New York, NY
Trinity Episcopal Church 

Builder:		Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Inc.
  Year:			1968
  Opus:			408-D
No. manuals:		4
No. stops:		113
No. ranks:		153
No. pipes:		8,200

Specification 

NAVE ORGAN
Great
	16'	Violone			61
	8'	Principal		61
	8'	Rohrbordun		61
	8'	Flute Harmonique	61
	8'	Erzahler		61
	4'	Principal		61
	4'	Koppelflote		61
	2 2/3'	Twelfth			61
	2'	Superoctave		61
	2'	Blockflote		61
	IV-V	Fourniture		281
	III	Cymbale			183
	16'	Sub Trumpet		61
	8'	Trumpet			61
Swell
	16'	Lieblich Gedeckt	61
	8'	Principal		61
	8'	Gedeckt			61
	8'	Salicional		61
	8'	Voix Celeste		61
	8'	Flute Celeste II	110
	4'	Octave			61
	4'	Flute Harmonique	61
	2'	Octavin			61
	III	Cornet			183
	IV-V	Plein Jeu		275
	II-IV	Cymbale			208
	16'	Hautbois		12
	8'	Trompette		61
	8'	Hautbois		61
	8'	Menschenstimme		61
	4'	Clairon			61
		Tremulant
Choir
	8'	Spitzgamba		61
	8'	Rohrflote		61
	4'	Principal		61
	4'	Nachthorn		61
	2 2/3'	Nasat			61
	2'	Blockflote		61
	1 3/5'	Tierce			61
	IV	Mixture			244
		Tremulant
Positiv
	16'	Quintaten		56
	8'	Prastant		56
	8'	Singendgedeckt		56
	4'	Principal		56
	4'	Spitzflote		56
	2'	Principal		56
	1 1/3'	Larigot			56
	1'	Principal		56
	4/5'	Terz			56
	IV	Mixture			244
	III	Zimbel			183
	16'	Rankett			56
	8'	Krummhorn		56
	4'	Rohrschalmei		56
		Tremulant
Bombarde
	8'	Flute			61	(enclosed in CH)
	8'	Gamba			61	(enclosed in CH)
	8'	Gamba Celeste		61	(enclosed in CH)
	4'	Principal		61
	V	Cornet de Recit		205
	V-VIII	Grande Fourniture	418
	16'	Bombarde		61
	8'	Trompette Harmonique	61
	8'	Clarinet		61	(enclosed in CH)
	4'	Clairon
Pedal
	32'	Violone			12
	32'	Untersatz		12
	16'	Principal		32
	16'	Erben Principal		32
	16'	Bourdon			32
	16'	Violone			GT
	16'	Lieblich Gedeckt	SW
	8'	Principal		32
	8'	Spitzflote		32
	8'	Gedeckt			12
	4'	Octave			32
	4'	Blockflote		32
	2'	Flachflote		32
	II	Gross Sesquialtera	64
	III	Fourniture		96
	III	Scharf			96
	32'	Contre Bombarde		12
	16'	Bombarde		32
	16'	Hautbois		SW
	8'	Trompette		32
	4'	Clairon			12
	4'	Rohrschalmei		PO
CHANCEL ORGAN
Hauptwerk
	16'	Quintade		61
	8'	Montre			61
	8'	Bordun			61
	4'	Praestant		61
	2'	Waldflote		61
	IV	Mixtur			244
Recit
	8'	Flute a Cheminee	61
	8'	Viole de Gambe		61
	8'	Viole Celeste		61
	4'	Principal Conique	61
	4'	Flute Harmonique	61
	2'	Gemshorn		61
	III-IV	Cymbale			269
	16'	Cromorne		61
	8'	Hautbois		61
	4'	Trompette		61
		Tremulant
Brustwerk
	8'	Quintadena		61
	4'	Rohrflote		61
	2'	Octave			61
	III-IV	Zimbel			208
Pedal
	16'	Principal		32
	16'	Bourdon			32
	16'	Quintade		HW
	8'	Principal		32
	8'	Gedeckt			32
	4'	Choralbass		32
	IV	Mixture			128
	32'	Cornet			32
	16'	Cromorne		RE
	8'	Cromorne		RE


Photos 1 & 2 Source: The New York City Chapter of The American Guild of Organists

Photos 3 & 4 Source: Churchcrawler

Notes: The following is taken from information put out by the church:

Services were first held in the original Trinity Church building on March 13, 1698, the charter having been granted on May 6, 1697 by King William III.  There was no organ in this church until it had been enlarged for the second time in 1737.  The Vestry then engaged Mr. John Clemm of Philadelphia to build a three-manual instrument of twenty-six stops.  The organ was installed in the west gallery in August 1741.

