Westminster Congregational United Church of Christ
411 S. Washington St
Spokane, Washington 99204
(509) 624-1366

Sanctuary Organ

Westminster’s first instrument used as the primary service instrument was a reed organ. Reed organs are also known as pump organs, parlour organs, harmoniums, and melodeons. Unfortunately, no specific information regarding the church’s original organ has survived. Most likely it was a single manual instrument with bellows pumped by pedals. Unlike pipe organs, which blows air through a pipe to create tone, American reed organs use suction to pull the air through a reed.

II.

About 1891 Westminster Congregational purchased a Vocalion, which is both a type of reed organ as well as a brand name. They were pressure reed organs like the French harmoniums, as opposed to suction reed organs, like most American reed organs. The reeds spoke into wooden "qualifying tubes", usually small rectangular blocks of wood with a round hole bored through them, placed in front of each reed, which acted like little megaphones. They were laid horizontally facing the front of the case, so the sound of the reeds really projected, with the reed-boxes in that elevated position. The wooden tubes also mellowed the sound of the reeds. Some of these organs could produce a really nice flutey sound. The Trumpet and Oboe stops were also better than the typical suction reed organ. Many Vocalions had multiple manuals, a pedal-clavier, swell and crescendo shoes, and even pedal movements for combination actions. Some were pumped by hand, by foot, both, or by electricity. Except for the fact that it had pedals and an imposing appearance, unfortunately, no information on Westminster’s Vocalion is extant.

III.

In 1905, Westminster Congregational purchased its first pipe organ for $4,000.00. The builder is unknown, but it was most likely a small two manual tubular-pneumatic organ. The pipes were located at the rear of the choir loft and spoke through three adjacent openings. From notes found in the church’s music library, the organ contained the following:

Open Diapason (Great)

Octave 4’ (Great)

Melodia (Great)

Flute 4’ (Great)

Dulciana (Great)

Clarinet (Great)

Gamba (Swell)

Stopped Diapason (Swell)

Flute 4’ (Swell)

Flute 2’ (Swell)

Trumpet (Swell)

[Cornet] (Swell)

16’ [flue] (Pedal)

Tremolo

Swell to Great

Great to Pedal

Swell to Pedal

Superoctave coupler

Crescendo Pedal

Between 1907 and 1909 the sanctuary was remodeled, and the pulpit, which had been placed on a raised podium in the southwest corner with the pews facing it in a quarter-circular pattern, was moved to a wide platform in the center of the south wall with the choir loft above and behind it. The balcony was added also at this time.

Chimes were added to the organ in 1920 as a gift from Conrad Wolfle and the position of the console was then changed to enable the organist to act as choir director. The organ was rebuilt in 1928 by Riley J. Chase.

IV.

By the late 1940s, the church had grown so much that proposals were made to renovate the interior and install a new chancel and organ, as well as other improvements. The old platform built when the pulpit was moved was torn out, the choir loft and rear wall disappeared, and a new and larger chancel was fashioned with the choir benches along the sides.

A contract was signed with M.P. Möller Inc. of Hagerstown, Maryland for a three-manual organ to replace the 1905 instrument. This new organ was planned as a memorial to Dr. Joel Harper, who died in 1946 after serving as Westminster’s pastor for 26 years.

The Möller organ, Opus 8231, was installed in 1951 and consists of 32 ranks on three divisions, each of which is located in its own expression chamber. The console is located on the east side of the platform with the organist facing west. The stoplist is as follows (all caps represents independent ranks):

Great (Enclosed) 10

8 Diapason 61

8 Bourdon 61

4 Octave 61

4 Spitzflote 61

2-2/3 Octave Quint 61

2 Superoctave 61

IV Fourniture (2’) 244

Tremolo

Chimes (Deagan; Ta-f2) 21

Great Unison Off

Great 16

Great 4

Choir (Enclosed) 8

8 Nachthorn 73

8 Viola 73

8 Erzahler 73

8 Erzahler Celeste (tc) 61

4 Koppelflote 61

2-2/3 Nazard 61

2 Blockflote 61

8 Clarinet 73

Tremolo

Choir Unison Off

Choir 16

Choir 4

Swell (Enclosed) 10

8 Rohrflote 73

8 Viole de Gambe 73

8 Viole Celeste (tc) 61

4 Principal 73

4 Flute Δ 73

III Cymbel (1’) 183

8 Trompette 73

4 Clarion 73

Tremolo

Swell Unison Off

Swell 16

Swell 4

Pedal (Enclosed with Great) 4

16 Contre Basse (in Gt) 32

16 Bourdon (in Ch) 32

16 Rohr Bourdon (Sw) --

8 Octave (in Gt) 32

8 Bourdon (in Ch) 12

8 Rohr Flote (Sw) --

4 Super Octave (in Gt) 12

4 Bourdon (in Ch) 12

16 Bombarde (in Sw) 32

8 Bombarde (in Sw) 12

4 Bombarde (in Sw) 12

Bells of Westminster

Historic Deagan Tower Chimes

Westminster’s set of Deagan Tower Chimes was installed in the west tower in 1927, and consists of a series of 16 tubular bells, drawn from the finest quality of bell metal. A unique feature is the use of dampers which silence a chime after it has been struck. The Tower Chimes are meant to be played only one at a time, as opposed to a set of carillon (cast bells), which are meant to be played in harmony, due to the tuning system.

The only major manufacturer of tower tube instruments in North America was the J. C. Deagan Company, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Deagan was well known for a wide variety of mallet percussion instruments, mostly for use in band or orchestra, but the tower chimes which he designed are on a much larger scale. It is thought that the company produced 439 such instruments between 1916 and 1958, the majority of them installed in the 1920s. The exact number of installations is uncertain because of enlargements, removals and relocations. The Deagan tower instruments varied in size from 1 to 97 tubes, though the maximum keyboard range was 32 notes. The majority had 10 to 16 notes. All had electric actions, with a variety of manual and/or automatic control mechanisms. Although many of these instruments have been scrapped or simply demolished (some being replaced with other tower instruments), some remain usable, having been repaired or restored in recent years.

There are three other installations in the state of Washington:

First Baptist Church, Yakima, installed 1922, 10 tubes (inoperable)

First Baptist Church, Tacoma, installed 1925, 16 tubes (operable)

First Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, installed 1925, 16 tubes (operable)

The state of Oregon has one installation, at First Christian Church, Eugene, installed 1926, 16 tubes, in operable condition. Idaho has one installation, at St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral in Boise, installed 1925, 10 tubes, in dead condition (exists but needs repairs to become operable).

Westminster’s Tower Chimes are one of 42 installations in 1927 by the Deagan Company, of which 11 contained 16 tubes.

For the skeptical: These are not electronic devices. Tubular bells are made of a material similar to bell metal, and the largest of them weigh several hundred pounds. They are exactly analogous to the electrified carillons and chimes which are made of conventional bells. For further general information on this subject, see: http://www.TowerBells.org/TubularBells.html

East Tower Bell

While the set of Deagan Tower Chimes reside in the west tower, the east tower is not empty, and also has its own bell. This single bell has a unique place in Spokane’s history. It was also used for many years by the Spokane Fire Department as Spokane’s first fire bell. Today this bell is rung frequently on Sunday mornings at 10:25 a.m. as a traditional call to summon worshippers to the church.

Handbells

Westminster also has a four-octave set of Schulmerich Handbells which are used occasionally in worship services.

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