click on images to enlarge Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal) 316 East 88th Street New York, N.Y. 10128 http://www.holytrinity-nyc.org Organ Specifications: 316 East 88th Street (since 1899): ► III/55 Rieger Orgelbau (1987) ► II/3 Schlicker Organ Co., Op. 1283 (1981) – Chancel ► II/7 Schlicker Organ Company (1970) ► III/67 Rodgers Organ Company electronic (1968) ► III/32 Ernest M Skinner Organ Co., Op. 215 (1913) • III/ Farrand & Votey?, Op. 758 (1895) Madison Avenue and 42nd Street (ca.1864-1899): Second Building (1873–1899): ► III/46 Hilborne L. Roosevelt, Op. 5 (1873) First Building (ca.1864-1873): • Henry Erben (1867)                 The Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity was founded in 1864 by the Rev. Stephen H. Tyng, Jr., a dynamic young churchman whose father, Dr. Stephen H. Tyng, was the rector of St. George's Church in Stuyvesant Square. The first church, designed in Victorian "cottage ornée" by the English-born Jacob Wrey Mould (1825-1886), was built on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue and 42nd Street. Mould was noted for his many contributions to the design and construction of New York's Central Park; he was also an avid pianist and organist, and employed his talent for language in translating numerous foreign opera librettos into English. As the city's population continued to move northward, Holy Trinity Church increased in numbers and soon outgrew its building. Rev. Tyng selected Leopold Eidlitz (1823-1908) to design a new church that would be a "theater with ecclesiastical details." Eidlitz, a Prague-born Jewish immigrant who trained in Vienna, had previously built the Romanesque St. George's Church, and would later receive commissions for Temple Emanu-El, the New York County ("Tweed") Courthouse, and the State Capitol in Albany. Completed on the same site in 1873, the new Holy Trinity Church was built in the High Victorian Gothic style and featured a prominent tower and steeple. Its interior was decorated with patterning in yellow, brown, red and blue, earning it the nickname of Church of the Homely Oilcloth. By the end of the 19th century, Holy Trinity Church was in decline, affected by the increasingly busy commercial interests in midtown and its location only a block from the first Grand Central Depot. An invitation in 1895 to merge with St. James' Church was accepted, and the church building was sold and demolished. St. James Church, located on Madison Avenue and 71st Street, was at the time supporting a Holy Trinity mission on East 83rd Street. Serena Rhinelander wished to donate a new settlement complex for the growing working-class area – as a memorial to her father and grandfather – by donating the midblock site on the south side of 88th Street between First and Second Avenues; she also donated the cost of designing and building a church complex. However, St. James Church could not accept her offer because they did not have the resources to maintain the church. It was decided that the maintenance money for the new Holy Trinity Mission would come from the sale of the Church of the Holy Trinity property. The present Church of the Holy Trinity, consecrated in 1899, was designed by J. Smith Barney of the New York firm of Barney and Chapman, who also designed the Grace Church mission on East 14th Street (now the Church of the Immaculate Conception), which has a similar open tower design. The Holy Trinity complex includes the church, St. Christopher's Parish House, a cloister, morning chapel, and rectory. The church interior was inspired by Litchfield Cathedral in England, and is noted for its octagonal apse, open-timbered ceiling, 17 stained-glass windows executed by Henry Holiday, and an unprecedented use of very dark terra cotta wainscoting designed to look like brownstone. The exterior, described as a 13th century French Gothic hybrid style, is built in a cruciform plan, and is faced with the same long and narrow iron-spot brick used at Carnegie Hall. The tower, 20 feet square and 150 feet high, rises in the center of the complex. In the tower is a chime of ten bells, weighing from 500 to 1,500 pounds, which were cast in 1898 by Meneely & Co. of Troy, New York. The chime is manually played from the original chimestand located in the middle level of the tower, and was restored in 1995. Holy Trinity was granted full church status in 1951.                 