Our Lady of the Snows Church, 2019-2021 restoration

 J.W. Steere & Son, 1891, opus 318.

Restoration and expansion: L. Gnodde LLC (Opus 2, 2020) Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church, Woodstock, VT.

History

Built in 1891 for The Congregational Church in West Randolph, VT, the instrument was relocated in 1905 to the Masonic Temple in Randolph, VT. In 1984 the organ was relocated to Woodstock, VT,  and altered by A. David Moore. The Swell wind chest was retabled, the Oboe replaced by a new Oboe in french style. The Dulciana on the Great was replaced by a new Twelfth and a Fifteenth.

In 2010 the bellows were releathered at David Moore's shop and the Pedal board keys were recovered. Further work was planned but not performed at the time.

In 2016 the French Oboe was repitched and revoiced by Lubbert Gnodde, following Cavaillé-Coll measurements. Tuning slides were added to some stops and more repitching was done: the trebles of the 4' Flute Harmonique and the Salicional 8' in the Swell.

Restoration 2019-2021

Finally in 2018 we were able to get a comprehensive restoration plan approved. The most important repairs were the retabling of the Great wind chest, replacing the trackers and recovering the keyboards.

The leather slider seals, added in 1984, were reworked and new liegelind seals added for the new stops.

New additions were planned, maximizing the available space and providing additional foundation stops as well as mutations to create a balanced specification.

A new pedal chest was made to allow for an 8' extension of the Pedal Bourdon 16' and with room for a new Fagotto 16'.

Three of the added stops came from another Steere organ that we salvaged in 2016, opus 103. We reused the 8' Salicional, Fifteenth and Flute Harmonique 4' from this organ.

In 2020 the work was paused temporarily due to the pandemic, but the organ has been playable since January 2020. Work will resume in 2021.

New Stoplist

L. Gnodde LLC (Opus 2, 2020)/J.W. Steere & Son (Opus 318, 1891)
Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church
Woodstock , VT

Great

Open Diapason 8'
Octave 4'
Flute dolce 4' (from opus 103, tapered harmonic flute)

in Swell box:
Melodia 8'
Violoncello 8' (prepared, tin)
Fifteenth 2' (from opus 103)
Mixture III (prepared)

Swell

Stopped Diapason 8'
Salicional 8'
Celeste 8' (from opus 103)
Flute Harmonique 4'
Cornet III (new, spotted metal)
Oboe 8' (A.D. Moore 1984, rebuilt by L. Gnodde in 2016)
Tremolo (from opus 103)

Pedal

Bourdon 16'
Bourdon 8' (extension, prepared)
Fagotto 16' (prepared)
Fagotto 8' (extension, prepared)

Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Great

Reversible Great to Pedal
Combination pedals on/off Great

Original stoplist from 1891:

Great



Open Diapason 8'

Melodia 8'

Octave 4'

Dulciana 8'

Swell



Stopped Diapason 8'

Salicional 8'

Flute Harmonique 4'

Oboe 8'

Tremolo



Pedal



Bourdon 16'

Couplers: Sw-Gt, Gt-Pd, Sw-Pd

Reversible Gt-Pd foot lever

Combination Pedals on/off Great (piano/forte)