The Organs at The Florida State University

The Organs at The Florida State University

The Florida State University has a large collection of organs available for practice and performance. These include a 1975 thirty-four stop Holtkamp mechanical action organ in Opperman Music Hall (Op. 1916) which is used for recitals, concerts, and lessons. On-campus practice organs include tracker and electric action instruments by Holtkamp and Wicks. The organ practice rooms also house a single-strung clavichord which is available for student practice.

The College of Music boasts two portable continuo organs: a 1976 four-stop Holtkamp which is available for regular practice; and a 2003 three stop Bennett and Giuttari with transposing keyboard. The early music room at Florida State houses a two-foot portative organ and a regal.

The College is fortunate to own a restored English chamber organ built by Hill and Davison in 1837–38. In additional to being available for practice, that historically significant organ is on permanent loan to St. John's Episcopal Church, Tallahassee, and is used regularly for Sunday, daily, and occasional services. Fine organs by Taylor & Boody, C. B. Fisk, and Casavant are available through longstanding arrangements with downtown churches. All are within easy walking distance of the College.

The Ringling Museum, located in Sarasota and operated by The Florida State University, has its own fine collection of organs. The Ca' da Zan mansion houses a 3 manual, 43 rank organ built in the orchestral style by the Aeolian Organ Company (Op. 1559) in 1925. That organ is currently undergoing bids for restoration. Other organs at the Ringling include two caliopes, a band organ, and a steam caliope; the latter has been featured on the television program "The Joy of Music." A clip of that program can be seen here.

Stoplists of the FSU Organs

Opperman Music Hall

Holtkamp Organ Company Op. 1916 (1975)
3 Manuals and Pedal, 43 ranks.
Mechanical Key Action, Electric Stop Action

Great - Manual II
Quintadena 16'
Principal 8'
Gedeckt 8'
Octave 4'
Spitzflote 4'
Super Octave 2'
Mixture
Trumpet 8'

Positiv - Manual I
Copula 8'
Prestant 4'
Rohrflote 4'
Nazard 2 2/3'
Blockflote 2'
Tierce 1 3/5'
Scharf
Cromorne 8'
Tremolo

Swell Organ - Manual III (Enclosed)
Rohrflote 8'
Gamba 8'
Voix Celeste 8' (to low F)
Bourdon 4'
Gemshorn 2'
Larigot 1 1/3'
Cymbale
Dulzian 16'
Fagott 8'
Tremolo

Pedal
Principal 16'
Subbass 16'
Octave 8'
Pommer 8'
Choral Bass 4'
Raushquint
Posaune 16'
Trumpet 8'
Schalmey 4'

Unison Couplers
 

Holtkamp Practice Organ (1975)
2 Manuals and Pedal, 3 ranks
Mechanical Key Action
 

Holtkamp "Martini" Practice Organ
2 Manuals and Pedal, 6 Ranks
Electric Key Action, Electric Stop Action
 

Wicks Practice Organ
2 Manuals and Pedal, 6 Ranks
Electric Key Action, Electric Stop Action
 

Holtkamp continuo organ
Mechanical Key Action, Electric blower
 

Bennet Guitari continuo organ
Mechanical Key Action, Optional hand Winding
 

Hill and Davison Chamber Organ (1837-38)
"Jingle Bells"
1 Manual and Pedal, 6 Ranks
Mechanical Key and Stop Action
Mechanical combination pedals

Manual (left stop jam)
Clarabella (8', from tenor C)
Stop'd Diapason (8', 1-17 only)
Open Diapason (8', from Tenor C)

Manual (right stop jam)
Fifteenth (2')
Principal (4')
Dulciana (8', from Tenor C)

