Holy Trinity German Catholic Church : Sanctuary; rear gallery
140 Shawmut Avenue and Cobb Street
Boston, MA
Note: Not extant. Not playable. (in this location)
Images
May 2008 - Organ in rear gallery (Photograph by Genevieve MacLellan and Roland Horst/Jim Stettner)
Date Unknown - Organ in rear gallery at Christmas (Photograph from an archival source: Parish History: Holy Trinity German Catholic Church of Boston: A Way of Life 1844-1994 by Robert J. Sauer., submitted by Jim Stettner/Jim Stettner)
1957 - Rebuilt & electrified 1877 organ in rear gallery. (Photograph from an archival source: Parish History: Holy Trinity German Catholic Church of Boston: A Way of Life 1844-1994 by Robert J. Sauer., submitted by Jim Stettner/Jim Stettner)
May 2008 - Church exterior: facade (Photograph by Genevieve MacLellan and Roland Horst, submitted by Jim Stettner/Jim Stettner)
May 2008 - Church exterior (Photograph by Genevieve MacLellan and Roland Horst, submitted by Jim Stettner/Jim Stettner)
Notes
2021-02-04 - This German congregation had one most active and highly-respected music programs in the city of Boston since its inception. In 2008, the Diocese closed the church and consolidated its congregation with another. The pipes were removed to storage, but the 1957 mechanism was left behind and discarded when the historic structure was gutted and turned into condominiums. The pipework has been given to St. Paul's Choir School in Cambridge.
During the 19th century, this was the second-largest sanctuary in Boston after Holy Cross Cathedral. It was sumptuously appointed with fancifully carved pews and enviable acoustics, and was the pride of the neighborhood. In its heyday, the choir was large and respected, and the church was known for presenting music from cantatas and oratorios as part of its regular liturgies. It's loss was keenly felt by Boston musicians as the end of a long and highly-respected era as well as a cherished performance space.
Following a disastrous fire in the tower in 1957, the organ was reputedly heavily damaged. The church was repaired and the organ was rebuilt by local builder Conrad Olson who reused 24 of the original 55 Hook & Hastings ranks, in an unenclosed Holtkamp-style display on supply-house pitman chests and wind system with a variety of wind pressures.
The choir now sat in the midst of the wind chests rather than in front of a grand case. Since the Olson rebuild, musicians chronically complained the organ was too loud and didn't have enough softer accompanimental voices. Since many of the original soft stops survived, the fault is more likely placement of the choir relative to the components and a flimsy new Swell box. The chests were now low, close to ear level rather than in their original loftier positions inside a deep and imposing case with the sound going out over their heads. Given the placement of the stops on their original chests, there is no logic as to which stops were reused and which were discarded as "damaged", and I suspect it was more an issue of money and/or taste, and not an issue of necessity. -Scot Huntington
Stoplist
Source: From console and examination of organ July 1996
Boston, Massachusetts
Holy Trinity German Catholic Church
E. & G.G. Hook & Hastings, No. 858, 1877
Conrad Olsen, 1957 (former Hook employee) - Electrify & Rebuild
1877 Hook pipework repitched lower and reused, except as noted.
GREAT 68 mm pressure
8' Open Diapason 61 (1957)
8' Viola da Gamba 61 (tin)
8' Doppel Flute 61
8' Gemshorn 61
4' Octave 61
4' Flute Traverse 61 (metal)
2 2/3' Twelfth 61
2' Fifteenth 61
IV Cymbale 244 (1957; 1 1/3', breaks on c's)
8' Trumpet 61 (1957; 1-12 old Sw. Cornopean)
Great to Great 16'
Great Release
Great to Great 4'
SWELL (Expressive) 68 and 70 mm
8' Open Diapason 61
8' Stopped Diapason 61
8' Salicional 61 (tin)
4' Octave 61
4' Harmonic Flute 61 (wood)
2 2/3' Nazard 61 (1957)
2' Flautino 61 (1957)
IV Mixture 244 (1957; 2', breaks on c's)
8' Cornopean 61 (1957)
8' Oboe 61 (1957)
Tremolo
Swell to Swell 16'
Swell Release
Swell to Swell 4'
SOLO 80 mm
8' Geigen Principal 61 (1957)
8' Dulciana 61
4' Flute d'Amour 61 (wood)
2' Piccolo 61
8' Clarinet 61
8' Cor Anglais 61 (formerly at 16')
Tremolo
Solo to Solo 16'
Solo Release
Solo to Solo 4'
PEDAL 108 mm
32' Resultant -- (from Bourdon)
16' Contra Bass 32 (1957)
16' Bourdon 32
16' Lieblich Gedeckt 32 (1877 Swell)
8' Octave 32 (1877 facade and Gr. Diapasons)
8' Gross Flute 12 (ext. Bourdon using Gr. Hohlflote trebles)
8' Cello 12 (ext. Contra Bass)
8' Gedeckt 12 (ext. Lieblich)
5 1/3' Quint -- (ext. Lieblich)
4' Principal 12 (ext. Octave)
4' Flute 12 (ext. Lieblich)
16' Posaune 32 (1957)
8' Trumpet 12 (ext. Posaune)
COUPLERS
Swell to Pedal 8, 4
Great to Pedal 8, 4
Solo to Pedal 8, 4
Swell to Great 16, 8, 4
Solo to Great 16, 8, 4
Swell to Solo 16, 8, 4
FINGER PISTONS (hold and set)
General 0, 1 - 5
Swell 0, 1 - 5
Great 0, 1 - 5
Solo 0, 1 - 5
Sfz. (rev)
Gen Can
TOE STUDS
Pedal 0, 1 - 5
Gt. to Ped. (rev)
Sforzando (rev)
PEDAL MOVEMENTS
Swell Expression (bal.)
Crescendo (bal.)
ACTION: E-P
VOICES: 31
STOPS: 39
RANKS: 37
PIPES: 2,344
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