Canadian Pipe Organ Co. Limited (1923 ca.)

Exhibited in the 2023 OHS convention(s)

Location:

St Anthony’s Catholic Parish
1041 Bloor Street West
Toronto, ON M6H 1M4 CA
Organ ID: 74036

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Status and Condition:

  • This instrument's location type is: Roman Catholic Churches
  • The organ is unaltered from its original state.
  • The organ's condition is good, in regular use.
We received the most recent update for this instrument's status from Paul R. Marchesano on August 03, 2023.

Technical Details:

  • Chests: Pneumatic
  • 21 ranks. 1,287 pipes. 3 divisions. 2 manuals. 24 stops.
Great, Swell, Pedal:
  • Chest Type(s): Pneumatic chests
  • Position: In a gallery-level case at the rear of the room.
  • Built by Canadian Pipe Organ Co. Limited
We received the most recent update for this division from Paul R. Marchesano on August 03, 2023.
Main:
  • Built by Canadian Pipe Organ Co. Limited
  • Manuals: 2
  • Divisions: 3
  • Stops: 24
  • Position: Console in fixed position, center.
  • Manual Compass: 65
  • Pedal Compass: 30
  • Key Action: Tubular-pneumatic connection from key to chest.
  • Stop Action: Tubular-pneumatic connection between stop control and chest.
  • Combination Action: Adjustable combination pistons.
  • Swell Control Type: Balanced swell shoes/pedals.
  • Has Combination Action Thumb Pistons
  • Has Combination Action Toe Pistons
  • Has Coupler Reversible Thumb Pistons
We received the most recent update for this console from Paul R. Marchesano on August 03, 2023.
Paul R. Marchesano on August 03, 2023:

...At the opposite end of the room, over the entrance, a substantial gallery accommodates the choir and supports the Canadian Pipe Organ Company organ, below the rose window. This organ is entirely original and is one of the few remaining examples of tubular-pneumatic action in Toronto. In 1967 the leather pouches of the Great and Swell were re-leathered and the organ cleaned. Tuning was discontinued in 1970, when the so-called guitar-and-drum era commenced. Maintenance resumed after 1979 and the reservoirs were re-covered in 1988. The organ was cleaned again in 1998, and the pipes and action were newly regulated.

There are some remarkable features in the St. Anthony organ. First, the Pedal Echo Bourdon 16ʹ has a device designed to keep the pipes in tune when the pressure is changed. When the Bourdon 16ʹ is engaged, long rails rise to shade the mouths of the pipes and flatten the pitch. When only the Echo Bourdon is on, the rails drop down to sharpen the pitch and compensate for the low pressure. The system aimed to keep the same wind pressures for both stops but to provide a wide windway for the Bourdon and a very narrow windway for the softer Echo Bourdon.

Second, the Great division houses a so-called Labial Trumpet. The name implies that the pipes do not have the usual shallots and brass tongues. In fact, these pipes are very hardblown flues of the Gamba family. The tone is robust enough to play a solo line, but there the comparison ends. A loud string sound is not a trumpet tone. Labial reeds were constructed also by S.R. Warren and Estey.

Finally, the placing of five of the Great stops under expression is novel. A similar arrangement was used for the larger S.R. Warren gallery organ in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, King Street, in 1884.

We received the most recent update for this note from Paul R. Marchesano on August 03, 2023.
2023 OHS Handbook: Open In New Tab
We received the most recent update for this stoplist from Paul R. Marchesano on August 03, 2023.

Instrument Images:

Organ in rear gallery: Photograph from an archival source: 2023 OHS Handbook, Mark Ruhnke, submitted by Paul R. Marchesano. Taken approx. 2022