Church of St. Ignatius Loyola - New York City

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Church of St. Ignatius Loyola
(Roman Catholic)

980 Park Avenue at 84th Street
New York, N.Y. 10028
http://www.stignatiusloyola.org/


Organ Specifications:
980 Park Avenue at 84th Street (since 1884):
• I/ Klop Orgelbouw – Continuo
► IV/91 Mander Organs (1991)
• III/13 Rodgers Instruments hybrid (1977)
• III/80reg Hook & Hastings Co., Op. 2326 (1913)
• II/20reg Hook & Hastings Co., Op. 2302 (1912)
• III/51 Hook & Hastings Co., Op. 1710 (1896)
East 84th Street between 4th & 5th Avenues (1854-1884)
• Henry Erben (1847)


Church of St. Ignatius Loyola - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)  
The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola was founded in 1851 as the Church of St. Lawrence O'Toole. Its first building, of Romanesque design, was built in 1854 on East 84th Street between Fourth (Park) and Fifth Avenues. In 1866, administration of the church was passed to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Three decades later, construction began on a new Gothic Revival church at the present location on Park Avenue, but only the lower church was completed in 1884. Plans for the upper church were changed to an Italian Renaissance-style basillica as designed by Schickel & Ditmars. The twin towers were to have four-tiered steeples, but this plan was never realized. Upon the completion of the new upper church in 1898, the Jesuits petitioned to have their founder, St. Ignatius Loyola, added as a co-patron of the parish. In 1969, the church was designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
             
Klop Orgelbouw
Garderen, The Netherlands
Mechanical action
1 manual


St. Ignatius Loyola owns a continuo built by Klop Orgelbouw of The Netherlands. Specifications of this organ have not yet been obtained.
               
  Mander Organ (1993) at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola Church - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
Mander Organs
London, England (1991)
Suspended mechanical key action
Electrical drawstop action
4 manuals, 68 stops, 91 ranks



Since its installation in 1993, the organ in St. Ignatius Loyola Church has become a landmark liturgical and concert instrument in New York City. Built by Mander Organs of London in 1992, the four-manual organ contains sixty-eight speaking stops, nearly five thousand pipes, and weighs over twenty tons; it is believed to be amongst the largest mechanical action organs ever built in the British Isles. The organ was conceived with strong leanings towards the French symphonic style, and has been acclaimed as one of North America's most significant pipe organs.

Mander Organ (1993) at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola Church - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)  
The organ case, one of the most spectacular to be built in modern times, rises 44 feet above the gallery floor and is made of solid French oak. A facade of polished tin pipes masks the pipes and mechanical action of the instrument, all made easily accessible by wide walkways and stairs.

The luxurious console is finished with jambs and panels veneered with burr walnut and inlaid with satinwood banding, with blackwood borders. One panel conceals a CCTV monitor. The hand-engraved stop knobs are turned from a sixty-year old stock of rosewood and are carefully graded from top to bottom for color.

Stephen Bicknell designed the organ, assisted by Didier Grassin, Geoff MacMahon, and James Richardson-Jones. Didier Grassin also designed the case. The organ was voiced by David Frostick and Michael Blighton, and tonal finishing on site was carried out by John Pike Mander and Michael Blighton.
               
Positif (Ie Clavier) – 61 notes
8
   Montre
61
1 3/5
   Tierce
61
8
   Flûte à cheminée
61
1 1/3
   Larigot
61
4
   Prestant
61
1 1/3
   Plein-jeu V rangs
305
4
   Flûte douce
61
8
   Trompette
61
2 2/3
   Nazard
61
8
   Cromorne
61
2
   Doublette
61
     Tremblant  
2
   Quarte de nazard
61
        
               
Grand Orgue (IIe Clavier) – 61 notes
16
   Montre
61
1 3/5
   Tierce
61
8
   Montre
61
1 1/3
   Fourniture V rangs
305
8
   Flûte harmonique
61
2/3
   Cymbale IV rangs
244
8
   Violoncelle
61
8
   Cornet V rangs [g1-g4]
210
8
   Bourdon
61
16
   Bombarde
61
4
   Prestant
61
8
   Trompette (I-II)
66
4
   Flûte à fuseau
61
4
   Clairon (I-II)
78
2 2/3
   Quinte
61
     Tremblant  
2
   Doublette
61
        
               
Récit expressif (IIIe Clavier) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
61
2 2/3
   Cornet III rgs
183
8
   Diapason
61
1 1/3
   Plein-jeu IV rangs
244
8
   Salicional
61
16
   Basson
61
8
   Unda maris
61
8
   Trompette harmonique (I-II)
66
8
   Cor de nuit
61
8
   Clarinette
61
4
   Octave
61
4
   Clairon harmonique (I-II)
78
4
   Flûte ouverte
61
     Tremblant  
2
   Doublette
61
 
      
             