Rieger Orgelbau Schwarzach, Austria (1987) Mechanical key action Electric stop action Solid-State combination action 3 manuals, 33 stops, 55 ranks The three-manual and pedal Rieger organ of 55 ranks is placed in a wide but shallow case having five levels of towers. The organ is situated in the south transept of the church, surrounding a large stained-glass window without covering it. All pipework is of high-percentage tin, except for the Positif Flûte (oak), the Postif Cornet (25% tin), and the Pédale Bourdon (oak and pine). The Positif Chamade is mounted horizontally inside the case. The grand ravalement of the Pédale extends the range down to AAA and affects all stops in that division. The tonal design of the instrument, built in 1987, was by Anthony Newman, who was organist at the time.                 Grande Orgue (Manual I) – 58 notes 16   Bourdon  58 1 1/3   Fourniture V ranks 290 8   Montre 58 1   Cymbale V ranks 290 8   Flute 58 8   Cromorne 58 4   Prestant 58 8   Trompette 58 2   Doublette 58 4   Clairon 58 4   Grosse Fourniture VII ranks 406                     Positif Orgue (Manual II) – 58 notes 8   Flute 58     Cornet V ranks [f2-g5] 195 4   Principal 58 8   Trompette 58 1 1/3   Larigot 58 8   Chamade 58 1   Mixture IV ranks 232                     Récit espressif (Manual III) – 58 notes, enclosed 8   Flute 58 16   Basson 58 8   Salicional 58 8   Hautbois 58 8   Celeste 58 8   Trompette harmonique 58 4   Flute 58 4   Clairon harmonique 58 1   Sifflet 58     Tremulant               Pédale Orgue – 35 notes (AAA-g) 16   Montre 35 32   Kontrabombarde 35 16   Bourdon 35 16   Bombarde  35 8   Principal 35 8   Trompette  35                     Schlicker Organ Company Buffalo, N.Y. – Opus 1283 (1981) Electric slider action 2 manuals, 13 stops, 3 ranks, 226 pipes This unified 3-rank, two-manual and pedal instrument, located in the chancel, was originally built in 1981 by Schlicker Organs (Opus 1283) for the residence of Robert and Rosadene Shepfer of Indianapolis, IN. Mr. Shepfer had been for three decades the organist and choirmaster at the Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis. Upon his retirement, the Shepfers moved to a smaller residence and made their house organ available. Holy Trinity had been seeking a concise instrument that could accompany the choir – which had relocated to the chancel after being in the transept since 1987 with the Rieger organ located there – and would serve as a continuo instrument; it must also fit into the available space. It was discovered that the Schlicker organ would fit perfectly, and the Shepfers presented their house organ as a gift to Dr. Stephen Hamilton for use at the Church of the Holy Trinity during his tenure there as Minister of Music.                   Manual I – 61 notes     Stop Analysis       Pipes 16   Gedeckt 104 4   Principal 61 8   Krummhorn     61     Total 226 8   Rohrgedeckt       4   Principal       2   Flute       8   Krumhorn [sic]           Manual II – 61 notes     8   Rohrgedeckt       4   Flute       1 1/3   Flute       8   Krumhorn                   Pedal Organ – 32 notes         16   Gedeckt           8   Flute           4   Principal           8   Krumhorn           4   Krumhorn                           Schlicker Organ Company Buffalo, N.Y. (1970) Electro-pneumatic action 2 manuals, 24 stops, 7 ranks, 439 pipes   A two-manual-and-pedal unit organ built by the Schlicker Organ Company of Buffalo was brought to Carnegie Hall for a March 1, 1970 performance of Handel's Solomon, performed by the Handel Society of New York. Following the concert, the organ was given to Carnegie Hall, where it was subsequently used for religious meetings in the hall. At some point, the organ was moved to the Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal) where it was used as a temporary instrument until the installation of the Rieger organ in 1987. The organ was subsequently given to St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in the Bronx. Schlicker provided two movable platforms for the console and pipe case, and both components were connected by a detachable cable. The organ was designed to fit on an elevator 9'11" x 5'7" and stored in an area 6'2" high. Wind pressure for the entire organ was 2½ inches.                 