St. Philip's Church (Episcopal)


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St. Philip's Episcopal Church

204 West 134th Street
New York, N.Y. 10031
http://www.stphilipsharlem.dioceseny.org

Organ Specifications:
208 West 134th Street (since 1911)
► III/36 Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Op. 1208 (1952)
► III/ Hillgreen, Lane & Co. (1943)
• III/ Reuben Midmer & Sons (c.1911)
161 West 25th Street (1886-1911)
• unknown
305 Mulberry Street (1857-1886)
• Henry Erben (1838)
31 Centre Street (1818-1857)
Second building (1822-1857)
• unknown builder (1826)
First building (1818-burned 1822)
• unknown, if any

After worshiping for almost a century under the supervision of Trinity Church on Wall Street on Sunday afternoons, in 1809, these African American parishioners formed their own community of worship-the Free African Church of St. Philip. They laid the foundation of what became, in 1818, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, the first African-American Episcopal parish in the City of New York. Over the years, the congregation flourished, and by the 1950s, St. Philip's was the largest Christian congregation in the United States. As the neighborhood began to change, the parish ministry increasingly reached out to the wider community.

Throughout its history, St. Philip's has been at the vanguard of religious and social activism. Beginning with the Rev. Peter Williams, Jr., a leading abolitionist and the church's first rector (1826-1840), St. Philip's played a key role in the debate on slavery and injustice. Later generations of clergy joined parishioners and prominent community leaders in the struggle to secure civil rights and economic justice for all people.

St. Philip's also has a strong tradition of outreach into the community included: the purchase and management of a cemetery for New York's African American residents; the Female Assistance Society which provided aid and insurance to sick New York residents; the St. Christopher's Club for teenage boys; building and later purchasing apartment buildings to ensure fair and safe housing for African Americans on 30th Street and later on 135th Street. Since that time, St. Philip's has expanded its commitment to serve the community through a variety of programs addressing the needs of children, teenagers, the elderly, the sick and the poor and promoting theater, jazz, and studio arts in the Harlem community.

The current building is the fifth home of the parish. St. Philip's has been located in the first communities of African American New York residents. Its first two buildings were on Centre Street. In 1822, a brick building replaced the original wood frame church damaged by fire. This same building would undergo two more reconstructions. In 1834, irate whites vandalized the church and in 1863, New York City police used the church as a barracks for militia and police handling draft riots. In 1857, the congregation moved to the former Mulberry Street Methodist Episcopal Church, located at 305 Mulberry. By 1886 the church was located on 25th Street, in the former West Twenty-fifth Street Presbyterian Church. Continuing the tradition of previous generations, St. Philip's utilized the services of African American professionals to locate property, design, and build a new church in 1910 on 134th Street.

St. Philip Episcopal Church - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)

The present church building was designed in neo-Gothic style by the firm of Tandy & Foster under the direction of the first African American licensed as an architect in New York. Unlike many of the churches built in New York during the early decades of the 20th century, which have interiors finished in the painted plaster, the interior of St. Philip's is finished in exposed tan Roman brick, stone pillars, and stone gothic arches. Aisles and chancel floors are terrazzo with marble trim. The walnut pews in the nave comfortably hold over 750 people.

St. Philip's Church building was designated in 1993 by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, and is also included in the National and State Registers of Historic Places.

Austin Console (1967) of Aeolian-Skinner Organ, Op. 1208 (1952) in St. Philip's Episcopal Church - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)

Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, Inc.
Boston, Mass. – Opus 1208 (1952)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 41 stops, 36 ranks

The organ at St. Philip's Church was contracted to the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company in 1950 and installed in 1952 as Opus 1208. G. Donald Harrison supervised the design and installation, which was a rebuild of the previous 1943 Hillgreen, Lane & Co. organ. Aeolian-Skinner reused most of the pipes and the console from the Hillgreen, Lane organ. Of special note is the ivory plate with G. Donald Harrison's signature, which has been retained on the present console.

The "Trompette en chamade" stop located above the West End entrance was the first installation of a horizontal reed in New York City, predating by two years the famous State Trumpet installed in 1954 at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Voiced on 5" of wind, the trumpet stop was to be part of the Great division in the chancel, but its chest and pipes were moved to the West End at some point by Aeolian-Skinner.

In 1967, a new drawknob console by Austin Organs was installed. Tonal changes were made by Steven Empson between 1982-87. In 1996, the chancel ceiling collapsed and caused significant damage to the organ; repairs are being made as funding becomes available. Around 2005, the Trompette en chamade was trampled as workers repaired the window at the West End; these pipes were restored in 2007.

Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes (4" pressure)

Quintaton

Fourniture III-IV ranks

232

Principal

Great 16'

Gemshorn

Great Unison Off

Holzflöte

Great 4'

Octave

Trompette en Chamade

Doppelflöte

Clairon en Chamade [ext.]

—

Grave Mixture II ranks

122

Chimes

preparation

Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed (4½" pressure)

Geigen Principal

Trompette

Holzgedeckt *

Vox Humaine [sic]

Viole de Gambe

Hautbois

Viole Celeste [TC]

Tremulant

Flute Celeste II ranks

preparation

Swell 16'

Principal

Swell Unison Off

Waldflöte

Swell 4'

Plein Jeu III ranks

183

* orig. named Stopped Diapason

Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed (4½" pressure)

Concert Flute

Clarinet

Dulciana

Tremulant

Unda Maris [TC]

Choir 16'

Montre

Choir Unison Off

Rohrflöte

Choir 4'

2 2/3

Nazard

Trompette en Chamade

Flageolet

Harp	preparation

Antiphonal Organ (floating) – 61 notes

3 blank knobs

Pedal Organ – 32 notes (5" pressure)

Resultant

—

Bombarde [unit]

Principal

Trompette [ext.]

