The White memorial Seventh Day Adventist church of Los Angeles purchased a 4 manual Estey organ for their new Sanctuary building in 1956. It was to be Estey’s last 4 manual instrument, and the last large instrument that they built. The organ contained the first classically designed exposed Positive division in the Southwestern United States.
During the subsequent years, the organ chamber area began to suffer from some water leakage, which in turn damaged some of the components of the organ.
In 1969, the Schlicker organ company was retained to remove the organ, so that the water damage to the building could be repaired, and that he organ chambers could be renovated to prevent further water problems. The Schlicker Company repaired all of the water damaged components and re-installed the organ. They moved the Positive division (which had been installed above the baptismal font) to the interior of the instrument, and built a new façade casework with a new 16’ Principal in the Pedal, new 8’ Principal in the Great, and a new Trompette-en-Chamade.
In 1979, the Firm of Williamson-Warne & Associates was hired to begin a long-term renovation and maintenance programme, to include re-leathering and cleaning of the organ.
In 1986, the console was beginning to show signs that a rebuilt was in order. During the previous years certain unusual and proprietary parts failed and manufacturing them would have extremely expensive, coupled with the several wiring problems within the console that had been poorly repaired by previous technicians, coupled with the limited usability and flexibly of the 1956 technology, it was decided to completely renovate the console. So, and contract was signed to renovate the console.
Because the organ was a gift in memory of Dr. Felix H. Schubert, the Grandnephew of the composer Franz Schubert, the console’s shell and finish had to be retained.
During the renovation process, the console was completely gutted and all interior parts removed. The console shell’s finish was repaired and polished. All of the interior woodwork was completely replaced using Makassar Ebony. New keyboards were installed with all wood coverings; the natural keys covered in Eastern Hard Maple, and the sharps in East Indian Rosewood. All new all-electric stop and coupler controls were provided. A new solid-state multiplex action was provided which includes a transposer, manual transfer (a devise used to transfer the playing position of two of the keyboards), melody couplers (a devise that allows the top note played to additional stops, such as the Trompette-en-Chamade) and Pedal divide (a devise that divides the pedalboard, allowing the pedal stops to play in the bottom octave, and the stops coupled from the manuals to play from C2 upwards). Also the organ contains a solid-state multi-level combination action, which includes 16 levels of memory, a 99-step list function, 4 programmable crescendos, 4 sforzandos, and a combination locking mechanism to lock each individual level.
SPECIFICATIONS
White Memorial S.D.A. Church
Los Angeles Ca.
Grand Orgue
16’ Quintaton
8’ Montre
8’ Flute Harmonique
8’ Flute a Cheminee
8’ Cor ‘d Chamois
4’ Prestant
4’ Cor ‘d Nuit
2-2/3’ Nazard
2’ Quarte ‘d Nazard
1-1/3’ Fourniture IV
16’ Trompette-en-Chamade
8’ Trompette-en-Chamade
4’ Trompette-en-Chamade
Chimes
2 Blank Knobs
G.O. to G.O. 16’
G.O. to G.O. 8’
G.O. to G.O. 4’
Choral
8’ Flute Couvert
8’ Cor ‘d Chamois
8’ Cor Celeste
4’ Prestant
2’ Flute a Pointe
1-1/3’ Quinte*
1/2’ Tierce Cymbale III
16’ Doucaine*
8’ Cromorne
4’ Chalumeau
Tremolo
2 Blank Knobs
Choral to Choral 16’
Choral to Choral 8’
Choral to Choral 4’
Solo*
8’ Grand Bourdon
8’ Violoncelle
8’ Violoncelle Celeste
4’ Flute Octaviante
2’ Octavin
1’ Harmoniques V
8’ Cor ‘d Porteu
8’ Cor Anglais
Tremolo
2 Blank Knobs
Solo to Solo 16’
Solo to Solo 8’
Solo to Solo 4’
Recit
8’ Montre Etroit
8’ Bourdon
8’ Viol ‘d Gamba
8’ Voix Celeste
4’ Prestant
4’ Flute Accouplant
2-2/3’ Nazard
2’ Doublette
1-3/5’ Tierce*
1-1/7’ Septieme*
1’ Plein Jeu III
16’ Basson
8’ Trompette
8’ Hautbois
8’ Voix Humaine*
4’ Clarion
Tremolo
2 Blank Knobs
Recit to Recit 16’
Recit to Recit 8’
Recit to Recit 4’
Positif
8’ Flute Chantant
4’ Petit Prestant
2-2/3’ Nazard*
2’ Flute a Bec
1-3/5’ Tierce
1-1/3’ Larigot
1’ Flageolet
1/4’ Cymbale III
16’ Sourdine*
8’ Jeu Erard*
16’ Trompette-en-Chamade
8’ Trompette-en-Chamade
4’ Trompette-en-Chamade
Tremolo
2 Blank Knobs
Orgue en Arriere*
8’ Petit Bourdon
8’ Viol ‘d Orchestre
8’ Viol Celeste
4’ Flute ‘d Amour
8’ Vox Humaine
Tremolo
2 Blank Knobs
Pedal
32’ Soubass
16’ Montre
16’ Soubass
16’ Contrabasse
16’ Cor ‘d Chamois
16’ Quintation
16’ Petit Bourdon*
8’ Prestant
8’ Bourdon
8’ Flute Conique
4’ Choral Basse
4’ Flute Conique
2’ Cor ‘d Nuit
2-2/3’ Fourniture IV
32’ Contra Bombarde
16’ Bombarde
16’ Basson
8’ Trompette
8’ Trompette Chamade
4’ Clarion
2 Blank Knobs
Couplers
G.O. to Pedal 8’
G.O. to Pedal 4’
Recit to Pedal 8’
Recit to Pedal 4’
Choral to Pedal 8’
Choral to Pedal 4’
Solo to Pedal 8’
Solo to Pedal 4’
Recit to G.O. 16’
Recit to G.O. 8’
Recit to G.O. 4’
Choral to G.O. 16’
Choral to G.O. 8’
Choral to G.O. 4’
Solo to G.O. 16’
Solo to G.O. 8’
Solo to G.O. 4’
Positif on G.O.
O.A. on G.O.
Solo to Recit 16’
Solo to Recit 8’
Solo to Recit 4’
Positif on Recit
O.A. on Recit
Recit to Choral 16’
Recit to Choral 8’
Recit to Choral 4’
Solo to Choral 16’
Solo to Choral 8’
Solo to Choral 4’
Positif on Choral
O.A. on Choral
Positif on Solo
O.A. on Solo
* Prepared for
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