The
present instrument in Grace Church is an essentially new organ
incorporating many recycled parts. Manual windchests, framing, and many
key and stop action parts are from an organ built by J.G. Marklove,
opus 131, 1883. Most pipework has been retained from the previous Grace
Church organ by M.P. Moeller, opus 7697, 1949, with additional pipework
by S.S. Hammill, builders of Grace Church's first organ, J.H. &
C.S. Odell, and Hook & Hastings,
among others. The only new pipework in the organ is that of the Pedal
Trombone Stop, constructed in the Stuart shop. The new casework,
displaying basses of the Great Bourdon and Open Diapason, utilizes
altered panelling, posts and finials from George S. Hutchings organ,
opus 338, of the former Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Holyoke,
Mass. Recycled parts were relocated through the Organ Clearing
House,
Harrisville, N.H., Alan M. Laufman, director.
Tonally, the organ is designed as a broad spectrum service playing instrument, supportive of congregational singing and choral accompaniment, and capable of convincing performances of most repertoires in both service voluntary and recital usage. Tonal, visual, and mechanical design are by Richard S. Hedgebeth, head of the Stuart Organ Co., Aldenville, Mass., builders of the organ. Assisting in the project were Kenneth Ahlberg, John Alberti, Thomas Asher, Joseph Beauvais, David Koziol, Christopher Lavoie, Randall Steere and Martin Walsh.









