Curtis Organ

The Curtis Organ , named after the publisher Cyrus Curtis , is one of the largest organs in the world with 162 registers and 10,731 pipes . It was in 1926 as Opus 1416 by the Austin Organ Company for the Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia built. It was also called the "organ of the organists" because it was built according to the specifications of five prominent organists from Philadelphia.

history

Curtis bought the organ after the exhibit went bankrupt and donated it to the University of Pennsylvania , where it was installed in the Irvine Auditorium when it was built.

The organ contains the largest wind turbine that Austin has ever built. In the original structure in the auditorium building of the Sesquicentennial Exposition , the podium of the organ was over 22 meters wide. This pressurized space under the pipes allowed access to the organ's pneumatic mechanisms while playing and would have comfortably seated 100 people to eat.

The organ mechanics were renewed in the 1950s thanks to a donation from Mary Louise Curtis Bok , daughter of Cyrus HK Curtis, wife of Efrem Zimbalist and founder of the Curtis Institute of Music .

At the end of the 1980s, the organ was connected to a special MIDI interface, which made it the world's largest MIDI instrument at the time. More recently, the Austin Organ Company carried out a complete mechanical restoration of the organ, adding a new console and electric stop action. Care was taken to keep the original tonality of the organ as much as possible. In October 2002 it was returned to its destination.

Disposition

I Great organ C – c ⁴
Bourdon	16 ′
Violone Dolce	16 ′
First Open Diapason	8th'
Second Open Diapason	8th'
Third Open Diapason	8th'
Fourth Open Diapason	8th'
Fifth Open Diapason	8th'
Flauto Major	8th'
Double flute	8th'
Harmonic flute	8th'
Bourdon	8th'
Clarabella	8th'
Gamba	8th'
violoncello	8th'
Gemshorn	8th'
Quint	5 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′
Octave	4 ′
Principal	4 ′
Hollow flute	4 ′
Octave Quint	2 ³ ⁄ ₃  ′
Great Octave	2 ′
Mixture III-IV	2 ′
Mixture V	1 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′
Double trumpet	16 ′
French Trumpet	8th'
Trumpet	8th'
French horn	8th'
Tuba Magna (= from IV)	8th'
Clarion	4 ′
tremolo
Harp	8th'
Marimba (= from IV)	8th'
Celesta	4 ′
Cathedral Chimes (= from IV)

String Division C – c ⁴
Violes V	8th'
Celestes V	8th'
Violes III	8th'
Celestes III	8th'
Violes II	8th'
Celestes II	8th'
Violes III	4 ′
String Mixture III	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
tremolo

II Choir organ C – c ⁴
Contra gamba	16 ′
Double Dulciana	16 ′
Open diapason	8th'
Violin Principal	8th'
Stopped diapason	8th'
Chimney Flute	8th'
Quintadena	8th'
Viole d'Orchestre	8th'
Viole Celeste	8th'
Concert flute	8th'
Flute Celeste	8th'
Gemshorn	8th'
Gemshorn Celeste	8th'
Dulciana	8th'
Principal	4 ′
Flute d'Amour	4 ′
Dolce	4 ′
Twelfth	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Fifteenth	2 ′
Flageolet	2 ′
Dulcet	2 ′
Seventeenth	1 ³ ⁄ ₅  ′
Dulcinet	1'
Cornet Mixture III	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Trombones	16 ′
Baryton	16 ′
Bass clarinet	16 ′
Cor Anglais	16 ′
Tromba	8th'
Orchestral horn	8th'
Orchestral oboe	8th'
Clarinet	8th'
Cor Anglais	8th'
Vox Humana	8th'
Tromba Clarion	4 ′
tremolo
Harp (= from I)	8th'
Cathedral Chimes (= from IV)

II Trombone Chorus C – c ⁴
Contra trombones	16 ′
First tromba	8th'
Second tromba	8th'
First Clarion	4 ′
Second Clarion	4 ′

III Swell organ C – c ⁴
Bourdon	16 ′
Gemshorn	16 ′
Diapason phonon	8th'
Open diapason	8th'
Horn diapason	8th'
Violin Principal	8th'
Melody	8th'
Pipe flute	8th'
Viola d'Gamba	8th'
Viole d'Orchestre	8th'
Viole Celeste III	8th'
Salicional	8th'
Voix Celeste	8th'
Flauto Dolce	8th'
Unda Maris	8th'
Principal	4 ′
Traverse Flute	4 ′
Flute d'Amour	4 ′
Violina	4 ′
Twelfth	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Fifteenth	2 ′
Flautina	2 ′
Seventeenth	1 ³ ⁄ ₅  ′
Twenty First	1 ¹ ⁄ ₇  ′
Twenty Second 1 '
String Mixture V	2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Mixture IV	1 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′
Contra fagotto	16
Vox Humana	8th'
French Trumpet	8th'
Cornopean	8th'
oboe	8th'
Corno d'Amore	8th'
Vox Humana II	8th'
Clarion	4 ′
Vox Humana	4 ′
tremolo

