flauto Traverso
58
16
   Bourdon Bass
12
4

Violina
58
8
   Open Diapason
58
2

Flautina
58
8
   Viola
58

Dolce Cornet, 3 ranks
174
8
   Stopped Diapason
58
8
   Oboe
58
8
   Quintadena
58
8
   Cornopean
58
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes
8
   Geigen Principal
58
4
   Flute d'Amour
58
8
   Dulciana
58
2
   Piccolo
58
8
   Melodia
58
8
   Clarinet
58
4
   Fugara
58
   
406
         

   
Pedal Organ – 27 notes
16
   Open Diapason
27
16

Trombone
27
16
   Bourdon
27
8

Cello
27
             
Couplers
    Swell to Great     Great to Pedal  
    Choir to Great     Swell to Choir  
    Swell to Pedal     Great Separation  
    Choir to Pedal        
             
Pedal Movements
    2 Combinations affecting Great Organ   Great to Pedal Reversible
    2 Combinations affecting Swell & Pedals      
           
Organ in first building on East 127th Street:

William A. Johnson
Westfield, Mass. – Opus 207 (1866)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 27 stops


This organ burned with the church on November 18, 1871. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
           
Organ in first building on East 127th Street:

Henry Erben
New York City (1830)
Mechanical action


Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
           
Sources:
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America web site: http://gcna.org/data/Data_Top.html
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     New-York Tribune Illustrated Supplement (Mar. 2, 1902). Courtesy James Lewis.
     "Problems Solved by a Clever Plan,"The Diapason (Mar. 1, 1913). Stoplist of M. P. Möller organ, Op. 1432 (1912).
     The Tower Bell Chimers web site: http://allchimes.com
     Trupiano, Larry. Ledger book copy of Agreement (May 28, 1912) for M.P. Möller organ, Op. 1432.
     Trupiano, Larry. Note by William Laws concerning size of M.P. Möller organ, Op. 1432 (1912).
     Van Pelt, William T., compiler. The Hook Opus List, 1829-1916 in Facsimile. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1991.

Illustrations:
     Lewis, James. M.P. Möller organ, Op. 1432 (1912).
     New-York Tribune Illustrated Supplement (Mar. 2, 1902). E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings Organ, Op. 660 (1872). Courtesy James Lewis.
     Rust, John. Exterior.
     Schantz Organ Company. Schantz Organ, Op. 637 (1964).