Pittsburgh, PA
University of Pittsburgh, Heinz Memorial Chapel
Builder: Aeolian-Skinner Organ Co., Inc. Year: 1938 Opus: 922
No. manuals: 4 No. stops: 78 No. ranks: 51 No. pipes: 3,696
Specification
Great (enclosed)
16' Double Diapason 73 8' First Diapason 73 8' Second Diapason 73 8' Major Flute 73 8' Melodia CH 8' Gemshorn CH 8' Dulciana CH 4' Octave 73 4' Harmonic Flute 73 II Grave Mixture 122 8' Tuba SO Tremolo Harp CH Celesta CH Chimes EC
Swell
16' Contra Salicional 73 16' Bourdon 73 8' Geigen Principal 73 8' Clarabella 73 8' Gedeckt 73 8' Viol d'Orchestre 73 8' Viol Celeste 73 8' Salicional 12 8' Voix Celeste 73 8' Flute Celeste II 146 4' Octave Geigen 73 4' Flute d'Amour 12 4' Violina 73 4' Salicet 12 2 2/3' Nazard 7 2' Piccolo 5 2' Flautino 61 III Mixture 183 16' Waldhorn 73 8' Trumpet 73 8' Oboe 73 8' Vox Humana 73 separate tremolo 4' Clarion 73 Tremolo
Choir
16' Dulciana 73 8' Viola 73 8' Melodia 73 8' Gemshorn 73 8' Dulciana 12 8' Unda Maris 73 4' Traverso Flute 12 4' Dulcet 12 2 2/3' Dolce Twlefth 7 2' Dolce Fifteenth 5 2' Piccolo 61 8' Orchestral Oboe 73 8' Clarinet 73 Tremolo Harp Celesta
Solo
8' Flauto Mirabilis 73 8' Gamba 73 8' Gamba Celeste 73 8' Tuba Mirabilis 73 8' French Horn 73 8' English Horn 73 4' Tuba Clarion 12 Tremolo Harp CH Celesta CH
Echo
16' Echo Bourdon 73 8' Flute 73 8' Muted Viole 73 8' Muted Viole Celeste 73 4' Flute 73 8' Vox Humana 73 Tremolo Chimes
Pedal
32' Diapason Resultant -- 16' Diapason 32 16' Metal Diapason GT 16' Bourdon 32 16' Violone 32 16' Contra Salicional SW 16' Dulciana CH 16' Echo Bourdon EC 8' Octave 12 8' Gedeckt 12 8' Cello 12 8' Echo Flute EC 8' Still Gedeckt SW 4' Super Octave 12 16' Tuba 12 SO 16' Waldhorn SW 8' Tuba SO 4' Tuba Clarion SO Chimes EC
The contract was signed in 1934, but the organ was not installed until
completion of the chapel in 1938 due to building construction delays.
The chapel is a famous Pittsburgh landmark. It is 146 feet long, and a
whopping and seemingly disproportionate 93 feet high at the crossing in the
center of the building. However, it makes for a unique, beautiful and
successful design with some magnificent stained glass windows.
The August 1944 issue of THE DIAPASON carried the following write-up, as well as
the above stop list:
"In the rarely beautiful (sic) Heinz Memorial Chapel of the University of
Pittsburgh, a building of national fame, there is a four-manual organ that is in
keeping with the edifice and that stands out in a city which can boast many
great organs. The instrument was built by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ
Company. The stop scheme was never published in THE DIAPASON, largely
because of the long wait after the awarding of the contract and the completion
of the instrument in the Boston factory, made necessary by the length of time
taken to complete the chapel. Work on the organ began in the summer of
1934, but it was several years before it could be installed."
"The instrument is one of great effectiveness because of the excellent
acoustics of the building. It was necessary, however, to string the pipes
around the triforium of the choir, as the organ space originally provided by the
architect was entirely inadequate. Even under the arrangement finally
followed, the Aeolian-Skinner Company was obliged to adopt considerable
duplexing and unifying to stay within the room available."
"In response to requests from several readers, the stop scheme of the organ
(was) herewith presented."
It is not hard at all to tell whether Skinner or Harrison designed this
organ. By the company's 1934 standards, the stop list is quite
retro. The shortage of room available for the organ was definitely not
helped by the preponderance of broad-scaled 8' stops.
It was no surprise that the installation was never successful - nor was the 1969
rebuild and renovation by Moller as a III/70. The Echo division was
removed in the early 1970s.
To prepare for installation of the Moller, Op. 922 was sold to The Allegheny Center Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Pittsburgh. It was sent to the Moller factory, where it was rebuilt and a new console added. The Chimes and 31 ranks were retained and it was installed in its new location in 1971.
Reuter completed a basically new organ in 1995 that is very successful. Among its features are a Tuba on 25" wind located, under expression, in the former Echo chamber nearly 90' above the floor. The chancel 3-manual console is unusually tall and features elaborate and intricate carving in the cabinet that is reminiscent of Casavant's earlier work, as well as the Skinner console cabinet in use at St. Thomas Church, New York.