Gustavus Adolphus College: Christ Chapel

St. Peter, MN 56082


Builder: Hillgreen-Lane, 1962
Manuals: 4
Ranks: 61
Action: Electro-pneumatic chests

Notes: The original organ was planned to be more than 80 ranks. Each division has preparations and space provided in the chambers and in the support structure. For example, the Solo held only 4 stops (3 on the fourth manual, 1 in the pedal), with space for a number of other stops. Likewise the Enclosed Great held only 3 stops (including a mitered 16' Erzahler) with room for much more. All divisions have space for more chests.

There are 5 enclosed divisions. From the left are Enclosed Great (2 sections of shutters) and Choir (4 sections). On the right are the Swell and Solo (right-most 2 sections). Antiphonal was under the floor in the chancel in a single chamber with a "tone chute" (removed following tornado), a memorial to Roy Hendrickson.

Original console was planned to be pneumatic. There is a wind line in the balcony floor. It was actually all electric and located about half-way between the balcony rail and the Great. It has since been replaced and moved down to the railing. There were two rows of couplers above the Solo keyboard. Stop action solenoid configuration inside the console fought gravity so some couplers tended to go on by themselves while others tended to go off at random.

Wood grain on chamber shutter frames and shutters is painted on. Ceiling is plywood, which allows bass through into the attic. Reverberation averages around 4 seconds, much of it in the treble range.

The organ originally had no spark suppression. As a result there were frequent dead notes, mostly in unit stops, caused by the soot residue left from arcing. This was later corrected, and the unit switch stacks were replaced with a Peterson diode matrix.  The combination action was completely unreliable, making complex registrations impossible. The combination action was eventually replaced with an enormous setterboard, made by Organ Supply Industries.

In the mid-1970's some of the Antiphonal ranks were moved up to the main organ where they would be used more frequently. The Mixture III became a 2-2/3' Mixture VI for the very small pedal, and the 4' Rohrschalmei was also moved upstairs. The 8' Gedeckt and 4' Spitzflute and their chest were moved and placed in the space formerly occupied by the combination action, under the main Great.

The independent ranks of the pedal had 44 pipes since the console had a Pedal to Pedal 4' coupler.

-- David Engen, former curator of the organ; 2017

GREAT ORGAN (12 ranks)
16' Geigen Principal, 12
16' Erzähler, 12, enclosed
8' Principal, 61
8' Geigen Principal, 61
8' Doppelflute, 61, enclosed
8' Erzähler, 61, enclosed
4' Octave, 61
4' Harmonic Flute, 61, enclosed
2-2/3' Twelfth, 61
2' Super Octave, 61
1-1/3' Mixture IV, 244
Tremolo for enclosed division

SOLO ORGAN  (5 ranks,completion of Great)
4' Principal, 61 (for tuning)
1' Cymball III, 183
8' Major Trumpet, 61
 
SWELL ORGAN (12 ranks)
16' Bourdon, 12
8' Clarabella, 73
8' Viol, 73
8' Celeste, 73
4' Principal, 73
4' Flute, 12
2-2/3' Nazard, 61
2' Piccolo, 12
2' Mixture IV, 244
16' Posaune, 73
8' Trumpet, 73
8' Oboe, 73
4' Clarion, 24
Tremolo 
 
CHOIR ORGAN (11 ranks)
16' Dulciana TC (prepared for 1-12)
8' Diapason, 73
8' Gedeckt, 73 
8' Dulciana, 73
8' Unda Maris, 61
4' Principal, 73
4' Nachthorn, 73
4' Dulciana, 12
2-2/3' Nazard, 61
2' Octave, 61
2' Dulciana, 12
1-3/5' Tierce, 61
1-1/3' Larigot, 61
8' Clarinet, 61
Tremolo
 
PEDAL ORGAN (5 ranks, each with 44 pipes for Pedal 4' coupler)
32' Contra Bourdon, 44
16' Diapason (wood), 44
16' Bourdon, 12 
16' Subbass (swell)
16' Geigen Principal (great)
16' Erzähler (great)
8' Octave, 44
8' Bourdon, 12
8' Gedeckt (swell)
8' Geigen Principal (great)
8' Erzähler (great)
4' Super Octave, 44
4' Bourdon, 12
32' Contra Posaune (swell)
16' Bombard, 44
16' Posaune (swell)
8' Bombard, 12
8' Trumpet (swell)
4' Clarion, 12
ANTIPHONAL GREAT (Roy Hendrickson memorial)
8' Hohlflute, 61
4' Principal, 61
1-1/3' Mixture III, 183

ANTIPHONAL SWELL
8' Gedeckt, 61
4' Spitzflute, 61
2' Blockflute, 61

ANTIPHONAL PEDAL
16' Metal Gedekt, 32
8' Diapason, 32
4' Rohrschalmei, 32