—

Bourdon

preparation

Clairon [ext.]

—

Holzgedeckt [ext. SW]

Trompette en Chamade

Contra Viole [ext. SW]

Chimes

Quintaton

Principal [unit]

Antiphonal Pedal

Holzgedeckt

2 blank knobs

Choral Bass [ext.]

—

Couplers

Great to Pedal 8'

Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'

Swell to Pedal 8', 4'

Antiphonal to Great 8'

Choir to Pedal 8', 4'

Choir to Swell 8'

Antiphonal to Pedal 8'

Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'

Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'

Antiphonal to Choir 8'

Adjustable Combinations

Swell Organ	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Great Organ	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Choir Organ	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Pedal Organ	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb & toe)
Entire Organ	Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 (thumb & toe)
	General Cancel (thumb)
	Set (thumb)

Reversibles

Great to Pedal (thumb & toe)

Swell to Great (thumb)

Swell to Pedal (thumb & toe)

Tutti (thumb & toe)

Choir to Pedal (thumb & toe)

Expression

Balanced Pedal – Swell Organ

Balanced Pedal – Choir Organ

Balanced Crescendo Pedal

Hillgreen, Lane & Co. Alliance, Ohio (1943) Electro-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 50 stops In 1943 the church commissioned Hillgreen, Lane & Co. of Alliance, Ohio, to rebuild the existing organ, which is believed to be the work of Reuben Midmer & Sons of Brooklyn. As part of this job, Hillgreen, Lane provided a new three-manual horseshoe-style console. The following specification was recorded by Charles Scharpeger, an employee of Louis F. Mohr & Co., an organ service concern in the area.

Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes
16	Sub Diapason		4	Octave Flute
8	Major Diapason		4	Octave
8	Minor Diapason		2	Super Octave
8	Viole d'Gamba		8	Tuba
8	Gemshorn		8	Trumpet
8	Double Flute		4	Clarion
8	Major Flute			Tremulant

Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16	Bourdon		4	Principal
8	Diapason		4	Dolce
8	Viole de Orchestra		2 2/3	Dolce Quint
8	Salicional		2	Flageolet
8	Dolce [unit]			Mixture III ranks
8	Voix Celeste		8	Cornopean
8	Aeoline		8	Oboe
8	Stop Flute		8	Vox Humana
4	Flute Traverso			Tremulant

Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8	Violin Diapason		4	Violina
8	Quintadena		4	Flute à Cheminée
8	Dulciana		8	Wald Horn
8	Unda Maris		8	Clarinet
8	Clarabella			Tremulant

Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32	Contra Bass	—	10 2/3	Quint Bourdon	SW
32	Contra Dolce	SW	8	Flute
16	Diapason		8	Dolce	SW
16	Violone		4	Octave Flute
16	Major Bourdon		16	Trombone
16	Minor Bourdon	SW

Couplers
	Great to Pedal 8			Pedal to Pedal 8
	Swell to Pedal 8, 4			Great to Great 4
	Choir to Pedal 8, 4			Great Unison Release
	Swell to Great 16, 8, 4			Swell to Swell 16, 4
	Choir to Great 16, 8, 4			Swell Unison Release
	Swell to Choir 16, 8, 4			Choir to Choir 16, 4
	Great to Swell 8			Choir Unison Release
	Choir to Swell 8

Adjustable Combinations
	None listed

Earlier organ in present church building:

Reuben Midmer & Sons
Merrick, N.Y. (c.1911)
Unknown action
3 manuals

The original organ in the present church building is believed to have been built by Reuben Midmer & Sons. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.

Organ in church located at 305 Mulberry Street (orig. Mulberry Street Methodist Episcopal Church):

Henry Erben
New York City (1838)
Mechanical action

Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.

Organ in church located at 31 Centre Street:

Unknown Builder (1826)
Mechanical action

Newspapers of the city, including Commercial Advertiser, Sun, Courier and Enquirer, reported the mob vandalism that occurred the night of July 11, 1834, when 300 whites savaged the building and its furnishings, among them a "$1,000 organ eight years old." A letter dated 8 May 1826, from John Pintard to his daughters (N.Y. Historical Society Collections, 1938) described having attended a confirmation at St. Philip's the previous Saturday, saying, "A delightful organ well performed by a brother African, conducts the choir." Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.

Sources:
     Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks (Third Edition). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. 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.
     Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.
     Ogasapian, John. Description of 1826 organ in St. Philip's Church. The Keraulophon (Oct. 1982), pub. by the Greater New York City Chapter of the Organ Historical Society.
     Organ Historical Society Archives. Factory Specifications (Feb. 24, 1950) of Aeolian-Skinner organ, Op. 1208. Courtesy Bynum Petty and Larry Trupiano.
     St. Philip's Episcopal Church web site: http://www.stphilipsharlem.dioceseny.org/
     Scharpeger, Charles. Specification of Hillgreen, Lane & Co. console (1943). Courtesy Larry Trupiano.

Illustrations:
     Lawson, Steven E. Exterior, interior, Aeolian-Skinner organ, Op. 1208 (1952).

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