St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church - New York City
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Church of St. Vincent de Paul
(Roman Catholic)

123 West 23rd Street, near Sixth Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10001


Organ Specifications:
123 West 23rd Street, near Sixth Avenue (since 1857)
► III/41 Geo. Kilgen & Son, Op. 5911; rev. B. Cavelier (1980)
► III/42 Geo. Kilgen & Son, Op. 5911 (1937)
• III/34 Müller & Abel (1896)
• II/20 George Jardine & Son (1858)
16 East Canal Street, near Broadway (1841-1857)
• Unknown

Rendering of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church - New York City    
Rendering of 23rd Street Church    
Original Facade of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church - New York City  
Original Facade of 23rd Street Church    
 
     
St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church - New York City (photo: David W. Dunlap)    



               
 
   
  Console of Kilgen/Konzelman organ in St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church - New York City (photo: Steven E. Lawson)
Geo. Kilgen & Son
St. Louis, Mo. – Opus 5911; rev. B. Cavelier (1980)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 49 registers, 36 stops, 41 ranks

Behind case by Franz Xavier Engelfried.
Revised in 1980 by Bernard Cavelier of Buffalo, N.Y.. He removed Choir shades and created Tierces and Nazards by cutting down existing pipes.

In 1987 James A. Konzelman made repairs and installed a new drawknob console (Klann + OSI bits). New 5HP Zephyr blower (1999) located in baptistery.



  
 
               
Grand Orgue (Manual I) – 61 notes
16
   Montre
61
  Mixture IV ranks
244
8
   Principal
61
8
   Bombarde
73
8
   Flûte
61
4
   Clairon (fr. Bombarde)
—
4
   Octave
61
  G.O. to G.O. 16'
4
   Bourdon
61
  G.O. Unisson  
2 2/3
  Quinte
61
  G.O. to G.O. 4'  
2
   Flûte à Fuseau
61
 
Chimes [Mayland]
25 tubes
1 3/5
  Tierce
61
     
               
Positif (Manual II) – 61 notes
8
   Principal
73
8
   Cromorne
73
4
   Prestant
73
8
   Hautbois [Orchestral]
73
4
   Flûte
73
  Tremblant
2 2/3
   Nazard
61
  Positif to Positif 16'
2
   Quarte de Nazard
61
  Positif Unisson
1 3/5
   Tierce
61
  Positif to Positif 4'
8
   Bombarde
GO
        
               
Récit (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
73
1 3/5
   Tierce
61
8
   Principal
73
  Mixture III ranks
183
8
   Gedeckt
73
8
   Trompette
73
8
   Salicional
73
8
   Hautbois
73
8
   Voix Celeste (TC)
61
8
   Voix Humaine
73
4
   Octave
73
  Tremblant
4
   Flûte
73
  Récit to Récit 16'
2 2/3
   Nazard
61
  Récit Unisson [sic]
2
   Piccolo
61
  Récit to Récit 4'
               
Pédale – 32 notes
32
   Resultant
—
8
   Gedeckt
RE
16
   Principal
32
8
   Cello (fr. Violon)
—
16
   Montre
GO
4
   Choral Bass (fr. Octave)
—
16
   Sou Basse
56
4
   Bourdon (fr. Sou Basse)
—
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
RE
 
Mixture III ranks
preparation
16
   Violon
44
16
   Bombarde (ext. G.O.)
12
8
   Octave
44
8
   Bombarde
GO
8
   Bourdon (fr. Sou Basse)
—
4
   Clairon
GO
               
Couplers
    Grand Orgue to Pédale 8', 4'   Récit to Grand Orgue 16', 8', 4'
    Récit to Pédale 8', 4'   Positif to Grand Orgue 16', 8', 4'
    Positif to Pédale 8', 4'   Récit to Positif 16', 8', 4'
               
Adjustable Combinations
   
Récit Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Positif Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Grand Orgue Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb)
Pédale Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6 (thumb & toe)
Full Organ Pistons 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 (thumb & toe)
  General Cancel (thumb)
  Set (thumb)
               
Mechanicals
    Balanced Pedal – Récit   Appel Récit (thumb & toe)
    Crescendo Pedal (with ind.)   Appel Positif (thumb & toe)
    Récit to Pédale Reversible (thumb & toe)   Appel G.O. (thumb & toe)
    Positif to Pédale Reversible (thumb & toe)   Appel Pédale (thumb & toe)
    G.O. to Pédale Reversible (thumb & toe)   Tutti I (thumb & toe)
    Récit to G.O. Reversible (thumb & toe)   Tutti II (thumb & toe)
    Positif to G.O. Reversible (thumb & toe)   32' Resultant Reverislbe (toe)
    Récit to Positif Reversible (thumb & toe)   G.O. / Positif Transfer (thumb)
             
Geo. Kilgen & Son
St. Louis, Mo. – Opus 5911 (1937)
Electro-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 40 registers, 34 stops, 42 ranks


A presumably new organ was built in 1937 by Geo. Kilgen & Son of St. Louis. Kilgen retained the organ case by Franz Xavier Engelfried. The following stoplist is taken from the relay.
               
Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Open Diapason (unenc.) *
73
4
   Octave
73
8
   Open Diapason (unenc.)
73
4
   Flute d'Amour
73
8
   Gamba
73
2
   Wald Flute
61
8
   Gemshorn
73
  Mixture IV-V ranks
263
8
   Doppel Flute
73
8
   Tuba
73
           
* in façade
Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed
16
   Bourdon
73
4
   Harmonic Flute
73
8
   Open Diapason
73
2
   Harmonic Piccolo
61
8
   Salicional
73
  Mixture V ranks
305
8
   Voix Celeste (TC)
61
8
   Cornopean
73
8
   AEoline
73
8
   Oboe
73
8
   Stop'd Diapason
73
8
   Vox Humana
73
4
   Violina
73
  Tremolo  
               
Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed
8
   Horn Diapason
73
4
   Flute Traverso
73
8
   Geigen Principal
73
8
   Orchestral Oboe
73
8
   Dulciana
73
8
   Clarinet
73
8
   Unda Maris (TC)
61
  Tremolo
8
   Concert Flute
73
   
               
Pedal Organ – 32 notes
32
   Resultant
—
8
   Flauto Dolce (fr. Bourdon)
—
16
   Open Diapason (wood)
32
8
   Violoncello (fr. Violone)
—
16
   Bourdon (wood)
44
16
   Trombone (ext. GT)
12
16
   Lieblich Gedeckt
SW
8
   Tromba
GT
16
   Violone
44
 
               
Couplers
    Great to Pedal 8', 4'   Swell to Choir 16', 8', 4'
    Swell to Pedal 8', 4'    
    Choir to Pedal 8', 4'    
    Swell to Great 16', 8', 4'    
    Choir to Great 16', 8', 4'    
             
Müller & Abel
New York City (1896)
Tubular-pneumatic action
3 manuals, 34 stops


The second organ was built by Müller & Abel, former employees of the Roosevelt Organ Works. It had three manuals, 2,714 pipes, and 34 stops: 11 in the Great organ, 10 in the Swell organ, 7 in the Choir organ, and 6 in the Pedal organ. The organ could be blown by hand or electricity.

Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
               
George Jardine & Son
New York City (1858)
Mechanical action
2 manuals, 20 stops


The 1861 American Musical Directory shows that there was an organ "Built by Jardine & Son, in 1858" that had "2 banks keys, 20 stops, 2 octaves pedals." The organ case was built by Franz Xavier Engelfried. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.
               
Sources:
     The American Church Almanac and Year Book for 1897. New York: James Pott & Co., 1897. Advertisement for Müller & Abel with list of installations.
     American Musical Directory. New York: Thomas Hutchinson, 1861.
     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.
     Dunlap, David W. "A French Church Nears Its End, but Not Without a Contretemps," The New York Times (Apr. 5, 2012).
     Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
     Save St. Vincent de Paul website: http://savestvincentdepaul.org/
     Shea, John Gilmary, ed. The Catholic Churches of New York With Sketches of Their History and Lives of the Present Pastors. New York: Lawrence G. Goulding & Co., 1878.
     Shelley, Thomas J. The Bicentennial History of the Archdiocese of New York 1808–2008. Strasbourg: Éditions du Signe, 2007.
     Sumner, William Leslie. The Organ: Its Evolution, Principles of Construction and Use. New York: 1973.

Illustrations:
     "A Magnificent New Organ," The New York Tribune, Nov. 2, 1896, courtesy Rollin Smith.
     Dunlap, David W. Interior (Copyright 2012).
     Save St. Vincent de Paul web site. Original exterior (2).
     Shea, John Gilmary, ed. The Catholic Churches of New York With Sketches of Their History and Lives of the Present Pastors. Drawing of proposed church with towers.
     Wikimedia.org. (credit: Beyond My Ken). Exterior (2011).
               
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