GREAT (Man.2) (10 w.p.)
1 Open Diapason 16 (leathered, 13-24 wood,
1-12 missing)
2 Bourdon 16 (wood)
3 1st. Open Diapason 8 (from # 1)
4 2nd. Open Diapason 8 (1-12 wood)
5 Geigen Principal 8 (1-12 wood)
6 Gross Flute 8 (wood)
7 Gamba 8 (1-12 wood)
8 Clarabella 8 (wood)
9 Flute Celeste 8 (tenor C, wood)
10 Gedeckt 8 (from #2)
11 Gemshorn 8 (changed 1932, was Doppel
Flute)
12 Octave 4 (from #4)
13 Harmonic Flute 4
14 Flute dAmour 4 (from#6 )
15 Gemshorn 4 (from#11)
16 Harmonic Piccolo 2 (from#13)
17 Mixture 3rks. (1rk,2-2/3, from#7and#17)
18 Trumpet 16 (1-12 missing)
19 Trumpet 8 (from #18)
20 Tuba Profunda 16 (from Solo #65)
21 Harmonic Tuba 8 (from Solo #66)
22 Clarion 4 (from Solo #67)
ECHO
(Man.2)
(10 w.p.)
23 Open Diapason 8 (1-12 wood)
24 Gross Flute 8 (wood)
25 Gamba 8 (1-12 wood)
26 Gamba Celeste 8 (tenor c)
27 Melodia 8 (wood)
28 Gemshorn 8 (1-12 wood)
29 Octave 4 from #23
30 Gambette 4 (from #25)
31 Flute 4 (from #27)
32 Tuba (harmonic from tenor c)
33 Tremulant
34 Chimes (21 notes AA-f)
SWELL
(Man.3)
(10 w.p.)
35 Contra Viole 16 (1-12 wood)
36 Gedeckt 16 (wood)
37 Diapason Phonon 8 (leathered,1-12 wood)
38 Open Diapason 8 (1-12 wood)
39 Viole dGamba 8
40 Flute Traverso 8 (wood)
41 Viola 8 (from #35)
42 Stopped Diapason 8 (from #36)
43 Viole dOrchestre 8
44 Viole Celeste 8 (tenor c)
45 Spitz Flute 8 (1-12 wood)
46 Salicional 8
47 Octave 4 (from #38)
48 Wald Flute 4 (wood)
49 Flute 4 (from #40)
50 Salicet 4 (from #46)
51 Flageolet 2 (from #48)
52 Dolce Cornet 3rks. (1rk.,2-2/3, from #43
and #52)
53 Contra Fagotto 16
54 Cornopean 8
55 Fagotto 8 (from #53)
56 Vox Humana 8
57 Clarion 4 (from #54)
58 Tremulant
SOLO
(Man.4)
(10w.p.)
59 Stentorphone 8 (leathered, 1-12 wood)
60 Philomela 8 (25-49 missing, wood)
61 Cello 8
62 Vibrant String 8
63 Flute 4 (from #60)
64 Cor Anglais 8
65 Tuba Profunda 16 (25w.p., 1-36 wood
resonators, harmonic at #43, double harmonic at #54)
66 Harmonic Tuba 8 (from #65)
67 Clarion 4 (from #65)
68 Tremulant
CHOIR
(Man.1)
(10 w.p.)
69 Quintaten 16 (1-24 wood)
70 Open Diapason 8 (1-12 wood)
71 Geigan Principal 8 (sic., 1-12 wood)
72 Concert Flute 8 (harmonic, wood)
73 Gemshorn 8 (1-12 wood)
74 Quintadena 8 (from #69)
75 Dulciana 8 (1-12 wood)
76 Octave 4 (from #71)
77 Hohl Flute 4 (wood)
78 Flute 4 (from #72)
79 Fugara 4 (from #79)
80 Piccolo 2 (from #77)
81 French Horn 8
82 Orchestral Oboe 8
83 Clarinet 8 (belled)
84 Tremulant
85 Harp (stopped wood resonators, 61n.)
PEDAL
(10w.p.)
86 Double Open Diapason 32 (1-5 25, 1-7
resultant, from GGGG, wood)
87 Contra Bourdon 32 (1-7 resultant, from
GGGG, wood)
88 Open Diapason 16 (from #86)
89 Violone 16 (from Great #5)
90 Bourdon 16 (from #87)
91 Contra Viole 16 (from Swell #35)
92 Octave Bass 8 (from #86)
93 Cello 8 (from Solo #61 and 62)
94 Flute 8 (from #87)
95 Contra Bombarde 32 (from Solo #65)
96 Tuba Profunda 16 (from Solo #65)
97 Contra Fagotto 16 (from Swell #53)
98 Harmonic Tuba 8 (from Solo #65)
99 Clarion 4 (from Solo #65)
100 Echo Bourdon 16 (wood)
101 Echo Flute 8 (from #100)
COUPLERS
Pedal Octaves
Great to Pedal
Great to Pedal 4
Swell to Pedal
Swell to Pedal 4Choir to Pedal
Choir to Pedal 4
Solo to Pedal
Solo to Pedal 4
Great 4
Swell to Great
Swell to Great 4
Swell to Great 16
Choir to Great
Choir to Great 4
Choir to Great 16
Solo to Great
Swell 4
Swell 16
Choir to Swell
Choir to Swell 4
Choir to Swell 16
Solo to Swell
Choir 4
Choir 16
Swell to Choir
Swell to Choir 4
Swell to Choir 16
Solo 4
Solo 16
Swell to Solo
Swell to Solo 4
Swell to Solo 16
COMBINATION
ACTION
Great and Echo 1-8
Swell 1-8
Choir 1-8
Solo 1-8
Pedal 1-8
Full Organ 1-6
Setter
CHEEK
BUTTONS
Unison Off/On for Swell, Choir, Solo
Stage Shades On/Both/Off
Great On/Both/Echo On
BALLANCED
PEDALS
Great and Choir
Swell
Solo
Echo
Crescendo
TOE
LEVERS
Pedal pistons 1-8 (duplicate)
Full organ pistons 1-6 (duplicate)
Setter (duplicate)
Great to Pedal Reversible
Sforzondo Reversible
Indicator lamps for;
Voltage (w/push button to activate)
Crescendo (5 lamps)
Sforzondo
Voltmeter
Three standard switches for blowers
Left: Solo and Swell (10 hp 2 stage, Kinetic, single phase)
Right: Great and Choir (7-1/2hp Kinetic, single phase)
Echo: (3hp Kinetic, single phase)
Video by Jeff Lyons of Garland Mullen
playing the Coliseum Organ, and of Jeff interviewing
Garland, in 1984
[YouTube video accessed in March of 2024]
History:
The
illustrious
history of this large pipe organ began in 1919 when it was built
for temporary installation at the Methodist Church Centenary
celebration in Columbus, Ohio that year. Macon, GA and
Evansville both wanted the instrument following the Centenary,
but the negotiating efforts of local leaders such as Mayor Bosse
and Dr. Alfred Hughes were ultimately successful and city of
Evansville purchased the organ for the coliseum with much
celebration by the local press and citizenry.
