Saint John UCC : Music


Music and the Arts

The St. John campus includes three venues which are regularly used for church and community performances.

The Gothic-Revival Sanctuary, dedicated in 1867, is home to the St. John Chancel Choir and forty-two rank Steiner organ. The Choir performs in this acoustically magnificent building weekly during its Choir Season, September through May. Directed by Hal W. Kirk, St. John Organist-Choirmaster since 1978, the Chancel Choir includes musically experienced parish volunteer singers and six professional staff singers. In addition, Artists from the Louisville Arts community schedule performances, from simple liturgical dance to large choral and orchestral concerts.

The St. John Renaissance Theatre regularly hosts performances by various community artists. Drama presentations, from New Yorkers to local talent, frequently display their talent here. A diversity of instrumental musicians, playing jazz to punk rock, repeatedly jam on the raked stage of the Renaissance.

The Parish Hall first floor is a favorite rehearsal place for community stage artists. Frequently, talented visual artists have showings of their works displayed for the First Friday Trolley Hop Night. A range of groups, from regular monthly meetings of the East Downtown Business Association to the annual Breakfast with Santa for 200 Lincoln Elementary School children, all find venue within the Parish Hall.

 

The 1981 St. John Steiner Organ

Three Manuals, Forty-two Ranks

St. John’s Steiner organ is comprised of thirty-one ranks of new pipes. In addition, seven other ranks from the 1925 Henry Pilcher’s Sons organ were revoiced by Steiner Organs, Inc. The four rank Pilcher Echo division remains as installed in 1925 within the original 1867 J. G. Pfeffer case. This brings the 1981 Steiner organ to forty-two ranks. The 1964 Schantz console was completely rebuilt by Steiner to include a solid state combination action. The organ is currently maintained by Webber & Bourne Organ Builders, LLC.

GREAT (Unenclosed, Manual II)
16’ Holzgedackt (Pos) 12 pipes
8’ Prinzipal 61 pipes
8’ Gedackt 61 pipes
4’ Oktave 61 pipes
4’ Spitzflöte 61 pipes
2’ Kleinoktave 61 pipes
1 1/3’ Mixtur IV-VI 282 pipes
8’ Trompete 61 pipes
4’ Klarine 49 notes * *
Glocken (Ant) 20 tubes
Great to Great 16’ * *


SWELL (Enclosed, Manual III)
8’ Rohrflöte 61 pipes
8’ Salizional 61 pipes *
8’ Schwebung 49 pipes *
4’ Spitzprinzipal 61 pipes
4’ Waldflöte 61 notes * *
2 2/3’ Nasat 61 pipes
2’ Blockflöte 61 pipes
1 3/5’ Terz 61 pipes
1’ Scharff IV 208 pipes
16’ Fagottbass 12 pipes
8’ Fagott-Trompete 61 pipes
Tremolo
Swell to Swell 16’ * *


POSITIV (Unenclosed, Manual I)
8’ Holzgedackt 61 pipes *
4’ Koppelflöte 61 pipes
2’ Prinzipal 61 pipes
1/3’ Zimbel III 183 pipes
8’ Trompete (Gt) 61 notes * *
8’ Krummhorn 61 pipes
Tremolo
Antiphonal to Positiv


ANTIPHONAL (Enclosed, Manual I)
8’ Gedackt 61 pipes
8’ Vox Ætheria 61 pipes
8’ Vox Angelica (Celeste) 61 pipes
8’ Vox Humana 61 pipes
Tremolo


PEDAL (Unenclosed)
32’ Quintbass 32 notes
16’ Prinzipal 32 pipes *
16’ Subbass 32 pipes *

16’ Holzgedackt (Gt) 32 notes
8’ Oktave 32 pipes *
8’ Subbass 12 pipes
4’ Choralbass 12 pipes
4’ Flötenbass 12 pipes
2’ Mixtur III 96 pipes
16’ Posaune 32 pipes *
16’ Fagottbass (Sw) 32 notes
8’ Trompete 12 pipes
4’ Krummhorn (Pos) 32 notes
Antiphonal to Pedal


COUPLERS
8’ Great to Pedal - reversible thumb and toe
8’ Swell to Pedal - reversible thumb and toe
8’ Positiv to Pedal - reversible thumb and toe
16’ Swell to Great
8’ Swell to Great
8’ Positiv to Great
8’ Swell to Positiv


Rear Shades Closed (Swell) - rocking tablet


Tutti - reversible thumb and toe


Claudine Meyer Fife Memorial Zimbelstern - 
reversible toe
1997 Webber and Bourne installation, a gift from Dr. Peter and Mrs. Margaret Fife Tanguay.

† Original 1925 Henry Pilcher’s Sons Echo division.

* 1925 Henry Pilcher’s Sons rank revoiced by Steiner.

* * 2005 Webber & Bourne installation (also including new rocking coupler tablets), gifts from Mr. and Mrs. William Colyer and the William Schneider Memorial.


Copyright © 2004. Saint John UCC