Meetinghouse UU Church
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Meetinghouse UU Church
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Organ
Specification
Edwin Holbrook, 1850
restored & renovated by
Stephen J. Russell & Co., 2001
2
manual & pedal
Wind pressure: 2 3/4"
Pitch: A=440 at 72 degrees
II/18
Great
56 note compass
Diapason 8' big and bright
Melodia 8 and stopped flute bass. A little louder and
cleaner than before, otherwise very sweet for a Melodia
Dulciana 8 tf, soft and typical, use with flute bass
Viola 8 tf, medium strength string - gemshorn tone, use
with flute bass
Flute 4, small-scale Rohrflute, very nice
Principal 4' normal scale and average volume. Somewhat
bright tone.
Twelfth 2 2/3' typical, a bit brighter than before.
Fifteenth 2' typical. perky
Tierce 1 3/5 new addition, bright, matches twelfth for
english chamber organ sesquialtera tone.
Swell 56 note compass (labelled "Choir"
for couplers and stop names)
Diapason 8' tc, big and bright (same scale as Great) but
more distant due to placement; use with flute bass
Rohrflute 8 and flute bass (1-12). A nice rohrflute for
the period.
Dulciana 8, a fairly big string, (for the period) a nice
balance to the Great Viola
Principal 4, somewhat narrow scale, bright. Works well
with either Gt 8'
Twelfth 2 2/3, Very narrow in the bass but normal in the
treble. Somewhat bright, stringy voicing.
Fifteenth, same description as Twelfth
Oboe 8', The only reed in the organ. Much better than
before. Re-worked by Dave Broome
Tremulant - historic construction after Dom Bedos (a Holbrook
original!) Speed and depth varies with demand.
Pedal 27 note compass Position Middle C manual
over Tenor C pedal (typical older tracker). Flat, not radiating Pedal keyboard
Open Wood 16 A wind hog. Don't hold double pedal with
full organ and fistfuls of notes for a long time or it might run out of wind.
Subbass 16 added Steere pipes medium volume
Bourdon 8 extension of Subbass by transmission of wind.
Low cut and slightly articulate.
Balanced Swell pedal in normal location, over E-F in pedal tenor octave.
Pedal keyboard placed in a position typical of AGO 2 manual consoles. Fairly
comfortable to play. No sense of falling off the bench.
Pitch is a t A=440 at 72 degrees.
Ted Gilbert performed most of the re-voicing & regulation. The organ retains
a typical early American tonal quality, though somewhat brighter than the later
19th century work we are accustomed to hearing. The key action is very comfortable
for an old tracker without couplers. With Swell to Great engaged, it does take
a bit of work to play. The action is the same as the original Holbrook.
Key aspects of the historically sensitive renovation in 2001:
Jamb layout:
 |
|
 |