Mayor Bosse Alfred Hughes, the first president of Evansville
College, pledged to raise $5000 toward the purchase cost of
$31,500 from friends of the college and church, and his pledge
was made in the name of Evansville College.
The organ was named in memory of Milton Z. Tinker, who came to
Evansville in 1867 and worked as superintendent of music in the
Evansville public schools for 47 years. It was used for
for city, county, community and college events, and was closely
associated with the growth of the music department at the
college. (See history link under UE Organ Studio website
below.)
The organ was rebuilt by Mφller around 1933 as opus 6059.
A Moller Artiste Player mechanism was added around the time of
the rebuild which allowed the instrument to be played without an
organist for events in the coliseum. The organ was played
by famous organists such as E. Power Biggs, Marcel Dupre' and
Virgil Fox and was played in concerts with the Evansville
Philharmonic Orchestra, which was formerly based in the
coliseum.
After the city built the new Vanderburgh Auditorium in the
1960s, the coliseum was no longer used as a major concert
venue. Around the same time the University of Evansville
had new organs built on campus for teaching and recitals.
The organ at the coliseum fell into disuse and disrepair.
Local organ enthusiasts including Garland Mullins, Jeff Lyons
and Kurt von Shekel donated many hours of labor trying to keep
the organ in playable condition, but the financial support
needed for a proper restoration of the instrument was never
forthcoming.
In 2005 Dr. Douglas Reed, professor of organ at the University
of Evansville and then Dean of the Evansville A.G.O. chapter,
along with University of Evansville Student A.G.O. chapter and
the city chapter, began a series of annual concerts to help
restore interest in the coliseum organ and in the legacy of Mr.
Tinker.
By 2012 the condition and safety of the Moller organ in the
coliseum had deteriorated to the point that those responsible
for the coliseum agreed that the instrument should be
removed. The University of Evansville, after discussions
with city, county and coliseum officials, approved the
fundraising for a project to remove salvageable portions of the
organ from the coliseum and store them, for possible use in a
future organ project at the university. The idea of re-purposing
some portions of the Moller organ in a new organ in a renovated
and possibly expanded Neu Chapel was discussed. A campaign to
raise $20,000 for the removal and storage of portions of the
organ was initiated through the university's Office of
Institutional Advancement in the fall of 2012. The Evansville
Chapter of the American Guild of Organist donated $10,000 toward
this project, and the U.E. Student Chapter pledged to raise
$5,000. Wooden crates were constructed for the storage of organ
pipes. A professional organ builder was hired to help remove the
pipes from the chests and pack them in the crates. Students,
staff and friends of the university and the local A.G.O.
chapters helped carry the pipes, the console and the player unit
from the coliseum and loaded them on trailers for transporting
in early September of 2013. Storage space was generously donated
by a supporter of the university.
After several years it became clear that the stored portions of
the organ would not be used in an organ project at the
University of Evansville. The Vanderburgh County Board of
Commissioners, which manages the coliseum and its contents, made
arrangements to return the stored portions of the organ to the
coliseum until a decision could made on what to do with them.
Some of our current and past Evansville A.G.O. chapter members
played roles in renewed conversations by the County
Commissioners regarding options for the future of the stored
portions of the organ.
In March of 2024 the Lynnewood Hall Preservation Foundation in
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania agreed to acquire some of the
remaining portions of the Tinker Organ, including the organ
pipes, envisioning their use in a future organ project as part
of the ongoing restoration of the historic Lynnewood Hall in
Pennsylvania. In April of 2024 the Evansville A.G.O. chapter was
asked by those involved in the Lynnewood project to ask for
volunteers to help with moving portions of the organ out of the
coliseum once again, and to consider helping with financial
assistance for the moving.
-Compiled for this Evansville A.G.O. webpage, in part from the
sources listed below, by webmaster Neal Biggers. (Updated April
2024)
A portion of the contract for the organ.
Tinker Memorial Concert in November 2008 in Neu Chapel, and
Tinker Organ pipes on display at U.E.
Members of the U.E and Evansville A.G.O. chapters
helped move pipes, console and player unit to the temporary
storage space in September 2013,
leaving three of the largest pipes, wind-chests and other
components of the organ behind due to space limitations or
difficulty in removal.
Sources: