Hi Friends,
Evensong is proud to announce the release of the IV/110 Blackinton organ at First United Methodist Church in San Diego, California. This instrument is the “magnum opus” of San Diego builder Lyle Blackinton, including some pipework from the old Pilcher and a lot of new pipework set on Blackinton slider chests.
Head HERE to order and read more. Perpetual (USD259 intro price) and 2 week demo licenses (USD2.99) are available.
The church’s first pipe organ was a two-manual Hook and Hastings instrument dedicated on February 26, 1888, in the new Methodist Block three-story brick building located at the corner of 4th and Broadway in downtown San Diego.
When First Church moved in 1907 to a new building designed by Irving Gill and located at 9th and C streets, the Hook and Hastings instrument was enlarged by Murray Harris and installed in the 1500-seat auditorium.
In 1929, First Church dedicated a new 27-rank, three-manual Pilcher organ which included 1,877 pipes with harp and chimes. When the church moved to Mission Valley in 1964, the Pilcher organ was placed in storage.
In 1967, Dowling and Blackinton Organ Builders designed and installed a 12-rank, 855-pipe, instrument in the chancel. Four years later the former downtown organ was removed from storage, refurbished and
enlarged by L. W. Blackinton and Associates to 41 ranks, with 2,450 pipes, chimes and harp, and placed in the rear gallery of the church sanctuary.
Throughout the decade from 1975 to 1985, then-organist/composer in residence Daniel Burton led a movement to provide the church with an instrument worthy of the architecture of the sanctuary and in keeping with the church’s history of supporting great music. In 1985 a committee headed by Jerry Ryan began to implement this vision, and in 1986 a contract was signed with L. W. Blackinton & Associates to redesign and expand the instrument, provide slider chests throughout, a four-manual console and 54 new ranks. The completed instrument was dedicated on January 22, 1989, with a total of 107 ranks and 6,042 pipes.
In 2010 an 8′ Festival Trumpet was added, bringing the organ to 108 ranks and 6092 pipes in nine divisions. The specification includes three 32’ ranks, of which the Principal and the Bombarde are full length. The organ stands as San Diego County’s largest.
In 2021 the Chancel Positiv was reconfigured with new chests and with a new expression enclosure and shutters. A new 8’ Geigen Principal and 4’ Geigen Octave were also added to provide additional expressive resources for choral accompaniment, bringing the organ to 110 ranks.
Stoplist
San Diego, California
First United Methodist Church
L. W. Blackinton & Associates, 1987-1989
4 Manuals, 9 divisions, 110 Ranks, 6325 pipes
GREAT
Gallery
16' Gamba 61 pipes
8' Principal 61 "
8' Rohr Flute 61 "
4' Octave 61 "
2' Fifteenth 61 "
V Cornet 305 "
IV Mixture 244 "
IV-VII Scharff 370 "
16' Bombarde 61 "
8' Trompette 61 "
4' Clarion 61 "
8' Herald Trumpet 61 "
Chimes 20
Cymbelstern 8
GREAT
Chancel
8' Principal 61 pipes
8' Bourdon 61 "
8' Dolce 61 "
4' Octave 61 "
2' Fifteenth 61 "
IV Mixture 244 "
Tower Bells 15
POSITIF
Gallery
8' Quint Flute 61 pipes
8' Dulciana 61 "
4' Spindle Flute 61 "
2' Principal 61 "
11/3' Quinte 61 "
1' Octave 61 "
III Cymbel 183 "
8' Rohr Schalmei 61 "
POSITIF
Chancel
8' Geigen Principal61 pipes
8' Gedeckt 61 "
4' Geigen Otave 61 "
4' Spire Flute 61 "
2' Principal 61 "
III Zimbel 61 "
8' Cromorne 61 "
SWELL
Gallery (expressive)
16' Lieblich Gedeckt 61 pipes
8' Geigen Principal 61 "
8' Salicional 61 "
8' Voix Celeste 49 "
8' Gedeckt 61 "
