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Schlicker Organ | Kilgen Organ | Bell Reed Organ | Schulmerich & Steinway Grand
The Schlicker Organ
The sanctuary organ at Trinity Lutheran Church is a custom-built instrument designed specifically to fulfill all requirements
of a Christian congregation engaged in liturgical worship. At the same time, the organ includes all features of a fine concert
instrument capable of playing organ literature of all periods and styles. Since its installation in 1969 it has also been an
important part of the organ and church music program of Pacific Lutheran University.
The organ, controlled by an all-electric console of three manuals and pedals, is a product of the Schlicker Organ Company of Buffalo, NY. The principles that guided organs builders of the 17th and 18th centuries were merged with modern ideas and techniques to produce this work of art. It is located in the gallery in a free-standing wooden casing, which serves to focus and project its tone. Its four divisions contain 42 ranks with 30 stops and 2,235 pipes ranging in size from 3/8-inch to more than 16 feet. Each manual division and pedal has its own independent and complete ensemble. Every stop is conceived and designed to stand on its own merits as a musical entity, yet to work well in combination with other registers of the organ. This duality gives the instrument its great flexibility.
A unique and very important feature of the organ is the use of slider windchests. It is this type of chest, in conjunction with variable scaling of the pipes, low wind-pressures, and no nicking of the languids that produces the prompt speech, crisp articulation, and full harmonic development of the pipes.
Only the finest materials were used in the construction of the organ. Virgin-growth yellow poplar and red oak were used for the chests and console. Material used for the pipes includes oak, copper, tin, zinc, and various alloys of tin and lead, ranging from 75% tin and 25% lead to 40% tin, depending on the type of stop.
Installation of the organ was supervised by Mr. John DeCamp; tonal finishing was completed by Mr. John Obermeyer and Mr. Bernard Cavelier of the Schlicker Organ Company. Additional tonal revisions have been carried out over the years by Martin Pasi, Paul Fritts, Richard Bond and others.
| Schlicker Organ Co. |
| Buffalo, New York |
| 1969 |