A HISTORY OF OUR PIPE ORGAN RENOVATIONS

In the mid 1980's, the parishioners of St. Mary's became aware that the 21-rank Tellers-Sommerhof organ which had served them well for many decades at St. Mary's was wearing out. Also, its design from the turn-of-the-century (the era of the great theatre organs), did not adequately meet the needs of post-Vatican II Roman Catholic liturgical music.

The instrument had been reportedly donated by Andrew Carnegie in 1913, electrified over the years, and releathered most recently around 1973. However, an inspection of the organ in the late eighties revealed aging mechanical apparatus inside the console, numerous cracks inside the windchests, and a virtually useless Trumpet rank. Maintenance costs were considerable and malfunctions frequent.

Music Director Joan Lorence and the parish Organ Committee obtained various recommendations and bids for both pipe and electronic organs. But the parish was not yet ready to undertake an expenditure of this magnitude.

Fortunately, as part of the parish's centennial campaign, bids were renewed for the organ's rebuilding.
George Pecoraro, Jr., the present Music Director, advised that a new pipe organ be built using as many of the old organ's pipes as possible. Also, the forty-seven visible facade pipes, the oak woodwork, and the wooden console shell would be retained, so as to keep changes in the organ's appearance to a minimum. In this way, the new organ would be an important blend of the new and the old, just like the sanctuary of St. Mary's church. The Pastor and Parish Council accepted Pecoraro's recommendation that the Allegheny Pipe Organ Co. of Pittsburgh be awarded the contract.

The tonal design of the new organ is the collaborative effort of George Pecoraro and David Richards, proprietor of Allegheny Pipe Organ Company. The new organ, a marvelous instrument of 37 stops playing from 29 ranks and 4 extensions, contains 88 percent of the 1188 pipes of the old organ, plus 616 new ones, for a total of 1663 speaking pipes. Most of the added ranks produce high-pitched tones which add both clarity and brightness to the overall sound of the organ. Some of the specific ranks of the old organ were used elsewhere in the new design to create a more musically functional stoplist.

Other design features in the new organ include: new chime action, four-level memory, increased wind pressure to the deepest bass pipes, new keyboards, and reliable solid-state switching. By far the most unique feature of the new instrument is the MIDI technology which allows the organist to play any synthesizer from the organ keyboards, with or without use of the pipes.

One must think that because there are now so many more pipes and other resources that the organ might be "too loud." Rather, like a youngster preferring a box of 64 crayons to a box of eight, the organist now faces a greater choice of flexible sound resources.

Mr. Pecoraro wishes to thank Almighty God, Father Thaddeus J. Kaczmarek, Joan Lorence, the Organ Committee, the Parish Council, the people of St. Mary's, David Richards, and the following who shared their professional opinions: Art McGervey, Harry Ebert, David Kerr, Joe Farinelli, Ron Slabe, and Arpad Heutchy. Special thanks go to Tom Pieza, General Contractor, for diligently carrying out the extensive physical preparations to the choir loft, and to Dan Thimons, who painted the chamber and the facade.

St. Mary's now has one of the Alle-Kiski valley's largest and newest and most versatile pipe organs. May it support our singing at Mass, inspire our silent prayers, and enhance the liturgical moods of funerals, weddings, Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter. May it also serve our children and grandchildren in their journey through our second century of faith and service at St. Mary's Parish.

St. Mary of Czestochowa Church
ALLEGHENY PIPE ORGAN - Stoplist

Great *Principal 8' Viola d'Gamba 8' Doppel Flute 8' Hohl Flute 8' Dulciana 8' Unda Maris 8' (TC) *Octave 4' Flute Harmonic 4' *Super Octave 2' *Mixture IV *Trumpet 8' *Clarion 4' Chimes MIDI on Great * Indicates new pipe work	Swell Lieblich Gedeckt 16' Geigen Principal 8' Stopped Flute 8' Viol dOrchestra 8' Vox Celeste 8' (TC) Geigen Principal 4' Flute d'Amour 4' *Nazard 2 2/3' Piccolo 2' *Tierce 1 3/5' (TC) *Larigot 1 1/3' Oboe 8' Vox Humana 8' Tremolo MIDI on Swell * Indicates new pipe work
Pedal Resultant 32' Open Wood Diapason 16' Bourdon 16' Lieblich Gedeckt 16' (SW) Open Diapason 8' Violon Cello 8' Gedeckt 8' (SW) Choral Bass 4' Gedeckt 4' (SW) Trumpet 16' (prepared) *Trumpet 8' (GT) *Clarion 4' (GT) Oboe 4' MIDI on Pedal	Couplers Great to Great 4' Swell to Great 16' Swell to Great 8' Swell to Great 4' Swell to Swell 16' Swell unison off Swell to Swell 4' Great to Pedal 8' Swell to Pedal 8'

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Updated December 29, 2008 © Copyright 2008-St. Mary of Czestochowa Church - A Pennsylvania Charitable Trust