Note: Not playable. (in this location)
2022-05-12 - In May of 1890, subscriptions were solicited to raise $3,000 for a new organ; a month later, the full amount had been pledged. A contract was signed with Johnson & Son on July 18, 1890, to build an organ for $3,900, taking the [1845] Hook organ at $250 in trade. By a subsequent agreement, two more stops were added for an additional, $150, making a total cost of $4,050, or $3,800 plus the old organ. The organ was completed on Friday, January 16, 1891, two days earlier than the contract required. A description of the organ in the church newsletter of 1892 stated, "The case is of dark, quartered oak. The displayed pipes are decorated in rich, subdued colors relieved by figures in gold and bronze. The dimensions of the organ are, height, 23 feet; width, 19 feet; and depth, 15 feet. The bellows is fed by a motor built by the Ross Valve Co., of Troy, NY, at a cost of $225."... The new instrument was inaugurated in an evening concert on Wednesday, January 21, 1891, with selections performed by organists William C. Hammond and Walter J. Clemson, the church's quartette choir, and the all-male Harmonic Quartette. With this organ, the congregation again set a local precedent by possessing the largest, most up-to-date church organ in Taunton. It contained 26 speaking stops, 30 ranks and a total of 1,656 pipes. To improve the organ's tonal projection into the church, a wooden wall was built to seal off the unused space at the rear of the tower. -- *2005 OHS Handbook* -Paul R. Marchesano
2022-05-12 - There are errors in the extrapolated stoplist given here. The second stoplist, sourced from the *2005 OHS Handbook*, citing the original dedication program, is more accurate. -Paul R. Marchesano
2022-05-13 - In 1956, under the supervision of the church's organist, Robert J. Phillips, the organ was electrified by the Williams Organ Co. of Swampscott, MA. The central part of the gallery was extended to accommodate a detached electric console. During the electrification, three of the Johnson stops (Great 4' Flauto Traverso and 2⅔' Twelfth; Swell 8' Quintadena) were replaced. The organ was augmented with the pipes and windchests from a 22-rank, 1910 Aeolian residence organ, Op. 1131, originally built for Edwin G. Crossett in Wianno (Cape Cod), MA. The enlarged organ, now virtually doubled in size, became, once again, the largest church organ in Taunton. To accommodate these additions, the wooden wall behind the organ was removed and the chamber was extended back into the tower. Unfortunately, this deepening of the chamber trapped much of the organ's sound, decreasing its projection into the church. -- *2005 OHS Handbook* -Paul R. Marchesano
Source: 2005 OHS Handbook
GREAT ORGAN I Double Open Diapason 16, Open Diapason 8, Viola da Gamba 8, Dulciana 8, Melodia 8, Octave 4, Flauto Traverso 4, Twelfth 2⅔, Super Octave 2, Mixture III, Trumpet 8
SWELL ORGAN II (enclosed) Bourdon Bass 16, Bourdon Treble 16, Open Diapason 8, Salicional 8, Aeoline 8, Stopped Diapason 8, Quintadena 8, Flute Harmonique 4, Violin 4, Flautino 2, Cornet Dolce III, Cornopean 8, Bassoon 8, Oboe 8
PEDAL ORGAN Double Open Diapason 16, Bourdon 16, Violoncello 8
ACCESSORY STOPS Swell to Great, Coupler, Swell to Pedal, Coupler, Great to Pedals, Coupler, Tremolo to Swell, Blower's Signal, Pedal Check
PEDAL MOVEMENTS Forte, Great Organ, Piano, Great Organ (double acting), Forte, Swell Organ, Piano, Swell Organ (double acting), Swell to Great, 8ve. Coupler, Great to Pedal (reversible movement), Balanced Swell Pedal, Wind Indicator
Source: Extrapolated from the Re-dedication program stoplist October 20, 2021
Taunton, Massachusetts
Pilgrim Congregational Church
Wm. Johnson & Son, Opus 745, 1890
GREAT ORGAN (Manual II)
16 Double Open Diapason 58 Pipes Johnson
8 Open Diapason 58 Pipes Johnson
8 Viola da Gamba 58 Pipes Johnson
8 Dulciana 58 Pipes Johnson
8 Melodia 58 Pipes Johnson
4 Octave 58 Pipes Johnson
4 Flute d’Amour 58 Pipes Johnson
2 Super Octave 58 Pipes Johnson
III Mixture 174 Pipes Johnson
8 Trompete 58 Pipes Johnson
SWELL ORGAN (Manual III - Expressive)
16 Bourdon 58 Pipes Johnson
8 Open Diapason 58 Pipes Johnson
8 Salicional 58 Pipes Johnson
8 Celeste 58 Pipes Johnson
8 Stopped Diapason 58 Pipes Johnson
4 Flute Harmonique 58 Pipes Johnson
4 Violina 58 Pipes Johnson
2 Flautino 58 Pipes Johnson
III Cornet Dolce 174 Pipes Johnson
8 Cornopean 58 Pipes Johnson
8 Oboe 58 Pipes Johnson
Tremolo
PEDAL ORGAN
16 Double Open Diapason 30 Pipes Johnson
16 Bourdon 30 Pipes Johnson
8 Violincello 30 Pipes Johnson
COUPLERS (Drawknob)
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal
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