Source: Stoplist copied from the console 1988
Boston, Massachusetts
St. Cecilia Catholic Church
HUTCHINGS-VOTEY ORGAN COMPANY, Opus 1465, 1902
Rostron Kershaw, 1954 - 'New organ incorporating about half of the pipework'
Roy E. H. Carlson, Tonal Design
GREAT CHOIR (Expressive)
16 Spitz Flute 12 ⌂ 8 Chimney Flute 73
8 Principal 61 8 Dulciana 73
8 Melodia 61 8 Unda Maris (tc) 61
8 Spitz Flute 61 ⌂ 4 Flute d'Amour 73
4 Octave 73 2 2/3 Nazard 73
4 Spitz Flute 12 ⌂ 2 Piccolo 73
2 2/3 Twelfth 61 1 3/5 Tierce 73
2 Fifteenth 61 8 Rohr Schalmei 73
IV Fourniture 244 4 Clarinet 73
16 Posaune 12 ◘ Tremulant
8 Trumpet 61 ◘
4 Clarion 12 ◘ Choir to Choir 16'
Chimes (__) Choir Unison Off
Choir to Choir 4'
Great Unison [Off]
Great to Great 4'
PEDAL
32 Resultant –- ●
SWELL (Expressive) 16 Open Wood Bass 32
16 Lieblich Gedeckt 61 ▼ 16 Bourdon 32 ●
8 Geigen 68 16 Spitz Flute (Gt) –- ⌂
8 Gedeckt 68 16 Lieblich Gedeckt (Sw) –- ▼
8 Viola d'Gamba 68 8 Octave 32 ∞
8 Voix Celeste 68 8 Bourdon 12 ●
4 Fugara 68 8 Spitz Flute (Gt) –- ⌂
4 Flauto Traverso 68 8 Gedeckt (Sw) –- ▼
2 Flautino 61 5 1/3 Quint [Sp. Fl.] (Gt) –- ⌂
III Plein Jeu 183 4 Choral Bass 12 ∞
8 Trumpet 68 4 Spitz Flute (Gt) –- ⌂
4 Oboe Clarion 68 II Mixture (Ped) –- ∞
Tremulant 16 Posaune (Gt) –- ◘
8 Trumpet (Gt) –- ◘
Swell to Swell 16' 4 Clarion (Gt) –- ◘
Swell Unison Off
Swell to Swell 4'
COUPLERS FINGER PISTONS
Swell to Pedal 8,4 General 1 - 10
Great to Pedal 8,4 Swell 1 - 5
Choir to Pedal 8,4 Sw – Ped (rev)
Great 1 - 5
Swell to Great 16,8,4 Gt – Ped (rev)
Choir to Great 16,8,4 Choir 1 - 5
Pedal 1 - 5
Swell to Choir 16,8,4 Couplers 1 & 2
SFZ (rev)
Cancel
TOE STUDS
General 1 – 10
Pedal 1 – 5 PEDAL MOVEMENTS
Sw - Ped (rev) Swell Expression (bal.)
Gt – Ped (rev) Choir Expression (bal.)
Sforz (rev) Crescendo (bal.)
ACTION: E-P VOICES: 32 STOPS: 49 RANKS: 37 PIPES: 2,377
NOTES
According to the “Our History” page of the parish website, “The original organ
of 24 stops was built in 1902 by the Hutchings-Votey Organ Company, Opus 1465,
and was rebuilt in 1954 with 32 stops.”
The Boston Organ Studio website states, “In 1902 the Hutchings-Votey Organ Co.
of Boston installed a three-manual organ in St. Cecilia Church, opus 1465. The
instrument of twenty-four speaking stops had electric action, and stood in the
very center of the rear gallery in one case. The organ builders were George S.
Hutchings (1835-1913), who started business in 1869, and Edwin Scott Votey
(1856-1931), pioneer in the perfection of the player piano, who was Hutchings’
partner from 1901 to 1907. In 1902, the factory was on 23-37 Irvington Street
in Boston (and in 1905-1908 at Albany Street in Cambridge near Massachusetts
Avenue, before moving to Waltham, MA.)” It goes-on to say, “St. Cecilia Church
was first renovated in 1954. Part of the project included installation of the
Assumption window in the rear gallery, right behind the Hutchings organ. In
order to accommodate the window, and to overcome growing mechanical difficulties with the organ, Rostron Kershaw of Lowell was hired to construct a new three
manual organ. Roy Carlson of Magnolia, Massachusetts developed the tonal design
for the new thirty-two stop instrument. About half of the organ’s pipework was
recycled from the Hutchings, but redistributed to conform to the new scheme. By
1995 the Kershaw organ’s mechanical reliability was in question. The Kershaw
installation left various components inaccessible for maintenance. Also, the
tonal design had proved to limit the organist’s flexibility in playing a smooth
service or in faithfully rendering various styles of organ literature. In addi-
tion, the organ’s pitch was A=427, not the standard A=440 set in the 1920’s for
orchestral instruments.”
The Great Spitz Flute and Trumpet units are unaffected by either inter- or intra-
manual couplers.
Sources: Hutchings-Votey opus list; parish website; Boston Organ Studio website;
JRS; extant organ.
St. Cecelia's Catholic Church
18 Belvidere Street
Boston, MA. 02115
(617) 546-4548 Documented: 1988Regrettably, it is not possible to display the information about the sponsor of this pipeorgandatabase entry or if there is a sponsor. Please see About Sponsors on Pipe Organ Database.