In 1764 this instrument was replaced by an organ of twenty-five stops built by John Snetzler of England.  It remained in use until 1776, when it was destroyed along with the building in the great fire which swept the city.  For fourteen years, the congregation of the Mother Church found refuge in her chapels - St. Paul's and St. George's.  In 1787, the Vestry took steps to build the second church.  This building was consecrated on March 25, 1790.  A three-manual organ of nineteen stops was built by Holland of London.

By 1839, this second church was showing signs of structural weakness, and the Vestry voted to pull it down and build the present edifice.  In September 1843, a contract was signed with the Henry Erben Company of New York City to build a three-manual instrument of twenty-eight stops.  By the time of the consecration of this third church on Ascension Day 1846, only a part of the Swell and Choir organs and the pedal pipes had been finished for use.  Finally, in September the organ was completed, and the Vestry allowed Erben to give an exhibition of it on October 7 and 8.

In 1859, numerous attempts were made to move the choir into the chancel, all of which were met with considerable resistance.  On March 18, the first full service was sung from the chancel, and by Easter Day, the choir was permanently installed there.  The constant problems caused by the distance of the newly positioned choir from the gallery organ caused the Vestry to engage the firm of Hall and Labagh to build a small accompanying instrument of fifteen stops in the chancel.  This instrument was finished in 1864.  Two organists were then required for all choral services.  Significant changes and repairs were made to the Erben organ in 1867, 1889 and 1907.

In March 1923, the Skinner Organ Company was contracted to build a new instrument with chancel and gallery divisions and a single console in the chancel which would control the entire instrument.  The console and chancel divisions containing twenty-two stops were ready for use by November 1, 1923.  The gallery divisions containing forty-two stops were completed for dedication on March 10, 1924, by the Rt. Rev. William T. Manning, Bishop of New York and former Rector of Trinity Parish.

In 1959, the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston was contracted to rebuild the instrument tonally, replace the chancel console and add a Positiv division on the floor of the choir gallery behind the lower case pipes.  These pipes had previously been merely decorative.  Certain mechanical work was contracted to local craftsmen.  The completed instrument contained seventy-five percent new pipe work, and was completed in 1961.

In 1967, the Vestry approved plans for a free-standing altar, making it desirable for the choir to be placed once again in the gallery.  This necessitated a full console for the gallery as well as the relocation of the Positiv division.  By this time, the leather work and other mechanical and structural portions of the 1923 organ needed replacement,  In addition, the layout of the old 1923 structure did not provide proper space for relocating the Positiv division behind the main case, nor did it allow proper sound projection for the larger 1961 and 1970 instruments.

After much study and deliberation, the Committee on the Fabric of the Church and its Chapels made its recommendation to the Vestry.  In November 1968, a contract was signed with the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company to replace all mechanisms and structures which were not new in 1961, and to reposition all divisions for maximum sound projection.  New ranks of pipes were added to fill out the tonal scheme, leather components were replaced with a newly developed synthetic [Perflex, soon replaced at great expense by Aeolian-Skinner], and a duplicate console for the gallery was built to allow maximum flexibility.  All portions of the instrument that were new in 1961 were retained, as were many fine ranks of the Skinner Organ and the Erben Pedal principal.  These old Erben pipes were removed from the main case and placed against the chamber wall to allow better sound projection.

The instrument was tonally finished by Donald Gillett, President and Tonal Direction of the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company.  The complete instrument is comprised of ten divisions, 153 ranks, and nearly nine thousand pipes made of wood, zinc and varying percentages of tin and lead.

The organ was removed to storage in 2002, with the gallery facade remaining.

Aeolian-Skinner Archives