============================================================================= Volume 44 Number 2 August 2013 Whole No. 382 =============================================================================== CATHOLIC TRACKERS OF WASHINGTON, D.C. Crawl prepared by Glen Frank. Saturday, August 24, 2013 10:00 a.m. Saint Joseph s R.C. Church of Capital Hill 313 Second Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. 20002 1891 Hook & Hastings, Opus 1491 (1891) Restored, Bozeman-Gibson, Inc. (1985-1986) 3 manual and pedal - 29 ranks There is ample free parking across the street in the Senate Building Parking Lot DIRECTIONS FROM BALTIMORE: Take MD-295-South, about 31 miles. Merge on to US-50 W/New York Avenue NE towards Washington, 4 miles. Turn left onto 4th Street, NE. Take first right to stay on 4th Street 1.2. mile. Turn right onto Massachusetts Avenue, NE, 0.2 miles. Left onto 2nd Street, NE, church is on left. DIRECTIONS FROM VIRGINIA: Head North on I-95. Take Exit 170 A/B toward I-395 N/Washington/I-195N/Tysons Corner, 0.6 miles. Merge onto I-395 N via Exit 170A on the left towards Washington, 10 miles. Keep right to take I-395 toward Capital Hill/ Nationals Park-Verizon Center, 1 mile. Keep right to take I-395N towards D Street NW/US Senate/C Street, SW/US Capital/The House, 0.9 miles. Take exit toward US Capital, 0.2 miles. Keep left to take the D Street, NW ramp, 0.1 mile. Turn right onto D Street,, NW, 0.5 miles. Right onto 2nd Street, NE - church is on left. DIRECTIONS FROM FREDERICK: Take I-270 South toward Washington, 23 miles. Keep left to take I-270 South towards Washington/Express Lanes, 6.7 miles. Keep right to take the I-270 SPUR S toward Washington/I-495 S/Northern Virginia, 2 miles. I-270 Spur S becomes I-495 S/Capital Beltway OUTER LOOP, 3.7 miles. Take the George Washington Memorial Parkway, Exit 43 toward Washington, i mile. Merge onto George Washington Memorial Parkway South, 8.7 miles. Merge onto I-66 E toward Washington, 0.9 miles. Turn slight right onto US-50 East, 2 miles. Stay straight to go onto Constitution Ave., NW, 0.8 miles. Turn right onto Pennsylvania Ave., NW, 0.1 miles. Slight left onto Constitution Ave., NW, 0.7 miles. Left onto 2nd Street NE, 0.1 mile. Church is on right. CHAIRMAN: Paul S. Roeder, 15506 Page Court, Cumberland, MD 21502 (301) 268-6308 VICE CHAIRMAN: Glen R. Frank, 4715 31st Street, South, #8B, Arlington, VA 22206-1636 (571) 488-3060 SECRETARY-TREASURER: Carolyn Lamb Booth, 9200 LaBelle Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20879 (301) 869-6271 EDITOR: Kevin M. Clemens, 711 Court Square Way, Edgewood, MD 21040 (410) 679-2271 EDITOR-ADVISOR: Carolyn Fix, 166 Battle Street, SW, Vienna, VA 22180 (703) 281-5046 Articles and news may be submitted to the Editor electronically: kevinclemens@mac.com Dues are due in October. $14.00 mailed to Secretary-Treasurer (Checks payable to: HILBUS CHAPTER, OHS)
11:30 a.m. Lunch at the THUNDER GRILL CAFE Union Station 50 Massachusetts Avenue, N.E. Washington, D.C. There are a large number of restaurants and eateries at Union Station to choose. This is a short walk (0.3 miles) from St. Joseph s. It will be easier to walk than to try to drive and re-park. Driving directions will be available from Paul Roeder, if you select to drive that day. 1:30 p.m. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION RC CHURCH 1315 8th Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. Steer & Turner, Opus 131 (1879) 2 manuals and pedal, 29 ranks DIRECTIONS FROM ST. JOSEPH S: Head North on 2nd Street, NE toward D Street, NE, 0.8 miles. Take second left onto Massachusetts Avenue, NE, 0.1 mile. Massachusetts Avenue, NE becomes Columbus Circle, NE, 0.1 mile. Stay straight onto Massachusetts Avenue, NE, 0.8 miles. Right onto 7th Street, NW, 0.4 miles. Left onto O Street, NW, 0.6 miles. First left unto 8th Street, NW, 0.6 miles. Church is on the left. Second English Lutheran Church 5010 Briarclift Road Baltimore, Maryland 21229 Reviewed by Carl Schwartz Photography by Gordon Biscomb Second English Lutheran Church was founded in 1841 from First English Lutheran Church of Baltimore, Maryland, a church established in 1824. The word "English" refers to the use of the mother tongue for services in a community where German was widely spoken in the 19th century. The original building of Second English Lutheran Church, a handsome building in classical style, was located at 624 W. Lombard Street downtown where the University of Maryland Medical and Nursing Schools are presently located. The cornerstone of the present church was laid in 1951 and the building first used in 1952. It is located off U.S. 40 on the west side of Baltimore. The sanctuary is a spacious neo-classical style room with divided chancel. Nothing is presently known regarding any organ installed and in use at the time the new building was constructed.