Great Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes 8   Principal   2   Rohrfloete   8   Gedeckt     Mixture III ranks   4   Octave   8   Krummhorn   4   Gedeckt   4   Krummhorn   2   Octave                 Positiv Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes 8   Gedeckt   1   Siffloete   4   Rohrfloete   8   Krummhorn   2   Principal     Tremolo   1 1/3   Larigot                   Pedal Organ – 32 notes 16   Untersatz     Rauschpfeife II ranks   8   Gedeckt   16   Krummhorn   4   Octave   8   Krummhorn   4   Gedeckt   4   Krummhorn   2   Rohrfloete                           Stop Analysis       Pipes 16   Untersatz/Gedeckt 73 4   Principal 61 2   Rohrfloete 61     Mixture II-III ranks 171 16   Krummhorn     73     Total 439                 Rodgers Organ Company Hillsboro, Ore. (1968) Analog? tone generation 3 manuals, 67 stops In 1968, a Rodgers Organ Company electronic instrument with three-manuals and 67 stops was installed in the church, replacing the Ernest M. Skinner organ from 1913.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, expressive 16   Quintaton   2   Fifteenth   8   Principal     Fourniture IV ranks   8   Bourdon     Cymbal III ranks   8   Gemshorn   8   Cor Anglais   4   Octave   8   Trompete   4   Spitzflöte       Tremolo   2 2/3   Twelfth                       Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, expressive 16   Rohrgedeckt 2 2/3   Rohrnasat   8   Geigen Principal 2   Waldflöte   8   Rohrflöte   Plein Jeu V ranks   8   Salicional 16   Fagotto   8   Voix Celeste 8   Trompette   8   Flauto Dolce 8   Hautbois   8   Flute Celeste 8   Vox Humana   4   Prestant 4   Clarion   4   Nachthorn   Tremolo               Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, expressive 16   Flute Conique 1 3/5   Tierce 8   Viola 1 1/3   Larigot 8   Viola Celeste 1   Sifflöte 8   Nachthorn 8   Cromorne 8   Quintade 8   Schalmei 8   Erzähaler 8   Trompette Harmonique 8   Erzähaler Celeste   Tremolo 4   Principal   Harp 4   Lieblich Flöte   Celesta 4   Quintadena   Flemish Carillon 2 2/3   Nazard   Cymbelstern 5 bells 2   Blockflöte                 Pedal Organ – 32 notes 32   Contra Principal 4   Nachthorn   32   Untersatz   Mixture III ranks   16   Principal 32   Contra Bombarde   16   Bourdon 16   Bombarde   16   Lieblich Gedeckt 16   Fagotto   16   Dulciana 8   Trumpet   8   Octave 8   Krummhorn   8   Bourdon 4   Clarion   8   Still Gedeckt 4   Schalmei   8   Gemshorn       Tremolo   4   Choralbass                       Ernest M. Skinner Organ Company Boston, Mass. – Opus 215 (1913) Electro-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 39 stops, 32 ranks In 1913, the Ernest M. Skinner Organ Company of Boston installed a three-manual and pedal organ, Op. 215. The organ was installed in matching cases in the transepts; the north transept case is extant, but the south transept case was removed when the Rieger organ was installed. In the 1940s, an antiphonal division of about 8 stops was added. No records of this division have been found, but the two cases still exist in the gallery. The Skinner organ was replaced in the 1968 by a Rodgers electronic instrument.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes 16   Diapason PED 8   Erzähler 61 8   First Diapason 61 4   Octave 61 8   Second Diapason 61 4   Flute SW 8   Flute SW 8   Cornopean SW             Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 16   Bourdon 61 4   Violina 61 8   Open Diapason 61 2   Flautino 61 8   Flute 61   Mixture III ranks 183 8   Gedeckt 61 16   Fagotto 61 8   Salicional 61 8   Cornopean 61 8   Vox Celeste 61 8   Oboe 61 8   Dolce 61   Tremolo   4   Flute 61                   Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Open Diapason 61 4   Violina 61 8   Melodia 61 2   Piccolo 61 8   Aeoline 61 8   Clarinet 61 8   Dulcet II ranks 122 8   Oboe SW 8   Dulciana 61   Tremolo   4   Flute 61                   Pedal Organ – 32 notes 16   Open Diapason 32 8   Flute [ext.] 12 16   Bourdon 32 8   Gedeckt [ext.] 12 16   Second Bourdon SW 8   Cello CH 10 2/3   Quinte SW                       Original organ in present church: Farrand & Votey? Detroit, Mich. – Opus 758 (1895) Tubular-pneumatic and electric action 3 manuals When the present Church of the Holy Trinity was opened in 1899, it was a mission of St. James' Protestant