Seattle, Washington
Blessed Sacrament Parish
Henry Erben & Co., 1877
F.J.N. Tallman, 1899 - Major Rebuild
Michael A. Clark, 1914 - Tonal Revision
George Bozeman Jr. & Co., 1998 - Mechanical Rebuild & Tonal Revision
Bond, 2005 - Installation
GREAT COUPLERS (Pistons in keyslips)
8’ Open Diapason 61 Swell to Pedal On / Off
8’ Melodia 61 Great to Pedal On / Off
4’ Principal 61
2’ Fifteenth 61 Great to Swell [sic] On / Off
II Mixture [19-22] 122 Great to Swell Octaves On / Off
8’ Trumpet --
FOOT LEVERS (Unlabeled; l-r)
SWELL (Expressive) Great Piano [Gt. Forte Off] (s-a)
8’ Open Diapason 61
8’ Stopped Diapason 61 Great Forte - 8,8,4,2,II (s-a)
8’ Viol D’Amour 61
8’ Vox Celeste (tc) 49
4’ Octave 61 PEDAL MOVEMENTS
4’ Flute [d’Amour] 61 Swell Expression (bal.)
2’ Piccolo 61
8’ Oboe 61
Tremulant
ACTION: Mech. Key & Stop
PEDAL
16’ Ped. Bourdon 30 VOICES: 15 STOPS: 15
8’ Bass Flute 30
16’ Trombone -- RANKS: 16 PIPES: 902
NOTES
This organ began life as a 2-manual Erben built in 1877 for the First Presbyterian Church of Nyack, NY. It
was housed in a 5-sectional Gothic case, centered behind an elevated pulpit platform and recessed into an
alcove. It was formally opened on November 16, 1877 in recital by Professors Sparks and Walter.
22 years later in 1899, the organ was substantially rebuilt by Francis J.N. Tallman of Nyack. The work
consisted of altering the 5-sectional case to be 3-sectional, relocating the organ to the right side of the
pulpit platform, turning the interior chassis 90 degrees, construction of an entirely new keydesk with new
61-note manuals and 30-note pedals, new 61-note windchests, and rescaling the pipework which was necessitated
by lowering the pitch to A=435, and revoicing. The organ was essentially a new instrument at this point,
retaining 10 or 11 of the original Erben ranks and the modified case.
The front façade in this reconfigured form (and as it remains) features three Gothic arches - each containing
7 pipes for a total of 21 façade pipes in front.
The keydesk is on the left side, and its façade - while not divided by wooden framing or arches - also
contains 21 pipes. These 21 pipes are also 3-sectional by virtue of the height of the pipe feet and diameter
of the pipe bodies, and are arranged: 5-11-5. The first 17 pipes of the Great 8’ Open Diapason are divided
between the two facades. The case is faux-grained.
In 1914, the organ was tonally altered - this time by Michael A. Clark. Clark was also a Nyack resident and
organ builder - as well as a former Tallman associate. His work consisted of extending several short-compass
stops to full-compass, and the replacing of the existing Great 2’ Fifteenth with a used 4’ Flute d’Amour, the
pipes of which are marked, “Ch. of St. John the Baptist W. 30th St. NYC CC Flute d’amour”.
The next alterations seem not to have occurred until 1984 when the A. & J. Pipe and Reed Organ Service of
Newburgh, NY. releathered the double-rise reservoir and provided the Swell with a 2-2/3’ Nasard made from a
cut-down and revoiced 8’ Aeoline - the pipes of which may or may not have been already in the organ. The
organ remained in this form until the mid 1990’s.
First Presbyterian Church disbanded in the early 1990’s and the building was put to new use as a Civic
Center. On September 16th and 17th, 1996, the organ was removed by an Organ Clearing House crew headed by
Alan M. Laufman. It was placed in storage in the Baltic Mill in Enfield, NH.
In the Fall of 1998, the organ was acquired through the Organ Clearing House by St. Dominic’s Catholic Church
in San Francisco, CA for use while their existing pipe organ was renovated. Mark Austin Pipe Organs was
commissioned to rebuild and install the organ. On November 10, 1998, Mr. Austin sub-contracted the renovation
work to Geo. Bozeman Jr. and Co. of Deerfield, NH.
Tonal changes on the Great included moving the 4’ Octave to the original Dulciana toeboard with a new
rackboard and some offset pipes; adding a new 2’ Fifteenth on a new toeboard with a new rackboard in the
former 4’ Octave position; and replacing the added 1914 4’ Flute d’Amour with a II Mixture on a new toeboard
with a new rackboard. A prepared-for 8’ Trumpet is represented at the console by drawknob only. The Mixture
is designed to be used with the 2’ Fifteenth. Its composition is:
notes 1 - 24: 19 - 22
notes 25 - 42: 12 - 19
notes 43 - 61: 8 - 12
The 1914 used 4’ Flute d’Amour was relocated to the Swell in place of the 1984 2-2/3’ Nasard - the pipes of
which were sold in early 2010 to Clinton B. Meadway of Monroe, WA for use in the organ at Trinity United
Methodist in Port Townsend, WA.
The Pedal received an added 8’ Bass Flute. The pipes are clearly Estey and stamped with opus number 2517,
which was a 1926, 2-manual instrument built for First Congregational Church in Sacramento, CA. This has been
added on a used/refurbished chest at the back of the organ. The first 12 pipes are open wood with zinc
Haskell inserts. The remainder are open wood with wooden tuning slides in the front, but to which has been
added metal tuning flaps on top.
The Pedal ranks are operated now by electric action, but the couplers are still the original mechanical
mechanism behind the keydesk. The 16’ Ped. Trombone is a preparation.
In 2005, the organ was removed from St. Dominic’s in order to access the stained glass windows behind it for
renovation. With that parish’s existing organ completed and again working, the Erben/Tallman was made
available for purchase.
Favorable arrangements for Blessed Sacrament to acquire the organ were coordinated between Fr. Xavier
Lavagetto, O.P. of St. Dominic’s and Fr. Daniel Syverstad, O.P. of Blessed Sacrament. If Blessed Sacrament
should opt not to purchase and retain the organ, then St. Dominic’s would
find a new buyer or pay to have
the organ removed.
The organ was removed and reinstalled by the Bond firm of Portland, OR in the late spring of 2005 in time
for Corpus Christi on May 29th, the parish’s feast day.
Blessed Sacrament Church underwent a major chancel renovation in late 2009 thru early 2010. The organ was
fully encased in protective plastic during the construction, which was completed by April 2010. The top
three case ornaments removed for the plastic encasing remain to be reattached since the chancel renovation
has been completed.
The organ is in mostly fine condition.
SOURCES
February 10, 2005 letter by Fr. Syverstad, O.P. to the Blessed Sacrament parish community; April 14, 2005
issue of The Catholic Northwest Progress, Vol. 108, No. 14, pg. 13; examination of the reinstalled organ in
June, 2005; 2008 Organ Historical Society Convention Handbook; examination of the extant organ on July 21,
2010.
[Received from James R. Stettner 2012-03-12.]