HUTCHINGS-VOTEY ORGAN

Boston, Massachusetts
Opus 1623 (1907)
St. James Cathedral
Seattle, Washington
hv_console

The organ’s console was restored and electrical systems updated in 1996 by Marceau & Associates Pipe Organ Builders, Inc., Portland, Oregon. This phase of the organ’s restoration was made possible through a generous gift from the Rhoady and Jeanne Marie Lee family. To honor their gift and their ongoing commitment to the cathedral, the newly rebuilt console has been named for them.

 

GREAT
16’ Diapason
8’ Diapason I
8’ Diapason II
8’ Gross Flute **
8’ Doppel Flute **
8’ Gamba CH ** [1988]
8’ Dulciana CH** [1926]
4’ Octave
4’ Harmonic Flute **
2-2/3’ Twelfth ** [1995]
2’ Fifteenth
III Mixture ** [1995]
8’ Trumpet **
4’ Clarion ** [1995]
** enclosed (CH)

SWELL
16’ Bourdon
8’ Diapason
8’ Stopped Diapason
8’ Quintadena
8’ Salicional
8’ Unda Maris
4’ Octave
4’ Flauto Traverso
2-2/3’ Nasard
2’ Flautino
V Dolce Cornet
16’ Contra Fagotto
8’ Cornopean
8’ Oboe
4’ Clarion
8’ Vox Humana
Tremolo

  

CHOIR (enclosed)
16’ Dulciana
8’ Diapason
8’ Concert Flute
8’ Gamba
8’ Viola
8’ Vox Celestis
4’ Flute d’Amour
2’ Piccolo
8’ Clarinet
Tremolo
 

SOLO
8’ Stentorphone
8’ Philomela
4’ Harmonic Flute
8’ Tuba Mirabilis
Chimes [1996]

PEDAL
32’ Bourdon
16’ Diapason
16’ Violone
16’ Bourdon
16’ Lieblich Gedackt SW
16’ Dulciana CH [1926]
10-2/3’ Quint
8’ Violoncello
8’ Flute
16’ Bombarde [2006]
16’ Trombone

COUPLERS
Swell 16’
Swell 4’
Choir 16’
Choir 4’
Solo 16’
Solo 4’
Swell to Great
Choir to Great
Solo to Great
Swell to Choir
Great to Solo
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Pedal 4’
Choir to Pedal
Solo to Pedal
(Super- and Sub-octaves couple through
the unison inter-manual couplers.)
______________
Manuals: 61 notes
Pedal: 30 notes
Original electro-pneumatic action

The first event in the newly constructed St. James Cathedral even before its dedication was the inaugural organ recital on December 15, 1907. In preparation for the opening of the Cathedral, St. James’ first Director of Music, Dr. Franklin Sawyer Palmer, worked closely with the prestigious Boston organbuilder George Hutchings to design a large organ suitable for liturgies and concerts in the new Cathedral. The result was an instrument of six divisions and fifty-eight ranks – the largest organ in the city at the time and one of the largest on the West Coast. The organ was a gift to the Cathedral from Joseph Arthur Baillargeon, a member of Bishop Edward S. O’Dea’s Cathedral Building Committee. In 1987, Mr. Baillargeon’s grandchildren established the Baillargeon Family – St. James Cathedral Music Fund, whose income helps support the upkeep of the gallery organ and programs performed in the cathedral.

In addition, the Howard Hoyt Memorial Organ Fund was established by a gift from the estate of Howard Hoyt, Cathedral Organist from 1976 until his death in 1992. This gift, along with contributions from individuals, benefit events, and the Baillargeon Family Music Fund, has provided funds for the ongoing restoration of the Hutchings-Votey organ. Today the gallery organ stands as a noteworthy representative of the finest craftsmanship of its period. The work of George Hutchings was unexcelled at the turn of the century; the gallery organ is the largest remaining example of his work. It was honored in 1982 by the Organ Historical Society as “an instrument of exceptional historic merit worthy of preservation.” The case was designed by the Seattle architects Somervell and Cotι and is a notable example of period West Coast Crafts Style.