Manual compass: GGG-f3
Pedal compass: GGG-C

This organ was built by William Hill and Frederick Davison in London, sometime during their brief partnership of 1837-1838. It was ordered by Christ Church (Episcopal), Savannah, Georgia, as a temporary organ to be used while the church was being renovated. It was subsequently used by St Matthew's Parish, St. Stephen's Parish, and the Savannah Unitarian Society. It was during its sojourn with the Unitarians that composer James Pierpoint became its organist; during that period (1857-58), Mr. Pierpoint's song "A One-horse Open Sleigh" was published in Boston. We know the piece as "Jingle Bells." Because of this connection, we have come to call this organ the "Jingle Bells Organ". The organ was removed from Savannah by Mr. H.H. Chackerian, who maintained many pipe orgnas in the Southeast, including those in Tallahassee. He donated the organ to the School of Music sometime in the 1940's, where it languished in storage in several temporary locations, finally coming to rest in the fan room (basement) of the Music Building (now the Kursteiner Music Building).

In 1976 Steven Sennholtz, a doctoral student in music theory at the School of Music, "discovered" the organ in the fan room and proceeded to inventory its contents. During his ensuing restoration of the organ, which is chronicled in his dissertation which also traces the history of the organ, the signatures of Hill and Davison were discovered on the inside of the keyframe. Although there is no date on the organ, the history of the Hill and Davison partnership, which lasted only from 1837-38, dates the instrument within a year.

From July 1985 until September 1992 the organ served as a temporary organ for the congregation of First Presbyterian Church, Tallahassee, whose sanctuary building was completed in 1837. After the arrival of the current Taylor & Boody organ there, the organ resided at the Presbyterian University Center, on the Florida State Unviersity campus. In May 2000 the organ was moved to Carter Chapel at St. John's Episcopal Church, where it is available for Sunday evening, daily, and special services.

Other persons who have worked on the restoration of the instrument include: A. David Moore, organbuilder of North Pomfret, Vermont, who restored the metal pipes; the late William Griffith, who assisted Steven Sennholtz with the woodworking and key- and stop-actions; George Taylor and Sarah Grove of Taylor & Boody Organbuilders, Staunton, Virginia, who futher restored the metal pipes and voice the organ at First Presbyterian Church in 1985; Vernon White of St. Petersburg, Florida, who moved the organ from First Presbyterian Church to the Presbyterian University Center in September 1992; and John Huening of Brandon, Florida, who moved and re-installed the organ to Carter Chapel.
 

Ca' d'Zan Mansion

Aeolian Organ Company Op. 1559 (1925)
3 Manuals and Pedal, 35 ranks.
Electro-pneumatic Key Action, Electric Stop Action
Duo-Art player mechanism, Solo player mechanism
All stops are 8' pitch except mixtures and those otherwise indicated
 

Great Organ
Diapason
String P
Flute F
Flute P
Flute (high) 4'
Piccolo 2'
Clarinet
Trumpet
 

Swell Organ
Diapason (Horn)
String F
String F vibrato
String P vibrato
String PP
String Mixture
Flute
Oboe
Vox Humana
 

Choir Organ (compounded from Great Organ)
Diapason
String P
Flute F
Flute P
Flute (high) 4'
Piccolo 2'
Clarinet
Trumpet
 

Solo Organ (playable from all manual keyboards)
Diapason
String
String Vibrato
Flute
French Horn
Tuba
Saxophone
 

Echo Organ (playable from all manual keyboards)
Dulciana
Dulciana vibrato
Flute
Flute vibrato
Vox Humana
 

Pedal Organ
Diapason (deep) 16'
String (deep) 16'
Flute (deep) 16'
Diapason 8' (from Solo)
Flute 8' (from Solo)
Tuba 8' (from Solo)

Percussion (playable from all manual keyboards)
Harp
Chimes

Couplers
Swell to Great
Swell to Choir
Swell Octave to Great
Swell Sub to Great
Swell Octave
Swell Sub
Swell Unison Release
Swell to Pedal
Swell Octave to Pedal
Choir to Great
Choir Sub to Great
Choir Octave
Choir Sub
Choir Unison Release
Choir to Pedal
Choir Octave to Pedal
Great Octave
Great Sub
Great Unison Release
Great to Pedal
Great Octave to Pedal
Pedal Release