Organs
1926 E. M. Skinner Organ, Op. 597
Founded in 1901 by Ernest M. Skinner (1866-1960), the Skinner Organ Company of Boston was the organ builder of choice for prestigious churches, schools, and civic institutions in America. Our instrument, Op. 597, was designed specifically for St. Paul’s Memorial Church in 1926, and built at Skinner's satellite plant in Westfield, MA. It was a modest-sized instrument of 31 speaking stops, with preparations for another eight stops to be added at a future time, to complete its musical qualities.
The A. Thompson-Allen firm of New Haven, CT has recently completed a comprehensive restoration of this classic instrument. In preparation for the project, St. Paul’s purchased or acquired most of the vintage or Skinner replica pipework needed for the planned specification. Notably, seven stops were rescued and donated to St. Paul’s from Skinner’s Op. 659 residence organ in Pine Orchard, Connecticut.
The instrument now stands at 39 stops, 43 ranks and 2,901 pipes. It has a new four-manual console, built with Skinner-style customizations, including a host of memory levels, MIDI, and other modern conveniences. The specifications can be found here.
Jane Rotch Memorial Chamber Organ
The Jane Rotch Memorial Chamber Organ is the primary instrument for our chapel but can move into the nave for special services and concerts. This small, beautifully crafted pipe organ was manufactured in the 1980s by the Dutch firm Flentrop, a leading builder of mechanical action organs. It was acquired by St. Paul’s in 2019, as a memorial to parishioner Jane Rotch, and was restored by Christopher Bono of Staunton, VA. There is one manual (no pedals) of 54 notes/keys, with 3 stops:
8’ gedekt - wooden pipes (C - d) and metal pipes (d# - f’’’)
4’ fluit - stopped metal pipes (C - b) and open metal pipes (c’ - f’’’)
2’ octaav - open metal pipes (C - f’’’)