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The Casavant Organ Opus 189The pipe organ, originally installed in 1903 at St. Andrew's United Church in Arnprior, Ontario, was the 189th order received by Casavant Frères, pipe organ builder from St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada; consequently, it bears Opus Number 189. This pneumatic (tubular) action instrument had 17 stops on two manuals and a pedal board, for a total of 1,085 pipes of metal or wood. The original selling price for this organ was $3,024.00. Of interest is the fact that this organ was the first one having stops voiced by Alphonse Gigout, who was the brother of the famous French organist Eugene Gigout. Alphonse Gigout was voicer at Casavant Frères from 1903 to 1909. He is buried in St. Hyacinthe. The original stop list was as follows:GREAT ORGAN
SWELL ORGAN
PEDAL ORGAN
In around 1967, the organ was purchased through an organ builder and with the help of the congregation, it was installed in the sanctuary of the original Mountainview Christian Reformed Church. Some changes were made, such as a newer Reisner electrical console and moving a Trumpet 8' into the swell, making the Melodia 8' into a 4' Flute, placing the Swell Stopped Diapason 8' into the Great, making the Bourdon 16' from the Swell into an 8' unit stop with additional pipes added to provide much needed unison pitches, removal of the Swell Principal 8' and making it a 4' Principal, extending the two pedal stops to 8' and 8' & 4', and converting the organ from pneumatic to electric action and swell motor. Since 1975, the organ was farther modified by Keates-Geissler Pipe Organs. Two new Laukuff blowers were added, re-leathering of the chest action and relays was done, and improvements were made to the Swell Reed and Mixture. When the plan materialized to move the organ to the new sanctuary, further improvements were made, such as separating the wind supply for the Great, Swell, and Pedal; Two more stops were added to the organ. Attention was paid to the placement of the organ in the sanctuary. A gold painted facade of pipes was added. Tonal guidance was provided by André Knevel and Ian Sadler, long-time friends of the congregation. The organ now has 1,230 pipes and 30 Stops. The organ was moved from the old sanctuary to its new home with the help of many volunteers. The Purpose of Our Church OrganWe believe that the purpose of our church organ is to enable, enhance, support, and inspire our worship of God. The organ supports worship through accompanying hymns and service music, anthems, and solos, playing preludes, postludes, and other service music, and providing music at weddings and funerals. Additionally, the organ is a benefit in the wider community through its use in special services, concerts, and as a resource to students and musical groups in our church. We recognize the rich history of the organ in church music; we recognize the organ as a voice in worship; and we are seeking to continue a tradition inherited from the past by passing on the legacy to future generations through worship, leadership, performance, and teaching. Specifications:GREAT
SWELL
PEDAL
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