New York City, New York

Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Episcopal


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Builder:        Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Inc.
   Year:        1951
   Opus:        150-A
   
No. manuals:    4
No. stops:      115
No. ranks:      141
No. pipes:      7,938

Specification

        GREAT ORGAN                                  SWELL ORGAN
    16' Montre                    61             16' Contra Gamba *            73
    16' Quintaten                 73             16' Bourdon *                 73
     8' Principal                 61              8' Geigen Principal          73
     8' Diapason **               79              8' Viole de Gambe            73
     8' Viola *                   61              8' Viole Celeste *           73
     8' Hohl Flute *              61              8' Salicional *              73
     8' Holz Gedackt *            61              8' Voix Celeste *            73
     8' Erzähler *                61              8' Gedeckt                   73
     8' Quintaten (fr. 16')       --              8' Spitzflöte *              73
 5 1/3' Quint                     61              8' Flute Celeste             68
     4' Principal **              61              8' Unda Maris II *          146
     4' Octave **                 61              4' Prestant                  61
     4' Spitzflöte *              61              4' Violina *                 61
     4' Flute Couverte            61              4' Flauto Traverso *         61
 2 2/3' Twelfth                   61              2' Octavin                   61
     2' Doublette **              61             IV  Plein Jeu                244
     2' Fifteenth                 61         III-IV  Scharff                  220
    II  Sesquialtera             122             16' Contra Fagotto *          61
III-VI  Plein Jeu                294              8' Trompette                 68
V-VIII  Grande Fourniture        368              8' Cornopean *               68
    IV  Kleine Mixtur            244              8' Oboe *                    61
   III  Cymbel                   183              8' Voix Humaine *            61
    16' Fagot                     61              4' Octave Trumpet *          61
                                                  4' Clairon                   61
        CHOIR ORGAN                                  Tremulant
    16' Sanftbass *               73 
     8' Viola Pomposa             73                 BOMBARDE ORGAN (floating)
     8' Viola Celeste             73           V-IX  Tierce Mixture           376
     8' Concert Flute *           73             16' Bombarde                  61
     8' Nason Flute *             73              8' Trompette Harmonique      61
     8' Dolcan *                  68              4' Clairon Harmonique        61
     8' Dolcan Celeste (TC) *     56
     8' Dulcet II *              146                 WEST END (floating)
     4' Montre                    68              8' State Trumpet (50" wp)    61
     4' Koppelflöte               61
 2 2/3' Rohr Nasat                61                 PEDAL ORGAN 
     2' Blockflöte                61             32' Open Bass *               68 
 1 3/5' Terz *                    61             32' Contra Violone *          44
 1 1/3' Larigot *                 61             16' Open Bass *      (32' OB) --
     1' Sifflöte *                61             16' Contre Basse              32
   III  Grave Mixtur             183             16' Violone *        (32' OB) --
   III  Zimbel                   183             16' Montre                    GT
    16' English Horn              61             16' Contra Gamba              SW
     8' Cromorne                  61             16' Bourdon                   SW
     8' Clarinet *                61             16' Sanftbass                 CH
     4' Trompete                  68             16' Quintaten                 GT
        Tremulant                            10 2/3' Quintaten                 GT
        Harp                      pf              8' Principal                 32
        Zimbelstern                5 bells        8' Montre                    GT
                                                  8' Flute Harmonique (32' OB) --
        SOLO ORGAN                                8' Cello III ***             96
     8' Flauto Mirabilis *        61              8' Gedeckt Pommer            32
     8' Harmonic Flute *          73              8' Quintaton                 GT
     8' Cello *                   73              4' Choral Bass               32
     8' Cello Celeste *           73              4' Montre                    GT
     4' Hohlpfeife *              61              4' Nachthorn *      (32' OB) --
     2' Doppel Flöte *            61              2' Blockflöte *              32
     8' Flügel Horn *             61             IV  Mixtur                   128
     8' French Horn *             73             IV  Scharff                  128
     8' Vox Baryton *             61             32' Contre Bombarde  (ext BO) 12
        Tremulant                                16' Ophicleide *              56
     8' Tuba Major *              61             16' Bombarde                  BO
     4' Tuba Clarion **           73             16' Contra Fagotto            SW
        Chimes                    pf              8' Trumpet *   (16' Ophic.)  --
                                                  8' Bombarde                  BO
                                                  4' Clarion *   (16' Ophic.)  --
                                                  2' Rohr Schalmei             32

     *  retained or revoiced from Skinner Op. 150
    **  double treble
   ***  replaced by 8' Spitzflöte (1963)


Source: Factory Specification via Larry Trupiano

Photos 1-2 Source: Churchcrawler website; used with permission

Photo 3 Source: Jonathan Bowen

Photo 4 Source: Steve Lawson

Photos 5-10 Source: Neal Campbell

Notes: Construction of the Cathedral began in 1892 as a Byzantine-Romanesque structure according to designs by Heins & LaFarge.  When Heins died in 1907, the first design phase came to an end.  The Choir, Crossing, and the Chapels of St. Saviour and St. Columba had been completed by 1911.  The second phase of construction began in 1916 and was overseen by the new architect, Ralph Adams Cram of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson, who changed the style from Romanesque to Gothic.  Between 1925 and 1933 the Nave, West Front, Baptistry and a portion of the North Transept were constructed.  Work is still continuing on the rest of the cathedral even today.
 
The contract for the new organ, donated by Governor Levi Parsons Morton, was signed on May 19, 1906 for a cost of $45,000.  It was another four years before the structure was sufficiently complete to allow installation of the organ to begin.  The organ installation was completed in early 1911 and a dedication ceremony held in April of that year.  In 1939 Skinner moved the console, Great, Swell and the Diapason, Bourdon and Trombone ranks of the Pedal to the concrete partition wall between the Nave and Crossing during the reconstruction of the Chancel ceiling from unfinished Guastavina tile to limestone rib vaulting.  The moved sections were moved back to their original homes in 1941.  A contract was drawn up with Aeolian-Skinner on December 7, 1951 for $48,378 for rebuilding and enlarging the organ.  Work on the organ was finally completed in early 1954.  Then-organist and choirmaster of the Cathedral, Norman Coke-Jephcott, wrote that "the final specification includes a great deal which was not provided for in the original contract, particularly in regard to extensive additions to the Great and Choir organs and, of course, the State Trumpet.  I would imagine that about one hundred of the one hundred and forty-one ranks of pipes are new which, with allowance for the existing mechanism and including the re-voicing of the old pipes, would indicate approximately $80,000 worth of work on the part of the builder.
 
Since then, very few major repairs have been made on the instrument aside from regular maintenance and re-leathering.  The exception is the rehabilitation of the State Trumpet by Austin Organs when it was found in the mid-1990s that the structure of the stop high on the West End of the nave was in a precarious state.

Organ Historical Society Database: https://pipeorgandatabase.org/OrganDetails.php?OrganID=19661