Note: Not playable. (in this location)
2013-01-05 - This entry describes an original installation of a new pipe organ. Identified by Scot Huntington, using information from this web site: the church history. The newly-formed congregation bought the former Presbyterian church in 1872. Following two substantial enlargements to the wood-frame building, the first known pipe organ for this congregation was installed in the rear gallery in 1901. The church history indicates the organ had mechanical action and 12 stops, but does not specify if the instrument was new or second hand. As part of a major renovation in 1927, the organ was moved to the side front of the church, still with mechanical action. Following another major redecoration of the sanctuary in 1941, the old organ was rebuilt, enlarged slightly and electrified by the Schlicker Organ Co. of Buffalo, N.Y., and installed in a single chancel chamber to the left of the altar. -Database Manager
2022-02-12 - The installation and dedication of this organ was a major event for the city and was well covered in the local newspaper. While Wellsville is the county seat, it was poorly represented with pipe organs until the 20th century. With the exception of this large 1837 vernacular gothic wood-frame building, the earliest churches in the city were small and simple, (some meeting in rented rooms), until they slowly started upgrading with grander structures in the 1870s. There may have been small pipe organs in these early churches, but more probably they were reed organs. In 1875, the Congregationalists installed a $2000 organ in their new 1871 church, which is the first recorded installation of a pipe organ in Wellsville, mentioned in local sources, and this organ is only the second, not installed until nearly thirty years later. It is possible that in 1901, with 16 stops this was the largest organ in the county, although lesser communities were managing to install smaller organs of 12 stops or less, in the decades prior to this installation. While Allegany County was the most rural of those in western New York, this still suggests the county seat was lagging behind in the installation of pipe organs. The organ was dedicated in a morning service on Sunday, 6 October, 1901, followed by two different and heavily attended concerts at 3:00 and 7:30. The recitalist was Prof. Chas. Rupprecht of St. Louis, Missouri-- a close friend of one of the professors at Trinity Lutheran's parochial school. The afternoon concert contained somewhat lighter concert fare, while the professor performed a selection of major organ works in the evening-- atypical for an era which increasingly saw a heavy emphasis on orchestral and operatic transcriptions. -Scot Huntington
2025-02-10 - From the 'History' page of the parish website, "In the fall of 1901 a young people’s society was formed and the same year a pipe organ was installed in the church balcony. It was a hand pump organ, but soon a water motor was added. Prof. Charles Rupprecht of St. Louis played two dedication concerts." -Jim Stettner
Allegany County Reporter 60, no. 41 Source: Newspaper clipping, via Stephen Pinel Tuesday, 8 October, 1901
John Brown (1901) First German Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity Wellsville, New York Compasses: 61/27 Great Organ. 8 Open Diapason 8 Gamba 8 Double Flute 8 Dulciana 4 Principal 2 Octave Swell Organ. 16 Bourdon Treble & Bass 8 Violin Diapason 8 Salicional 8 Celeste 8 Liebl. Gedact 8 Aeolina 4 Flute Harm. 2 Piccolo 8 Oboe Pedal Organ. 16 Bourdon Mechanical Stops. Swell to Great, "off" and "on" [i.e. keyslip pushbuttons] Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal Tremolo Bellow signal Wind Indicator Pedal Movements. Great organ Forte; Great organ Piano Great to Pedal Reversible Swell organ Forte; Swell organ Piano Balance Swell Pedal
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