Lewis and Hitchcock, Inc. - Pipe Organ Builders Since 1915
Rebuilt Organs

Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

Richmond, VA - Rebuilt by Lewis & Hitchcock

Dr. Beth Melcher Winger, Director of Music

Photographs:

Relay and Console
Pipe Repair

The Holy Trinity building, built in 1895, contained a mechanical-action Hook & Hastings organ. When Holy Trinity and Grace church merged in 1924, Hook & Hastings enlarged the organ, using their new electro-pneumatic action to operate the existing windchests. The original Holy Trinity console was attached on the left side; the new console was detached on the right side. The organ had an abundance of unison tone. Perhaps the most unusual thing about the organ was that the very rare Hook & Hastings orchestral flute stop existed in both the main organ and in the Echo division. These pipes were made without traditional mouths; a tube conveyed wind from the toe to a hole in the side of the pipe, so they could be blown just like an orchestral flute.

Evidently the original windchests had problems, so that by the time of World War II, the organ needed to be rebuilt. The Tellers firm of Erie, Pennsylvania was very active in Richmond at this time, having rebuilt the organ in the Catholic Cathedral, so they were given the contract to rebuild and enlarge the organ. The console shell was retained, and most of the pipes, but all the manual windchests were replaced with the Tellers ventil windchests, and more stops were added, again mainly unison and solo stops.

By the 1970’s the ventil chests and the console were beginning to show their age. Some repairs were made, but the dream of the church’s long-time Organist/Choirmaster, Tom Griffin, was for a new organ. This became reality in 1979, with the installation of the new Austin organ. The Hook & Hastings was sold, except for a few stops that were retained, such as the Pedal 16’ Open Wood, and the Antiphonal Gedeckt, Viole, Octave and Pedal Bourdon and Diapason.

After the initial installation, additions were made through the years, such as the Trompette en Chamade in the back, and additional stops derived from existing resources in the main organ. The console was also converted from electro-mechanical combination action to solid-state. However, the work was entrusted to different firms at different times, each using the type of action they preferred. The result was a confusing array of devices that sometimes were not fully compatible. In addition there was metal fatigue in the largest reed pipes of the organ, the 32’ Bombarde. Something needed to be done.

Our recommendation was to convert the organ to one system of operation, so that everything would be compatible. The console was removed to our factory, where it was fitted with a new system designed by the Peterson Electro-Musical Company of Chicago, Illinois. We recommended this system because of the simplicity of operation, and the reliability of the components, as well as the support available from the company. A matching system was installed in the organ chamber. All the information is sent from the console over an Ethernet cable. This data stream can be manipulated by a Transposer or recorded by a Sequencer.

Each organist has a data bank available to keep combinations, which may be locked. Crescendos and Full Organ settings may be revised to suit the music. As the system is software-based, it can be updated.

Austin Organ: #2638, 1979

Great Organ

1.

16’ Geigen

73 pipes

2.

8' Principal

61 pipes

8’ Geigen

from #1

3.

8’ Bourdon

61 pipes

4.

4’ Octave

61 pipes

5.

4’ Nachthorn

61 pipes

6.

2’ Super Octave

61 pipes

7.

1 1/3’ Fourniture IV

244 pipes

8.

½’ Cymbal III

183 pipes

9.

16’ Fagot

61 pipes

10.

8’ Trumpet

61 pipes

4’ Clarion

from #46

16' Swell to Great

8' Swell to Great

4' Swell to Great

8' Positiv to Great

16’ Antiphonal to Great

8’ Antiphonal to Great

4’ Antiphonal to Great

8' Great Unison Off

8’ Trompette en Chamade

from #38

Chimes

Swell

11.

16’ Gedeckt bass

73 pipes

8’ Rohr Gedeckt

from #11

12.

8’ Viola Pomposa

61 pipes

13.

8’ Viola Celeste tc

49 pipes

14.

8’ Flauto Dolce

61 pipes

15.

8’ Flute Celeste tc

49 pipes

16.

