RESTORATION of the AEoLIAN-SKINNER Pipe organ

 
Opus 908 was built by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston, MA, completed for Christmas of 1933.  Remarkably crafted by Ernest M. Skinner and G. Donald Harrison, the two most important figures in American organ building of the 20th Century, Op. 908 marked one of the first installations of the newly merged Aeolian and Skinner organ companies.  

 

Custom-maid for the size and acoustics of our worship space, the nearly 2,000 pipes showcase the thrilling fiery reeds, and the rich principal choruses combined with mixtures that Skinner & Harrison were known for. Commanded by a drawknob console housing three sixty-one note manual keyboards and a thirty-two note pedal board, the twenty nine ranks of speaking pipes range in length from 16 feet to the size of a pencil. 

 

 

By the turn of the 21 century, time, dirt, and water damage had contributed to the deterioration of Op. 908. In August of 2009 the instrument was removed from the church and placed in storage while the church underwent major cleaning and restoration.  At the age of 85, every part of the organ is in need of reconditioning. From the blower to the console, each piece has been disassembled.  

 

The instrument is exceptionally dirty, and many of the pipes have suffered from rust and mold. Regardless of these obsticles, Opus 908 remains a top-quality instrument and every remaining part is in the process of being restored to it’s excellent original operating condition.  

 

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GREAT  (II; in east chamber)

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16'          Flute Conique                                    61 pipes
8'            Diapason                                            61 pipes
8'            Harmonic Flute                                 61 pipes
8'            Gemshorn                                          61 pipes
4'            Principal                                             61 pipes
               Grave Mixture II ranks                   122 pipes
               Chimes ( added 1941)                       20

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SWELL  (III; enclosed in west chamber)

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8'            Geigen Diapason                              73 pipes
8'            Rohrflöte                                            73 pipes
8'            Salicional                                           73 pipes
8'            Voix Celeste                                       61 pipes
8'            Aeoline                                                73 pipes
4'            Flute Triangulaire                              73 pipes
               Mixture IV ranks                              244 pipes
16'          Waldhorn                                            73 pipes
8'            Trumpet                                              73 pipes
8'            Corno d'Amore                                   73 pipes
8'            Vox Humana                                      73 pipes
4'            Clarion                                                 73 pipes
               Tremolo

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CHOIR  (I; enclosed in east chamber)

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8'            Concert Flute                                    73 pipes
8'            Viola                                                    73 pipes
8'            Klein Erzahler                                    73 pipes
8'            Klein Erzahler Celeste                      61 pipes
4'            Flute d'Amour                                    73 pipes
8'            Clarinet                                               73 pipes
               Tremolo

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PEDAL  (in east and west chambers)

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16'         Diapason                                            44 pipes
16'         Bourdon                                              44 pipes
16'         Flute Conique                                  from Great
8'            Diapason extension of '16                      12 pipes
8'            Bourdon   extension of '16                      12 pipes
16'         Waldhorn                                          from Swell