2013-01-05 - Altered and relocated existing organ. Identified by Scot Huntington, based on personal knowledge of the organ. -- The original West Genesee Street Church organ was moved here after the original building was torn down following the disastrous Hurricane Agnes flood of 1972. The organ was stored at the Schlicker factory pending the congregation's plans for rebuilding. Working with only a modest budget of $11,000, the Schlicker company could only make the most basic of tonal updates: adding three stops (5 ranks), repitching the unit Swell flute an octave higher in an effort to make the organ more tonally sympathetic to baroque music, and at the request of the church's organist, a theater organ buff, the original stop tablets were replaced with theater-organ style colored stop keys. The organ was installed in a chamber in the rear gallery behind grill cloth. Originally both divisions were enclosed together in the original installation, but here, the Great and Pedal were installed unenclosed. Wally Guzowkski did the voicing and tonal finishing. <br><br>In 2003, following a rebuilding of the sanctuary, the Heritage Pipe Organ Company of West Valley, New York, incorporated the Schlicker pipework into a new two-manual hybrid instrument greatly expanded with many digital imitation voices, and the new console and choir were relocated to a newly created alcove located to the left of the altar on the main floor. -Database Manager
2013-01-12 - Updated through online information from Scot Huntington. -- Due to budgetary restrictions, the disposition of the rebuilt organ was limited by the number of stop tablets available on the stop rail and combination machine of the reused 1941 console. The 1941 voicing was loudened as part of the 1974 rebuilding. -Database Manager
2015-02-21 - Updated through online information from Eric Miller. -- 2003 Rebuild maintained the Schlicker specification. This is not a hybrid instrument. It does not have a new console. -Database Manager
2022-02-12 - An update and correction to my post of January 5, 2013: The church used to post their annual reports and newsletters on their website. In a report from 2003, whomever wrote the post from the Music Committee concerning the recent upgrade of the organ obviously didn't understand much about organbuilding. The posting confused a new console for the original being moved from the gallery to the front of the church; and the replacement of the original combination action with a new digital solid-state multi-level system, was described as an enlargement of the organ with "digital additions". The report went on to erroneously conclude the tonal versatility of the organ was now expanded, and "made the organ a better fit with their new blended liturgy of traditional and contemporary music". The organ remains tonally as Schlicker left it in 1974. This erroneous report has also been corrected in another post. Recent research (2022) by Stephen Pinel toward the creation of a John Brown opus list, has identified two organs in Wellsville. The Lutheran church purchased what is believed to be their first pipe organ, from John Brown in 1901-- a tracker of 16 stops. This organ was moved from the rear gallery to the front of the church in 1927 following two enlargements of the building, retaining the original mechanical action. The electrification of the John Brown organ by Schlicker in 1941, retained the majority of the original pipework without tonal alteration. -Scot Huntington
Source: The organ. 1975
Wellsville, New York
First Trinity Ev. Lutheran Church
Schlicker Organ Co. 1974/1941; John Brown 1901
Compasses: 61/32
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GREAT [73-note chest]
8' Open Diapason [1-13 orig; 13-73 Sw. Violin Diap. on Gr. Diap. toeboard]
8' Melodia
4' Octave
4' Open Flute [original Dulciana, rescaled and revoiced]
2' Fifteenth
III Mixture [New]
8' Trumpet
Great 16', 4', Unison Off
Swell to Great 16',8',4'
SWELL [73-note chest; enclosed]
8' Gedeckt [orig. Swell 16' Bourdon on 1941 unit chest]
8' Salicional
8' Vox Celeste [t.c.]
4' Flachfloete [New, on Violin Diap. toeboard]
4' Flute [unit]
2' Piccolo [unit]
1 1/3' Nasat [unit]
1' Siffloete [unit]
8' Oboe
Tremolo
Swell 16',4', Unison Off
PEDAL
16' Subbass [44-note chest]
8' Principal [New unit chest: 1-12 from Great, 13-56 orig. Gr. Open Diap.]
8' Gedeckt [ext]
4' Octave [New, unit]
2' Octave [New, unit]
Great to Pedal 8'
Swell to Pedal 8'
General expression pedal
Crescendo pedal
Sforzando piston and toe stud
General pistons 0-4
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