M. P. Möller, Inc. built their Opus 9784 in the present church where it was installed in 1963. The musician at the time was Carl Schroeder. The organ consists of 41 ranks across two manuals and pedal, one of the largest two manual organs built by Möller certainly. It is divided in two conventional chambers: the Swell is on the left and the Great on the right with pedal stops divided between the two. The entire organ is under expression. There are tone openings to chancel and nave. The organ carries well in the room, is pleasant and satisfying and the acoustics are adequate for music though not live. The voicing of the organ is what would be expected from a Möller organ of the period but the organ gets an extra layer of tonal texture from the many fine independent reeds and very full tonal structure of the manual and pedal divisions. The presence of an 8' Geigen Diapason in the Swell is noted and appreciated for its usefulness in choral accompaniments, giving a good sense of line in the bass and tenor octaves. The organ is also unusual among the many familiar Möller organs of this size in that it has a compact tilting tablet console with the stops arranged in two rows above the keys. The manual divisions are entirely "straight", even the 16' registers. Möller more often extended the 16' manual registers from an 8' rank. The pedal ranks are extended to three pitches. Out of 41 ranks, 12 are found in the Mixtures. Mechanically: the organ is in original condition including electro-pneumatic relays and console equipment. The church has been served by many distinguished Baltimore musicians over the years including Hilbus Chapter member Dave Dasch and our gracious host, the present musician, Dan Hoffman. M. P. Möller, Inc Hagerstown Maryland Opus 9784 (1963) All ranks 61 pipes unless otherwise noted Compass: Manuals 61 notes, Pedal 32 notes Great 16' Erzähler 8' Principal 8' Gedeckt 8' Gemshorn 8' Gemshorn Celeste (TC- 49 pipes) 4' Octave 4' Koppelflöte 2 2/3' Octave Quint 2' Super Octave Forniture III Cymbale III 8' Clarinet 8' Harmonic Trumpet 4' Clarion Tremolo Chimes Great Unison Off, Super Swell to Great Sub, Unison, Super
Swell 16' Flute Conique 8' Geigen Diapason 8' Rohrflöte 8' Viole de Gambe 8' Voix Celeste (TC - 49 pipes) 4' Principal 4' Flute Harmonic 2 2/3' Nasard 2' Blockflute 1 3/5' Tierce 1 1/3' Nasard Plein Jeu IV 16' Fagotto 8' Trumpet 4' Oboe-Clarion Pedal 32' Resultant (by toe stud only) 16' Metal Diapason 56 pipes 16' Bourdon 56 pipes 16' Flute Conique SW 16' Erzähler GT 8' Octave (extension) 8' Bourdon (extension) 8' Erzähler GT 4' Super Octave (extension) 4' Bourdon (extension) Rauschquinte II 64 pipes 16' Double Trumpet 56 pipes 16' Fagotto SW 8' Trumpet (extension) 4' Clarion (extension) Great to Pedal (duplicated by toe stud) Swell to Pedal (duplicated by toe stud) Swell to Pedal Super
Following an enjoyable lunch at Dimitri's in Catonsville we visited the Howard County Historical Society housed in the building of the former First Presbyterian Church in Ellicott City. The stone church in Gothic style dates from 1894 replacing an earlier church building dating from 1837. This historic church, adjacent to the county courthouse high above the town, is home to an organ originally built for the Fourteenth Street Christian Reformed Church in Holland, Michigan in 1903 by A. B. Felgemaker of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was relocated in 1915 to the Maryland church by the Hinners Organ Company of Pekin, Illinois. At that time the original flat pedal clavier was replaced by a concave and radiating pedalboard. The manual action is tracker to slider windchests. This account differs from the OHS Database report on Felgemaker Opus 809. That history indicates that Opus 809 remained in the original church until 1922 when Möller replaced it and it was sold to another Holland, Michigan Church (source: Chad Boorsma). There is no guarantee that the Database information is accurate and in alleged Opus 809 of Holland, Michigan is not extant and the organ misidentified. fact the there
