The organ in the First Presbyterian
Church of Kilgore, Texas, was developed over a period of more than thirty years under the
guidance of the
late Roy Perry, organist-choirmaster of the church from 1932 until 1972. A memorial gift
of Mrs. W. R. Crim and her family, the instrument began life in
1932 as a small six stop Pilcher organ in the building which preceded the current one. In
1935, additional stops and a new console by M. P. Moller
were added and then moved to the current building when it was erected in 1939.
The major portion of the instrument, made nationally famous through recordings in the
1950's, was designed and created by G. Donald Harrison,
then President and Tonal Director of the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston,
Massachusetts. Using some of the earlier pipework and mechanical parts, Mr. Harrison
supervised the rebuilding and enlarging of the instrument in 1949; it is one of relatively
few organs which bears his signature. Mr. Perry did the voicing (final tonal finishing of
the pipes), so from its inception the instrument bore the personal stamp of the man who
presided over its console for so many years.
In 1964, the lowest and largest pipes of the 32' Bombarde were installed, a memorial from
Mr. Perry to Mr. Harrison, who had died in 1956. In 1966, the final additions were made:
the exposed pipework on either side of the chancel window; certain changes and additions
in the chambered divisions on either side; and a new Aeolian-Skinner console, to replace
the Moller one which had served since 1935. The completed instrument is made up of 53
independent stops, some of which are extended and duplicated, making 70 speaking voices.
There are 69 ranks of pipes, a total of 4, 191 individual pipes, the greatest number of
them concealed in chambers behind the non-speaking decorative pipes. 550 of the total
number are exposed on the front wall. The Trompette-en - Chamade was the first sop of its
kind installed
in the United States
Specification
GREAT enclosed (*unenc.)
*16’ Spitzflöte
8’ Principal
8’ Flûte Harmonique
*8’ Bourdon
*8’ Spitzflöte
4’ Octave
4’ Flûte Octaviante
4’ Flûte Couverte
2 ?’ Quinte
2’ Super Octave
* Jeu de Cornet (II ranks)
Fourniture (IV ranks)
Cymbale (III-IV ranks)
Plein Jeu (III-V ranks)
*8’ Trompette-en-Chamade
*4’ Trompette-en-Chamade
8’ French Horn
8’ English Horn
Chimes
Zymbelstern
Tremulant
SWELL enclosed
8’ Geigen
8’ Rohrflöte
8’ Viola
8’ Viola Célèste
8’ Flauto Dolce
8’ Flûte Célèste
4’ Principal
4’ Flûte Triangulaire
2?’ Nasard
2’ Flûte à Bec
Plein Jeu (V ranks)
Carillon (II ranks)
16’ Bombarde
8’ Trompette
8’ Hautbois
8’ Voix Humaine
4’ Clairon
Tremulant
CHOIR enclosed
16’ Gamba
8’ Gamba
8’ Gamba Célèste
8’ Concert Flute
8’ Gedackt Pommer
8’ Harmonic Spitzlöte (II ranks)
4’ Montre
4’ Koppelflöte
2’ Prinzipal
1?’ Nasat
1’ Octav
Scharf (IV ranks)
8’ Trompette-en-Chamade (Gt.)
8’ Posaune (Ped. unenc.)
8’ Cromorne
8’ Basson
Celesta
Tremulant
PEDAL
32’ Untersatz
16’ Principal
16’ Flûte Ouverte
16’ Bourdon
16’ Spitzflöte (Gt.)
16’ Gamba (Ch.)
8’ Octave
8’ Flûte
8’ Bourdon
8’ Spitzflöte (Gt.)
4’ Choralbass
4’ Spillflöte
Mixture (II ranks)
32’ Bombarde (Sw., bass 12 enclosed in Gt.)
16’ Posaune
16’ Bombarde (Sw.)
8’ Posaune
4’ Klarine |
 The Organ of
The First Presbyterian Church Kilgore USA
Kilgore The First Presbyterian Church
Organ Pipes
James Culp - Organ and Stops |
