Geo. Kilgen & Son, Inc.
Opus 4950 & 4963, 1932
Originally J.G. Pfeffer & Son (1897 ca.)
St. John Nepomuk Roman Catholic Church
Sanctuary; rear gallery
1625 S. Eleventh St. at Soulard
St. Louis, MO, US
13 Ranks
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IMAGES
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STOPLISTS
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CONSOLES
Builder: Geo. Kilgen & Son, Inc.
Position: Console in Fixed Position, Center
Design: Traditional With Roll Top
Pedalboard Type: Concave Radiating (Details Unknown)
Features:
2 Manuals (61 Notes)32 Note Pedal3 Divisions13 Stops20 RegistersElectrical Key ActionElectrical Stop Action✓ Crescendo✓ Combination Thumb Piston(s)✓ Coupler Toe Piston(s)Stop Layout: Stop Keys Above Top Manual
Expression Type: Balanced Expression Shoes/Pedals (Meeting AGO Standards)
Combination Action: 'Hold and Set' Pneumatic/Mechanical
Control System: Unknown or N/A
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DETAILS
This instrument is: Extant and Playable in this location
There has been a lot of mystery and uncertainty regarding this composite organ. Examination of the organ by St. Louis organ builder Christopher Soer has revealed much information. The chronology of the organ presently appears to be:
J.G. Pfeffer & Son, ca. 1897
Geo. Kilgen & Son, Inc., Opus 3427, 1925....................New 1/2 hp blower
Wicks Organ Co., Opus 812, 1928................................Electrification & Rebuild
Geo. Kilgen & Son, Inc., Opus 4950 & 4963, 1932........Tonal additions
Geo. Kilgen & Son, Inc., Opus 5109, 1933....................New Blower
Geo. Kilgen & Son, Inc., Opus 7087, ca. 1949..............New Console
Database Manager on July 24th, 2015:
Updated through online information from Stephen M. McMullen. -- New information. In the fall of 2014, reconditioned Wicks (1974) keyboards were installed replacing the original ones. All pipes now respond. In July of this year reconditioned combination action was installed. All pistons functioning.
Database Manager on June 23rd, 2014:
Updated through online information from Stephen M. McMullen.
Database Manager on March 12th, 2012:
Updated through online information from Ron Yeater. -- This is a strange one! It has Wicks direct-electric main chests, but playing through Kilgen EP relays. There were two additional ranks, a Clarinet and a Vox Humana, on Kilgen unit chests, but they have since disappeared. The console is Kilgen. The case looks 19th century.
Database Manager on August 31st, 2011:
Updated through online information from Stephen M. McMullen. -- Odd. This organ is the only one I have ever seen that has no mixtures or mutation stops.
Database Manager on August 13th, 2011:
Updated through online information from Stephen M. McMullen. -- Organ is playable, in use, and TUNED. Some combination pistons are broken off flush with the console.
Database Manager on July 27th, 2005:
St. Louis AGO shows the date as 1940. The church is on the Kilgen Index for Op. 3247 (c. 1923), 4950 (c. 1932), 4965(c. 1932), 5109 (c. 1933). Possibly a 1930's rebuild of the 1923 Kilgen organ with some later additions? (The church is also listed for a 1928 Wicks, Op. 812, 2/13.). In an 1897 building. (Information from the AGO St. Louis Chapter Yearbook, 2004-2005, the Kilgen ledger index, and the Wicks opus list.) The church was closed as a parish in 2005 and opened as a chapel.
Related Instrument Entries: J.G. Pfeffer & Son (1897 ca.) , Wicks Organ Co. (Opus 812, 1928)
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