Rathke Opus 4
 
Manual - CC to c4 (61 notes) - all stops divided T/B at middle C/C#)
 
Stopped Diapason    8'
Principal                   4'
Twelfth (prepared)    2-2/3'
Gemshorn                2'
Seventeenth (prep)   1-3/5' (treble only)
 
Pedal - CC to c1 (25 notes) - permanently coupled to manual
 
*     *     *

In 2002 the Indianapolis AGO purchased a semi-portable chamber organ by Marceau for its PipeWorks program, an educational endeavor in which organ demonstrations and seminars are conducted onsite in local elementary and high schools.  The original organ had 3 stops and was capable of being either hand-pumped or used with an integral electric blower; also, the organ was fitted with clear Lexan panels so that as much of the organ's inner mechanism would be visible to the students.
 
Although the PipeWorks program continued to be successful, the rigors of transport and rough usage in schools began to take their toll, and the organ eventually became unplayable.  In 2006 the Indianapolis Guild's began discussions with organbuilder Michael Rathke to build an essentially new instrument within the existing cherry casework from the 2002 organ.  The resulting instrument, completed in 2009, retains most of the casework, the pedalboard, and about half the pipework.  The feature of dual winding--either by hand-pumping or electric blower wind--was also retained in a modified form.  Significant steps were taken to lighten the organ, whose original excessive weight had contributed to difficulty in and likely damage during its frequent moves.


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