Issaquah, Washington
Covenant Presbyterian Church
BALCOM and VAUGHAN, 1947 & 1956
Pipe Organ Foundation, Opus 1, 2002 - Moving and Reinstallation
GREAT (Expressive) SWELL (Expressive) PEDAL (Expressive)
8’ Diapason 16’ Diapason 16’ Bourdon
8’ Flute 16’ Flute 8’ Diapason
8’ Gemshorn 8’ Diapason 8’ Flute
8’ Gems Celeste 8’ Flute 4’ Octave
8’ Dulciana 8’ Gemshorn 8’ Tuba
4’ Octave 8’ Gems Celeste 4’ Tuba
4’ Flute 4’ Octave
4’ Gemshorn 4’ Flute 2 blank tablets
2’ Fifteenth 2-2/3’ Twelfth
2’ Piccolo 2’ Piccolo
8’ Tuba 1-3/5’ Tierce
16’ Tuba
Great to Great 16’ 8’ Tuba
Great Unison 8’ Clarinet
Great to Great 4’ 4’ Clarion
Tremolo
3 blank tablets Chimes
Swell to Swell 16’
Swell Unison
Swell to Swell 4’
3 blank tablets
STOP / RANK / PIPE ANALYSIS
16’ Diapason (Sw) -- From the 8’ Diapason. Tenor C.
16’ Flute (Sw) 12 Extension of the 8’ Flute.
16’ Bourdon (Ped) -- Same as the 16’ Flute
8’ Diapason (Gt/Sw/Ped) 61 Haskelled basses.
8’ Flute (Gt/Sw/Ped) 61 A chimney flute.
8’ Gemshorn (Gt/Sw) 61
8’ Gems Celeste (Gt/Sw) 49 Tenor C.
8’ Dulciana (Gt) 49 Tenor C.
4’ Octave (Gt/Sw) 61
4’ Octave (Ped) -- From the 8’ Diapason.
4’ Flute (Gt/Sw) 12 Extension of the 8’ Flute.
4’ Gemshorn (Gt) 12 Extension of the 8’ Gemshorn.
2-2/3’ Twelfth (Sw) 7 Extension of the 8’ Flute.
2’ Fifteenth (Gt) 12 Extension of the 4’ Octave.
2’ Piccolo (Gt/Sw) 5 Extension of the 8’ Flute.
1-3/5’ Tierce (Sw) -- From the Flute unit. 57 notes.
16’ Tuba (Sw) -- From the 8’ Tuba. Tenor C.
8’ Tuba (Gt/Sw/Ped) 61 1-12 donated Austin pipes.
8’ Clarinet (Sw) 49 Tenor C.
4’ Clarion (Sw) 12 Extension of the 8’ Tuba.
4’ Tuba (Ped) -- From the 8’ Tuba.
Tremolo (Sw) Affects the entire instrument
Chimes (Sw) (20) Maas; tenor a thru e 41.
PIPE SUMMARY
Diapason Flute Gemshorn Gems Celeste
61 pipes 97 pipes 73 pipes 49 pipes
Dulciana Octave Tuba Clarinet
49 pipes 73 pipes 73 pipes 49 pipes
COUPLERS FINGER PISTONS
Swell to Pedal 8,4 General A,B,C,D,E,F,G
Great to Pedal 8 Swell & Pedal 0, 1 - 7
Great & Pedal 0, 1 - 7
Swell to Great 16,8,4 00
PEDAL MOVEMENTS TOE STUDS
Swell Expression (bal.) Gt. To Ped. (rev)
Great Expression (bal.) Sforzando (rev)
Crescendo (bal.)
ACTION: Electro-Pneumatic Unit; Electric Stop
VOICES: 8 STOPS: 33; inc. chimes RANKS: 8 PIPES: 524
NOTES
The console is Estey, Opus 2277, 1924 - originally built for the
Irvington Theatre in Portland, OR. It was acquired by C.M. “Sandy”
Balcom for his Seattle residence organ in 1941.
In ca. 1956, that organ was relocated by Balcom and Vaughan to University
Temple United Methodist Church in Seattle’s University District for use
as a chapel organ. It served there until 2001 when it was replaced by a
used, relocated Werner Bosch tracker. The chapel organ was sold to the
Pipe Organ Foundation for $2,000.00 and relocated with some omissions,
and some minor changes to the original edifice of Covenant Presbyterian
Church in Issaquah. The original electro-mechanical gang switch relay
and all the chests received new cables with quick disconnect plugs. It
was installed there at one end of the room in a floor-level chamber built
specifically for the organ. The installation was done by Carl Dodrill -
Founder of the Pipe Organ Foundation - assisted by Clinton B. Meadway.
Tonal regulation was done by Clinton B. Meadway and James R. Stettner.
The Pipe Organ Foundation added a used Diapason rank from tenor C as an
independent 4’ Octave. Pipes 1-12 of the 8’ Tuba were donated by Mr.
Meadway and were originally from the 1911 Austin Opus 354 - originally
built for First Church of Christ, Scientist in Seattle. Mr. Meadway
had acquired them from Harold B. Curryer of Spokane, WA. whose service
business he had purchased some years before.
The organ was dedicated August 2, 2002.
In 2005, the congregation built a new edifice, and the pipe organ was
subsequently relocated by the Pipe Organ Foundation ‘as is’ to the new
facility. A center ‘reredos’ sporting a cross was used to provide the
backdrop to the chancel, and provided storage behind at floor level, and
the organ chamber behind and above. The blower and gang switch relay are
located in a pit under the floor in the storage area behind the reredos.
The organ was reinstalled without expression since there were plans to
rebuild and enlarge the organ later, and it was not yet decided what the
new configuration would be.
The future rebuild and enlargement will not make use of some of the
present pipework, such as the Gemshorn and Celeste, and the 8’ Tuba.
Neither will it retain the Estey horseshoe console.
Sources: Balcom and Vaughan opus list; extant organ in Seattle; extant
organ in Issaquah in both sanctuaries; Pipe Organ Foundation
files and website.
[Received on line from James R. Stettner July 19, 2010.]