The Erben organ is complemented by the 1859 Hall & Labagh chancel organ, installed in the Basilica in 2016. This instrument and the Erben organ give us a marvelous sense of what people heard in the golden age of New York organbuilding and nobly serves our music programs.
Almost ten years passed searching for an appropriate chancel organ to complement the great 1868 Henry Erben organ. For use in Vespers, smaller liturgies, and concerts, it was identified on Facebook as for sale by the Director of Music. Although taken apart for storage at the time, it was clearly in a remarkable state of preservation. Through the help of generous donors, the organ was purchased by the Basilica and restored by Brunner & Associates, Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 2016. It was inaugurated on October 2, 2016 at Mass.
Henry Erben was Thomas Hall's apprentice, business partner, and brother-in-law; Hall set up his own organbuilding enterprise in 1845 near the Erben factory. It is a rare, intact example of Thomas Hall's work. Originally installed in St. George's Chapel, Episcopal, in Newburgh, New York, it was then moved to Associate Reformed, Newburgh, NY c. 1885, and later to the Convent of St. Helena, Vail's Gate, NY c. 1980.
Hall & Labagh (chancel organ)
New York City, 1859
Slider chests. Mechanical key action.
One manual. 7 stops. 7 ranks.
Manual - 56 notes [CC-g3]
Right side:
8 St. Diapason Treble 39
8 St. Diapason Bass 17
8 Viol de Gamba 39
8 Open Diapason 39
Pedal *[coupler]
Left side:
8 Hautboy 39
2 Fifteenth 56
4 Flute 39
4 Principal Treble 39
4 Principal Bass 17
Pedal - 17 notes
No stops, pull-down from manual
Total: 324 pipes
Stops listed as spelled on instrument.
All pipework enclosed in a hitch-down swell. Machine stops Forte and Piano.
Organ rests on custom metal frame with wheels so it can be moved as necessary.
The recessed manual is enclosed behind a locked door. The interior console woodwork is maple. Some of the graining is original on the case, and almost all of the pipes are original (cone tuned). Pitch is A=435, set to a Victorian temperament. The Hautboy stop actually controls a trumpet. The trumpet appears to be of New York origin from the time period of the organ and likely was an early modification. The machine stops were modified early on to not include the reed. It retains the original bench, and the organ can be blown via its pump mechanism on the facade. The organ was originally pumped from the back, then was changed twice; it now pumps from the front. An electric blower was added in the 2016 restoration.
Sources: http://database.organsociety.org/OrganDetails.php?OrganID=8387; Ray Brunner and Hans Herr of Brunner & Associates; and Jared Lamenzo.