4' Spitz Principal 61 "
4' Harmonic Flute 61 "
22/3' Nazard 61 "
2' Flute 61 "
III Mixture 183 "
16' Bassoon 61 "
8' Trompette 61 "
8' Oboe 12 "
4' Clarion 61 "
Tremulant
Swell to Swell 16 – U/O – 4
SWELL
Chancel (expressive)
16' Gedeckt 12 pipes
8' Gemshorn 61 "
8' Gemshorn Celeste 49 "
4' Wood Flute 61 "
22/3' Nazard 61 "
2' Flute 61 "
IV Fourniture 244 "
16' Bassoon 61 "
8' Trumpet 61 "
8' Fagotto 12 "
4' Clarion 12 "
Tremulant
Cymbelstern
CHOIR
Gallery (expressive)
8' Concert Flute 61 pipes
8' Flute Celeste 61 "
8' Erzaehler 61 "
8' Erzaehler Celeste 49 "
8' Aeoline 61 "
4' Flute d'Amour 61 "
22/3' Nasard 61 "
2' Flute 61 "
1 3/5' Tierce 61 "
8' Clarinet 61 "
8' Vox Humana 61 "
4' Celesta 49 bars
8' Herald Trumpet Gt
8' Festival Trumpet 61 pipes (Added in 2010)
Tremulant
Choir to Choir 16 – U/O – 4
PEDAL
Gallery
32' Contra Principal 32 pipes
32' Grand Bourdon 32 "
16' Principal 32 "
16' Bourdon 12 "
16' Violone 32 "
16' Gamba Gt
16' Lieblich Gedeckt Sw
8' Octave 32 "
8' Bourdon 12 "
8' Gedeckt Sw
51/3' Quint Bass 32 "
4' Choralbass 32 "
4' Flute Sw
22/3' Nazard 32 "
2' Twenty Second 32 "
IV Mixture 128 "
32' Contra Posaune 32 "
16' Posaune 12 "
16' Basson Sw
8' Trumpet 32 "
4' Clarion 12 "
PEDAL
Chancel
16' Principal 32 "
16' Bourdon 32 "
16' Gedeckt Sw
102/3' Quint Sw
8' Octave 32 "
8' Gedeckt 12 "
4' Choral Bass 32 "
2' Twenty Second 12 "
16' Fagotto Sw
8' Fagotto Sw
4' Fagotto Sw
INTERDIVISIONAL COUPLERS-
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Positif to Pedal
Swell to Great 16'
Swell to Great 8'
Swell to Great 4'
Choir to Great 16'
Choir to Great 8'
Choir to Great 4'
Positif to Great 8'
Choir to Swell 16'
Choir to Swell 8'
Choir to Swell 4'
Choir to Positif 8'
Swell to Positif 8'
Great to Positif 8'
INDICATOR LIGHTS-
Crescendo Bar Graph
Tuttis I, II, and III
Gallery Organ Power
Chancel Organ Power
Usher Signal
Memory Level
Microphone Selector
Console: Solid Teak, Ebony Drawknobs
Four 61 note manuals, from top: Choir, Swell, Great, Positif
32-note concave, radiating pedal board
Expression pedals, left to right: Gallery Choir, Gallery Swell, Chancel Swell
ACCESSORIES:
Crescendo Pedal, standard and three programmable sequences
Reed Silencer: Drawknob and toe stud reversible, programmable
Great to Pedal reversible, toe stud
Gallery Cymbelstern toe stud reversible
Chancel Cymbelstern toe stud reversible
All Shades to Gallery Swell: Drawknob
Pulpit, Lectern, Roving, and Auxilliary microphone selectors and cancel
Adjustable Bench
Chancel Blowers and Console Power, Gallery Blower, Tower Bells Compressor
Music rack and Pedal board lights, automatic with console power
COMBINATION ACTION:
Eight memory levels
Ten General Pistons with Toe Stud duplicates
Ten Divisional Pistons for each manual division plus Cancels
Ten Pedal Toe Studs
Tuttis I, II, and III programmable Thumb Pistons and Toe Studs
General Cancel
The organ is offered in 2-channel stereo, 24 bit 48kHz. A bit of an explanation about this decision: The church is located right next to a busy highway, and even late at night it’s quite a noisy environment. We did record more remote channels, but when we did the noise reduction , we found that despite careful work, it did too much damage to the quality of the sounds. As a result, we decided to only use the more direct perspective, and lowered the price from $449 to $299 (introductory price is $259). One interesting aside – since the organ is in two locations, Chancel and Gallery, if you have rear speakers you can still split the organ and have a “surround” experience similar to the real thing.