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This beautiful organ, completed in 2003, was a gift from Marion McCaw Garrison in memory of her mother, Marion Camp Oliver. The instrument enjoys a perfect placement, located high in the back gallery, the sound speaking into the room in an unforced manner. The organ, although based on organ building practices of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is capable of playing music from many periods and styles. The singing principals, piquant reeds, and luscious flutes, as well as the addition of strings and a 16' manual stop, give this organ a wide range of sonic possibilities not usually expected in a small instrument.

Winding of this entirely mechanical action organ is by a single-fold wedge bellows, and the organ contains only one chest. The Gedackt 8’ is common to both keyboards and is located in the middle of the chest. Pipes located in front of this rank are played on Manual I and pipes behind it are played on Manual II. The pedal consists of four stops transmitted from Manual I. The case carvings were designed, carved, and gold leafed by Judy Fritts.

MANUAL I
Bourdon 16
Praestant 8
Gedackt 8
Octave 4
Nasard 2 2/3 (Half-drawn) + Cornet II (fully drawn)
Octave 2
Mixture IV
Trompet 8

MANUAL II
Gedackt 8 (common to Manual I)
Viol di Gamba 8
Voix Celeste 8
Rohrflöte 4
Blockflöte 2
Dulcian 8

PEDAL (transmission from Manual I)
Subbaß 16
Praestant 8
Octave 4
Trompet 8

Compass: Manuals – 56 notes; Pedal – 30 notes
Couplers: I+P; II+P; II+I
Kellner “Bach” temperament (1978)
Tremulant to entire organ
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Thomsen Chapel Organ Recitals - J. Melvin Butler - Roger Sherman
This recording documents the inaugural recitals given on the new Paul Fritts organ of Thomsen Chapel at St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle in 2003. Based on north European practices of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, this beautiful organ has singing principals, piquant reeds, and luscious flutes. In addition there are a set of strings which give this organ a wide range of sonic possibilities not usually expected in a small, Baroque-style instrument. The program contains repertoire well-suited to a chapel organ, and includes the first recording of Toon Hagen's partita on 'Vater Unser im Himmelreich.' Features St. Mark's Cathedral organist and choirmaster J. Melvin Butler and associate organist Roger Sherman.
   
 
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