Click images to enlarge Church of the Holy Trinity (Roman Catholic) 213 West 82nd Street New York, N.Y. 10024 http://www.htcny.org Organ Specifications: ► III/38 Orgues Létourneau, Op. 53 (1997) • II/ Geo. Kilgen & Son, Op. 5961 (1938) • II/16 Estey Organ Co., Op. 2654 (1927) The origins of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church date back to October 23, 1898, when a new parish was established on the West Side between 77th street and 86th from Central Park to the Hudson River. The area known today as the Upper West Side was fairly well-developed by 1900, and it would take several years to purchase property for a church building, rectory and school. Father Michael J. Considine supervised the construction of the church complex, which began in 1900, and on Sunday, July 3, 1910, the cornerstone was laid for the upper church. Father Considine was determined to construct a church whose "beauty would be an inspiration to man and a tribute to God." The pastor, with architect Joseph H. McGuire, envisioned a unique church of Byzantine design, rather than the then-prevalent Gothic or Romanesque styles. When the church was dedicated on May 11, 1912, parishioners entered a glorious building which somewhat resembles Hagia Sophia, the mother church of Eastern Christians in Istanbul. Built of brick and terra cotta, the church is further adorned with mosaics and patterned tiles, and with marble and gold leaf. Soaring 100 feet above the floor, the 66-foot-diameter dome is faced with honey-colored Guastavino tiles and features a lantern for natural illumination from the apex. Galleries are present on three sides of the interior, with the choir and organ occupying the largest gallery in the liturgical West End. Two corner towers, which originally had small copper domes (removed in 1995), frame the Byzantine facade. Eight bronze doors are surmounted by statues of St. Peter and St. John, symbolizing the meeting of West (Rome) and East (Ephesus), and above the entrance is the Trinitarian Latin phrase "Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto" (Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit), executed in twenty-two karat gold mosaic.             Orgues Létourneau Ltée St. Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada – Opus 53 (1997) Mechanical key action Electric stop action 3 manuals, 34 stops, 38 ranks The Church of the Holy Trinity, serving Roman Catholics on the Upper West Side since 1898, commemorated its hundredth anniversary with the installation of the new Létourneau pipe organ and the founding of the music series. Manufactured in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada, this organ is Létourneau's Opus 53 and their only New York installation. Containing nearly 2100 pipes and featuring a Royal Trumpet en chamade, it serves as a visual and aural crown to the liturgical life of Holy Trinity Parish and is a jewel in Holy Trinity's unmatched architectural environment. The Létourneau organ at Holy Trinity Church was tonally designed to excel in both French Symphonic and German Baroque organ literature. The nomenclature of the various stops is French and many of the stops are modeled after those of the great nineteenth century French organ builders such as Cavaillé-Coll. The reeds, in particular, are in the fiery French mold and the generously scaled flutes, particularly the flûte harmoníque, have a French accent. The clean, singing principals join to form an organum plenum that is ideal for polyphonic music, particularly that of the seventeenth century.                 Grand Orgue (Manual I) – 58 notes 16   Bourdon  58 2 2/3   Nazard 58 8   Montre 58 2   Doublette 58 8   Flûte harmonique 58 1 3/5   Tierce 58 8   Flûte a chemineé 58     Fourniture IV rangs 232 4   Prestant 58 8   Trompette 58 4   Flûte conique 58     Tremblant               Récit (Manual II) – 58 notes, enclosed 8   Principal etroit 58 1 1/3   Larigot 58 8   Cor de nuit 58     Plein jeu IV rangs 232 8   Viole de gambe 58 16   Basson 58 8   Voix céleste [TC] 46 8   Hautbois 58 4   Principal 58 4   Clairon 58 4   Flûte à fuseau 58     Tremblant   2   Flûte à bec 58                       Solo (Manual III) – 58 notes 8   Trompette Royal chamade 58           Clochettes                       Pédale – 32 notes 32   Bourdon [ext., 1-12 digital] — 4   Basse de choral 32 16   Contrebasse 32 32   Bombardon [ext.] 12 16   Soubasse 32 16   Bombarde 32 8   Principal 32 16   Basson 32 8   Bourdon 32 8    Trompette 32                             Known previous organ: Geo. Kilgen & Son St. Louis, Mo. – Opus 5961 (1938) Electro-pneumatic action 2 manuals This organ may have been installed in the Lower Church. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.             Known previous organ: Estey Organ Company Brattleboro, Vt. – Opus 2654 (1927) Electro-pneumatic action 2 manuals, 16 stops The original organ in the upper church was built by the Estey Organ Company. Specifications for this organ have not yet been located.             Sources:      Church of the Holy Trinity: http://www.htcny.org/      Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.      Taylor, Frederick D. "Holy Trinity Church." Medieval New York website. Photos:      Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament (Christchurch, NZ) website: church interior.      Giles, Rodney A.: Letourneau organ case.      Lawson, Steven E.: color exterior.      Taylor, Frederick D.: b&w exterior.             | NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organ Project List |