The Hutchings-Votey Organ (1907). The very first event in the brand-new St. James Cathedral--even before the first Mass!--was an organ recital on December 15, 1907. The Cathedral's first organist was Dr. Franklin Sawyer Palmer who worked with the prestigious Boston organbuilder George Hutchings to design the instrument. Dr. Palmer had two careers: he was also a medical doctor who had studied at Harvard! His specialty was treating diseases of the skin.
The Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy Millennium organ was built by Rosales Organ Builders of Los Angeles in 2000. This organ was designed to complement the Hutchings-Votey organ at the other end of the Cathedral. When the two organs are played together, they become one instrument--sometimes you have to listen hard to know which organ you are hearing! You can play both organs from either of the two consoles.
Together, the two organs have ninety-nine ranks of pipes. That's more than 4,000 pipes!
During the early 1960s, an electronic carillon was installed in the cathedral’s north tower. For the next thirty years, residents were summoned to Masses and other services by the amplified electronic sound of bells. The carillon was destroyed during the cathedral fire of March, 1992. Since 1994, St. James has been blessed with a peal of authentic bronze bells, cast for the cathedral in Holland.
Six bronze bells were installed in the south tower in 1994. Their names (by ancient tradition!) honor people connected with the cathedral: Thomas (for the late Archbishop Thomas Murphy), Michael (for Father Michael G. Ryan, pastor), James, Francesca (Cabrini), Raymond (for Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen), and Anthony (for a donor’s special devotion to St. Anthony of Padua).
Click here to listen to the Cathedral bells (this file may take a few moments to download.)