Petit Récit (IVe Clavier) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Flûte traversière
61
16
   Cor anglais
61
8
   Viole de gambe
61
8
   Trompette
61
8
   Voix céleste
61
8
   Basson-Hautbois
61
8
   Bourdon
61
8
   Voix humaine
61
4
   Flûte octaviante
61
     Tremblant  
2
   Octavin
61
        
               
Bombardes (IVe Clavier) – 61 notes
16
   Bombarde
61
4
   Tuning reference [c13-c49]
37
8
   Trompette en chamade (I-II)
66
        
4
   Clairon en chamade (I-II)
78
     Etoile  
               
Pédale – 32 notes
32
   Soubasse (ext. 16')
12
3 1/5
   Mixture V rangs
160
16
   Montre
32
32
   Contre Bombarde (ext. 16')
12
16
   Contrebasse
32
16
   Bombarde
32
16
   Soubasse
32
16
   Basson
32
8
   Principal
32
8
   Trompette
32
8
   Flûte bouchée
32
4
   Clairon
32
4
   Octave
32
        
               
Accouplements
    Grand Orgue–Pédale   Positif–Grand Orgue
    Récit–Pédale   IVe Clavier–Grand Orgue
    Positif–Pédale   Récit–Positif
    IVe Clavier–Pédale   IVe Clavier–Positif
    Récit–Grand Orgue   IVe Clavier–Récit
               
Combinaisons Ajustables
   
IVe Clavier Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb)
Récit Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb)
Grande Orgue Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb)
Positif Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb)
Pédale Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (toe)
General Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 (thumb & toe)
               
Boutons Reversibles
    IVe Clavier–Pédale (thumb & toe)   Récit–Grande Orgue (thumb & toe)
    Récit–Pédale (thumb & toe)   Positif–Grande Orgue (thumb)
    Grande Orgue–Pédale (thumb & toe)   IVe Clavier–Positif (thumb)
    Positif–Pédale (thumb & toe)   Récit–Positif (thumb)
    IVe Clavier–Récit (thumb)   Tutti (thumb & toe)
    IVe Clavier–Grande Orgue (thumb)    
               
Mouvements de Pédale
    Expression Petit Récit (mécanique)   Effet d'orage [thunder effect]
    Expression Récit (mécanique)      
               
Mander Organ (1993) at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola Church - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
Mander Organ (1993) at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola Church - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
Mander Organ (1993) at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola Church - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
                 
Rodgers Instruments LLC
Hillsboro, Ore. (1975)
Solid-state key, stop and combination action
3 manuals, 13 pipe ranks (Ruffatti)
Two consoles


In 1975, the Hook & Hastings organ was replaced by a Rodgers electronic instrument which was augmented by thirteen ranks of pipes provided by Fratelli Ruffatti of Padua, Italy. The speakers and pipes of the "combo" organ were installed behind the existing organ cases, and were controlled by two three-manual consoles. Virgil Fox dedicated the organ. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
               
  Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 2326 (1913) in the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola - New York City
Hook & Hastings Co.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 2326 (1913)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 80 registers



In 1913, Hook & Hastings returned to enlarge the 1896 organ from 51 to 80 registers. The existing organ case, which had been centered in the gallery, was divided and installed on either side of a new stained glass window.

Sometime before 1950, William W. Laws rebuilt (or possibly replaced) the organ so that it had 3 manuals, 44 stops and 2757 pipes.

Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
               
This organ was installed in the St. Lawrence Chapel (Lower Church):

Hook & Hastings Co.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 2302 (1912)
Electro-pneumatic action
2 manuals, 20 registers


The older "basement" Church of St. Lawrence O'Toole was completed in 1884, and probably included an organ when it was opened. Available records have not revealed details of such an organ, but in 1912 the Hook & Hastings Company installed a two-manual-and-pedal organ in the "St. Lawrence Chapel" of the church. Sometime before 1950, William W. Laws rebuilt or replaced the organ to have two manuals, eleven stops and 572 pipes. Specifications for these organs have not yet been located.
               
  Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 1710 (1896) in the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola - New York City (photo: Byron Company, 1899)
Hook & Hastings Co.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 1710 (1896)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 51 ranks




The original organ for the newly completed upper church was built in 1896 by Hook & Hastings of Boston. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
               
Organ in previous church on East 84th Street:

Henry Erben
New York City (1847)
Mechanical action


The original church, known as St. Lawrence O'Toole, had an organ built in 1847 by Henry Erben of New York City. As the church was not founded until 1854, this was undoubtedly a second-hand organ. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
               
Sources:
     Church of St. Ignatius Loyola website: http://www.stignatiusloyola.org/
     Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2004.
     Dunlap, David. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Mander Organs website: http://mander-organs.com
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     Van Pelt, William T. The Hook Opus List, 1829-1916 in Facsimile. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1991.

Illustrations:
     Byron Company (New York, N.Y.). 1899 photo of Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 1710 (1896).
     Church of St. Ignatius Loyola website. Exterior.
     Lawson, Steven E. Interior, Mander Organ case and console.
     Mander Organs. Mander Organ console.
     Wurts Bros. (New York, N.Y.). ca. 1915 photo of Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 2326 (1913).