The Holbrook Organ, 1862

Built by Edwin L. Holbrook (1824-1904) of East Medway, Massachusetts, in 1862, this instrument was first employed in the Universalist Church, Southbridge, Massachusetts. It was later removed by organ aficionado Barbara Owen and rebuilt and enlarged in 1966 by Charles Fisk of C. B. Fisk, Gloucester, Massachusetts. At that time it was placed in the rear gallery of Harvard Memorial Church to serve as a temporary instrument between the time of the removal of the Aeolian-Skinner organ and the installation of the new C. B. Fisk Opus 46, the very organ which will eventually serve in the future sanctuary of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, Texas. The Holbrook organ remained in the Harvard location for 45 years. In the summer of 2011 it was moved to Redeemer and placed in their temporary worship space, Covenant Hall.

Organ Disposition

Great (56 notes)
Open Diapason 8’
Stop’d Diapason 8’ (divided compass: B24/C25)
Octave 4’
Hohl Flute 4’ (from C13)
Fifteenth 2’
Cornet Treble III (C25-C49)
Mixture II - III (C. B. Fisk, 1966)

Pedal (30 notes)
Bourdon 16’ (C13-F30 from Stop’d Diapason)
Cornopean 8’ (C. B. Fisk, 1966)

Mechanical key action
Mechanical stop action
Mechanical slider chests
Coupler: Great to Pedal
Temperament: Kirnberger III

The Yves Beaupré Harpsichord, Opus 77

German double harpsichord after Johann Heinrich Gräbner, 1774, Dresden. Built in 1994 (Opus 77) by Yves Beaupré in Montreal.

Two manuals
FF-f'''
2 stops at 8', 1 stop at 4', buff on lower manual
Triple transposing: a'=392–415–440
Keyboard naturals in ebony, accidentals with bone caps, walnut arcades
Historical tapered tuning pins
Wooden jacks by Adam Swainson, white Delrin plectra
Case in mahogany (painted dark brown exterior, varnished interior)
Louis XV apron stand with 6 detachable cabriole legs

The Taylor and Boody Positive Organ, Opus 78

This fine instrument was built and completed in 2018-2019 by Taylor and Boody Organ Builders of Staunton, Virginia. They have extensive experience building positive/continuo organs since 1987. The organ case is made from black cherry and patterned after an American colonial Hadley chest by Thomas Dennis, found in the Yale University Art Gallery. The keys are made of ebony and bone. This organ (Opus 78) was one of three instruments created in the same time period. Two sister instruments were made for the University of Notre Dame (Opus 75) and Princeton University (Opus 76).

Organ Disposition

The Charriére Maheu Timpani

Made by Charrière Maheu, Fournisseurs de Larmee et des Conservatoires, Ghent, Belgium, approximately 1881, and bought by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, in 1888, as an outside pair next to the middle pedal drums. They were purchased by Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Austin, TX, in March 2015 from Nick Woud, timpanist for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The timpani are brass screw (baroque/classical) drums with copper bowls. They are a numbered pair (#3570). The sizes are 26.3 and 29.3 inches, which makes them also suitable for classical or even early romantic repertoire. Prior to Redeemer’s purchase the drums were polished and new calfskin heads installed by Adams Percussion, Ittervoort, the Netherlands.

The C.B. Fisk Organ, Opus 46 | Future Sanctuary

The specification was designed in consultation with then University Organist John Ferris and a distinguished committee consisting of E. Power Biggs, Edward W. Flint, Daniel Pinkham, and Donald Willing. Their aim was to create an instrument that could be used for solo repertoire as well as for accompanying Sunday services in Memorial Church and the much smaller daily services in Appleton Chapel.

A concerted effort was made to create an organ with the resources necessary for performing all styles of serious organ music. A notable feature of Opus 46 is the Choir division, which stands apart from the main case and among the congregation. It is especially appropriate for more intimate types of music, and its visual effect as a centerpiece for the chapel is matched by its delicacy of sound. Another innovation Charles Fisk introduced in this organ was the doubling of the unison ranks of the Great Principal chorus. The two Great Mixtures were later reworked in 1968, and then combined in 1983 to make a single Mixture of four to ten ranks. Other changes to the original specification include a new Nazard and Tierce replacing the Twelfth, and the addition of a Quarte de Nazard 2’ in 1972, a memorial gift from the family of a student who had recently died. Our experiments with the hammering of pipe metal had come to fruition at this time, and the Quarte de Nazard became the first hammered metal stop produced by the Fisk shop.

The visual design of Opus 46 was by Charles Fisk and Roger Martin. Mr. Martin, a Rockport, Massachusetts artist, also designed and executed the many gilded wooden carvings, each relating in some way to the sea and including the Boston “sacred cod.” At the time of its dedication in December 1967, the new organ at Memorial Church was the largest mechanical action instrument by an American builder in the twentieth century. Opus 46 was removed in 2010 and subsequently sold to Redeemer Presbyterian Church of Austin, Texas. It is currently in storage at the workshop awaiting the completion of a new sanctuary in Austin.

Organ Disposition

Great, ManII
Bourdon 16′
Prestant I – II8′
Spitzflute 8′
Octave 4′
Chimney Flute 4′
Nazard 2 2/3′
Fifteenth 2′
Tierce1 3/5′
Cornet II – V
Mixture V – IX
Double Trumpet 16′
Trumpet 8′
Clarion 4′

Choir, Man I
Stopped Diapason 8′
Prestant 4′
Spire Flute 4′
Fifteenth 2′
Nazard 1 1/3′
Mixture II – III
Regal 8′

Positive, Man III
Violin Diapason 8′
Chimney Flute 8′
Italian Principal 4′
Nazard 2 2/3′
Doublet 2′
Quarte de Nazard 2′
Tierce 1 3/5′
Mixture IV
Cymbal III
Cremona 8′
English Horn 8′