Anders Rasmussen Residence
New Albany, IN
Opus 1873
 

 
1921 Specification
1928 Specification
Great (Enclosed)
8' Open Diapason
8' Gross Flute
8' Melodia
8' Viol d'Orchestra
8' Muted Viol  [Dulciana]
8' Viol d'Amour   [Gemshorn]
8' Viol Celeste   (TC)
8' Saxophone
8' Vox Humana
   Tremolo
   Harp


Great Unison Off
Great to Great 4'

Swell (Enclosed)
All Great stops duplexed to Swell
 
Swell to Swell 16'
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4'
 
Pedal
16' Bourdon
16' Bass Viol

Couplers
Swell to Pedal         8
Great to Pedal        8
Swell to Great   16,8,4
 
Finger Pistons
Swell                  1 - 3
Great                   1 - 3
 
 
Foot Levers
REV    [Gt. to Ped.]    reversible
 
Pedal Movements
Expression              balanced
Crescendo               balanced
 
Automatic Mechanism
Undocumented. Replaced in 1928
 
Action: Electro-Pneumatic
 
Voices: 11
 
Stops: 22; inc. chimes
 
Ranks: 11
 
Pipes: 597
Great (Enclosed)
8' Open Diapason
8' Gross Flute
8' Melodia
8' Flute Celeste (TC)   [added]
8' Viol d'Orchestra
8' String Vibrato  (TC)   [added]
8' Muted Viol   [Dulciana]
8' Viol d'Amour   [Gemshorn]
8' Viol Celeste   (TC)
4' Flute d'Amour   [Substituted for Vox H.]
8' Waldhorn   [added]
8' Saxophone
8' Oboe   [added]
   Tremolo
   Harp
 
Great Unison Sep.
Great to Great 4'

Swell (Enclosed)

All Great stops duplexed to Swell
 
Swell to Swell 16'
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4'


Pedal
16' Open Diapason  [added]
16' Bourdon

16' Bass Viol
 
Couplers
Swell to Pedal        8
Great to Pedal        8
Swell to Great    16,8,4
 
Finger Pistons
Swell                   1 - 3
Great                   1 - 3
 
Foot Levers
REV   [Gt. to Ped.]    reversible
 
Pedal Movements
Expression             balanced
Crescendo              balanced
 
Automatic Mechanism
To Play: On, Off
Stop Combinations: 1-2-3-4-5-6
Stop Control: On, Off
Tempo: 3-4-5-6-7-8
Retard, Accel't.
Reroll
 
Action: Electro-Pneumatic
 
Voices: 16
 
Stops: 31; inc. harp
 
Ranks: 16
 
Pipes: 847
 
 
Notes
The following notes are taken from the 1993 Organ Historical Society Convention Organ Handbook, pp. 14 & 15.
 
Anders Rasmussen ordered a 2-9 organ from Estey for his new home in New Albany in 1920. According to Estey factory records, the instrument was shipped 15 September 1920, but major changes were noted as late as 14 December of that year, and it seems likely that the organ was not actually shipped until the spring of 1921. Because the organ was intended for a residence, the usual "No. 1 Melodia" was changed to a "No. 5"; the "No. 1 Muted Viol" was changed to a "58 [scale] Dulciana"; and a "No. 6 Bourdon" took the place of the usual "No. 3."
 
There was originally to have been no casework except for the console, which was to "be made of birch with ivory finish", but display pipes for the openings at the landing and over the console were specified on 19 January 1921. By 9 March 1921, there was an order for "new casework of quartered oak, left in white, to go with [the] main organ at [the] top of [the] stair landing."  The "interior of [the] automatic box [was] to be provided with 2 electric bulbs."
 
Perhaps Anders Rasmussen regretted the 1921 factory substitution of smaller-scaled (and hence quieter) stops for the usual ones,
 for in addition to having the firm add three Celestes in 1928, (*) he also purchased a Waldhorn 8' and a full length (!)
 
Open Diapason 16', along with a Flute d'Amour 4' to replace the Vox Humana 8', the pipes of which are still in the chamber,
 in a large crate. The console was enlarged to accomodate the new stops, and at the same time it was equipped
 with a new automatic player.
 
(*) Note: Acording to the specification posted in the Handbook, the 8' Viol Celeste
WAS present in the 1921 organ, which means that Estey only added two Celestes in 1928.
They also added the Oboe 8' at that time as well.

The String Vibrato 8' is intended to operate with the Viol Celeste 8' and the Viol d'Orchestra 8', and the Flute Celeste 8' with the Melodia 8'. The Viol d'Amour 8' and the Viol Celeste 8' are tapered. The Oboe 8' is marked 2136; the Flute d'Amour 4' is
harmonic and marked 4613. There is a multiplicity of Haskell basses in the instrument, especially the Bass Viol 16'.
 
Silent in recent years, the organ is enjoying a partial restoration being carried out on a largely volunteer basis by Sam Bowerman
of the Bowerman Organ Co., and Robert Martin, on behalf of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Umbreit, Sr., who inherited the house
when his grandmother died in 1991. She and her husband had owned it for the previous forty years.
 
In the words of Sam Bowerman, the "player system was restored to service a few months ago, but the electrical contacts
proved to be unreliable. . .[and] the decision was made to convert the system to MIDI and try to save the [extensive] roll collection. . . [The] contacts responded very well to the solid-state switching . . ."
 
 
Sources
Estey Opus List
1993 O.H.S. Organ Handbook
James R. Stettner
 
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