Kilgen Pipe Organ
The Kilgen Pipe Organ at OLR
The Kilgen Pipe Organ at Our Lady of Refuge Church was built in 1933 by George Kilgen & Son of St. Louis, Missouri, and was the firm's Op. 5163. The instrument was designed by Charles Courboin, then organist of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. The organ was delivered to the church early in 1934, and the work of installing, voicing and finishing was completed in time for the church's dedication in June. The Kilgen firm built a large number of high quality organs for the Diocese of Brooklyn, many of which are still in use more than seventy years later.
The parish's organ is located beneath the side tower of the church and speaks from two concrete chambers into the choir loft and then into the church. The pipes are totally hidden from sight. The organ console or keydesk can be seen in the organ loft on the left hand side of the nave. The organ has approximately 1,800 pipes ranging from 18 feet to half an inch in length, and made of both wood and metal. The organ is winded by a turbine situated in the basement of the church.
Our Lady of Refuge Church, Brooklyn, NY
Built in the Fall of 1933 and shipped and installed in 1934
George Kilgen & Son, Inc. Opus 5163
| Great Organ 10" | Scale/Mouth Width | pipes | ||
| 10" wind pressure | ||||
| 16' | Spitzflote | 36 to 2/3 Flat | Metal | 73 pipes |
| 8' | Open Diapason | 42 Flat 1/4 | Metal | 73 pipes |
| 8' | Violin Diapason | 46 Flat 2/9 | Metal | 73 pipes |
| 8' | Flute Harmonic | 46 Flat 2/9 | Slotted tin | 73 pipes |
| 8' | Dulciana | extension from Choir | ||
| 4' | Octave | 56 Flat 1/4 | 1- 5 Slotted | 73 pipes |
| 4' | Spitzflote | extension of Spitzflote | 34 pipes | |
| 2 2⁄3' | Twelfth | 66 Flat 2/9 | Metal | 61 pipes |
| 2' | Fifteenth | 68 Flat 2/9 | Metal | 61 pipes |
| 8' | Tromba | 5 1/2" scale | Reed | 73 pipes |
| Chimes (loud) | Degan A | 25 pipes | ||
| Chimes (Soft) | Swell Organ | Scale/Mouth Width | pipes | |
| 7" wind pressure | ||||
| 16' | Lieblich Gedeckt | No. 1 Flute Unit | Wood | 73 pipes |
| 8' | Open Diapason | 42 Flat 1/4 slotted | Metal | 73 pipes |
| 8' | Stopped Flute | extension of Lieblich | Wood | 12 pipes |
| 8' | Salicional | 56 Flat 2/9 | Metal | 73 pipes |
| 8' | Voix Celeste | 56 Flat 2/9 | Metal | 73 pipes |
| 4' | Octave | 58 Flat 2/9 | 1-5 Slotted | 73 pipes |
| 4' | Flute d' Amour | extension of Lieblich | Wood & Metal |
12 pipes |
| 2' | Flautino | extension of Lieblich | Wood & Metal |
61 pipes |
| Mixture 3 ranks | Same as Opus 4828 | 186 pipes | ||
| 16' | Posaune | extension of Cornopean | 12 pipes | |
| 8' | Cornopean | 4" scale | Reed | 73 pipes |
| 8' | Oboe | Reed | 73 pipes | |
| 8' | Vox Humanaa | Reed | 73 pipes | Choir Organ | Scale/Mouth Width | pipes |
| 7" wind pressure | ||||
| 8' | Violin Diapason | Extended from the Great Violin Diapason |
73 notes | |
| 8' | Spitzflote | Extended from the Great Spitzflote |
73 notes | |
| 8' | Dulciana | 58 Flat 1/5 | Metal | 73 pipes |
| 8' | Unda Maris | 56 Flat 1/5 | Metal | 73 pipes |
| 4' | Flute | extension from the Great Spitzflote |
73 pipes | |
| 2 2⁄3' | Rohr Nazard | 67 Flat 1/5 | Metal | 61 pipes |
| 2' | Piccolo | extension from the Great Spitzflote |
12 pipes | |
| 8' | Clarinet | Regular | Reed | 73 pipes | Pedal Organ | Scale/Mouth Width | pipes |
| 10" wind pressure | ||||
| 32' | Resultant | from Swell Lieblich Gedeckt | 32 notes | |
| 16' | Contra Bass | No. 3 Slotted (Great Box) | 32 pipes | |
| 16' | Spitzflote | from Great Spitzflote | 32 notes | |
| 16' | Bourdon | No. 1 Tibia Clausa (Swell Box) | 32 pipes | |
| 8' | Lieblich Gedeckt | from Swell | 32 notes | |
| 8' | Octave | extension of Contra Bass | 32 pipes | |
| 8' | Spitzflote | extension of Great Spitzflote | 32 pipes | |
| 8' | Flute | extension of Bourdon | 12 pipes | |
| 4' | Super Octave | extension of Contra Bass |
Wood & Metal |
12 pipes |
| 2' | Doublette | extension of Contra Bass |
Wood & Metal |
12 pipes |
| 16' | Trombone | extension of Tromba, 10" scale (Great Box) |
Metal | 12 pipes |
| 16' | Posaune | from Swell Posaune | 32 notes | |
| Chimes (loud) | (Great Box) | 25 notes | ||
| Chimes (soft) | (Great Box) | 25 notes | ||
All standard couplers.
Setter pistons.
1-2-3-4-5-6 Great and Pedal Stops
1-2-3-4-5-6 Swell and Pedal Stops
1-2-3-4-5-6 Choir and Pedal Stops
1-2-3-4-5-6 Pedal Stops Independent Toe Pistons
1-2-3-4-5-6 General entire organ manual and toe pistons
Cancellor to Great Stops
Cancellor to Swell Stops
Cancellor to Pedal Stops
Cancellor to Choir Stops
Cancellor to General Entire Organ
On and off pistons separating pedal stops from manual stops
Swell Organ Tremolo
Great Organ Tremolo
Choir Organ Tremolo
Wind and Current Indicator
Crescendo Indicator
Sforzando Indicator
Stops list drawn on August 10, 1933
Alfred October 26, 1933
Ship Date December 30, 1933
Out January 8, 1934
Joe Vitacco of JAV Recordings who is volunteering his time to oversee the fundraising and restoration of this organ at the console at Our Lady of Refuge