Friends of the Exposition Organ

San Francisco

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Specification

  • Austin-500 1915
  • Panama-Pacific Exposition, San Francisco, CA

GREAT ORGAN
(CC TO C4, 61 NOTES)

  1. 16 Double Open Diapason
  2. 16 Bourdon
  3. 8 Open Diapason (1 large)
  4. 8 Open Diapason (2 medium)
  5. 8 Open Diapason (3 small)
  6. 8 Viole Gamba [sic]
  7. 8 Dulciana
  8. 8 Gemshorn
  9. 8 Stopped Diapason
  10. 8 Philomela
  11. 8 Harmonic Flute
  12. 4 Octave
  13. 4 Gambette
  14. 4 Flute Harmonique
  15. 2 2/3 Twelfth
  16. 2 Fifteenth
  17. Mixture 4 & 5 rks.
  18. 16 Double Trumpet
  19. 8 Posaune 4. 8 Open Diapason (2 medium)
  20. 8 French Trumpet
  21. 4 Clarion
  22. Sesqueltra [sic] 3 rks.
  23. Cathedral Chimes
  • Swell to Great
  • Swell to Great Sub
  • Swell to Great Octave
  • Choir to Great
  • Choir to Great Sub
  • Choir to Great Octave
  • Solo & Echo to Great
  • Solo & Echo to Great Octave

SWELL ORGAN

  1. 16 Bourdon
  2. 16 Double Dulciana
  3. 8 Open Diapason (large)
  4. 8 Open Diapason (small)
  5. 8 Viole d’Orchestre
  6. 8 Salicional
  7. 8 Aeoline
  8. 8 Voix Celeste
  9. 8 Clarabella
  10. 8 Spitzfloete [sic]
  11. 8 Lieblich Gedeckt
  12. 4 Principal
  13. 4 Violina
  14. 4 Flute Harmonique
  15. 4 Wald Floete [sic]
  16. 2 Piccolo Harmonique
  17. Mixture 4 & 5 rks.
  18. 16 Contra Posaune
  19. 16 Contra Fagotto
  20. 8 Cornopean
  21. 8 Oboe
  22. 8 Harmonic Trumpet
  23. 4 Clarion
  24. 8 Vox Humana
  25. 8 Unda Maris
  • Tremulant
  • Swell Sub
  • Swell Unison off
  • Swell Octave
  • Solo & Echo to Swell
  • Eight adjustable composition pistons to control Swell stops

CHOIR ORGAN

  1. 16 Contra Gamba
  2. 8 Open Diapason
  3. 8 Gamba
  4. 8 Concert Flute
  5. Hohl Flute [sic]
  6. 8 Flauto Dolce
  7. 8 Quintadena
  8. 8 Dulciana
  9. 8 Flute Celeste
  10. 4 Octave
  11. 4 Flute Harmonique
  12. 4 Suabe Flute
  13. 2 Harmonic Piccolo
  14. Dolce Cornet (3 rks.)
  15. 8 Harmonic Trumpet
  16. 8 Clarionet
  17. 8 Cor Anglais
  18. Celesta
  • Tremulant
  • Choir Sub
  • Choir Unison off
  • Choir Octave
  • Swell to Choir
  • Swell to Choir Sub
  • Swell to Choir Octave
  • Solo & Echo to Choir
  • Solo & Echo to Choir Sub
  • Solo & Echo to Choir Octave
  • Eight adjustable composition pistons to control Choir stops
  • Echo organ also playable on choir manual by duplex action

PEDAL ORGAN

  1. 64 Gravissima, resultant
  2. 32 Double Open Diapason
  3. 32 Contra Violone
  4. 16 Open Diapason
  5. 16 Open Diapason
  6. 16 Open Diapason
  7. 16 Violone
  8. 16 Dulciana
  9. 16 Bourdon
  10. 16 Lieblich Bourdon
  11. 10 2/3 Gross Quint
  12. 8 Flauto Dolce
  13. 8 Gross Flute
  14. 8 Octave Dulciana
  15. 8 Violoncello
  16. 4 Octave Flute
  17. 32 Contra Bombarde
  18. 16 Trombone
  19. 16 Tuba
  20. 8 Octave Trombone
  21. 4 Clarion
  22. 16 Pasaune [sic]
  • Great to Pedal
  • Swell to Pedal
  • Swell to Pedal Octave
  • Choir to Pedal
  • Solo & Echo to Pedal
  • Solo & Echo to Pedal Octave
  • Pedal Super Octave
  • Choir to Pedal Octave
  • Six adjustable pistons to control Pedal stops

ECHO ORGAN

  1. 16 Lieblich Bourdon
  2. 8 Small Diapason
  3. 8 Gamba
  4. 8 Dolce
  5. 8 Cor de Nuit
  6. 8 Chimney Flute
  7. 8 Unda Maris
  8. 4 Flauto Dolce
  • Solo & Echo Unison off
  • Great to Solo & Echo
  • Echo “on”, Solo “off”
  • Choir “on”, Echo “off”
  • Echo “on”, Choir “off”
  1. 8 Vox Humana
  2. Cathedral Chimes
  • Solo & Echo Sub
  • Solo & Echo Octave
  • Solo “on”, Echo “off”
  • Solo & Echo “on”
  • Eight adjustable pistons to control Solo & Echo stops

SOLO ORGAN

  1. 8 Tuba Magna
  2. 8 Tuba Marabilis [sic]
  3. 4 Tuba Clarion
  4. 8 Viole d’Orchestre
  5. 8 Viole Celeste
  6. 8 Concert Flute
  7. 4 Harmonic Flute
  8. 2 Harmonic Piccolo
  9. 8 Dolce
  10. 8 French Horn
  11. 8 Orchestral Oboe
  12. 8 Corno di Bassetto
  13. 8 Vox Humana
  14. 8 Harmonic Trumpet
  15. 8 Flugel Horn
  • Tremulant

The organ is voiced on 5-10-15 and 25 inches wind pressures. Eight composition pedals duplicating the eight general pistons over upper manual. Four zero pistons affecting Swell, Choir, Great, and Solo. Eight general pistons over upper manual affecting the entire organ including couplers, Adjustable. One zero piston over upper manual affecting the entire organ.


ACCESSORY [SIC]

  • Balanced Crescendo Pedal, adjustable, not moving registers
  • Balanced Swell Pedal
  • Balanced Choir Pedal
  • Balanced Solo & Echo Pedal
  • Great to Pedal, reversible
  • Solo to Pedal, reversible
  • Solo to Great, reversible
  • Sforzando Pedal

EXCERPTS FROM THE 1915 CONVENTION BROCHURE

“The exterior arrangement of the stops, couplers and accessories, with their measurements and positions, is in accordance with diagrams planned by Mr. Edwin H. Lemare, the celebrated organist, and the specifications of the organ or its scheme of stops, was designed by the Exposition authorities….

“The largest pipe of this organ is the 32 CCCC of the pedal Double Open Diapason. This pipe weighs over 1300 lbs., and is 32 feet in length. Special timber had to be sawed from selected logs to get planks of sufficient lenght and width for the construction of these pipes….

“The organ, like all other instruments of the Austin make, is built on their Universal Air Chest system… The largest chest is 41 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 7 feet high….

“There are four Austin Patent-Universal Air Chests… These air chests can be entered by means of air locks, while the wind is on, and in the largest of these air chambers it would be quite possible to seat comfortably at tables and serve a banquet to 75 persons. The organ weighs approximately forty tons.”


SUBSEQUENT HISTORY

(from Schoenstein & Co.’s reprint of the Convention Brochure)

“In 1963 the organ underwent extensive repairs including releathering of all the chest actions. At that time a new Austin console was furnished. The generator was replaced with a power supply. Changes made to the organ through the years are as follows:

“Great Organ, #6 Viole Gamba is a Flute Ouverte 4, #7 Dulciana is a Gambette 4, #8 is not used, #10 Philomela is a Flute Major 8, #20 French Trumpet is a Trombone 8. “Choir Organ, #7 Quintadena is a 2 rk. String 8. “Solo Organ, #9 Dolce is a Gedeckt 8, #10 French Horn is a Unda Maris T.C. 8, #14 is at 16 pitch. “Echo Organ, #3 Gamba is a Vox Angelica 8, #6 is not used. “Pedal Organ, Five new stops were prepared for: Diapason 8, Octave 4, Hohl Flute 4, Wald Flute 4 and a Mixture. “Wind Pressures in the organ are Great – Choir – Swell and Pedal, 10″; Solo 15″; Tuba Magna, 25”.

The organ was installed, removed, reinstalled in Civic Auditorium by, and was maintained by Schoenstein & Co.

In 1989, the organ and the building were heavily damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake. The Organ is now is storage.

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