4’ Principal

61 pipes

17.

4’ Wald Flute

61 pipes

18.

2’ Block Flute

61 pipes

19.

2 2/3’ Sesquialtera II tc

98 pipes

20.

2’ Plein Jeu IV

244 pipes

21.

16’ Basson

61 pipes

22.

8’ Trompette

61 pipes

8’ Oboe

from #21

23.

8’ Vox Humana

61 pipes

24.

4’ Clarion

61 pipes

Tremolo

16' Swell to Swell

8' Swell Unison Off

4' Swell to Swell

8’ Positiv to Swell

Positiv

16’ Geigen

from #1

8’ Geigen

from #1

25.

8’ Holz Gedeckt

61 pipes

26.

4’ Principal

61 pipes

27.

4’ Koppel Flute

61 pipes

28.

2’ Octave Principal

61 pipes

29.

1 1/3’ Quint Principal

61 pipes

30.

1’ Sifflute

61 pipes

31.

1/3’ Zimbel III

183 pipes

32.

8’ Rohr Schalmei

61 pipes

Tremolo

8’ Trompette en Chamade

from #38

8’ Positiv Unison Off

8’ Great to Positiv

8’ Swell to Positiv

8’ Antiphonal to Positiv

Antiphonal

8’ Diapason

from #’s 35 & 40

33.

8’ Gedeckt

56 pipes, H&H

34.

8’ Viole

56 pipes, H&H

35.

4’ Octave

56 pipes, H&H

36.

1 1/3’ Mixture III

168 pipes

16’ Antiphonal to Antiphonal

4’ Antiphonal to Antiphonal

Antiphonal Unison Off

8’ Great to Antiphonal

8’ Swell to Antiphonal

8’ Positiv to Antiphonal

Solo

8’ Vox Humana

from #23

37.

8’ Festival Trumpet

61 pipes

8’ Bombarde

from #46

16’ Trompette en Chamade

from #38

38.

8’ Trompette en Chamade

56 pipes

4’ Trompette en Chamade

from #38

Pedal

39.

16’ Bourdon Antiphonal

32 pipes, H&H

40.

8’ Diapason Antiphonal

32 pipes, H&H

Zimbalstern F

Zimbalstern P

Blank

Blank

32’ Resultant

from #41

41.

16’ Open Diapason

32 pipes, wood, H&H

42.

16’ Principal

44 pipes

43.

16’ Subbass

32 pipes

16’ Geigen

from #1

16’ Gedeckt Bass

from #11

10 2/3’ Geigen Quint

from #1

8’ Octave

from #42

8’ Geigen

from #1

8’ Gedeckt

from #11

44.

4’ Choral Bass

32 pipes

4’ Nachthorn

from #5

45.

2 2/3’ Mixture IV

128 pipes

46.

32’ Contra Bombarde

68 pipes

16’ Bombarde

from #46

16’ Basson

from #21

8’ Bombarde

from #46

8’ Basson

from #21

4’ Bombarde Clarion1

from #46

4’ Basson

from #21

4’ Fagot

from #9

8' Great to Pedal

Peterson ICS-4000 system

8' Swell to Pedal

Main control panel for all functions

4' Swell to Pedal

MIDI data filer (sequencer) for MIDI and

8' Positiv to Pedal

all data functions

4' Positiv to Pedal

SET key/lock

8’ Antiphonal to Pedal

Pistons

Under Antiphonal:

Tutti, Antiphonal/Solo 1-4

Under Swell:

General 1-5, Sw/Ped, Sw 1-8, General 11-12

Under Great:

General 6-10, Gt/Ped, Gt 1-8, 32’ Res, 32’ Bomb

Under Choir:

Pos/Ped, Pos 1-8, General Cancel

Toe Movements

Left:

Center:

Right:

32’ R, 32’ B

Sw/P, Z, Tutti

General 1-5

Sw/Cresc

Gt/Ped, Pedal 1-4

General 6-10

shoes

Pos/Ped, Pedal 5-8