James Raymond Garner (Associates)
1990

Updated by Sean Haley, who has heard or played the organ.
\r\nThe church has chosen to replace this instrument with an electronic organ while retaining the front casework and facade pipes. What is to become of the rest of the instrument is unknown.

Updated by Sean Haley, who has heard or played the organ.

The organ, altered a number of times by various individuals, suffers from the need for a complete an thorough restoration. Unsuccessful attempts to modernize the key action with bent metal wire and other unprofessional solutions have left the key action clumsy, unregulated, and unreliable. Remaining original wood trackers have been broken and/or spliced together creating several dead notes. The pneumatic stop action, recovered in rubber cloth in 1977 is still functional while a bit slow in operation of the sliders. Manual slider chests also appear to be suffering from voids and cracks creating running notes and even ciphers from the pallet box. The expression, while retaining the original traces and mechanics, has replacement shades, possibly from the 1977 work.

Tonal changes included replacing the Great Dulciana with an agressive 3 rank mixture. The first seven notes of the Dulciana are still in place and make up the central section of the facade. Later tonal alteration included removing the original Dopple flute from 4' C upward replacing it with a Metal Gedeckt. The original wood bass was retained. No additional space is available for the Gamba mentioned in a previous entry. Tonal alteration in the Swell consisted of providing a new supply house bass octave for the 8' Oboe (ca. 1990), presumable only a tenor C stop originally. Swell 8' stops all share a common stopped wood bass grooved from the 8' Stopped Diapason. Pre-existing pipe work was revoiced in 1977 as marked on extant pipework. It is believed that pressures were raised to assist the stop action.

At some unknown point the speaking facade was repainted and gold leafing applied. Unfortunately the visible pipes of the Pedal Bourdon making up the sides are still awaiting restoration.

Updated through online information from David L. Klassy. -- The 8 Gamba is not installed. It was purchased by a local donor, not regularly associated with Christ Church. It was to be installed once additional funds had been made available. However the 8 Gambia was stored in a location where the donor was once employed. After his resignation, the "powers-that-be" at the other location disposed of the 8 Gamba rank.

Updated through online information from John Speller. -- This organ was extant when I visited it on 10/2/2010. Note, however that the original Dulciana has been replaced by a 3 rank Mixture. The Vox Angelica is a soft string, similar to an Aeoline. Not an undulating rank.

The original builder was Joseph Gratian (1893).

From San Felipe R. C., Albuquerque, NM 1982. Altered Layton 1977, 2-14; renovated Garner 1990, 2-14.

Status Note: There 1982