St. Ann's Episcopal Church, Bridgehampton, New York

Opus 644, 2005 | Page 2 | Specification | (click on any picture at right to enlarge)

Our Opus 644 began life as what could be termed a "Heinz 57" instrument, which is to say it featured a combination of pipes and parts from a combination of organbuilders and suppliers. The console case and most of the wooden pipes in the organ date from a 5 stop 1927 M.P. Möller instrument, which was then rebuilt and altered in the early 1970s. It was during this 1970s rebuild that much of the original pipework was replaced.

As we found it, the organ was a unified instrument of modest resources, most of them well made if not terribly well looked after. It was unrefined, but met the basic requirements. In the 1980s a German supply-house Trumpet 8' and Mixture III (inexplicably, a Zimbel based on 2/3' pitch) were added, along with a polished tin Gemshorn which was used to form a facade. The entire organ was in a single expression chamber to the right of the Chancel. The existing electro-pneumatic unit chests, made from solid mahogany, were in good physical condition, though the installation made maintenance access difficult in certain areas.

In July of 2004, Dr. Mark Andersen (organ consultant to St. Ann's) approached us with a prospectus that included a rebuild and enlargement of the organ. In addition to new pipes and new chest work, a new 3 manual terrace jamb console was part of this plan.

Dr. Andersen's proposed stoplist would add total of 9 ranks to the organ. The scheme had an immediate appeal, as it would expand the resources of the organ to a point that it would have a full principal chorus in the Great, as well as a new 8' Rohrflute to contrast the existing Chimney Flute in the Swell. "Fleshing out" the Great with 6 new ranks allowed us to recast the remaining resources to work as a near-independent Swell division. The new scheme would also extend the existing Trumpet to 16' pitch to play from the Pedal and add a small Cornet (a tenor C, 2 rank 12/17 combination, scaled and voiced to match the new Great flute).

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