Seattle, Washington
First Church of Christ, Scientist
AUSTIN ORGAN CO., Opus 354, 1911
G. Harold Keefer, Opus 3, 1959 - Mechanical & Tonal Revision
GREAT SWELL (Expressive)
8 Principal 61 * 8 Geigen 73
8 Holz Gedeckt 61 8 Gedekt Fluit 73 *
4 Octaaf 61 * 8 Viola 73 *
4 Harmonic Flute 61 8 Viola Celeste (tc) 61 *
2-2/3 Octaaf Quint 61 * 8 Gemshorn 73
2 Super Octaaf 61 * 4 Prestant 73
III Plein Jeu 15-19-22 183 * 2-2/3 Quint Flöte 54
8 Kromhoorn 61 * blank
blank 1-3/5 Terz (G# 21 – c 49) 29
Chimes (Deagan; TG - g44) (25) 16 Double Clarinet (1-12 *) 73
8 Trompet 73 *
Great to Great 16' 8 Hautbois 73
Great Unison Off 8 Vox Humana 61
Great to Great 4' 4 Clarion (tc) 49
Tremulant
PEDAL Swell to Swell 16'
32 Sub Principal (res C.B.) -- Swell Unison Off
32 Untersatz (res S.B.) -- Swell to Swell 4'
16 Contre Basse 32
16 Violone [wood] 32
16 Sub Bass 32 POSITIF
16 Lieblich Gedeckt (in Sw) 32 8 Rohr Quintade 73 *
8 Octave 32 8 Dulciana 73
8 Violon Cello 12 8 Unda Maris (tc) 61
8 Still Gedackt (in Sw) 12 4 Koppel Fluit 73 *
4 Super Octave 12 2-2/3 Rohr Nasat 61 *
2 Twenty Second 12 2 Blok Fluit 61 *
III Rausch Pfeife 19-22-26 5 1-3/5 Terz 61 *
16 Bombarde 32 1-1/3 Larigot 61 *
16 Double Clarinet (Sw) -- 1-1/7 Septieme 61 *
8 Bombarde 12 1 Sifflöte 61 *
4 Bombarde 12 8 Rohr Schalmei 61 *
4 Schalmei (Pos) -- 8 Trompeta Real (tc) 49 *
Chimes (Gt) -- Harp (Deagan; GG – g56) (49)
Zymbelstern (9)
Positif to Positif 16'
Positif Unison Off
Positif to Positif 4'
COUPLERS FINGER PISTONS
Swell to Pedal 8,4 General 1 – 10
Great to Pedal 8,4 Swell 1 – 6
Positif to Pedal 8,4 Sw. to Ped. (rev)
Sw. to Gt. (rev)
Swell to Great 16,8,4 Sw. to Pos. (rev)
Positif to Great 16,8,4 Great 1 – 6
Gt. to Ped. (rev)
Swell to Positif 16,8,4 Positif 1 – 6
Pos. to Ped. (rev)
Pos. to Gt. (rev)
TOE STUDS Pedal 1 – 4
General 1 – 10 Sfz. (rev)
Pedal 1 – 4 Cancel
Sw. to Ped. (rev)
Gt. to Ped. (rev)
Pos. to Ped. (rev) PEDAL MOVEMENTS
Sfz. (rev) Sustenuto [sic] (bal.)
Swell Expression (bal.)
Crescendo (bal.)
ACTION: D-E primary; E-P unit; E-P stop
VOICES: 39 STOPS: 45; inc.chimes, harp, and zymbelstern
RANKS: 41 PIPES: 2,461
NOTES
The Austin was originally installed by the Felix F. Schoenstein & Son firm of San
Francisco, CA. It had 3-manuals, 29-ranks, 35 stops including chimes and harp, and
1,903 pipes. The console did not have divisional cancel bars over the stop tablets.
The couplers were tubular-pneumatic and located inside the console. The Swell and
Choir Unison Off functions were located atop one of the keycheeks for each division.
The Great had no Unison Off of intra-manual couplers. The Great 8' Principal Diapason
had its first 12 pipes in the facade.
In later years when Eugene M. Nye was organist, the Great 4' Harmonic Flute was moved
to 2-2/3' pitch, and the Swell 4' Flauto Traverso was moved to 3-1/5' pitch. In 1954,
the pneumatic/mechanical action of the chimes was replaced for $384.10. Other changes
included making the chimes playable from the Pedal by running the pedal wires through
an added relay; adding a Great to Great 4' coupler; and revoicing the strings (softened)
and reeds (loudened).
In 1959, G. Harold Keefer of Vancouver, B.C. rebuilt the organ utilizing some of the
original pipework, and adding much new pipework which was reportedly built by D.A.
Flentrop in Zaandam, Holland. New chests utilizing top note magnets were provided for
the additions. The original Austin primaries were replaced with Klann direct-electric
magnets to operate the pneumatic motors which pull the chest note actions. A new Klann
console replaced the original Austin console which was sold to Mr. Kenneth Smith of
Vancouver, B.C. For a proposed residence organ.
Stops in the preceding specification marked with an asterisk (*) are new ranks added in
1959. All remaining stops are original Austin pipework, but not necessarily being used
as originally built.
The Great 8' Holz Gedackt take notes 1-12 from the original Choir 8' Concert Flute, and
notes 13-73 from the original Choir 4' Flute d'Amour.
The Swell 8' Geigen was originally in the Choir Division, and the 8' Gemshorn is actually
the original Great 8' Viol d'Amour. The 4' Prestant pipes are marked “Octave” and are the
original Great Octave. The 2-2/3' Quint Flöte is the original Choir 8' Concert Flute from
tenor G on the Flauto Traverso toeboard. The 1-3/5 Terz is on the original 16' Bourdon toe-
board, and is made from the original 4' Flauto Traverso. The 16' Double Clarinet is the
original Choir 8' Clarinet with a new bottom octave.
The Pedal 16' Lieblich Gedeckt and 8' Still Gedackt are the original Swell 16' Bourdon on
its original chest. The Pedal 8' Octave unit was originally the Great 8' Small Diapason.
The Pedal 16' Bombarde is the original Swell 16' Contra Posaune. The Pedal 4' Bombarde
plays for only 20 notes.
The Positif homemade zymbelstern of 4 bells originally provided by G. Harold Keefer was
later replaced with a commercial 9-bell zymbelstern which plays as the keys are depressed,
and does not just run continuously when registered.
The congregation sold the building to a developer ca. 2006, and he donated the organ to
the Pipe Organ Foundation of Mercer Island, WA. However, the pipework had already been
removed by John Moir of Balcom and Vaughan in Everett. Ownership was transferred and the
pipes were moved to storage in a prepared chamber at Faith Lutheran in Seattle where the
organ was to be installed. One of the added Keefer top note magnet chests was installed
at Blessed Seelos in New Orleans by the Pipe Organ Foundation. In 2014, the pipe inventory
was purchased by Marceau & Associates of Seattle, WA.
Sources: JRS; extant organ
[Received from James R. Stettner 2014-06-24.]