St. Luke's
Episcopal Church
Auburn, California
The Organ in St. Luke's Episcopal Church,
Auburn, California
Wicks Organ Co. -- opus 1567 -- 1936
The organ in St. Luke's Church in Auburn was built by the Wicks Organ Company of
Highland, Illinois in 1936 as their opus 1567. By the early 1990's the console, which
was an earlier replacement of the original, was determined to be totally unsatisfactory.
At this time, Margaret Reeder, then organist of St. Luke's, met with Sacramento organ
builder Scott Nelson and planned a comprehensive rebuilding and enlargement of the Wicks
organ using the Austin console from St. John's, Lodi. Soon after the arrival of her
successor, Phil Cooper, the plans were finalized and work began on the
organ in August of 1996. One of the unique aspects of this project was that almost all
the work was accomplished by volunteers who are members of St. Luke's Church.
During the work, it became clear that several alterations which had been done to the
organ over the years were of poor quality or the result of poor judgment. These faults
were corrected in this latest rebuilding. In addition, three ranks were added to the
organ: the Tromba (a type of Trumpet stop), the Hohlflöte whose pipes are made of wood
(pine and cherry) and the Dulciana. The Tromba was from an organ by Hillgreen-Lane
Organ Co. around the 1920's. The Hohlflöte was from an organ by Hutchings Organ Co.
and the Dulciana was from an old Wicks (1912). The decision to use old pipes was made
as a result of the desire to have the sound of the added ranks blend with the Wicks
pipes of 1936.
The organ in St. Luke's Church uses what is referred to as direct electric action.
This means that electric signals are transferred directly to the magnets in the
windchest that controls the opening of the little valves that permit air to flow from
the windchest into the pipes. As a result of this rebuilding and enlargement project,
this organ proudly sounds forth as the largest and finest organ in the Auburn area and
will serve to praise and glorify God for many years to come.
The Stoplist is as follows:
Great Organ: Swell Organ:
Open Diapason 8 Stopped Flute 8
Hohl Flöte 8 Salicional 8
Dulciana 8 Voix Celeste 8
Octave 4 Principal 4
Octave Quint 2 2/3 Wald Flute 4
Super Octave 2 Salicet 4
Tromba 8 Nasard 2 2/3
Swell 16 Flautino 2
Swell 8 Tierce 1 3/5
Swell 4 Tremulant
Choir Organ: (playable on the Great) Pedal Organ:
Viola 8 Bourdon 16
Gedackt 8 Flute 8
Harmonic Flute 4 Octave 4
Violina 4 Trombone 16
Piccolo 2 Tromba 8
Clarinet 8 Great 8
Cor Anglais 8 Swell 8
Tremulant
The pipes for the Great, Swell and Pedal are located in the front of the church while
the pipes for the Choir are located in the back over the Narthex.
There is also a Cimbelstern in the front part of the organ.
The organ currently contains 12 ranks with 828 pipes.
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