The Instrument
Our pipe organ, a Hook and Hastings Opus 1884, was built in 1900. It boasts a tracker action, which is the simplest, most dependable, and expressive action possible in an organ. The tracker action uses mechanical vs. electrical connections to produce a unique pipe organ sound. Although our organ was originally hand pumped, we now use electricity to supply air to the pipes. The organ has two manuals and three keyboards, including the pedals. It has seven ranks of pipes.
The brothers Elias and George G. Hook began manufacturing organs in 1827 and soon became known as one of the best organ builders in the country. The firm became Hook and Hastings in the late 1800s when it was taken over by Francis Hastings. Their organs are known for their fine craftsmanship, mellow tone, and smooth voicing.
The History
Our organ was built in 1900 for Holy Faith Protestant Episcopal Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Some time later, it was moved to an unknown location and, from there, to a church in Central New York.
In the late 1930s, our parishioners learned that the organ was available. Several parishioners drove to the church and transported the disassembled organ, piece by piece, to our former church building on 450 Wilkinson Street in Syracuse, where it was reassembled and served for many years.
In the mid 1990s we decided to build a new church on our property on Armstrong Road. Many parishioners had memories of the wonderful music they enjoyed in the old church, so we decided to take the organ with us. We sought the advice of Kerner & Merchant Pipe Organ Builders, Ltd., of East Syracuse. They advised us that it was still a fine instrument, and we engaged them to move, reassemble, and refurbish it in our new church.
A Concert
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous gift from a friend of the parish, we were pleased to present a concert of classical organ music on October 26, 2002. The organist was Will Headlee, a Professor emeritus of Organ and the Syracuse University Organist Emeritus. For the concert finale, he accompanied a church full of voices singing “Come Unto Jesusâ€. It was a thrilling evening.