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AEOLIAN-SKINNER
OPUS 908 -
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Aeolian-Skinner, Opus 908 Specifications
THREE MANUALS, 29 RANKS, 25 STOPS, 1,927 PIPES
Restored by Foley-Baker Inc.
GREAT (II; in east chamber)
16' Flute Conique (Gemshorm) † 61 pipes
8' Diapason 61 pipes
8' Flute Harmonic 61 pipes
8' Gemshorn 61 pipes
4' Principal 61 pipes
2 ⅔' Grave Mixture II ranks 122 pipes
Chimes from Choir
Swell to Great 16
Swell to Great
Swell to Great 4
Choir to Great 16
Choir to Great
Choir to Great 4
Great 4
Great Unison
SWELL (III; enclosed in west chamber)
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
2' 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
Tremulant
Swell 16
Swell 4
Swell Unison
CHOIR (I; enclosed in east chamber)
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
Chimes ** 20 tubes
Tremulant
Swell to Choir 16
Swell to Choir
Swell to Choir 4
Choir 16
Choir 4
Choir Unison
Pedal to Choir
PEDAL (in east and west chambers)
32' Resultant 32 pipes
16' Diapason 44 pipes
16' Bourdon 44 pipes
16' Gemshorn from Great
8' Octave 12 pipes
8' Flute 12 pipes
8’ Rohrflöte from Swell
16' Waldhorn from Swell
8’ Trumpet from Swell
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Pedal 4
Choir to Pedal
Choir to Pedal 4
ACCESSORIES
Manual Transfer
All Pistons Next
† Original factory knob name
* Prepared for in 1933; built/installed in 2019
** Built/installed in 1941
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HOLY CROSS ORGAN
Featured in
TAO Magazine -
Opus 908
Featured in
The Diapason MAGAZINE -
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NEWS & HISTORY
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In over 50 years in the organ business, I have learned that few organs were as heavily used as those in Catholic churches during the mid-20th century. I recall working in Waterbury, Connecticut, in the mid 1970's, releathering the organ at just such a church, where there were often 100 masses a week, plus a very active funeral and wedding schedule. Fast-forward to 2010, when we were called to Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church on West 42nd Street in Manhattan.Read More -
Ten years ago, things weren’t looking so great for this organ. Holy Cross was ramping up to start a massive redecorating project. At the last minute, contractors decided that the organ had to be removed. When we removed its hundreds of components from what was to have been short-term storage, we found that more than the original water damage was now visible.Read More -
Watch as fifty+ foot pipes are stood upright, walked up a latter, and received by team-members ready to unwrap and position them into a facade.Read More -
Watch as the nearly 2000 pipes are pulleyed up to the loft in small batches.Read More -
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Newly Restored Aeolian-Skinner Pipe Organ Makes its Debut, Christmas 2019
Recorded Live at Midnight, December 25, 2019Choir: Dominique Duarte • Kayleigh Butcher† • Sofia Björkman • Domenic Guastaferro • Jialina Guastaferro • Janice Hall • Cailtin Jones • Kathleen Kilbane • Janet Natale† • Adam Menninga • Margo Reynolds • Jessica Schneiderman† • Jerrod Sanders† • Joseph Simmons • Constance Stellas • Emma Terese •
Stark Wilz • Lisa Workman • Kathryn Zimmer
† Soloists
Flutes & Clarinets: Amy Griffiths • Greg Thymius
French Horn: Audrey Flores
Trumpets: Jami Dauber • Rachel Therrien
Trombones: Noah Bless • Andrea Neumann
Violins: Philip Carter • JD Hunter
Viola: Jennifer Herman
Cello: Ward Williams
Timpani: Peter Saleh
Associate Director of Music: Normand Gouin
Director of Music & Liturgy: Thomas DeFrancesco
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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-made 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 is being restored to it’s original operating condition by Foley-Baker Inc.
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