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Pipe-Organ
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 The organ at St. John’s was originally dedicated on Palm Sunday, April 14, 1946, the gift of Mr. and Mrs. John N. Kirsch, in memory of Charles W. Kirsch. It was built by the Wicks Pipe Organ Company in Hilghland, Illinois, and cost $11,000. |
Numerous pipe additions and renovations were done in 1969 by the C.V. Barden Company under the leadership of Myron Casner, organist and choirmaster at St. John’s from 1950-1973. It is estimated that the organ contained about 29 ranks of pipes after the 1969 renovation.
In 1987, Fabry, Inc. of Fox Lake, Illinois, re-leathered the reservoirs, added electric tremolo units, added solid-state expression systems, and converted the combination action, coupler relays, manual and pedal contacts, and chamber relays to solid-state. These improvements were made under the leadership of Charles Olegar, director of music at St. John’s from 1982-1989.
Improvements and additional renovations were also made in 1996 in conjunction with the remodeling and upgrading of the sanctuary and nave. Fabry & Sons, Inc. oversaw the installation of a new Great wind chest to accommodate the newly exposed principal chorus. A new Great Mixture was added to the exposed principal chorus, and the original Great Mixture was moved to the Swell division. A new Harmonic Trumpet (8’) was also added to the Choir division. At the same time, numerous ranks were duplicated to other manuals for convenience and the memory system was upgraded from a possible 24 settings to 192. These renovations were made under the leadership of Ruth Lahmeyer, who was the director of music at St. John’s from 1973-1979 and again from 1989-2004. John Gouwens, of Culver Military Academy, was the consultant for the project, and played the re-dedication recital on December 1, 1996.
The organ now includes 31 ranks totaling approximately 2200 pipes located in two pipe chambers. The four division (three manuals and pedal) console is still in use today. It is valued at approximately $350,000.
Stoplist
for St. John's Episcopal Church, Sturgis
31 ranks of pipes
PEDAL
Open Diapason 16’ (Great extension)…..….12 pipes
Bourdon 16’ (wood)…….………………………...44 pipes
Gemshorn 16’ (Choir extension)……………...12 pipes
Lieblich Gedeckt 16’ (from Swell)
Octave 8’…………………………………………… …32 pipes
Bourdon 8’ (from 16’)
Lieblich Gedeckt 8’ (from Swell)
Wald Flute 4’ ...32 pipes
Fagotto 16’………………………………………….….44 pipes
Fagotto 8’ (from 16’)
CHOIR
(Manual
Harmonic Flute 8’………………………………………….…85 pipes
Gemshorn 8’……………………………………………….…90 pipes
Gemshorn Celeste 8’ (T.C.)………………………………..…61 pipes
Spitz Principal 4’ (extension from Great 8’)…………………...24 pipes
Rohrflote 4’ (from 8’, 61 notes)
Nazard 2 2/3’……………………………………...…73 pipes
Harmonic Piccolo 2’ (extension from 8’, 61 notes)
Tierce 1 3/5/……………………………… ……….61 pipes
Larigot 1 1/3’ (extension from Nazard, 61 notes)
Clarinet 8’……………………………………… ……73 pipes
Harmonic Trumpet 8’ (harmonic from middle c)…73 pipes
Tremolo
GREAT
(Manual II)
Principal 8’ (moved to new exposed chest)…………………....61 pipes
Rohrflote 8’…………………………………………………..61 pipes
Harmonic Flute 8’ (from Choir)
Octave 4’ (moved to new exposed chest)…………………..…61 pipes
Gedeckt 4’……………………………………………...61 pipes
Fifteenth 2’ (moved to new exposed chest)…………………....61 pipes
Mixture III (19-22-26; placed on new exposed chest)……….183 pipes
Harmonic Trumpet 8’ (from Choir, 73 notes)
Trumpet 8’ (from Swell)
Clarinet 8’ (from Choir, 73 notes)
Tremolo
SWELL
(Manual III)
Lieblich Gedeckt 16’………………………………………....97 pipes
Open Diapason 8’……………………………………………85 pipes
Stopped Diapason 8’ (from 16’ Lieblich Gedeckt, 73 notes)
Salicional 8’…………………………………………..…73 pipes
Voix Celeste 8’ (T.C.)………………… …………..61 pipes
Octave 4’ (from 8’ Open Diapason, 73 notes)
Koppelflote 4’……………………………………… …..73 pipes
Nazard 2 2/3……………………………………… ……73 pipes
Flautino 2’ (from 16’ Lieblich Gedeckt, 61 notes)
Zimbel III (19-22-26; relocated here from the Great)………..183 pipes
Trumpet 8’…………………………………………… ...73 pipes
Oboe 8’……………………………………………… ….. .85 pipes
Oboe Clarion 4’ (from 8’ Oboe)
Tremolo
COUPLERS
Operated from stop tablets above Swell Manual:
Great to Pedal 8’, 4’
Swell to Pedal 8’, 4’
Choir to Pedal 8’, 4’
Swell to Swell 16’, Unison Off, 4’
Swell to Great 16’, 8’, 4’
Great to Great 16’, Unison Off, 4’
Choir to Great 16’, 8’, 4’
Choir to Choir 16’, Unison Off, 4’
Swell to Choir 16’, 8’, 4’
