2013-03-18 - Church interior (Photograph by James R. Stettner/Database Manager)
2012-12-31 - This entry describes alterations to an existing organ. Identified by James R. Stettner, based on personal knowledge of the organ. -- -Database Manager
2013-03-10 - Updated through online information from James R. Stettner. -Database Manager
2013-11-02 - Updated through online information from James R. Stettner. -Database Manager
2015-04-16 - Updated through online information from James R. Stettner. -- The Swell III Plein Jeu 2' is from the 1952 Kilgen Opus 7642 formerly at St. Augustine's RC in Spokane, Washington. It is pitched at 2-2/3', not 2'. -Database Manager
Stoplist copied from the console December 28, 2012 Source: Source not recorded Date not recorded
Vancouver, Washington
St. James Catholic Church
WICKS ORGAN CO., Opus 74, 1912
Balcom and Vaughan, 1954 - Electrification & Rebuild
Unknown Builder, 200_ - Tonal Changes & Additions
GREAT COUPLERS
8' Open Diapason 61 Swell to Pedal 8,4
8' Melodia 61 Great to Pedal 8,4
4' Octave 61
4' Flute 61 Swell to Great 16,8,4
2' Fifteenth 61
Tremolo
missing tablet FINGER PISTONS
General 1 - 3
Great to Great 16' Swell 1 - 3
Great Unison Off 8' Sw. to Ped. (rev)
Great to Great 4' Great 1 - 3
Gr. to Ped. (rev)
Pedal 1 - 3
SWELL (Expressive) G.C.
8' Stopped Flute 61
8' Salicional 61
8' Vox Celeste (tc) 49 TOE STUDS
4' Octave 61 None
4' Flute 12
2-2/3' Nazard 61
2' Piccolo 12 PEDAL MOVEMENTS (labeled; l - r)
1-3/5' Tierce 61 Great Expression (bal.)
III [Plein Jeu 2'] 183 Swell Expression (bal.)
8' Cornopean [prep] -- Crescendo (bal.)
8' Oboe Horn 61
Tremolo
Swell to Swell 16'
Swell Unison Off ACTION: E-P primary (ventil) and unit
Swell to Swell 4'
VOICES: 15
PEDAL STOPS: 19
16' Open Diapason 30
16' Violone 30 RANKS: 17
16' Gedeckt (Sw) 12
8' Flute (Sw) –- PIPES: 999
NOTES
The original Wicks instrument had 14 voices, 14 stops, 14 ranks, and 792 pipes, and
played by means of tubular-pneumatic key and stop action to ventil chests.
The Balcom and Vaughan rebuild was an electrification of the original chest primaries,
but no new ranks were added. The original Swell 8' Stopped Diapason was moved to a new
Balcom and Vaughan, Kilgen-style E-P unit chest with added extension pipes allowing it
to play at 16', 8', 4', 2-2/3', and 2' pitches. A new Balcom and Vaughan console was
provided with an increased complement of pistons as well as full inter-divisional and
intra-manual couplers. While the console nameplate says Balcom and Vaughan, most of the
work on this project was sub-contracted to Portland, Oregon, organ builder Clele d'Autry.
The recent work has made several tonal changes and additions as follows:
On the Great, the 8' Viola d'Gamba and 8' Dulciana have been removed and replaced with
a used, stopped wood 4' Flute rank, and a stop named 2' Fifteenth. However, these pipes
are rescaled, cut-off Gemshorn pipes of unknown provenance and sound little different
than the unified Swell flute. Their tone is decidedly not principal/diapason. The 8'
Dulciana is in a crate in the Music Office located in the rear gallery.
On the Swell, the 8' Violin Diapason was removed as were the 8' Aeoline and 4' Harmonic
Flute. Also, the bottom octave of the 8' Vox Celeste was eliminated. In the place of the
missing original ranks are an independent 2-2/3' Nazard – possibly made from the original
Aeoline; and an independent 1-3/5' Tierce – possibly made from the original 4' Flute Har-
monic; and a 4' Octave – possibly made from the original 8' Violin Diapason. The other
toeboard remains vacant. A used III mixture of unknown provenance plays from a blank tablet
on which someone has simply written [III], though it was not playing during my visit on
12/28/2012. It is on its own diatonically-divided E-P windchest. The beginning composition
is: 15-19-22. The original 8' Oboe Horn has been wired to play from a stoptablet labeled,
“Cornopean.” The 2-2/3' Nazard only had 56 pipes on the chest at the time of my visit.
No tonal changes have been made to the Pedal since the 1954 electrification, though both
the 16' Open Diapason and 16' Violone are now barely audible.
St. James has acquired the pipework from a 1906 tubular-pneumatic Kimball formerly located
at Church of the Assumption in North Portland. They hope to add some of it's pipework to
their own instrument in the future.
Sources: Wicks opus list, Balcom and Vaughan opus list and files, extant organ
documented by James R. Stettner of Puget Sound Pipe Organs in Seattle,
Washington.
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