Christ Church Ithan

Organ

The Organs of Christ Church, Ithan

Christ Church, Ithan was built in 1919 and the Tellers Organ Company of Erie Pennsylvania installed the first instrument. The organ chamber which houses the pipes was never properly prepared or sealed from weather damage. It was poorly designed and the pipes improperly placed. The organ was buried and could not be heard adequately by the organist or the choir. The original organ could only have been less than 10 ranks. This modest instrument served the congregation in worship until the year 1998.

Once in 1996 and again in 1998 the organ firm of Luley and Associates, Inc. of Pittsburgh, Pa. were brought into to examine the deteriorating instrument. On February 6. 1998 a contract was signed and work began.

New Keyboards were installed and the console received an 8 level memory bank. New stop rail and top key magnets were installed. New wind chests were installed and a new swell enclosure was built. All wind chests were re leathered and a solid state relay system was installed. Pipes were repaired and new pipes were added. The facade pipes behind the choir which were once silent were made to speak. The organ was enlarged to 22 ranks.

The specification of the Present Instrument:

GREAT		SWELL		PEDAL
Viola	16'	Stopped Diapason	8'	Open Wood	16'
Open Diapason	8'	Viola	8'	Bourdon	16'
Chimney Flute	8'	Viole Celeste	8'	Octave	8'
Viol	8'	Open Flute	8'	Stopped Diapason	8'
Viole Celeste		Viole	4'	Octave	4'
Octave	4'	Viole Celeste	4'	Mixture	2/23
Chimney Flute	4'	Octave	4'	Contra Trumpet	16'
Fifteenth	2'	flute	4'	Contra Oboe	16'
Mixture	11/3	Flute twelfth	22/3	Trumpet	8'
Trumpet	8'	Fifteenth	2'	Clarion	4'
Oboe	8'	Piccolo	2'
		Flute seventeenth	13/5
		Flute nineteenth	11/3
		Sharp Mixture	III
		Contra oboe	16'
		Trumpet	8'
		Oboe	8'
		Clarion	4'

The present instrument is completely versatile and can play a vast amount of organ repertoire, accompany choral anthems and lead congregational singing

organ