The pedal action appears to be by Hinners and is tubular pneumatic. It is possible that the present pedal chest and action is a later replacement: it is not the typical Hinners action. Kevin Clemens, who is familiar with a number of Felgemaker organs in central Pennsylvania relates that while Felgemaker did use tubular pneumatic action to the pedal, it is not likely that he did so before about 1910. Hinners did commonly use tubular action to the pedals (and a form of tracker-pneumatic action to the manuals). The pedal clavier is similar to others in the area by that builder and examined by the writer. The condition of the organ is less than ideal at present. It needs to be tuned, though it is not badly out of tune. Many pedal notes do not play reliably, neither the tubular-pneumatic action nor the couplers. It was not possible to inspect the jacks at the back of the pedalboard to determine the cause. The tone of the organ is solid and rich as is usually the case with Felgemaker organs. The flutes are bright. The strings and Diapasons have vitality. The organ fills the room well. Most of the stop labels are not original. The society has a binder with considerable information about the organ. There are some discrepancies in the stoplist. The "Gamba", a rank of 61 pipes with several stopped Quintadena basses is given variously as "Oboe-Gamba" and "Salicional" with a compass of 49 notes from Tenor C. Nevertheless the tone of the stop is that of "Oboe-Gamba", keen and with little unison in the tone, quite lovely and useful. This is a fine example of Felgemaker's church organs and, aside from the issues mentioned above, is pleasing to hear and play. A. B. Felgemaker, Erie, Pennsylvania, Opus 809 (1903) Fourteen Street Christian Reformed Church, Holland, Michigan Hinners Organ Company, Pekin, Illinois - Relocated with changes (1915) First Presbyterian Church, Ellicott City, Maryland Presently Howard County Historical Society Great 61 notes 8' Open Diapason 8' Melodia 8' Dulciana 4' Principal (Octave) Swell 61 notes 16' Sw.Bourdon Bass 12 notes (label original) 16' Sw. Bourdon Treble 8' Open Diapason 8' Stopped Diapason 8' Aeoline 4' Flute Harmonic 8' Gamba (Oboe-Gamba)
Pedal 30 notes 16' Pedal Bourdon Couplers (by on-off pistons under Swell manual) Great to Pedal Swell to Pedal, Swell to Great Balance Swell Pedal Combinations (by treadles to either side of Swell pedal): Swell Forte, Swell Piano Forte Great Piano, Great From the Editor: Are you familiar with the OHS Pipe Organ Database? It is an online catalog of pipe organs of North America. I have recently been updating pipe organs in Western Pennsylvania which I know from either playing the instruments and ones I included in my master thesis. I ve noticed a number of Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia instruments are not listed on the database. I invite you to check out the database and perhaps you could include information on an instrument you are familiar. In fact many of the instruments we have visited on Hilbus Crawls are not listed. If you keep your chapter newsletters this would be a good source to update instruments with either stop lists and/or photos. You may also not find the instrument listed, so here s an opportunity to add it to the data base.