Opus 190 • Date of Manufacture: 1881 • Troy Music Hall • Troy, New York

III/41 • Compass: 61/27 • Mechanical Key Action • Pneumatic Stop Action | Page 2 | Specification | 2006 Repairs

In 1881 William Belden signed a contract for a somewhat different version of the pipe organ that now resides at the Troy Music Hall, which was originally built for his residence on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Belden was apparently a great fan of the work of our firm: he also had the Odells build a three manual Odell organ for his residence at City Island in the Bronx (Op. 172) two years prior in 1879.

In the Spring of 1890, Op. 190 was sold to the Troy Savings Bank. In a letter from our archives dated May 8, Bank Chairman Edmund Cluett writes:

"I enclose Mr. Wm Belden's order for the pipe organ now at 810 5th Ave. which has been purchased by the Troy Savings Bank. You will please remove the organ to your factory at once and put it in shape to [install] it in the Troy Music Hall not later than [...] Your terms for said removal of $2,800 are hereby accepted. It is understood that this does not include case or motor power to blow the bellows."

In a letter dated June 25 of the same year, Bank Treasurer Charles E. Hanaman writes:

"I am at last, after much delay, in a position to give you final instructions as to the additions, etc. to be made in the organ for the Music Hall. You may alter the two bellows and put on horizontal feeders to adapt it to the Ross piston motor at the price named [$105]. You may add the 'Mixture' in the Great Organ [and] arrange it with four ranks of flue pipes as you suggest in your letter of May 23 where you name the price as $300. You may add the set of polished aluminum pipes which you spoke of when here at $350. The other addition the 'Cello' we will leave out. Our indebtedness to you will be as I understand it:- [totals up the additions suggested to $4,055]

Please say if the above figures are correct as you understand it. The aluminum pipes to be polished as I understand it?

I send you today the blue prints of the organ case in order that you may arrange the pipes to fill the openings as far as possible, the space not filled by speaking pipes will have to be filled out with dummy pipes I suppose."

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