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Complete description of the selected organ


Photo: C.B. Fisk, Inc.

Philadelphia, USA (Pennsylvania) - Christ Church
Municipal: Philadelphia
Region:Philadelphia County
Address: 2nd Street above Market, 19106, Philadelphia, PA
Website: http://www.christchurchphila.org/

Description nr.: 2022115.

Built by: C.B. Fisk Inc. (2017) - opus 150
The organ contains older material: Organ case from 1837 by Henry Erben

Year	Builder	Opus	Activity
1837	Henry Erben		new organ
1935	Ernest M. Skinner		new organ in old case
1967	Austin Organ Company Inc.		maintenance/reparations
1972	Brantley A. Duddy		restoration
2017	C.B. Fisk Inc.	150	new organ in old case

• Christ Church in Philadelphia is one of the oldest church buildings in the United States, built in 1727-144 and equipped with a tall tower in 1754. Originally an English Episcopal Church, since 1783 American Episcopal. In 1728 an organ was placed in the church, purchased from Ludowick Christian Sprogell. Philip Feyring, organ maker in Philadelphia, built a new organ in 1766. The current organ was built by Henry Erben in the years 1834-1837. Of this organ only the organ case is still present.
  
• The interior of the organ was complete renewed by the Skinner Organ company in 1935. The new instrument was donated to the church by Efrem Zimbalist in memory of her father, Cyrus H.K. Curtis. The Skinner organ was also rebuilt several times: in 1967 by Austin and in 1972 by Brantley Duddy. The console was a four-manual Austin console, installed in the spring of 1966.
  
• In 2016 the Fisk company was commissioned to build a new organ, in which the Erben case was reused. The organ, opus 150 by Fisk, was delivered at the end of 2017. The organ case was expanded with a chaire organ (Rückpositiv) in matching style.
  

Technical data

Number of stops per division
- Great Organ	12
- Chaire Organ	12
- Swell Organ	14
- Pedal Organ	11 (7)
Total number of stops	49 (45)
Key action	Mechanical
Stop action	Electrical
Windchest(s)	Slider chests

Specification
Great Organ (C-c''''): Prestant 16', Octave 8', Gambe 8', Harmonic Flute 8', Bourdon 8', Octave 4', Spire Flute 4', Twelfth 2 2/3', Fifteenth 2', Mixture 4-6 ranks (1 1/3'), French Trumpet 8', German Trumpet 8'.
Chaire Organ (C-c''''): Prestant 8', Gedackt 8', Quintadehn 8', Octave 4', Rohr Flute 4', Quinte 2 2/3', Superoctave 2', Block Flute 2', Terz 1 3/5', Mixture 4 ranks (1'), Dulcian 16', Cremona 8', Tremblant Doux.
Swell Organ (C-c''''): Bourdon 16', Violin Diapason 8', Viole de Gambe 8', Voix Céleste 8', Cor de Nuit 8', Dulciane 4', Flûte Octaviante 4', Nasard 2 2/3', Octavin 2', Tierce 1 3/5', Plein Jeu 4 ranks (2'), Bombarde 16', Trompette 8', Hautbois 8'.
Pedal Organ (C-g'): Resultant 32', Open Bass 16', Prestant 16' - from Great, Violonbasse 16', Soubasse 16', Octave 8', Violoncelle 8' - extension, Bourdon 8' - extension, Octave 4', Posaune 16', Trommet 8' - extension.
Other stops: Cymbelstern, Rossignol.
Couplers: Chaire to Great, Swell to Great, Swell to Chaire, Great to Pedal, Chaire to Pedal, Swell to Pedal, Swell to Pedal 4'.
Accessories: General Tremulant, 200 Levels of Memory, Sequencer, Wind Stabilizer.

Other specifications

Different specifications

From 1972 to 2016, the stop list was: Great Organ: Great I: Quintaton 16', Principal 8', Rohr Bourdon 8', Oktav 4', Fifteenth 2', Fourniture 4 ranks, Scharf 3 ranks. Great II: Diapason I 8', Diapason II 8', Bourdon 4', Flute Couvert 4', Nazard 2 2/3', Super Octave 2', Gedeckt Flute 2', Sesquialtera 2 ranks. Positiv: Holz Gedeckt 8', Prinzipal 4', Koppel Flute 4', Prinzipal 2', Larigot 1 1/3', Cymbal 3 ranks, Kromhorn 8'. Swell Organ: Gedeckt 16', Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Flute Celeste 8', Viole 8', Viole Celeste 2 ranks (8'), Octave 4', Harmonic Flute 4', Unda Maris 4', Nasard 2 2/3', Doublette 2', Tierce 1 3/5', Sifflute 1', Plein Jeu 3-4 ranks, Mixtur 3 ranks, Fagotto 16', Trumpet 8', Oboe 8', Vox Humana 8', Clarion 4', Tremulant. Solo Organ: Gamba Celeste 2 ranks (8'), Doppel Flute 4', Mixture 4 ranks, French Horn 8', English Horn 8', Tremulant, Tubasson 16', Tuba 8', Clarion 4'. Antiphonal: Antiphonal Great: Bourdon 16', Diapason 8', Stopped Diapason 8', Octave 4', Hohl Flute 4', Nazard 2 2/3', Flageolette 2', Tierce 1 3/5', Mixture 3 ranks. Antiphonal Swell: Dulciana 8', Dulciana Celeste 8', Aeoline 8', Erzahler 8', Erzahler Celeste 8', Viol 8', Dolce 8', Flute Celeste 8' - prepared, Vox Humana 8', Rohr Schalmei 4' - prepared, Trumpet en Chamade 8', Tremulant, Zimbelstern, Chimes. Pedal Organ: Double Diapason 32', Diapason 16', Principal 16', Wood Bourdon 16', Metal Bourdon 16', Violone 16', Soft Bourdon 16' - from Antiphonal Organ, Gedeckt 16' - from Swell Organ, Bourdon Quint 10 2/3', Principal 8', Metal Bourdon 8', Soft Bourdon 8' - from Antiphonal Organ, Principal 4', Bourdon 4', Principal 2', Bourdon 2', Mixture 2 ranks, Mixture 2 ranks, Harmonics 4 ranks, Bombarde 32', Bombarde 16', Tubasson 16', Tuba 8', Clarion 4'.

Literature

New Austin console goes to Christ Church. - In: The Diapason, 57th Year, No. 4, March 1966. Christ Church (P.E.) Philadelphia, PA. - New console for this large exisiting organ in this very historic church / Austin Organs. - In: The Diapason, 58th Year, No. 2, January, 1967. - Advertisement. The Building and Furnishing of Christ Church Philadelphia / Charles E. Peterson, Nicholas L. Gianopulos, Bruce Cooper Gill. - Philadelphia : Old Christ Church Preservation Trust, 2001. The organ and bells of Christ Church Philadelphia. - Philadelphia : The Christ Church Preservation Trust, [2008]. A Guide to Christ Church Philadelphia. - Philadelphia : Christ Church Preservation Trust, 2014.

Links

http://cbfisk.com/opus/opus-150/ http://cbfisk.com/case_studies/opus-150/

YouTube 2017 C.B. Fisk organ - Christ Church Episcopal, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (2018)

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Photo: Groenling

Photo: Piet Bron

Photo: Piet Bron