IV Solo organ C – c ⁴
Grand Diapason Phonon	8th'
Flauto Major	8th'
Big Gamba	8th'
Gamba Celeste	8th'
Covered	8th'
Concert Flute (= from II)	8th'
Flûte Ouverte	4 ′
Flûte d'Amour (= from II)	4 ′
Concert Piccolo	2 ′
Tuba profunda	16 ′
Tuba Magna	8th'
Harmonic tuba	8th'
French bugle	8th'
Hunting Horn	8th'
Bell Clarinet	8th'
French Horn (= from I)	8th'
Orchestral oboe (= from II)	8th'
Cor Anglais (= from II)	8th'
Clarinet (= from II)	8th'
Tuba Clarion 4 '
tremolo
Marimba	8th'
Harp (= from I)	8th'
Carillon	4 ′
Carillons	4 ′
Xylophones	4 ′
Celesta (= from I)	4 ′
Cathedral Chimes

Pedal C – g ¹
Resultant bass	64 ′
Double Open Diapason	32 ′
Contra violone	32 ′
Contra Bourdon	32 ′
First Open Diapason	16 ′
Second Open Diapason	16 ′
Metal Open Diapason	16 ′
Diaphones	16 ′
Violone	16 ′
First bourdon	16 ′
Second Bourdon	16 ′
Lovely covered (= from III)	16 ′
Gamba (= from II)	16 ′
Violes Celeste III (= made of string)	16 ′
Dulciana (= from II)	16 ′
Gross Quint	10 ² ⁄ ₃  ′
Octave	8th'
Principal	8th'
Big Flute	8th'
Bourdon	8th'
Flauto Dolce (= from III)	8th'
Dulciana (= from II)	8th'
Violes Celeste III (= from III)	8th'
Violoncello Celeste II (= from IV)	8th'
Twelfth	5 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′
Octave Flute	4 ′
Mixture V	5 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′
Contra bombs	32 ′
Bombard	16 ′
First trombone	16 ′
Second trombone (= from II)	16 ′
Tuba Profunda (= from IV)	16 ′
Contra Fagotto (= from III)	16 ′
Bass Clarinet (= from II)	16 ′
Tromba	8th'
Harmonic tuba (= from IV)	8th'
Clarion	4 ′
Tuba Clarion (= from IV)	4 ′
Marimba (= from IV)	4 ′
Glockenspiel (= from IV)	4 ′
Cathedral Chimes (= from IV)

Coupling : I / II, I / IV, II / I, II / I 16 ′, II / I 5 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′, II / I 4 ′, II / II 16 ′, II / II 4 ′, II / III , II / III 16 ′, II / III 4 ′, II / IV, III / I, III / I 16 ′, III / I 4 ′, III / I 2 ′, III / II, III / II 16 ′, III / II 4 ′, III / III 16 ′, III / III 4 ′, III / IV, IV / I, IV / I 16 ′, IV / I 4 ′, IV / II, IV / II 16 ′, IV / II 4 ′, IV / III, IV / III 16 ′, IV / III 4 ′, IV / IV 16 ′, IV / IV 4 ′, String / I, String / II, String / III, String / IV, String 16 ′ , String 4 ′, Trombone / I, Trombone / II, Trombone / III, Trombone / IV, I / P, I / P 4 ′, II / P, II / P 5 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′, II / P 4 ′, III / P, III / P 4 ′, III / P 2 ′, IV / P, IV / P 4 ′, String / P, Trombone / P, P / P 10 ² ⁄ ₃  ′, P / P 8 ′
Playing aids : General Combinations, Divisional Combinations (for each work), Coupler Combinations, Full String Organ, Great to Choir Transfer, Orchestral Crescendo On, Solo Off Crescendo, Combination Setter, Combination Range, General Cancel, Register Crescendo, Choir Unison Off, Swell Unison Off, Solo Unison Off

Recordings

Music From The Curtis Organ , Ted Alan Worth (1988) [CORS CD-141601]
A Midsummer Night's Dream , Ken Cowan (1997) [CORS CD-141602]

Individual evidence

^ Austin Organ Company website .
^ Sesquicentennial Exhibition Association "... the entire festival was placed into equity receivership by the United States District Court on April 27, 1927."

Web links

curtisorgan.org
pipeorgandatabase.org (English) (PDF)
Presence on organ database
Facebook site
University of Pennsylvania: Penn Today: Curtis Organ (English)

39.9509 -75.193Coordinates: 39 ° 57 ′ 3.2 " N , 75 ° 11 ′ 34.8" W.

[1] Austin Organ Company website .

[2] Sesquicentennial Exhibition Association "... the entire festival was placed into equity receivership by the United States District Court on April 27, 1927."