Episcopal Church on Madison Avenue. In the archives at St. James' Church is a "scrapbook" containing an article from the May 13, 1899 issue of Christian Standard. A description of the chancel and organ at Holy Trinity Church states:  "The pulpit, choir stalls and altar are of dark English oak. On the south side is the Roosevelt chancel organ, connected by electricity with the great organ, which is in two sections, placed in a gallery, flanking the great window in the clerestory, at the west end of the church." However, the Roosevelt company ceased operations in 1893, at which time its contracts were taken over by the Farrand & Votey firm of Detroit. Thus, it may be that Farrand & Votey's Op. 758 (1895) — listed as a rebuild of the 3-manual Roosevelt at "St. James Episcopal" — may actually be for the moving and rebuilding of the III/41 Roosevelt, Op. 5 (1873) previously in the old Holy Trinity Church on Madison & 42nd Street. Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.                 Organ in second church at Madison Avenue and 42nd Street: Hilborne L. Roosevelt New York City – Opus 5 (1873) Barker lever action to Great and Swell 3 manuals, 41 stops, 46 ranks This organ was Roosevelt's first three-manual organ to be completed, although the first contract went for the three-manual organ at Holy Trinity Episcopal in Brooklyn. Roosevelt's novel "Electro-Melody" Organ was wired so that the stops drawn added themselves to the highest note being played.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 58 notes 16   Double Open Diapason 58 2 2/3   Twelfth 58 8   Open Diapason 58 2   Fifteenth 58 8   Gamba 58   Mixture, 4 ranks 232 8   Doppel Flute 58 16   Trumpet * 58 8   Concert [Flute] 58 8   Trumpet * 58 4   Principal 58 4   Clarion * 58 4   Flute 58   * enclosed with Swell         Swell Organ (Manual III) – 58 notes, enclosed 16   Bourdon 58 2   Fifteenth 58 8   Open Diapason 58   Mixture, 3 ranks 174 8   Stop Diapason 58 8   Trumpet 58 8   Harmonica 58 8   Hautbois 58 4   Flute 58   Tremulant 4   Principal 58             Choir Organ (Manual I) – 58 notes 8   Open Diapason 58 4   Principal 58 8   Dulciana 58 2   Piccolo 58 8   Melodia 58 8   Clarionette 58 4   Harmonic Flute 58             Electro-Melody Organ – 58 notes 8   Open Diapason 2   Piccolo 8   Gamba 8   Trumpet 4   Flute             Pedal Organ – 27 notes 16   Grand Open Diapason 27 12   Quint 27 16   Bourdon 27 8   Violoncello 27 16   Contrebass 27 4   Principal 27                 Organ in first church at Madison Avenue and 42nd Street: Henry Erben New York City (1867) Mechanical action Specifications of this organ have not yet been located.                 Sources:      Aeolian-Skinner Archives: http://aeolian-skinner.110mb.com/      Burrell, Fred, and Anthony Newman: location information of 1970 Schlicker Organ.      The Diapason, June 1968. Specifications of Rodgers Organ (1968); courtesy Jonathan Bowen.      Dolkart, Andrew S. and Matthew A. Postal. Guide to New York City Landmarks (Third Edition). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2004.      Dunlap, David. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.      Holden, Dorothy. The Life and Work of Ernest M. Skinner. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1987.      Holy Trinity Church website: http://www.holytrinity-nyc.org      "Holy Trinity Church, New York," The Christian Herald, May 13, 1899.      "Holy Trinity Episcopal Church to be Consecrated May 6," article in "Religious News and Views" column of The New York Times, April 15, 1899.      Kinzey, Allen, and Sand Lawn. E.M. Skinner/Aeolian-Skinner Opus List (New Revised Edition). Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1997.      Nelson, George. Organs of the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.      The Northeast Organist, c.1996. Article about Holy Trinity Episcopal Church.      Ogasapian, John. Organ Building in New York City: 1700-1900. Braintree: The Organ Literature Foundation, 1977.      Mowers, Cullie. Specifications of Schlicker Organ (1970). Photos:      Church of the Holy Trinity Archives: old photos      List, Ken: Schlicker Organ Company brochure.      Rust, John: Church interior, Rieger organ, Schlicker organ.                 | NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organ Project List |